Lori Shampo

jay helfert

jay helfert

Shoot Pool, not people
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She was a legendary woman pool player in the 70's and 80's, openly challenging the great Jean Balukas to play for money. Perhaps the best woman money player of all time, Lori took on many men players (good ones too!) for serious cash and got the better of most of them. I am editing this to say that Lori did get weight from good players, but she still had to win! She was always willing to gamble and could play pretty good for the cheese.

I have been turned on to old videos (she passed away several years ago) of her "testifying" about her problems with alcohol and drugs. You can see Lori in a rare candid moment talking about her life. Google 'Testimony Directory' and scroll down to her name. There are four parts to it, with the first opening with five minutes of talk from a preacher (you can fast forward past that). You won't see her shooting pool, but you will see the person behind the name.
 
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FWIW I once asked my late buddy Vernon Elliott what he thought the results of a match between J Balukas and L Shampo would have been. Vernon said it would be too close to call even though he and Lori were good friends. That told me Lori must have been a heck of a player.
 
Lori in action (long)

Met Lori a couple of times in the 80's in Richmond, Ky. when the Clyde
Childress Memorial Tournament was being held at the Maverick Club.

Backed her once at a local pool hall in Richmond. She was practicing
on one of the 8' Brunswick tables and this fellow kept needling her to
play some nine-ball. She kept declining. I had only seen her play on
TV, but I had heard she played really well for cash.

I asked her if she would play him on my money; she said she would. I
gave her a couple hundred dollars. I don't think the fellow won a single
game. She brought me the cash. We split and I thanked her for the
show.

She was quite a player and seemed to be a nice person.
 
I played her one time in the mid to late 80's for the cash. All I can say, is that I really wasn't very impressed. I beat her pretty bad, and made shots that she said she had never seen before and afterwards I ended up teaching them to her. I always hear about how great she was, and, maybe she really was. But, I never saw it. ????????????
 
Lorie Shampo

In 1979 or 80, Lorie was in Chicago for a tournament, possibly a Huebler. I took her to the King and I on 43rd and Laramie in Cicero,Il. and she had guys jumping off the bar stools for two nights playing twenty a game. I let her know who could or couldn't play. She made us both some money and that's the last time I saw her. She definitely had some demons.
 
jay helfert said:
She was a legendary woman pool player in the 70's and 80's, openly challenging the great Jean Balukas to play for money. Perhaps the best woman money player of all time, Lori took on many men players (good ones too!) for serious cash and got the better of most of them. I am editing this to say that Lori did get weight from good players, but she still had to win! She was always willing to gamble and could play pretty good for the cheese.

I have been turned on to old videos (she passed away several years ago) of her "testifying" about her problems with alcohol and drugs. You can see Lori in a rare candid moment talking about her life. Google 'Testimony Directory' and scroll down to her name. There are four parts to it, with the first opening with five minutes of talk from a preacher (you can fast forward past that). You won't see her shooting pool, but you will see the person behind the name.
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I almost hate to ask this because I'm afraid of what the answer might be, but did she stay clean? And, if you know, when and from what did she die? It was a compelling video, I couldn't stop watching once she started talking. She could have made a lot of money touring the country and telling her story on college campuses.
 
Well I can't say I blame her. You wait your whole childhood for your father to come home, and he's a jackass. Why not throw your life away.

It's real easy to make these mistakes.
 
Neil said:
I played her one time in the mid to late 80's for the cash. All I can say, is that I really wasn't very impressed. I beat her pretty bad, and made shots that she said she had never seen before and afterwards I ended up teaching them to her. I always hear about how great she was, and, maybe she really was. But, I never saw it. ????????????
Click to expand...

Maybe she was straight by then. Without her mixture, maybe she was only a shadow of her former self pool-wise.

I didn't know her nor would I judge --- just saying :)
 
Sorry Neil but.....

I was friends with Lori and we traveled together at times playing pool and played at Sands in Grand Rapids at times. If you beat her and taught her shots, I can say with a certainty that she was acting like she didn't know and lost to try to up the bet.
Lori played better than the average to good male player by far. She knew things that most players couldn't do or attempt. Lori was good at all games on all tables and playing with a big cue ball was her specialty outside of winning at gambling with men!
Lori quit playing for a long time and when she had just started again, her and I started hanging out and playing together and getting games from guys around the city and state.
We both qualified for a WPBA tournament in Chicago, her first competition and first time really playing in at least 5 years. She had a small baby at home and didn't go out like she once did.
It was amazing to watch her roll over all of the women she played at her first pro event. She didn't even play often and still took 3rd with ease.
She not only was one of the greatest, she still is and I find it hard pressed for anyone to get to the level to knock her off that thrown.
Neil, I knew her tactics............she probably wanted more of a bet. That's how we usually ran it. It certainly wasn't because she didn't know a shot.......she knew them all and then some!
She had so much talent and was a great person to get to know but she went down a very dark path. Her talent is indisputable!
 
