Great Pool Room Stories
- Thread starter brunswick1901
- Start date
I don't claim to know all of them but there have been some impressive players behind anonymous handles too. Avoids the unnecessary flack. Unfortunately death is claiming the old time posters. Rumor has it I only have a few years left myself. Got that opinion from a doctor. I'm going find an old drunk for a second opinion. There are a lot more old drunks than old doctors!
Hu
brunswick1901
Well-known member
George Redman, better known as George the Drummer because he headed a popular band in Los Angeles and in Hollywood movies.
George could be found in the day at the race track and at night in a pool room.
What I remember most about George is when he said hoped his Cataract surgery would help him to see better and improve his game.
Cataract surgery is necessary when the lenses in your eyes darken and it is harder to see especially in a dark pool room.
I am not sure of George's age but he must have been in his 60's and sadly the surgery didn't help.
George could be found in the day at the race track and at night in a pool room.
What I remember most about George is when he said hoped his Cataract surgery would help him to see better and improve his game.
Cataract surgery is necessary when the lenses in your eyes darken and it is harder to see especially in a dark pool room.
I am not sure of George's age but he must have been in his 60's and sadly the surgery didn't help.
brunswick1901
Well-known member
Marina Billiards located near Marina Del Rey just West of Los Angeles was a small pool room with a lot of action in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
One of the housemen was Lou "Machine Gun" Butera, who won the World Poker Billiards Championship in 1973.
When Lou would teach a pool lesson the first question he would ask is, "How many hours a day do you practice?".
This was because the answer would tell him what kind of lesson he would teach.
One of the housemen was Lou "Machine Gun" Butera, who won the World Poker Billiards Championship in 1973.
When Lou would teach a pool lesson the first question he would ask is, "How many hours a day do you practice?".
This was because the answer would tell him what kind of lesson he would teach.
Not sure if this qualifies as a poolroom story, but I recall the day of BCA Hall of Famer Cisero Murphy's funeral in New York in what I believe was 1996. The Reverend at the funeral was a fellow who regularly played in the Chelsea Billiards weekly tournaments that were going strong at the time. He was as nice a man as I've ever met. He was also known as one of the higher bidders in the calcutta that took place prior to that weekly tournament.
When I saw a friend of mine the next day at the pool hall and told him which Reverend has presided over Cisero's funeral, he asked me whether there had been a calcutta. I laughed so hard I nearly dropped to the floor.
When I saw a friend of mine the next day at the pool hall and told him which Reverend has presided over Cisero's funeral, he asked me whether there had been a calcutta. I laughed so hard I nearly dropped to the floor.
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brunswick1901
Well-known member
This is a copy of a post I made on Monday.
Because Gus and I had a mutual friend he arranged for me to visit Gus at his home in Penndel Pennsylvania.
The first thing Gus said to me when he opened the door was, "I understand you want to make cues".
I said yes and Gus said, "I don't let cue makers into my shop", then he let me in.
There are no words that can explain how nice Gus was to me while answering all my questions.
My first question was, when did you make your first cue.
Gus said a wife of a co-worker asked him to make a cue for her husband. Gus charged her $20.
I asked what happened to the cue.
Gus said he bought it back and put it through the bandsaw because he didn't want there to be a bad Szamboti out there.
Bad or not, what would Gus' first cue be worth today?.
As we descended into the basement I asked how he got all his machines down here.
Gus pointed to a small window with sunlight coming through it.
I took everything apart and put it back together after it was down here.
Gus explained what each machine did and while on the last machine under the small window Gus said, "This cue had a linen wrap and the owner now wants a leather wrap".
"I also took the butt apart and rebuilt it for free because I figured out a better way to build it".
What Gus didn't have to repeat was, "I didn't want a bad Szamboti out there".
We spent most of time talking about making cues and Gus said one of the things that helped him the most was a player who kept coming back asking for small changes.
While this was not easy to deal with Gus said it was one of the things that helped him make the cue he makes now.
Gus never said who the player was and I did not ask who.
