Heavily debated. Agree to disagree. Just ask Sheridan Gorman's family or just about any normal and balanced resident of Chicago.
Man, pool halls are dangerous
- Thread starter loggerhead12
- Start date
Not going to get into politics. I have my opinion on that. I am an older man and I ve been in many different cities and I am still here.
What does my comment have anything to do with politics?
Facts are facts, don't believe me, take a look at this archive of Chicago crime facts dating back to 2013 thanks to @Sev
2026:
2025:
2024:
2023:
2022 to 2013:
the basic premise that holds true is that outlawing something doesn't stop the criminals from getting it. just the honest people.
prohibition, drugs, firearms, showed that those willing to break what laws that are there for them will get what you are trying to stop them from getting never works.. and only punishes those that want to use properly or makes them be criminals.
prohibition, drugs, firearms, showed that those willing to break what laws that are there for them will get what you are trying to stop them from getting never works.. and only punishes those that want to use properly or makes them be criminals.
Canada is funny. It's very safe in the big cities near the border. The further north you go, where drug and alcohol abuse are a significant issue, the more violent crime there is.
middleofnowhere
Registered
My partner broke is toe once on the leg of a bar table. We're in this place and it's got a 4.5x9 bar table with huge square legs located right at the corners. I guess one of the legs was shimmed up pretty good and had a space under it. My partner reached for a shot all of a sudden he lets out a yell. Turns out he broke his toe underneath that table leg. He had a purple heart from Vietnam. I guess now he gets a purple heart from pool hustling.Back to the dangerous topic I can't be the only one who has caught his pants on something on the pool table and ripped them off?
We ended up at the emergency room that night getting his toe taped up. It seems like all they do is a little splint and tape it to the other toe after they kind of set the bone in place. I've seen other tables like that with the square legs located right at the corners and they're kind of hazardous sometimes.
At the old Congress in Miami we had a house man called Sharky. One night he's cleaning tables and somehow jammed his hand and caught his thumb in a pocket. It did something to his thumb but it was never right again as long as I knew him. I'm sure he didn't get proper medical treatment but it's funny how screwed up it got from such a simple thing.
Relating to the original poster. The old Gold Crowns with an aluminum strip along the railing. If you're wearing white pants oxidation can rub off on your pants and you have a black stripe across the front that was hard to wash out.
yea the metal on the old tables would leave a mark on your pants sometimes. i always wear dark pants. jeans so it isnt much of an issue with me. but funny as when a guy comes in a white suit and leaves with black on it and wondering out loud how did this happen.
yea the old congress was one of the greatest places on the list of fun pool rooms with action. although most of the pros that came down in the winter would hang there and then go to the track or bars to play.
yea the old congress was one of the greatest places on the list of fun pool rooms with action. although most of the pros that came down in the winter would hang there and then go to the track or bars to play.
middleofnowhere
Registered
Most action would be late night. Abe who owned the Congress kept it oped 24 hours. He discouraged early evening big games. It had 21 tables and most of the customers were just everyday people. If something started early half the tables would clock off to watch. It was hurting his business.
At 2 in the morning you would drive up and cars were everywhere, especially if someone was in town. You may see anyone there at one time or another. For a kid like me it was masters class in pool just being in that place.
I used to drive Bunny Rogoff around at times as well as Camp. Camp was always telling me stuff. I liked Camp and saw him in the hospital days before he died. I went in his room and there were four beds. I would not have recognized him except the other three were black.
He was like Fats described him in his book. Fats said he could have three grand in his pocket and sleep on a park bench. You go to eat and no matter how much he had in his pocket he got the cheapest thing on the menu. Money was for gambling.
I know people are always discussing the players of the past and the current players who is better and so on. I don't really care. Those players of the past are unreplaceable. They were incredible characters that we may not see the likes of again.
congress was late action as you said and also early in the day as many of the pros/hustlers came and hung out until the tracks opened or the bar action started.
all the greats, except some of the west coast showed up to get out of the north winter and that was when all the tourists came down as well.
there was great rummy action at a few of the hotels on the beach.
then i was mostly a pool player and the action around was sweet for sure.
all the greats, except some of the west coast showed up to get out of the north winter and that was when all the tourists came down as well.
there was great rummy action at a few of the hotels on the beach.
then i was mostly a pool player and the action around was sweet for sure.
middleofnowhere
Registered
Early in the day and during the day and at night we're never ending golf games. Many of players that were there all the time were great players that nobody's ever heard of. Guys like Al Mooney, Louis Esposito, of course Big Bob, Mike Carella, Diliberto, Jerry Hunt, Poncho, Steve the Whale, three fingered Ronnie.
No stranger could come in that place and get away with the money. Add to that a bunch of old retired guys who liked the action. Players could always get money the play with.
yea and half the 100 ball runners from the new york, new jersey area went there for most of the winter . if you didn't know them good luck.
but the good action was in the bars. where you got to play real bad players.
i would win as i just watched the whale and who he tried to hustle or con, then i went after them. as i knew they had money and were helpless.
but the good action was in the bars. where you got to play real bad players.
i would win as i just watched the whale and who he tried to hustle or con, then i went after them. as i knew they had money and were helpless.
New Years Stupidity:
1970, west side of Chicago, New Years Eve. Around midnight, guy is standing on his front stoop, ushering out party guests, when he feels a strong slap on his upper arm/shoulder. Looks around…no one there. Comes to the ER, with a bullet wound…upper humerus. Arm x-rayed, nothing. .45 slug finally located in his wrist! New Years revelers in Chgo. like to fire their guns in the air. ‘Whatever goes up, must come down’.
1970, west side of Chicago, New Years Eve. Around midnight, guy is standing on his front stoop, ushering out party guests, when he feels a strong slap on his upper arm/shoulder. Looks around…no one there. Comes to the ER, with a bullet wound…upper humerus. Arm x-rayed, nothing. .45 slug finally located in his wrist! New Years revelers in Chgo. like to fire their guns in the air. ‘Whatever goes up, must come down’.
There is a tradition of shooting guns up in the air everywhere on New Years Eve/Day but it was stronger in New Orleans than most places and it was more tolerated by law agencies. A few decades past I remember one of those bullets killing someone on the way down. Ended the tolerance for shooting. While they tried to find the killer, not even the killer knew they had done it so finding them was highly unlikely. I remember a bullet flying into the open window of a car in hunting season and killing someone too. Every bullet, even bird shot, has to land somewhere. First day of dove season, there were a lot of hunters out. Some people were shooting at flybys and raining shot all over us. I finally hollered, they thought it was funny. I ripped six shells up in the air their way, they didn't think it was funny anymore!
Guns aren't more dangerous than a lot of other things but as always, common sense is needed.
Hu