How do road players do it?

Get used to being broke

Jason Robichaud said:
I find it hard to believe that these guys can walk into any room and beat the best for the cheese. What is the process for a road player?

If I decided to go on the road, I wouldn't need a map to find my way home. I am an ok player, never would I walk into a room and put an open challenge on the table.

Couple things I would like to know...

Is there a list of fish in each town?
Some place to find backers?
Do they hustle crazy spots?
How many road players went MIA?
How quick does the word get out that a road player is on the prowl?

Any personal road trips stories would be great.
Click to expand...

Map out some tournaments over the course of a month.
Arrive @ the tournament location right after the previous tourney.
You have all week to drum up some action.
TAKE A STAKEHORSE, OR A LARGE BANKROLL.

In St Louis you can get action at Ride the Rail, Sports Center, Teachers in St Peter's, Cue and Cushion and a few other locations.
Baxters in Fairview Heights and The Break in Cahokia, if you want to gamble and can play.

You just might to get to play some young guys named Justin and Jimmy.
Good Luck

How fast does word get around? How long does it take to make a phone call or send a text message these days.
 
This is how I did it my way................

Jason Robichaud said:
I find it hard to believe that these guys can walk into any room and beat the best for the cheese. What is the process for a road player?

If I decided to go on the road, I wouldn't need a map to find my way home. I am an ok player, never would I walk into a room and put an open challenge on the table.

Couple things I would like to know...

Is there a list of fish in each town?
Some place to find backers?
Do they hustle crazy spots?
How many road players went MIA?
How quick does the word get out that a road player is on the prowl?

Any personal road trips stories would be great.
Click to expand...

When I would go on the road I would always go by myself. You couldn't afford 2 people and the other person always seemed to know more about what I was doing and how I should do it. Plus that other person usually got me into trouble with their big mouth.

I would go into any small town and just hang out. I would find a young guy that knew everyone and was involved with the pool scene there. This could be a town of 900 or it could be a town of 10,000, it didn't matter.

There was always the top 5 guys and they all had a pecking order. Many of these towns the players had never been anywhere so they had no real idea how good a player could really play.

Sometimes i would meet a young lady also and this would really work out good because now I could stall instead of being stalled on. I could act like I had all the time in the world. Hardly no expenses plus a new little relationship was kind of fun.

Of the top five guys I would note which ones liked to bet it up. Sometimes there would be a guy in that town that wasn't even in the top five that couldn't hardly make 3 balls in a row but would like to bet big.

This was the case when I went on one road trip to Ill. I ended up in Benton. I met a young guy named David Ore. He was about 21. I was about 27. He was my main guy while I was there. We became real good friends.

Also a young lady named Sue. I still have a special place in my heart for her.

In Benton there was quite a little pool world and they had pool names for everyone. There was Sudden Sam,Downtown Brown,Ralph the Mouth,and many others I hardly remember.

There was also a Bar in Centralia that had an owner that would bet big.

Once I got hooked up with sue I just laid low for awhile and set up my plan here and there and everywhere I could.

The first week I was there I got into a game with a guy that worked for the newspaper. He's the guy that couldn't make 3 balls in a row. He started right out betting 50 a game. This was great because I didn't have to show anything plus I made some money. Eventually we were betting 200 a rack 8 ball last pocket. I think I won a couple of thousand.

Now all these other guys in town saw how bad I played and were just chomping at the bit to get a piece of me. My favorite line was though, I know how good you play and that would be it. Like I said, I could stall real good with low expences.

After I was certain there were no other grapes to pick I would start going after the top 5 with the worst first. I played Ralph the mouth at the Mouse Trap in a little town right next to Benton. Ralph would bet only 10 or twenty a game and his dad owned the bar so the pool was free. I played all day with him and made sure I only won about 100 dollars.

This was great because I could always come back now and give him the 7 or 8 and maybe get him to bet some more. But the number 4 guy in town had some money and this was good bait for him. I just barely beat Ralph after 8 hours and I know he gives Ralph the eight and still beats him.

Then one night there comes this big guy in the bar. He's not real happy looking. It turns out that he still thinks Sue is his girlfriend. I found this out when I left the bar and he chased me around the car a little. This guy was a monster. Sue saved me though. As soon as she ran out and got in the way he turned into a little pussy cat for a minute. That was just enough time for me to exit stage left.

