I've known Tony for over 25 years and first of all, HE CAN PLAY!!!
When he was a youngster in the late 70's and early 80's, Tony was a threat to win or finish high in any West Coast tournament he played in. He was not a big gambler, but preferred to play for more affordable stakes.
Tony was and still is very competitive. As recently as 2-3 years ago, he finished in the top ten at the Sands in Reno. The early posters on this thread were pretty close on rating Tony's speed. He was what we would call a "high speed" shortstop. One who was capable of knocking off a top player from time to time. And he did too.
Tony's best games are 9-Ball and 14.1 He may have been the best 14.1 player on the left coast. I can't think of anyone who was a favorite over him, only Kim may have been able to hang with him. To me Rafael is not a West Coast player. You'd have to go all the way to Seattle and get Dan Louie to find someone who could beat Tony at Straight Pool. And Danny might not like it either.
Playing Off The Rail is a great book and a must read for pool enthusiasts. David McCumber may be the best writer after Walter Tevis to explore the sport of pool. It's a fascinating read with colorful descriptions of many great characters. And Tony did do a lot of gambling for decent money on their road trip together. It helped that he had a flush backer.
As someone else said, Tony is a very bright guy, who has built some nice upscale poolrooms, and has a wide range of knowledge and capabilities that most people have no idea about (like me). He is the brains behind the upsurge in recent years of the USPPA, the pool rating system that may be the best handicap system ever for pool.
Tony visited me at my last poolroom, and gave me some sage advice. He saw all the people coming in and playing for cash, and he told me, "Jay, with a poolroom like this, you're supposed to stay in stroke". At the time, I rarely picked up a cue. After that, I began playing and for the next few years, I was in action several times a week. And was betting as high as 500 a game and played for 50-100 a game almost daily.
On my front table, a very tight Gold Crown where we played the biggest One Pocket games, Tony tried to run 100 balls. This was a very tough table. After three or four tries, his best was an 88. He just shrugged and said that's the best he can do. That was the all time high run on that table.
On one visit he brought Ed Ames down from S.F. with him. I barely knew Ed, but he asked me for a One Hole game. We ended up betting 50 a game, and that big moose could play. But I was tough to beat on my home court and I won a few games, after several hours of back and forth. Ed still asks me to play when I see him, but I am "out of stroke" now.
Tony is a good friend and I always enjoy seeing him. Oh, and one last thing, Tony is one of the only guys who beat me playing Banks on that tough table. We weren't gambling but I was definitely trying to win. Yes, Walt to answer your question. Tony is no pool imposter. He has his pedigree!
