Great Pool Room Stories

i liked corner pockets as they had pool rooms in towns that might never of had one. but their setup wasn't so conducive for hanging out and having people in them. which is what a poolroom needs. just like a bar. people dont stay in either when they are empty.
although a lot of that is promotion.
 
I liked the layout of the pool tables lower then the bar and tables/chairs for viewing. The angled mirrors were cool also. The tables played a little tight for the size of the pockets.
 
Knowing what I do know now one thing that would've been very beneficial would of been closed circuit TV in them so when they had Jimmy Moore or Grady Mathews there to play a exhibition match or even during a tournament so anyone sitting in the bar area could watch .
Since there wasn't any seating other than for the players around the tables .

Granted this isn't cheap to accomplish but in the long run it could pay dividends and help promote pool in general by making it readily available for YouTube for instance .
 
maha said:
rose paid me almost 100%
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Well that’s a nice settlement.

I hope you’re talking about Colonel Bill Rosenbaum. Airplane Bill. Rosie. He was something else.

maha said:
but that was before he ever went to detroit. and the first 200 was cash. and all cash for when he played fats. that was the deal we made made in advance.
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200k correct? He was losing bigger numbers in Detroit. You’d go to the hanger in Ypsilanti and settle up there.

@mr3cushion
Superfly was the one that originally first played Rosie here in Detroit. He ran into him at Northville Downs and it was a big snowstorm and no one was at the track and Fly started talking with him and got him to go to Cue Corner in Romulus and the rest is history.
 
rosie started out and lived in medford oregon. in the early 1970's. did his airplane stuff there.
only ever just called rosie. thats all you needed to know.

played cards and pool locally. in those days if he even beat you once he quit you forever. so you couldnt let him get ahead.
after a time the road players found out about him and started hanging out, but he had a few locals to gamble with that didnt play well.
he always spotted me a bunch. i would always try and take my guys up to rogue river to a bar there so i didnt get burned out.
that was the ticket.
 
This story is about Dave, a professional photographer who was a regular in the pool room.

Making a living is tough, especially when a customer stiffs you.

Dave set up his studio to take head shots for the owner of a Beverly Hills beauty Salon and billed him $1,000.

This was the 1980s before digital cameras and it was expensive to buy and develop the film.

Dave asked around the pool room if there was anyone that could help him collect the $1,000.

It's not a surprise when one of the guys said he knew a guy that collected for Las Vegas casinos when a customer didn't pay their marker.

The collector said he only tries to collect when the customer owes at least $25,000 but his actress daughter needs better headshots and maybe they can make a deal.

A few weeks later the collector showed up and gave Dave three one ounce Krugerrand gold bars worth about $800.

Dave asked how he got the gold bars.

I waited in his parking garage and when he got out of his car I walked up and asked if he was, I do not remember the name.

The guy said, "Who wants to know?".

The collector grabbed the owner's arm firmly and said, "Someone that thinks you should pay your bills".

After some back and forth the guy says, "Will you take a check"

The collector says, "No Checks".

The guy says, "I don't have that much cash".

The collector says, "I'm sure you will find something".

The collector told Dave he got five gold bars and he is keeping two.
 
some people you just dont collect from and certainly dont send someone to.

and if was any kind of not a full idiot he would not have given the pictures to the guy until the money was in his hand.
just like most any business you dont get the product until you pay. some will never learn.
 
One of the old timers who was a regular at Tournament Billiards in Culver City told me that one of the other regulars was the actor Peter Falk before he would become famous for being Columbo in the TV series with the same name.

There are several posts about Peter Falk at Tournament Billiards on AZB and you can see Columbo hitting a few shots if you click the link below.

The episode is called, "How to Dial a Murder".


 
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Ted Rothman the principal partner in the group that created the very successful House of Billiards in Santa Monica and elsewhere in Los Angels was a Jew. Ted told me the proper way to refer to him was a Jew and not Jewish.

He paid his employees well and on major holidays he would drive to his four rooms and left $20 for every employee who worked that day.

***********************

I was practicing on the "Front" table in Santa Monica when Ted stopped and asked, "Do you know what day is today?".

