I knew them when???????

[Black-Balled]

Yup, had two runs over 90 during the straight pool era, both in competition. I almost never tried for a high practice run, and was generally not inclined to continue my run if I had reached the finish line in a match.

I recall shooting a game of straight pool with Tony Robles in about 1996 at Corner Billiards in NYC just to kill some time while I waited for my friend, who wasn't expected for another couple of hours. We agreed that he'd go to 200 points and I'd go to 100. I broke and he started running balls, and then he continued running balls, and after that he kept running balls. About 80 balls into his run, a friend of mine asked me if I was playing or just watching, and I had to concede that I was playing. Unfortunately, but impressively, Tony ran 200 and out, so the only time I shot was the opening break. So much for getting some practice while I waited for my friend!

Within five years of that game, Tony won the BCA Open at the Riviera and a couple of years after that, he was on a winning American Mosconi Cup team.

And they said he was a nice guy...truth is out!

 

[jay helfert]

Do you know if Willis ever played George Rood?

They were best friends and Don would occasionally come to Dayton just to visit with George. I'm sure they played long before when they first met, but that's how their friendship developed, mutual respect. IMO I doubt that Willis could beat Rood at any game on a pool table, even as good as he played (one caveat - if they got to betting real high I would favor Willis). But on the other hand I suspect Don was a better gambler, more capable of playing well at higher stakes. George never would raise the best on hustlers who came to town. If they started at ten a game, that's where the bet would stay. Willis didn't fear any size bet, he believed in himself and his abilities. Lassiter was known to have said, "If there was one guy who I would want to shoot a shot where my life depended on it, it would be Don Willis."

 

[jay helfert]

I love running across Dayton and, more specifically, Airway stories on here. I couldn't tell you how many hours I spent there in the late 90's through the early 2000's. I had never really played one hole until then and my first experience with it was having an 88 year old George Rood beat my brains in with countless 8-and-outs. The dude played so smooth and calm... He made the game look so incredibly easy.

As far as other players around there... You can't forget Steve Cook. I'd show up after work for the Monday night 9 ball tournaments and just keep hearing, "Steve Cook wins on table..." Again, I had no idea who he was at first. But I'd look around for this beast of a player and never thought I saw him. Little did I know, I was looking at him the whole time. He was such a non assuming looking guy but, man, he could play lights out.

Of course Gary Spaeth, Frank Ruby, and Ryan Stone come to mind, too. SO much talent in that room on any given Monday night.

I never spent much time at Airway back in my era (60's), even though it was a new room back then. I did go in when I heard Lassiter was in town, usually visiting his buddy George Rood. I would see Lassiter playing cards (I'm not sure the game, maybe Cribbage, Spades or Hearts) but what I remember was that after he won a hand and got handed money by each player, Luther would always take the bills and make sure they were folded neatly before putting them in his pocket. I got into that same habit and do it until this day. I hate folded up or wrinkled bills. Thank you Luther!

 

[jay helfert]

Willis, Rood, and Lassiter were friends and considered equals as players.

They each had their strengths and weaknesses, but put any two of those three together and you were drawing dead.

 

[jay helfert]

I would have to imagine they did at some time since they were both in that area for a very very long time.

Here's a funny story I heard about George and Fats (Disclaimer: I have no idea if it's true as it wasn't George who told me.) So back in the day George was playing at a room in Springfield, Ohio and Fats comes in and asks if anyone wants to gamble. George agreed but Fats apparently snapped back with the accusation that George didn't have enough money to gamble with him. So, George told him to hold on a couple of minutes. He runs next door and gets a wad of cash from a bookie, comes back, and asks Fats if it's enough. They agree to play 9 ball (no idea of the bet.) George wins the break, makes a ball, starts to run out, and looks over at Fats. Fats is calmly and deliberately pulling his cue out of his case. George runs the rack, breaks again, and starts to run out again. He looks over at Fats to see him screwing his cue together. George runs out again. George breaks and starts yet another runout when, you guessed it, he looks over at Fats. The Fat Man is ever so delicately chalking his tip. George runs out again. Another break and run starts for George who now sees Fats unscrewing his cue and putting it back in its case.