Sue got that straightened out though. I think he drove truck and she forgot to tell him that they were broke up I think. So everything was still right on track. My happy temporary home was still there. She was really a sweetheart.

I never got the bar owner in Centrailia to bet any money but trying to led to a couple of other good scores. The nice thing about going there to try to get something going was all the other players in the area were trying to get this guys money. So when I was there it was just like fishing with a worm on my hook. The worm on my hook was the bar owner if you get the drift.

I never beat that bar owner out of a dime but he made me about 20,000 in a 3 month period. He was the best worm I ever had in all the years I played on the road.

I played Downtown Brown but he was a pretty nice guy with no money so I took it kind of easy. We just had a good time and we all got drunk. I just waited until he got real drunk before I won the money so there was a good excuse for him losing so money to me. In fact Sue tended bar at this place and I had her tell everyone that half the drinks she gave me had no booze in them. He got drunk and I didn't. All I heard after that was there should be a rematch because if we both stay sober I couldn't win.

I said to myself. PERFECTO............

Then there was Sudden Sam. I think his name was Sammy Soda. He played real sporty and I wasn't sure If I could beat him. He played at A bar called the 105 right next to the railroad track. The table there was an old Irving Kay with a big cue ball. The pockets were so small the big cue ball would hardly fit.

I had a pretty good bankroll now and this was everybodys chance to try to recoup their losses. All the players that lost money to me were there. They all had their noses opened up and they were certain that Sam was the real deal. Their savior. I guess he had even given Buddy a tussle a few years back.

This little match had a happy ending for me. Sammy didn't play as well as he did 2 years ago or he just didn't hold up to what I put on him. And neither was anybody else. I got all the money. I think I busted everyone.



In the meantime I went to another town with a bar called Dan's Bar. Out in the middle of nowhere. This was a little tougher because they had heard what I had done and I had to give this guy the 7 ball. It was too much. I couldn't seem to win. We had played 4 sets for 500 each and were dead even.

It was about 3 in the morning and I told them I was going. They talked me into playing for a while longer. 200 a rack. I felt pretty good and thought maybe if I keep him off the table I could make some money. I think the guy I played was Rudy.

Sure enough. I ran 6 right out of the gate. I broke and played safe on the next rack, he missed the ball completely. I put anothe 6 on him and the match was over. Rudy was pissed he had to quit he told me. The backer pulled up. He said he wanted to see how many I could run now that I wasn't laying down. I tried to tell him I was never laying down while I was playing him. He wouldn't even listen to it he said.

I knew the backer was kind of a treacherous kind of guy, so I had heard before I went there, so I had talked to him earlier about going with him to win some money the next week. I'm sure that is the only thing that let me get out of there in one piece with the cash.

On my way back to Wisconsin I won a tournament in Rock Falls, then I went to Mattoon and won a big tournament there.

I stopped in Kenosha,Wi and they had a big one there also. And I won that. Billy Gains and Bosten Joey were good friends of mine and were trying to get me a game after the tournament or the next day.

They offered everyone the 7 ball. No takers.

I went back to Eau Claire and lived happily ever after until my next trip. For the next month it was the YMCA for me. I worked out like crazy to lose the 15 to 20 road pounds I gained and stay in top pool shape.

This was just one little trip out of 50 or so. Most places I went never knew my name. I played in almost 3/4 ths of the states.

I forgot about one other score on this trip. Joe Shield had a 9 foot snooker table. When I first went in there he told me he had a friend named Nick that would play me some nine ball. His friend was Nick Varner and he was winning one of his world Championships in S Carolina I think or maybe North.

I played dumb and acted like I didn't know who he was. But I knew he wouldn't be around for a few days with the tournament and all.

So Joe tried to keep me their by playing me. He played pretty good but just didn't have enough fire power. I don't remember exactly how much I won but I think I got all the cash I could.

Nick never got there in time. To this day I don't think Nick even knows that I was the guy that Joe was trying to keep there.

I'm going to ask Nick the next time I see him if he remembers.

For me. Being on the road is living. You need more games though other than pool. Pinball,bowling,darts,throwing coins,throwing cards,running a race or shooting basketball.

I usually got the cash. And that was the name of the game back then.

