jay helfert said:So I actually did get in action in Vegas. I heard there was a big game at the Cue Club on Sunday. Gus from Phoenix was playing Freddie Boggs three thousand worth of One Hole. They were playing seven ahead and it was in it's second day.
So I cruised down there to scope it out, being the pool degenerate that I am. I ran into the whole Vegas crowd sweating the game. Walter Glass, Jim Lewis, Mailman Gabe and several others, including big Henry the owner of the Cue Club. Henry is originally from Canada and is a straight shooting snooker player. He and I used to play at Yankee Doodles in Long Beach, until I gave him the "cure".
So I'm sweating the game and Curtis, a pretty fair player from Sacramento, asks me to play. He asks me to give him 9-7 in One Pocket or 8-7 in Banks. Hello! I explained to him I don't give spots, I either play even or not at all. I don't even like to get spots. If I think a guy is a better player, I'll just leave him alone. I don't woof at Walter Glass for just that reason.
I told Curtis I was hungry and was going to eat anyway. I tried to get into the Thai food place next door but it was a 40 minute wait. So I walked a little farther to the Mexican food restaurant. I had to fade non stop mariachi music, but they gave me a burrito as big as my arm, and I washed it down with horchata, my favorite drink.
Now I strolled back into the Cue Club all fat and sassy. And stuffed! Curtis jumped right on me, smart kid. It's never good to play right after a big meal. But when he asked me to play Banks even, I couldn't refuse. We played on the second table in the "pit", a super tight Gold Crown with trick rails. Toby had it specially set up for him, and he tortured a million road men on it.
He wanted to play full rack banks, not my favorite, but why not. When he broke safe the first game, I knew I was in for a long night. I told him I can play "One Pocket" Banks too. He won the first two games for 50 a pop and then we traded games for a while. I felt like if I could get zeroed in on the table I could beat him. His style was make one and play safe. My style is to try to hit you with a four or five pack. All that safety play won't do you any good if your opponent is running four or five banks at a time. Except I wasn't running any banks, just one or two at a time.
Finally I began to find the range, and ran some threes and fours. That was it! I won two straight games and got even. We had played for four hours, and I wasn't unhappy about quitting even. I'm such a pansy anymore. I was worn out!
About that time who other than Archie the Greek shows up. After complimenting me up and down, he asked me to stake him in a 20-40 No Limit game, telling me he was the nuts. What else? Now this is a game that takes a bankroll to play, maybe ten grand to do it justice. I looked at Archie and showed him the 800 I had in my pocket. I said Archie what do you think you can do with this. He just laughed.
Archie had to tell all gathered about how he hustled me in L.A. a few years before. I had him stuck a few thousand playing One Pocket and he got me to give him 5-3 and the breaks. I was betting 500 a game and he had another 500 a game on the side. He beat me six in a row before I pulled up. He beat the side, but only got even with me.
Now Curtis pipes up, do I want to give Archie that game again? I said no, but I will play you some more banks for a 100 a game. That game will have to wait for later. I won't be back to Vegas until May.
P.S. Gus finally beat Freddie after a 20 hour marathon.
Hey Jay...you write very well. You ought to consider writing a book someday!
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You funny man. You cunning man. 