They broke the mold when the made George. I've never known anyone like him and probably never will. The guy was witty and sharp at an age where most people can't remember what happened that morning. Also, it was super common to see he come waltzing in around 11:45 at night after driving himself there. Mind you, he was probably 90 at that time.

George owned that room with Russ Maddox (East High or High St. Billiards). It's the same room where Wille ran his 526 a few years before George and Russ took it over. I played in there twice in the early 60's. Sorry for the sidetracking this cool thread. I'll STFU now.

 

[pt109]

George owned that room with Russ Maddox (East High or High St. Billiards). It's the same room where Wille ran his 526 a few years before George and Russ took it over. I played in there twice in the early 60's. Sorry for the sidetracking this cool thread. I'll STFU now.

Jay...I recall playing at Pickwick in Dayton...the next time I played there, it was called Airway.
Then it moved to east of I-75....does that sound right?
Russ bugged me to drop into the Springfield room...I hit balls on Willie’s table.

 

[Scott Lee]

First, I note that in 1965, $1 was worth over $8 in 2021 money!

Second, that Willis guy has quite a writeup, what an athlete, what a hustler: Don Willis

Which is why I take exception to Jay's mentioning Don Willis as a "fat old guy". Old he may have been, but Don was fit all his life...no way he was fat. He was already short like Jay, but he was spry and could juggle five or six hustles at the same time in the same poolroom.

Scott Lee
2019 PBIA Instructor of the Year
Director, SPF National Pool School Tour

 

[Dead Money]

Keep 'em coming OG's!

 

[Scott Lee]

fats was the best wing shooter ive ever seen. he would almost never miss them unless he made a bad throw.
he was an old man when most even saw him in a video. cant judge him from that.

His real skill at wing shots was throwing 2 balls at once, and making them both in opposite corners. Even Dr Cue, who drills in wing shots, can't make the 2-in-1 wing shot without a bunch of tries. Fatty was friends with everybody by the time of the Johnston City tournaments. Jack White told me stories of Willis, Lassiter, Fats and himself making 3 cross country gambling trips...Lassiter playing anyone 9ball, Fats playing cheap banks, Willis playing several angles at once (pool, cards, dice, proposition bets, etc), and Jack White making his own games, as he was the youngster in this elite group. Imagine those guys coming into your town. It was certain that they were gonna leave with the money! LOL

Scott Lee
2019 PBIA Instructor of the Year
Director, SPF National Pool School Tour

 

[HawaiianEye]

I was selling Suzuki motorcycles out of a used car dealership on Main St. in Dayton, Ohio in about 1964 or '65. I had dropped out of college and was just starting my climb up the ladder in the pool world. There was a little poolroom a block or so away from where I worked that had a $1-2 9-Ball game going almost every day, a dollar on the five and two dollars on the nine. It was too strong a game for me but I would occasionally go in during my lunch hour to sweat the action. Some of the best players from around Dayton played in that game.

One day I drop in and someone tells me this fat old guy is robbing the game and he's so lucky. Sure enough the first game I watch this guy makes a combo on the five and it respots and he keeps shooting (that's how they played) and he does the same thing on the nine before completing the rack. So he gets paid twice for the five ball and twice for the nine from each of the other players in the game, over $20 total for one game of 9-Ball! I watched this game for over an hour (stayed past my lunch hour) just to see this guy play. He kept making one lucky billiard after another on the money balls and winning multiple payouts game after game. Finally, when everyone had quit except one other guy the game ended. The old guy had won well over $100, a weeks pay back then.

That was the first time I ever saw Don Willis play pool!

I used to love playing those type of ring games with the five and nine.

I won tons of money when it seemed like you were playing for cheap.

 

[jay helfert]

Jay...I recall playing at Pickwick in Dayton...the next time I played there, it was called Airway.
Then it moved to east of I-75....does that sound right?
Russ bugged me to drop into the Springfield room...I hit balls on Willie’s table.

100% correct! It was Pickwick back in the 60's and 70's. Thank you for reminding me. Getting old is a bitch!