It was all about the money... It had to be. That's how you keep the score............Try to spend a trophy sometime...........

If David or Rudy or Sue or anyone remembers me on this trip I would sure appreciate your comments and would like to say hi.

This was one of the best road trips of my whole pool life. Some were close but this was the Best.

Thanks for the thread.............Good memories.............
 
markpatrick said:
Map out some tournaments over the course of a month.
Arrive @ the tournament location right after the previous tourney.
You have all week to drum up some action.
TAKE A STAKEHORSE, OR A LARGE BANKROLL.

In St Louis you can get action at Ride the Rail, Sports Center, Teachers in St Peter's, Cue and Cushion and a few other locations.
Baxters in Fairview Heights and The Break in Cahokia, if you want to gamble and can play.

You just might to get to play some young guys named Justin and Jimmy.
Good Luck

How fast does word get around? How long does it take to make a phone call or send a text message these days.
Click to expand...

Is Jimmy working at a casino now or just playing pool?
 
genomachino said:
When I would go on the road I would always go by myself. You couldn't afford 2 people and the other person always seemed to know more about what I was doing and how I should do it. Plus that other person usually got me into trouble with their big mouth.

I would go into any small town and just hang out. I would find a young guy that knew everyone and was involved with the pool scene there. This could be a town of 900 or it could be a town of 10,000, it didn't matter.

There was always the top 5 guys and they all had a pecking order. Many of these towns the players had never been anywhere so they had no real idea how good a player could really play.

Sometimes i would meet a young lady also and this would really work out good because now I could stall instead of being stalled on. I could act like I had all the time in the world. Hardly no expenses plus a new little relationship was kind of fun.

Of the top five guys I would note which ones liked to bet it up. Sometimes there would be a guy in that town that wasn't even in the top five that couldn't hardly make 3 balls in a row but would like to bet big.

This was the case when I went on one road trip to Ill. I ended up in Benton. I met a young guy named David Ore. He was about 21. I was about 27. He was my main guy while I was there. We became real good friends.

Also a young lady named Sue. I still have a special place in my heart for her.

In Benton there was quite a little pool world and they had pool names for everyone. There was Sudden Sam,Downtown Brown,Ralph the Mouth,and many others I hardly remember.

There was also a Bar in Centralia that had an owner that would bet big.

Once I got hooked up with sue I just laid low for awhile and set up my plan here and there and everywhere I could.

The first week I was there I got into a game with a guy that worked for the newspaper. He's the guy that couldn't make 3 balls in a row. He started right out betting 50 a game. This was great because I didn't have to show anything plus I made some money. Eventually we were betting 200 a rack 8 ball last pocket. I think I won a couple of thousand.

Now all these other guys in town saw how bad I played and were just chomping at the bit to get a piece of me. My favorite line was though, I know how good you play and that would be it. Like I said, I could stall real good with low expences.

After I was certain there were no other grapes to pick I would start going after the top 5 with the worst first. I played Ralph the mouth at the Mouse Trap in a little town right next to Benton. Ralph would bet only 10 or twenty a game and his dad owned the bar so the pool was free. I played all day with him and made sure I only won about 100 dollars.

This was great because I could always come back now and give him the 7 or 8 and maybe get him to bet some more. But the number 4 guy in town had some money and this was good bait for him. I just barely beat Ralph after 8 hours and I know he gives Ralph the eight and still beats him.

Then one night there comes this big guy in the bar. He's not real happy looking. It turns out that he still thinks Sue is his girlfriend. I found this out when I left the bar and he chased me around the car a little. This guy was a monster. Sue saved me though. As soon as she ran out and got in the way he turned into a little pussy cat for a minute. That was just enough time for me to exit stage left.

Sue got that straightened out though. I think he drove truck and she forgot to tell him that they were broke up I think. So everything was still right on track. My happy temporary home was still there. She was really a sweetheart.

I never got the bar owner in Centrailia to bet any money but trying to led to a couple of other good scores. The nice thing about going there to try to get something going was all the other players in the area were trying to get this guys money. So when I was there it was just like fishing with a worm on my hook. The worm on my hook was the bar owner if you get the drift.

I never beat that bar owner out of a dime but he made me about 20,000 in a 3 month period. He was the best worm I ever had in all the years I played on the road.

