Goin South
Jack and Barbara came through this southeast spot in the 70s. The trouble is that James Christopher came by followed by Weldon Rogers and emptied all the loose suckers money. Jack ended up playing a lot of lowball and hardly any pool at all. If anyone doesn't know, lowball is just five card draw LOW poker. An ace duece trey four five is the best for a straight does not count against you. It was way before the holdem explosion.
Jack and Barbara along with J. Wetch and his GF came back in the mid 90s, and I got to see him really get down and grind with a local fellow. In the first place, Jack is good at just talking you into playing. When he first asked his opponent to play, the man said oh no, absolutely not. But Jack is so nice and friendly. He's like come on just one hundred. We can start at 8 to 5 and then adjust if you need a bit more. So the man says well sure, for just a hundred.
It did not stay at a hundred for long, and let me tell you if you think accumulating five balls against JC is easy, think some more. Next time they play, Jack has to go to 8 to 4 and rotate the breaks. The guy says well I may as well quit. I either lose or break even each time. But its not that serious. The guy has played JC several nights and is having a ball, learning things and is only down 5 or 6 thousand which is not much to this guy.
There is no dramatic conclusion. Jack simply says to make the game even, I will give you two out of every three breaks, still 8-4. The guy beats Jack one time I believe and breaks even again and then Jack is gone. Was he nitty about it? Hell no. Nobody else ever gave the guy that kind of spot before. The guy was playing so far under his speed, but with that one win, the man got that sparkle in his eyes, and his game improved 20 per cent. Jack knew he could never adjust back and also knew he could not give this man 8-4 and 2 of every 3 breaks and win any more money, and nobody elso was arround to play, so they left.
I saw and heard some stories from different spectators as they played. Who knows what was true. I think that Jack is no real genius. He just plays that game so well and can move with any of them, but can't shoot the balls in with the top champions. He is blessed with patience and a lot of good common sense. I know I would try to be the same way, if I had the skills. He not only did not go to tournaments, but if a bunch of pool players get to hanging arround, he may just leave. Why hang out with a bunch of broke or near broke folks, whether they are pool players or not.
I asked Barbara about the shooting/robbery. She didn't seem to want to talk about it too much. Just said that they were in a place that they should not have been. Dude puts the gun right up to her and shoots. I think she said that they stayed home for about a year after that. Many people do not know that she was once married to Jimmy Reid. You know one of Jacks great scores was in Birmingham Ala.
Jack is much more open than a lot of folks would think. He told of many games and scores he made. I can't remember all of that. Well I don't want to tell it wrong. He did not say to repeat it on the net. This was several years before I ever had a pc.
I asked them If they knew Freddy B. Now remember this was way before I ever thought about a newsgroup or a discussion board of any kind. I had just watched an Accu Stat match between my old friend, Eddie the Hat Burton and Freddy the Banker and was just asking them before a match. They both just started smiling and asked me how I knew him. They said oh yes. Know him real well. He's a friend
Now a couple of weeks after Jack leaves, Cliff J. comes in and offers the same guy 8 to 4 and rotate breaks. Cliff goes through him in two sessions like a wild man. The guy says at this time which is 93 or so, that Cliff was playing better by a pretty good bit over Jack C. But you know how Conners beat Mac. Mac beat Borjg. Then Borg beats Conners. Also as a side note. Jack Cooney both times, never tried to sneak and do anything. He introduced himself and just offered games to people. He may socialize and go to dinner with his opponents. He may call you at home and talk about things. Tom old has been called him a sugar hustler. I never had heard of that exact term, but I knew exactly what he meant. Haven't you been winning $$$$ off of someone regularly and a pool player say things like wow that guy is in love with you. Or say something like is he in love with you or is he just queer for losing. You know, nothing sexual whatsoever. Jack uses psychology on people like a great salesman might. Don't you know some psychology majors that do that. I'm your friend. Lets talk. Meet you at the poolroom we can play some just friendly like for just a hundred. Jack complimented his opponent quite often. He would say maybe wow your defense is good. If you pocketed balls a little better we would be playing even. Jack would make a good shot and say, heck I learned that one from you. He would say I wish I was playing so and so tonight instead of you. This is tough as leather.
Anyway these are some of my thoughts about Jack. If he says that he is retired, I would say that this is a good time to do it and play cards. I think he likes that anyway. And whoever shot Barbara, I'd like to give him a clip from the old 9mm......................
