nitty bitty
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Tremendous...
Jay Helfert on Gambling with an Edge
- Thread starter nitty bitty
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Good Stuff! Thanks!
nitty bitty
Registered
they need to do a part 2
Tremendous to the tenth power!! I found the entire hour overwhelmingly pleasurable to listen to.
And as with his written words in both "Pool Wars" books, Jay's definitely an absolutely ideal man to orally capture -- via his interview responses -- the complete essence of the pool-world incidents and behaviors he's describing . . . providing many in-depth details we're learning for the first time, beyond age-old "insider"(often inaccurate) rumors.
In its own way, encompassing many decades of Jay's up-close observation, this interview is a contribution to the history of pool gambling and pool in general.
Also notable to me is the unique kind of spice/flavor added by the act of hearing these wonderful, animated reports by a first-hand witness (who's often the provocateur) describing the hugely colorful people and events. Literally non-stop listening enjoyment. I sort of didn't want it to end. A part-two would work for me, as well.
What a great find by the OP. Many thanks for greatly enriching my day, sir (and the time of any others who happen to log onto this thread and listen to the audio).
Arnaldo
DieselPete
Active member
GREAT interview! What a hoot that was. Great stories from a great story teller.
Sometimes just the opposite. The other player suggests a chop and the response is lets play winner takes all, first and second place money!
High stakes that still aren't enough to matter to the players don't mean a whole lot to me. A poker player and former pool player, he wasn't that terrible, started offering tens of thousands in bets. Big money to the pool players, they fought to get to the trough. The poker player often bet as much as he bet on pool in six months on a single hand of poker, the pool was just passing entertainment to not so Dippy Dave. Stakes high enough to see if there is any bird dog in the players, that is fun!
Hu
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Interesting insights to a world I choose to not inhabit. I spent to many years working, saving, and investing to gable it away. Did enjoy the hour of listening, tho. One thing I've noticed about gamblers...according to them, they are all smart and crafty. Another thing, they love talking about big scores while forgetting their losses.
That said, it is a fascinating and interesting world. I'll just stick to recreational play, if it's okay by you guys. Actually, I'll just stick to recreational play if it's not okay with you guys.
That said, it is a fascinating and interesting world. I'll just stick to recreational play, if it's okay by you guys. Actually, I'll just stick to recreational play if it's not okay with you guys.
L.S. Dennis
Well-known member
Thoroughly enjoyed hearing this interview nearly as much as I enjoyed his two books!
Jay introduces his listeners to a world most people will never have a chance to experience.
Much the same as when I walked up the stairs and entered Cochrans for the first time back in 1963, in a word breathtaking!
Jay introduces his listeners to a world most people will never have a chance to experience.
Much the same as when I walked up the stairs and entered Cochrans for the first time back in 1963, in a word breathtaking!
Jay is the real guy.
Reading the books, only $35 for the pair, HINT for those that don't have them, listening to the interview, Jay and I have many things in common. We also have been in the same situation but now I am seeing it from a different perspective.
Jay did pass through town during my most active years. Seems like we should have met but who knows? I believe I played over a thousand people in the ten years or so I was most active. Only a few unusual events are remembered, the rest of the nights are a lot like asking somebody what happened at work on a certain date ten year ago. Unless there was a major event, who knows? I was just out there chopping wood most nights.
Jay was the real deal getting out and gambling, he was the real deal as backer, tournament promoter, tournament director, there isn't much that he hasn't done pool related!
Hu
They got such a favorable response that we are doing a part two on April 26.
Often they traveled in pairs for safety reasons. A road player had to know how to take care of himself and some of them were dangerous men in their own right. I know several who always carried a gun (yes, even including yours truly). What you are talking about could and did happen and almost every road man got robbed on one or more occasions. It was all considered part of the being in this business.