I played Downtown Brown but he was a pretty nice guy with no money so I took it kind of easy. We just had a good time and we all got drunk. I just waited until he got real drunk before I won the money so there was a good excuse for him losing so money to me. In fact Sue tended bar at this place and I had her tell everyone that half the drinks she gave me had no booze in them. He got drunk and I didn't. All I heard after that was there should be a rematch because if we both stay sober I couldn't win.

I said to myself. PERFECTO............

Then there was Sudden Sam. I think his name was Sammy Soda. He played real sporty and I wasn't sure If I could beat him. He played at A bar called the 105 right next to the railroad track. The table there was an old Irving Kay with a big cue ball. The pockets were so small the big cue ball would hardly fit.

I had a pretty good bankroll now and this was everybodys chance to try to recoup their losses. All the players that lost money to me were there. They all had their noses opened up and they were certain that Sam was the real deal. Their savior. I guess he had even given Buddy a tussle a few years back.

This little match had a happy ending for me. Sammy didn't play as well as he did 2 years ago or he just didn't hold up to what I put on him. And neither was anybody else. I got all the money. I think I busted everyone.



In the meantime I went to another town with a bar called Dan's Bar. Out in the middle of nowhere. This was a little tougher because they had heard what I had done and I had to give this guy the 7 ball. It was too much. I couldn't seem to win. We had played 4 sets for 500 each and were dead even.

It was about 3 in the morning and I told them I was going. They talked me into playing for a while longer. 200 a rack. I felt pretty good and thought maybe if I keep him off the table I could make some money. I think the guy I played was Rudy.

Sure enough. I ran 6 right out of the gate. I broke and played safe on the next rack, he missed the ball completely. I put anothe 6 on him and the match was over. Rudy was pissed he had to quit he told me. The backer pulled up. He said he wanted to see how many I could run now that I wasn't laying down. I tried to tell him I was never laying down while I was playing him. He wouldn't even listen to it he said.

I knew the backer was kind of a treacherous kind of guy, so I had heard before I went there, so I had talked to him earlier about going with him to win some money the next week. I'm sure that is the only thing that let me get out of there in one piece with the cash.

On my way back to Wisconsin I won a tournament in Rock Falls, then I went to Mattoon and won a big tournament there.

I stopped in Kenosha,Wi and they had a big one there also. And I won that. Billy Gains and Bosten Joey were good friends of mine and were trying to get me a game after the tournament or the next day.

They offered everyone the 7 ball. No takers.

I went back to Eau Claire and lived happily ever after until my next trip. For the next month it was the YMCA for me. I worked out like crazy to lose the 15 to 20 road pounds I gained and stay in top pool shape.

This was just one little trip out of 50 or so. Most places I went never knew my name. I played in almost 3/4 ths of the states.

I forgot about one other score on this trip. Joe Shield had a 9 foot snooker table. When I first went in there he told me he had a friend named Nick that would play me some nine ball. His friend was Nick Varner and he was winning one of his world Championships in S Carolina I think or maybe North.

I played dumb and acted like I didn't know who he was. But I knew he wouldn't be around for a few days with the tournament and all.

So Joe tried to keep me their by playing me. He played pretty good but just didn't have enough fire power. I don't remember exactly how much I won but I think I got all the cash I could.

Nick never got there in time. To this day I don't think Nick even knows that I was the guy that Joe was trying to keep there.

I'm going to ask Nick the next time I see him if he remembers.

For me. Being on the road is living. You need more games though other than pool. Pinball,bowling,darts,throwing coins,throwing cards,running a race or shooting basketball.

I usually got the cash. And that was the name of the game back then.

It was all about the money... It had to be. That's how you keep the score............Try to spend a trophy sometime...........

If David or Rudy or Sue or anyone remembers me on this trip I would sure appreciate your comments and would like to say hi.

This was one of the best road trips of my whole pool life. Some were close but this was the Best.

Thanks for the thread.............Good memories.............
Click to expand...

Nice story, sounds like the real deal. Being on the road is part ingenuity and part spontaneity, and a lot of skill!
 
I only went on a few extended road trips like back and forth across the USA or up and down the West Coast. Most of the time it was short excursions to Vegas or Phoenix or somewhere else. Living in a city like Los Angeles, particularly in the 60's and 70's you never ran out of spots or games. Maybe a hundred or more pool rooms and a thousand bar spots.