Gus also said when a Balabushka came in for a repair he would take apart what he could and put it back together to learn what he could about how George made his cues.
The phone rang and I seem to remember the phone that was near a curtain towards what I think was the back of the house. I'm 76 years old and at first I thought it was the old style black phones with a loud ringer but now I seem to think it was a "Princess" phone but back to the phone call.
After a few words Gus said, "I started your cue", then a few more words I do not remember then Gus hung up.
After hanging up Gus kept starting at the phone Gus said, "I can't stand that guy!".
I said but you said you started his cue.
Gus said, "Yes, I planted the tree".
Gus had a great sense of humor.
As we talked Gus suddenly said, "I didn't let cue makers into my shop except for one, because I didn't think he could do anything with what he saw".
Gus told me the name but I am not going to say who the cue maker was.
Again, a great sense of humor.
Gus said after he was satisfied with his cue he placed the business card size ad in the National Billiard News and in nine months he had more orders than he could expect to make in his lifetime.
Certainly the greatest compliment I have received was when out of nowhere Gus asked if we would like to stay for dinner.
After a wonderful visit as I was leaving Gus said, "I'm guessing you would like a cue".
I would have never asked Gus to make me a cue but he had offered.
I said yes and we exchanged telephone numbers.
On the long plane flight back home I decided that I would no longer try to make cues.
I realized I couldn't do anything with what I saw.
**********************
Back to why there are no new signed Szambotis as there is with new signed Balabushkas.
The above was to show how Gus and I became friends, such good friends that Gus helped me collect $5,000 from a guy in Japan but that story is for another day.
**********************
I do not remember anything on the day Barry called to explained what happened to Gus.
I do remember that Barry saying his father made nice comments about me in his notes about cues.
After the shock wore off I called Barry back and explained that he should contact David Forman who owned Sutro and tell Forman he should not use his father's name to sell cues.
Sutro was a wholesale distributor of billiard supplies, they were Imperial's main competitor.
Yes that is correct, they were Imperial before they became Imperial International.
Barry said that one of his dad's close friends was an attorney and he would do something to make sure no one could sell a fake Szamboti.
Clearly it worked because to this day no one else except Barry has sold Szamboti cues.
Because Gus and I had a mutual friend he arranged for me to visit Gus at his home in Penndel Pennsylvania.
The first thing Gus said to me when he opened the door was, "I understand you want to make cues".
I said yes and Gus said, "I don't let cue makers into my shop", then he let me in.
There are no words that can explain how nice Gus was to me while answering all my questions.
My first question was, when did you make your first cue.
Gus said a wife of a co-worker asked him to make a cue for her husband. Gus charged her $20.
I asked what happened to the cue.
Gus said he bought it back and put it through the bandsaw because he didn't want there to be a bad Szamboti out there.
Bad or not, what would Gus' first cue be worth today?.
As we descended into the basement I asked how he got all his machines down here.
Gus pointed to a small window with sunlight coming through it.
I took everything apart and put it back together after it was down here.
Gus explained what each machine did and while on the last machine under the small window Gus said, "This cue had a linen wrap and the owner now wants a leather wrap".
"I also took the butt apart and rebuilt it for free because I figured out a better way to build it".
What Gus didn't have to repeat was, "I didn't want a bad Szamboti out there".
We spent most of time talking about making cues and Gus said one of the things that helped him the most was a player who kept coming back asking for small changes.
While this was not easy to deal with Gus said it was one of the things that helped him make the cue he makes now.
Gus never said who the player was and I did not ask who.
Gus also said when a Balabushka came in for a repair he would take apart what he could and put it back together to learn what he could about how George made his cues.
The phone rang and I seem to remember the phone that was near a curtain towards what I think was the back of the house. I'm 76 years old and at first I thought it was the old style black phones with a loud ringer but now I seem to think it was a "Princess" phone but back to the phone call.
After a few words Gus said, "I started your cue", then a few more words I do not remember then Gus hung up.
After hanging up Gus kept starting at the phone Gus said, "I can't stand that guy!".