I've been wondering about her ever since Freddie the Beard included a picture of her and said something to the effect of "Not only was she a raving beauty, she played for big money" in his Gospool of Pool book.
 
miplayerstour said:
I was friends with Lori and we traveled together at times playing pool and played at Sands in Grand Rapids at times. If you beat her and taught her shots, I can say with a certainty that she was acting like she didn't know and lost to try to up the bet.
Lori played better than the average to good male player by far. She knew things that most players couldn't do or attempt. Lori was good at all games on all tables and playing with a big cue ball was her specialty outside of winning at gambling with men!
Lori quit playing for a long time and when she had just started again, her and I started hanging out and playing together and getting games from guys around the city and state.
We both qualified for a WPBA tournament in Chicago, her first competition and first time really playing in at least 5 years. She had a small baby at home and didn't go out like she once did.
It was amazing to watch her roll over all of the women she played at her first pro event. She didn't even play often and still took 3rd with ease.
She not only was one of the greatest, she still is and I find it hard pressed for anyone to get to the level to knock her off that thrown.
Neil, I knew her tactics............she probably wanted more of a bet. That's how we usually ran it. It certainly wasn't because she didn't know a shot.......she knew them all and then some!
She had so much talent and was a great person to get to know but she went down a very dark path. Her talent is indisputable!
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Well,. girl, you can think what you want to. I really don't care. She not only wasn't trying to up the bet, but she wouldn't up the bet. And, I played her in Holland, not G.R. And, as far as the two shots, yes, she didn't know them. Do you really think that just because she was a pro that she automatically knew ALL the shots?? Get real, Rita.

Now, I will say, maybe her game was off, I don't know. I only played her that one time. As I previously mentioned.

edit: Oh, if you feel the need to try and prove something, just ask Junior in Holland. He was there, as was Lupe, and quite a few others.
 
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actually Neil yes.......

I am saying she knew all of the shots. That isn't to say she couldn't improve them but she knew any shot as she could play pretty much any game and knew the shots for those games.

Of course her game can be different depending on how she was at the time..........able to think or in a fog but, she still knew what she knew.

No where in that statement I made did it say anything about you and its tiring that you find negativity in everything in life including a nice thread Jay mentioned Lori in. She's dead!!!! Did you really need to add she wasn't that good my God! Let Jay and others that knew how she played talk good of her and keep your negative thoughts about her and your talent to yourself.

That's getting real!
Lori had problems no kidding! She kept trying! She was an amazing player and yes Neil I know she knew all of the shots because I knew her and was with her more than shooting once with her in Holland.

Now..............since I got a snotty response from you for saying she knew the shots and was likely trying to get a bet higher.........I figured I would deliver a response that deserved a snotty response since my first one did not!
Lori was a great talent............let's leave negative crap about her talent out of it and stopp trying to take something away from a thread that was started that was good about Lori instead of talking about her or her talent in a lesser way than it deserves.
Why can't you once not post that you're better than someone or not post something negative. The woman is dead and yes I'm offended that you felt the need to say what you did about her. Get a clue about what is and isn't appropriate for once
 
miplayerstour said:
I am saying she knew all of the shots. That isn't to say she couldn't improve them but she knew any shot as she could play pretty much any game and knew the shots for those games.

Of course her game can be different depending on how she was at the time..........able to think or in a fog but, she still knew what she knew.

No where in that statement I made did it say anything about you and its tiring that you find negativity in everything in life including a nice thread Jay mentioned Lori in. She's dead!!!! Did you really need to add she wasn't that good my God! Let Jay and others that knew how she played talk good of her and keep your negative thoughts about her and your talent to yourself.

That's getting real!
Lori had problems no kidding! She kept trying! She was an amazing player and yes Neil I know she knew all of the shots because I knew her and was with her more than shooting once with her in Holland.

Now..............since I got a snotty response from you for saying she knew the shots and was likely trying to get a bet higher.........I figured I would deliver a response that deserved a snotty response since my first one did not!
Lori was a great talent............let's leave negative crap about her talent out of it and stopp trying to take something away from a thread that was started that was good about Lori instead of talking about her or her talent in a lesser way than it deserves.
Why can't you once not post that you're better than someone or not post something negative. The woman is dead and yes I'm offended that you felt the need to say what you did about her. Get a clue about what is and isn't appropriate for once
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I'm entitled to my opinion. You just want to bash me again, take it to a p.m., not here.
 
miplayerstour said:
I am saying she knew all of the shots. That isn't to say she couldn't improve them but she knew any shot as she could play pretty much any game and knew the shots for those games.

Of course her game can be different depending on how she was at the time..........able to think or in a fog but, she still knew what she knew.

No where in that statement I made did it say anything about you and its tiring that you find negativity in everything in life including a nice thread Jay mentioned Lori in. She's dead!!!! Did you really need to add she wasn't that good my God! Let Jay and others that knew how she played talk good of her and keep your negative thoughts about her and your talent to yourself.

That's getting real!
Lori had problems no kidding! She kept trying! She was an amazing player and yes Neil I know she knew all of the shots because I knew her and was with her more than shooting once with her in Holland.

Now..............since I got a snotty response from you for saying she knew the shots and was likely trying to get a bet higher.........I figured I would deliver a response that deserved a snotty response since my first one did not!
Lori was a great talent............let's leave negative crap about her talent out of it and stopp trying to take something away from a thread that was started that was good about Lori instead of talking about her or her talent in a lesser way than it deserves.
Why can't you once not post that you're better than someone or not post something negative. The woman is dead and yes I'm offended that you felt the need to say what you did about her. Get a clue about what is and isn't appropriate for once
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I agree. There's no real need to act like that. Why would you be trying to put her down at this point.
 
PocketPoint said:
I agree. There's no real need to act like that. Why would you be trying to put her down at this point.
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I guess you read into things what you want to. Fine, she was the greatest player ever, knew every shot ever known, plus some that aren't even known, never lost to anyone. So sorry to add some FACTS to the forum. Sheesh. Why on earth would you or anyone else think that I was putting her down?? Just because I, as many others have said in the past, said that compared to the men, she was very beatable?
 
Here is an image I found of her. RIP. :smile:
 

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