Every one who traveled had a different M.O. You had to find what worked for you. I was usually on my own and occasionally with a girlfriend or another player. It's cheaper that way and you can make your own decisions about what to do and who to play. I preferred that. I made money with Jimmy Reid, Danny Medina, Louie, Ronnie, Cecil and Keith but there were always issues to deal with that I won't go into here.

I liked to go to a town, look in the phone book and pick out the biggest poolroom (the one with the biggest ad). I'd walk in, go to the counter and tell the houseman I was looking for a game. This way I never wasted time sitting around and I didn't have to stall either. The truth is I WANTED to play, not just sit on my ass. I had seen a lot of top players who sat around the poolroom all day waiting for a game. That wasn't me.

More often than not, the houseman found someone to play me, and I played THEIR game, whatever it was. Mostly 9-Ball, sometimes One Pocket and even Eight Ball occasionally. I can remember gambling at Snooker and Billiards as well. The way I looked at it (back then) if I was a better player than the other guy, I would eventually get the money. I had a lot of confidence in my ability to book winners. Remember I was in action like six or seven days a week. That helps you stay sharp. Many times after a winning game, someone who was watching would want to steer me to another spot for a piece of the action. I found a lot of good games that way.

The only time I drew the line was if the guy who they brought in was a known player. Back in those days, there may have been about 200 top players in the country. I felt like I knew most of them, so if the guy was a stranger to me I would play him. Sometimes guys would tell me to be careful, I might be getting hustled. The way I looked at it was that I played good enough to protect myself, meaning that if a guy stalled with me I was going to beat him. I got some pretty good players stuck who tried to do exactly that. Then they had a real problem getting even.

Only two guys ever actually hustled me successfully. Larry Lisciotti and Wade Crane (Billy Johnson). I lost about $300 to each of them. In the late 60's and early 70's I had a winning record like the Globetrotters. I used to go for months without losing. Of course I was playing a lot of suckers (and giving up weight), but like Geno said, a win's a win! I was into making money too. I liked having a bank account and money in my pocket. But I can remember a time when I carried my total net worth on me.

The bars were where the softest action was in those days. I preferred playing on big tables, but if I found a good bar spot, I would milk it. By 1972 I owned my first poolroom and after ten years exclusively as a pool gambler I became a businessman (and a pool gambler). But it was damn nice to have money coming in every day. :smile:

P.S. I was thinking about it. Back then all I wanted was a clean place to stay, a good car and some money in my pocket. Things haven't really changed that much for me :rolleyes:. Of course my cue stick was my most valuable possession, then and now. If all else fails, I can always go back to playing pool. Maybe I'm just arrogant but I still feel like there is only a handful of guys in L.A. I can't beat. And even those guys might be in trouble if they give me a little weight.
 
Last edited:
Um, Jay quit being modest.......

To order the guide to being a successful road player at shortstop speed just get Pool Wars by Jay Helfert.

I just finished it and that's exactly what it is. Be forewarned however that some of the techniques employed may need to be tweaked for the modern era. :-)
 
I remember the feeling....steady money............

jay helfert said:
I only went on a few extended road trips like back and forth across the USA or up and down the West Coast. Most of the time it was short excursions to Vegas or Phoenix or somewhere else. Living in a city like Los Angeles, particularly in the 60's and 70's you never ran out of spots or games. Maybe a hundred or more pool rooms and a thousand bar spots.

Every one who traveled had a different M.O. You had to find what worked for you. I was usually on my own and occasionally with a girlfriend or another player. It's cheaper that way and you can make your own decisions about what to do and who to play. I preferred that. I made money with Jimmy Reid, Danny Medina, Louie, Ronnie, Cecil and Keith but there were always issues to deal with that I won't go into here.

I liked to go to a town, look in the phone book and pick out the biggest poolroom (the one with the biggest ad). I'd walk in, go to the counter and tell the houseman I was looking for a game. This way I never wasted time sitting around and I didn't have to stall either. The truth is I WANTED to play, not just sit on my ass. I had seen a lot of top players who sat around the poolroom all day waiting for a game. That wasn't me.