I said but you said you started his cue.
Gus said, "Yes, I planted the tree".
Gus had a great sense of humor.
As we talked Gus suddenly said, "I didn't let cue makers into my shop except for one, because I didn't think he could do anything with what he saw".
Gus told me the name but I am not going to say who the cue maker was.
Again, a great sense of humor.
Gus said after he was satisfied with his cue he placed the business card size ad in the National Billiard News and in nine months he had more orders than he could expect to make in his lifetime.
Certainly the greatest compliment I have received was when out of nowhere Gus asked if we would like to stay for dinner.
After a wonderful visit as I was leaving Gus said, "I'm guessing you would like a cue".
I would have never asked Gus to make me a cue but he had offered.
I said yes and we exchanged telephone numbers.
On the long plane flight back home I decided that I would no longer try to make cues.
I realized I couldn't do anything with what I saw.
**********************
Back to why there are no new signed Szambotis as there is with new signed Balabushkas.
The above was to show how Gus and I became friends, such good friends that Gus helped me collect $5,000 from a guy in Japan but that story is for another day.
**********************
I do not remember anything on the day Barry called to explained what happened to Gus.
I do remember that Barry saying his father made nice comments about me in his notes about cues.
After the shock wore off I called Barry back and explained that he should contact David Forman who owned Sutro and tell Forman he should not use his father's name to sell cues.
Sutro was a wholesale distributor of billiard supplies, they were Imperial's main competitor.
Yes that is correct, they were Imperial before they became Imperial International.
Barry said that one of his dad's close friends was an attorney and he would do something to make sure no one could sell a fake Szamboti.
Clearly it worked because to this day no one else except Barry has sold Szamboti cues.
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I've told this one before, but it is short, funny, and tells of some struggles.
Really good bank player at this pool hall I grew up in. Was in there every day like clockwork. Taught me how to boil water and clean the dents out of shafts.
Never played "fun pool" you always had to bet something, and while he didn't have much to bet, when players came through, we would all get together and stake him.
Good player from Ohio (IIRC) comes through and our local is putting the beating to him for a good amount per game back then.
Local wins a lot of games in a row 10-15 of full rack banks. This guy played tight too, he would get a lot of his knowledge from Bugs as Bug's backer was from our pool hall too. So he would shoot a bank and not play for shape, but play to make that ball, and then come up with another shot somehow.
So local guy has won every game 10-15 of them ALL OF THEM, and the out of town guy finally wins a game.
Local guy says "I'm tired of all this back and fourth shit, I'm done." Quits the guy up all those games after the guy won one.
He was flush for the next few months.
Really good bank player at this pool hall I grew up in. Was in there every day like clockwork. Taught me how to boil water and clean the dents out of shafts.
Never played "fun pool" you always had to bet something, and while he didn't have much to bet, when players came through, we would all get together and stake him.
Good player from Ohio (IIRC) comes through and our local is putting the beating to him for a good amount per game back then.
Local wins a lot of games in a row 10-15 of full rack banks. This guy played tight too, he would get a lot of his knowledge from Bugs as Bug's backer was from our pool hall too. So he would shoot a bank and not play for shape, but play to make that ball, and then come up with another shot somehow.
So local guy has won every game 10-15 of them ALL OF THEM, and the out of town guy finally wins a game.
Local guy says "I'm tired of all this back and fourth shit, I'm done." Quits the guy up all those games after the guy won one.
He was flush for the next few months.
Gonzo09
Active member
Thanks for sharing this! Alli, Mark Wilson and I appreciate it. Glad you are enjoying these stories.I just listened to the Billy Incardona interview on Legends of the Cue.
If you like pool and would like to hear what pool stories from the 1960s to the late 1990s it will be well worth your time.
This is the link to Part 1.
Billy Incardona - Part 1 (The Early Hustle — From Pittsburgh Str…
In this first installment of our six-part conversation with the great Billy Incardona — known to pool fans everywhere as “Nine-Ball Billy” and later the unmistakabl…www.legendsofthecue.com