I knew he did not mean the day of the week and it wasn't a holiday so I said no.

"Today is Rosh Hashanah, a very important Jewish Holiday, and all the good Jews take today off".

Then Ted went to his office to work!
 
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How Gus Szamboti helped me collect $5,000.

In the late 1980s triggered by the movie, Color of Money, Japan went crazy about playing pool.

At the time I was part owner of West Coast Billiard Supply in Los Angeles when Allen Gilbert, at one time the best 3 Cushion player in the U.S. brokered a deal with his friend Nishio, sorry I do not remember Nishio's last name, to buy and ship 9 foot Brunswick Gold Crowns to Japan.

Nishio would pay for the tables when he ordered them but like so many business deals there would be a small balance which Nishio would pay when he placed his next order. That is until he stopped placing orders and he still owed $5,000.

There was no way for me to collect the money because the cost to collect would be more than the money he owed.

A different Japanese businessman that had been buying cues from me asked if I knew any professional pool players he could contact to make celebrity appearances in Japan.

I didn't know any professional pool players but I did know Gus Szamboti, at the time the best cue maker in the world.

I called Gus and explained the guy in Japan owed me $5000 and asked if I could represent him to make an appearance in Japan and hopefully help me collect the $5000 that was owed to me.

Gus said yes!

It's late, I'll finish the story in a day or two.
 
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brunswick1901 said:
One of the old timers who was a regular at Tournament Billiards in Culver City told me that one of the other regulars was the actor Peter Falk before he would become famous for being Columbo in the TV series with the same name.

There are several posts about Peter Falk at Tournament Billiards on AZB and you can see Columbo hitting a few shots if you click the link below.

The episode is called, "How to Dial a Murder".


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Played some friendly pool a couple of times with Peter at Ye Billiard Den in Hollywood. Also Telly Savalas was in there a lot playing pool, as was Vince Edwards. Many other celebs came in from time to time. It was a Hollywood hot spot and I was like a defacto house pro. If they had a question about a match in progress they would ask me. The good old days.

Played an exhibition match there against Mosconi and the place was packed to the rafters to see him play. Willie was a tough act but he was very kind to me.

Forgot one guy. I played Jimmy Caan cheap money games many times before he got so famous. Gave him the eight and the break in short races for fifty bucks. Jimmy loved being in the spotlight on the front table.

Phil Spector liked pool too and often backed played players, carrying bundles of cash into the poolroom. He got hooked up with Pancho and they relieved him of over ten grand. He never came back! P.S. He carried a gun at all times and flashed it once or twice as I recall.

It was Marvin Henderson and Eddie Kelly's favorite watering hole as well. They'd sit at the bar for days on end until a road man would wander in. Get off that stool and bust the guy every time.
 
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jay helfert said:
Played some friendly pool a couple of times with Peter at Ye Billiard Den in Hollywood. Also Telly Savalas was in there a lot playing pool, as was Vince Edwards. Many other celebs came in from time to time. It was a Hollywood hot spot and I was like a defacto house pro. If they had a question about a match in progress they would ask me. The good old days.

Played an exhibition match there against Mosconi and the place was packed to the rafters to see him play. Willie was a tough act but he was very kind to me.
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Yeah, yeah, yeah...

But how did Kojak hit 'em?! 😁
 
you never knew who would walk in the door at the billiard den. and there was always some kind of action if you hadn't knocked yourself.

one time this arab guy who was hanging around asking people to play but only had 500 and 1000 dollar bills.
no one would play him thought the bills had to be bad. and didnt want to have to make change as they won games.
i played him and did whatever he wanted, and ended up with the bills. long time ago but still have one i kept.
jimmy caan was a kid in new york pool rooms like 7 11 before he went west.
funny how the biggest thieves and scammers are so afraid that they might get taken.
your friend butch was there every day. scaring people by just being there..
ronnie roper was the house local who was the best and had backers all the time. he couldnt mess with all the road players that hung out during the day waiting for night time bar action.
 
There is an excellent interview called, "Live with Billy Incordona" on YouTube.

My favorite part is the analysis of the Tony Chohan vs Gabe Martinez 10 Ball and One Pocket match.

 
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