My M.O. if I was in a strange poolroom or bar that looked kind of shady, was that I would try to befriend someone there who looked like a double tough guy. Many poolrooms of my era were "family" style rooms that were well lit and catered to mostly recreational players. The owners of these rooms didn't want trouble in there and they would usually put a stop to it before anything happened. I only had a couple of bad incidents in all my time playing pool, and I played in many "rough" spots. Sometimes you just had to talk your way out of a bad situation or even lose a few games back to pacify them. More often that not if you just kept on playing until THEY quit you would be all right. Quitting on them was what could get you in trouble.
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I remember reading about Jimmy Wetch's story on Billiards Digest . They followed him to his hotel room and had a gun on his head . He said he quit the road life after that and turned pro.
One player was also mugged in the parking lot . He went on the road with Alex for a while .
First year or two I was very unsmooth and often broke a cue stick to get to the door! A house stick was $12 and I kept a twenty in my shirt pocket to throw on the bar or counter on my way out so I was usually welcome back when I tested the waters in a few weeks or months. First thing I did going in a place was buy a drink for the bouncer or biggest guy in the place, I wanted them on my side or at least not on the other side! Bouncers I told if trouble started I was late for the door and just please don't get between me and the door.
A cue usually made a loud noise when it snapped and before people realized it wasn't a pistol shot I was well on my way to the door with the big end in hand. A friend of mine was an oilfield roughneck, 6'5", a big ol' boy. First time he was with me and we led a parade to my vehicle he freaked a bit. I considered that kinda normal! I realized I needed to clean up my act and I did. It is one thing to make a score and not be able to go back, another to be welcome over and over. I realized that you can only kill a sheep once but you can shear them many times.
I tried to be welcome to come back and got pretty good at it. People like Scotty Townsend not only got people to bet more than they ever had, he had them giving him a friendly escort out and an invite to come back anytime! He not only made a living on the road, he was a "star" everywhere he went! Most of the road players were somewhere between the two of us. They knew how to get in, get the cheese, get out.
One thing to do is to go in a place and simply say you are the best there. If you take their money then you can say you told them you were the best when you walked in! If you go to JoeyA's website you can find the story of when UJ Puckett stepped into the haunt of big time players for a hundred miles around. He threw a small satchel on a table or maybe emptied it on the table. "Fifteen thousand, any of it or all of it!" You could have heard a mouse fart!
I wasn't really a road player but I did travel a week or two here and there over the years. It is a feeling like no other to travel alone and step into the door of strange places. Are you going to make a nice friendly score and go on? Are things going to get rowdy before you can make a score, maybe afterwards? Funny thing, there is rarely any doubt you can make a score. If they first player or two they throw at you isn't their best they are gonna drop a dime and get him so the only question is do you play their best after you have a little buffer of their money or not. Either way you have to be able to win a lot more often than you lose. Most had road expenses and expenses back home so you had double expenses biting on your bankroll all of the time.
If I got beat I just moved on to the next place. I knew the odds were weighted my way in the long run. It didn't take a great player to hit the road, a "B" player or better could get it done. As Fats might say, it is the smarts that keep you going. While you hear about can't quit winner there is often a time to get off the pony. Losers are building a head of angry steam and the people around the table might be getting angry seeing their local guy getting beaten. A smart railbird might see more than the guy in the grease. One of the big reasons I liked to play by the game, you could drop a few games before quitting, you can't drop a few sets and come out ahead! I also liked to tell people well in advance that I had to leave at a certain time, then winning or losing I pack it in then. If winning I always told them I would be back and give them a chance at their money giving a time or time and date when it wasn't going to be that day. Sometimes I even came back!
One thing, I always went with instincts when alone or vastly outnumbered. Often the vibe of the place, not anything in particular said or done, told you it was time to get out of Dodge as cleanly as possible! Sometimes everybody was reasonably happy and you knew when it was time for leaving it would be fairly cool.
I had a chance to go on the road with a young Danny Medina long ago. I had a good thing going with my daytime activities and passed. I can't help wondering how my life would have been had I went down that path. The urge was strong when I was young, single, and free to travel myself but I eventually threw away his number just to get rid of temptation.
Hu
Ernesto and Hunter were robbed at Hsrd Times during their match. That tops it all.