More often than not, the houseman found someone to play me, and I played THEIR game, whatever it was. Mostly 9-Ball, sometimes One Pocket and even Eight Ball occasionally. I can remember gambling at Snooker and Billiards as well. The way I looked at it (back then) if I was a better player than the other guy, I would eventually get the money. I had a lot of confidence in my ability to book winners. Remember I was in action like six or seven days a week. That helps you stay sharp. Many times after a winning game, someone who was watching would want to steer me to another spot for a piece of the action. I found a lot of good games that way.

The only time I drew the line was if the guy who they brought in was a known player. Back in those days, there may have been about 200 top players in the country. I felt like I knew most of them, so if the guy was a stranger to me I would play him. Sometimes guys would tell me to be careful, I might be getting hustled. The way I looked at it was that I played good enough to protect myself, meaning that if a guy stalled with me I was going to beat him. I got some pretty good players stuck who tried to do exactly that. Then they had a real problem getting even.

Only two guys ever actually hustled me successfully. Larry Lisciotti and Wade Crane (Billy Johnson). I lost about $300 to each of them. In the late 60's and early 70's I had a winning record like the Globetrotters. I used to go for months without losing. Of course I was playing a lot of suckers (and giving up weight), but like Geno said, a win's a win! I was into making money too. I liked having a bank account and money in my pocket. But I can remember a time when I carried my total net worth on me.

The bars were where the softest action was in those days. I preferred playing on big tables, but if I found a good bar spot, I would milk it. By 1972 I owned my first poolroom and after ten years exclusively as a pool gambler I became a businessman (and a pool gambler). But it was damn nice to have money coming in every day. :smile:
Click to expand...

I opened my Club in 1986. Up until then I always had a job that I could work around my pool playing. Tried to make sure I could collect unemployment in the winter months.

But the first week when I opened my club and I emptied the quarters out of the tables I thought to myself. Wow. And this is just going to get better. I felt like I was stealing.

That's exactly what I felt was STEADY MONEY. Something I had shunned my whole life.

That was a strong memory. :rolleyes::rotflmao1:
 
Good friend of mine just got back off a very short road trip after not being on one in quite a while. Unless you are going to stay in some fleabag motel or sleep in the car, he estimated average cost of $200 per day expenses.
He said the money was there, but like I said, it had been a while, and he doesn't play at the speed he used to, so he called it quits after he made about 3K. He was aiming for 10K before he left, but got tired of living out of a suit case.
I think another factor is he took a guy with him that is probably 30 years his junior, and to say they weren't on the same wave lenght is an understatement.:smile:
He owns his own business, so I think he was wanting to relive some of the past (he tortured people in his prime). He had fun, and had a lot of laughs, but I don't think he will be doing it again anytime soon.
Things and people change.
 
onepocketron said:
Good friend of mine just got back off a very short road trip after not being on one in quite a while. Unless you are going to stay in some fleabag motel or sleep in the car, he estimated average cost of $200 per day expenses.
He said the money was there, but like I said, it had been a while, and he doesn't play at the speed he used to, so he called it quits after he made about 3K. He was aiming for 10K before he left, but got tired of living out of a suit case.
I think another factor is he took a guy with him that is probably 30 years his junior, and to say they weren't on the same wave lenght is an understatement.:smile:
He owns his own business, so I think he was wanting to relive some of the past (he tortured people in his prime). He had fun, and had a lot of laughs, but I don't think he will be doing it again anytime soon.
Things and people change.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a great friend of mine..would his first name start with a " D "
 
You guys are putting up some great stories and information. The gambling I come from, never for much and only local, you always gave the guy a crack at his money. One double or nothing at the end of the night. I always thought this strange cause you now go from up money to owing a tab for pool. Not many people work for a pay cheque and then offer a company a chance to get it all back.

Did you guys do 'double or nothing' or put a cap/limit per game, like double last bet etc?
 
Road playing is a dead profession !

The old stories you hear will never be relived...with the internet & cell phones..It's to easy for anyone to get the 411 on anybody else...Can't sneak around anymore...Back in the day when I traveled with players...1 thing i found that worked well was letting the player...NOT ALL MIND YOU...but the ones I trusted...but would let them hold some of the bankroll before we made games...See...all good players had stakehores...but we would act like we were going in halfs together which took the edge off instead of them thinking they playing a real player...we could act like we were just suckers who like to bet high.
 