 

[Z-Nole]

George owned that room with Russ Maddox (East High or High St. Billiards). It's the same room where Wille ran his 526 a few years before George and Russ took it over. I played in there twice in the early 60's. Sorry for the sidetracking this cool thread. I'll STFU now.

Russ lived the later part of his life down here in Clearwater and every once in awhile tell some old stories. I most remember him and another guy about his age getting all dressed up and chasing skirts at New York, New York. I was just out of high school amd I remember thinking “what are these two old farts thinking???” Now that I’m getting closer to that age I know exactly what they were thinking!

Russ was in pretty damn good shape for his age and could still string together racks in straight pool. I don’t know for certain but I would bet he could run his age right up to the very end.

 

[jay helfert]

Russ lived the later part of his life down here in Clearwater and every once in awhile tell some old stories. I most remember him and another guy about his age getting all dressed up and chasing skirts at New York, New York. I was just out of high school amd I remember thinking “what are these two old farts thinking???” Now that I’m getting closer to that age I know exactly what they were thinking!

Russ was in pretty damn good shape for his age and could still string together racks in straight pool. I don’t know for certain but I would bet he could run his age right up to the very end.

He was pretty good with a deck of cards too!

 

[Z-Nole]

He was pretty good with a deck of cards too!

He played quite a bit of gin but he wasn’t at the top of his game by the time he got down here.

 

[pt109]

Russ lived the later part of his life down here in Clearwater and every once in awhile tell some old stories. I most remember him and another guy about his age getting all dressed up and chasing skirts at New York, New York. I was just out of high school amd I remember thinking “what are these two old farts thinking???” Now that I’m getting closer to that age I know exactly what they were thinking!

Russ was in pretty damn good shape for his age and could still string together racks in straight pool. I don’t know for certain but I would bet he could run his age right up to the very end.

Russ saved my bankroll several times with excellent advice when I was a kid.
“Never bet more than a tenth of your bankroll at 9-ball...or a sixth of your bankroll at snooker or one pocket.”

He had a manager at Pickwick, Everett,who was a good 3-cushion player...he was also funny.
The carom table was being reclothed, the bed was done but the rails were on the floor around the table...
...guy went out for some parts.....customer walks in and wonders what the hell happened.
Everest says “I don’t know who he was, but he had the strongest stroke I ever saw.”

 

[pt109]

He was pretty good with a deck of cards too!

Russ owned his own plane...and could fly the darned thing.
If he did something, he was good at it.
He was responsible for Sam Blumenthal’s only loss at 5x10 snooker in his Sam’s own room.
Russ flew in George Chenier.

 

[jay helfert]

Russ owned his own plane...and could fly the darned thing.
If he did something, he was good at it.
He was responsible for Sam Blumenthal’s only loss at 5x10 snooker in his Sam’s own room.
Russ flew in George Chenier.

I did know he flew his own small planes. Took George Rood to some dog shows from time to time. I also remember the story about him bringing Chenier to play Snooker Sam. Russ was a pretty cagey guy. When a hustler came to town (Dayton), Russ was usually the one who called George in to take him off.

 

[jay helfert]

Which is why I take exception to Jay's mentioning Don Willis as a "fat old guy". Old he may have been, but Don was fit all his life...no way he was fat. He was already short like Jay, but he was spry and could juggle five or six hustles at the same time in the same poolroom.

Scott Lee
2019 PBIA Instructor of the Year
Director, SPF National Pool School Tour

I wasn't the one who called him a fat, old guy but he definitely was on the "stocky" side. In fact he was kind of built like you, lol. He did gain weight in his mid section later in life. You can call it what you want, but I knew the man for over 20 years. In addition to his other notable skills at ping pong, horseshoes, backwards racing, he was also an adept handicapper of sports. He confided in me once that betting basketball was his best move later in life. He made a point to do research into the lesser known college teams and cleaned out a lot of books who were using the Vegas lines.

IMO Don Willis was the second best hustler I've ever known, with only Titanic Thompson outdoing him. They both had a variety of skills that they used to outwit the other guy. Willis' talent depended on outright skill, whereas Titanic would often use artifice to get the best of it.