Jack and Barbara came through this southeast spot in the 70s. The trouble is that James Christopher came by followed by Weldon Rogers and emptied all the loose suckers money. Jack ended up playing a lot of lowball and hardly any pool at all. If anyone doesn't know, lowball is just five card draw LOW poker. An ace duece trey four five is the best for a straight does not count against you. It was way before the holdem explosion.
Jack and Barbara along with J. Wetch and his GF came back in the mid 90s, and I got to see him really get down and grind with a local fellow. In the first place, Jack is good at just talking you into playing. When he first asked his opponent to play, the man said oh no, absolutely not. But Jack is so nice and friendly. He's like come on just one hundred. We can start at 8 to 5 and then adjust if you need a bit more. So the man says well sure, for just a hundred.
It did not stay at a hundred for long, and let me tell you if you think accumulating five balls against JC is easy, think some more. Next time they play, Jack has to go to 8 to 4 and rotate the breaks. The guy says well I may as well quit. I either lose or break even each time. But its not that serious. The guy has played JC several nights and is having a ball, learning things and is only down 5 or 6 thousand which is not much to this guy.
There is no dramatic conclusion. Jack simply says to make the game even, I will give you two out of every three breaks, still 8-4. The guy beats Jack one time I believe and breaks even again and then Jack is gone. Was he nitty about it? Hell no. Nobody else ever gave the guy that kind of spot before. The guy was playing so far under his speed, but with that one win, the man got that sparkle in his eyes, and his game improved 20 per cent. Jack knew he could never adjust back and also knew he could not give this man 8-4 and 2 of every 3 breaks and win any more money, and nobody elso was arround to play, so they left.
I saw and heard some stories from different spectators as they played. Who knows what was true. I think that Jack is no real genius. He just plays that game so well and can move with any of them, but can't shoot the balls in with the top champions. He is blessed with patience and a lot of good common sense. I know I would try to be the same way, if I had the skills. He not only did not go to tournaments, but if a bunch of pool players get to hanging arround, he may just leave. Why hang out with a bunch of broke or near broke folks, whether they are pool players or not.
I asked Barbara about the shooting/robbery. She didn't seem to want to talk about it too much. Just said that they were in a place that they should not have been. Dude puts the gun right up to her and shoots. I think she said that they stayed home for about a year after that. Many people do not know that she was once married to Jimmy Reid. You know one of Jacks great scores was in Birmingham Ala.
Jack is much more open than a lot of folks would think. He told of many games and scores he made. I can't remember all of that. Well I don't want to tell it wrong. He did not say to repeat it on the net. This was several years before I ever had a pc.
I asked them If they knew Freddy B. Now remember this was way before I ever thought about a newsgroup or a discussion board of any kind. I had just watched an Accu Stat match between my old friend, Eddie the Hat Burton and Freddy the Banker and was just asking them before a match. They both just started smiling and asked me how I knew him. They said oh yes. Know him real well. He's a friend
Now a couple of weeks after Jack leaves, Cliff J. comes in and offers the same guy 8 to 4 and rotate breaks. Cliff goes through him in two sessions like a wild man. The guy says at this time which is 93 or so, that Cliff was playing better by a pretty good bit over Jack C. But you know how Conners beat Mac. Mac beat Borjg. Then Borg beats Conners. Also as a side note. Jack Cooney both times, never tried to sneak and do anything. He introduced himself and just offered games to people. He may socialize and go to dinner with his opponents. He may call you at home and talk about things. Tom old has been called him a sugar hustler. I never had heard of that exact term, but I knew exactly what he meant. Haven't you been winning $$$$ off of someone regularly and a pool player say things like wow that guy is in love with you. Or say something like is he in love with you or is he just queer for losing. You know, nothing sexual whatsoever. Jack uses psychology on people like a great salesman might. Don't you know some psychology majors that do that. I'm your friend. Lets talk. Meet you at the poolroom we can play some just friendly like for just a hundred. Jack complimented his opponent quite often. He would say maybe wow your defense is good. If you pocketed balls a little better we would be playing even. Jack would make a good shot and say, heck I learned that one from you. He would say I wish I was playing so and so tonight instead of you. This is tough as leather.
Anyway these are some of my thoughts about Jack. If he says that he is retired, I would say that this is a good time to do it and play cards. I think he likes that anyway. And whoever shot Barbara, I'd like to give him a clip from the old 9mm......................