I seem to recall hearing that Cory Deuel and Alex Pagulian went on the road together when they were in their teens. Any stories?
 
genomachino said:
I opened my Club in 1986. Up until then I always had a job that I could work around my pool playing. Tried to make sure I could collect unemployment in the winter months.

But the first week when I opened my club and I emptied the quarters out of the tables I thought to myself. Wow. And this is just going to get better. I felt like I was stealing.

That's exactly what I felt was STEADY MONEY. Something I had shunned my whole life.

That was a strong memory. :rolleyes::rotflmao1:
Click to expand...

Gene,

Back in the 90's I put some bar tables in a couple of hot night clubs and card casinos. $1 a game - four quarters. I would empty them out once a week, and when I opened the door, the quarters would cascade out onto the floor. The metal tray inside was overloaded with quarters. I discovered that on a typical bar table that coin tray could hold about $400 in quarters. After that it began to overflow. I used to regularly collect $4-500 per table and cut it up with the operator.

In the casinos we would bag it and take it to the cashier cage and they would run the change through a counting machine. They would give me my half in cash. In the night clubs I had to count it all by hand. I would do stacks of ten quarters and they would line one rail of the table. Four stacks made one roll of quarters. The operator of the club would take his half of the quarters and then buy back my half in cash. He needed the quarters for the bar and all the machines in the place.

I had only six tables out, four in casinos and two in clubs. My end was well over 1K every week. I took good care of those tables and the cues. They were my bread and butter back then. When I went out to collect (usually on a Monday or a Tuesday) I would carry my kit to repair cue tips and brush the cloth and polish the balls. I am convinced that having good equipment helped my bottom line. I made sure there were at least eight good cues at each location.

Like all good things it came to an end. Schwarzenegger (the governor/actor) bought the building in Santa Monica where one of my clubs was, and kicked the club out and put a gym in. Another club lost their lease and had to move out. In both casinos they eventually decided to buy their own tables. I had a one year agreement with them. When it expired they told me to take my tables out. The next week they had their own in there. They never did quite as well as before because they didn't take care of things, and eventually (within weeks) all their equipment was junk. Serves 'em right!

But it was a good year or so (2-3 years in the clubs), I'll say that.
 
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the road

As long as greed and beer exist a person can make a little money playing pool on the road. However the average road player wants no part of the tough action or even if he wants the tough action he still spends over 90% of his time clubbing baby seals. He doesn't live like a prince either. I laugh at the cost estimates for living on the road. Not the healthiest diet but I can lived a week on twenty dollars and never miss a meal. As for sleeping accommodations, there was a reason almost all road players chose a big car to travel in, they knew that there were going to be some nights or days sleeping in it.

Like all gamblers and competitors, the road players remember the great trips. Few "remember" waking up in the car in a cornfield or patch of woods cold, hungry, and broke. That last twenty dollar bill you have tucked away has to go into the gas tank, buying a beer when you walk into a bar that you will hate to have hit your stomach that has been empty for 24 hours, and getting on the table for small stakes to start building up again. Gotta buy that beer to look like a regular guy and got to act like you don't have a care in the world a thousand miles from home and busted.

A road player's life is boom and bust, more bust for most of them than they ever want to admit to. Their best friends are pool room and bar owners that will let them snatch a little sleep in a back room and few haven't hustled a girl because her main attraction was a bed to sleep in!

I took a few road trips but my routine had been fine honed within a hundred miles of home. I wasn't looking to make a name for myself, that was the last thing I wanted. I was looking for the suckers in a bar that were a little too loud and a little too proud. I was also looking for the bar room hustlers. To put it bluntly, I was looking for easy action, clubbing those baby seals. Playing a top player for six or eight hours to come out roughly even might be fun but it didn't put beans on the table or pay mortgages.

Very few people today want any part of the life of a typical road player from fifty years ago. It wasn't all that much fun then although it makes for great stories if you survive it. Could you still do it? Absolutely! Watch out for that ol' man in dirty jeans and ragged t-shirt with twenty dollar bills dripping out of his shirt pocket though, he has been plucking chickens far longer than you have been born and he is pretty good at it.

Hu
 
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