In Your Opinion?
- Thread starter Johnnyt
- Start date
the only bad thing with those stipulations is that most of the best high stakes players always had a stakehorse or two around
Jake
Jake
Like Jake said, most high stakes players had backers.
From what I heard Rags bet his own and was virtually unbeatable. Most of the time (at least when he was young), Ronnie was playing on his own money and betting real high and winning. Richie never looked for backers and would bet the works and wasn't afraid to take it all down. And he usually did.
Denny played pretty good with or without a backer, and you couldn't out bet him. Other great high stakes money players included Larry Hubbart and Mike Carella. Buddy Hall must be on this list too. He could win with or without backing. Swanee was one of the all time best high stakes 9-Ball players, but he always got backed in big games.
Parica may have been the best money player of the modern era, and he would bet his own, but frequently had support. Greg Stevens played super on his own money for days on end, but always seemed to end up getting flattened out. Bernie Schwartz and Bill Incardona came from the same school of gambling. Empty out, play hard and take it off. Artie also had quite a rep for being a winner. Freddie can lend more insight there.
Lassiter went years at a time with out losing to anyone. And his money was always on the line. And of course there's Jack Cooney, the greatest of the modern pool hustlers by a wide margin.
So to answer your question. I would rate Jack Cooney #1 for betting his own, betting high and winning (it is true that later on he had a backer). Lassiter may be second best, just because he won for so many years. I make Parica #3 for taking on and beating all comers at all games. Billy Incardona had about a 30 year winning streak at Pool, and Denny wore 'em out everywhere he went. Same for Buddy. They all tie for 4th.
This list and the guys I mentioned above are the legendary gamblers of the modern era, who were not afraid to put all their cash on the line. Among the filipinos, Busty was willing to bet high on his own, and young Dennis will to.
I'm sure people will find players I left off the list. But once again, the above players were more than willing to step up and play high, sans backer. And just as important, they were winners, over and over again.
I noticed that I left Don Willis off this list. He had a winning record like the Globetrotters, all wins. But he usually avoided the toughest players and robbed everyone else. Pretty smart hustler. But like Jack, he could get up and play a top player if he had to.
Cornbread should be mentioned here to. No one could out gamble him! And he may have beaten half the guys on this list. But the other half may have gotten him. Red was fearless to an extreme.
From what I heard Rags bet his own and was virtually unbeatable. Most of the time (at least when he was young), Ronnie was playing on his own money and betting real high and winning. Richie never looked for backers and would bet the works and wasn't afraid to take it all down. And he usually did.
Denny played pretty good with or without a backer, and you couldn't out bet him. Other great high stakes money players included Larry Hubbart and Mike Carella. Buddy Hall must be on this list too. He could win with or without backing. Swanee was one of the all time best high stakes 9-Ball players, but he always got backed in big games.
Parica may have been the best money player of the modern era, and he would bet his own, but frequently had support. Greg Stevens played super on his own money for days on end, but always seemed to end up getting flattened out. Bernie Schwartz and Bill Incardona came from the same school of gambling. Empty out, play hard and take it off. Artie also had quite a rep for being a winner. Freddie can lend more insight there.
Lassiter went years at a time with out losing to anyone. And his money was always on the line. And of course there's Jack Cooney, the greatest of the modern pool hustlers by a wide margin.
So to answer your question. I would rate Jack Cooney #1 for betting his own, betting high and winning (it is true that later on he had a backer). Lassiter may be second best, just because he won for so many years. I make Parica #3 for taking on and beating all comers at all games. Billy Incardona had about a 30 year winning streak at Pool, and Denny wore 'em out everywhere he went. Same for Buddy. They all tie for 4th.
This list and the guys I mentioned above are the legendary gamblers of the modern era, who were not afraid to put all their cash on the line. Among the filipinos, Busty was willing to bet high on his own, and young Dennis will to.
I'm sure people will find players I left off the list. But once again, the above players were more than willing to step up and play high, sans backer. And just as important, they were winners, over and over again.
I noticed that I left Don Willis off this list. He had a winning record like the Globetrotters, all wins. But he usually avoided the toughest players and robbed everyone else. Pretty smart hustler. But like Jack, he could get up and play a top player if he had to.
Cornbread should be mentioned here to. No one could out gamble him! And he may have beaten half the guys on this list. But the other half may have gotten him. Red was fearless to an extreme.
Thank you Jay. I was hoping you would respond to this question. I know Buddy and had him on the top of my list. Lasiter I only had heard of betting his own. Few times I saw him was at tournaments. Most of the time by the time the tournament was over and the real games started, I was in no shape the play, so I never hung around the big tournaments after they were over. Johnnyt