Mark Tad?

thebigdog

thebigdog

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Does anywone know what ever happened to Mark Tad? I have brought up his name in a couple of threads. I have also seen other people mention his name on occasion. Seems like the guy just disappeared off the face of the Earth. I find it hard to believe that so many people I talk to in pool halls have no idea who Mark Tad is. This guy was probobly one of the top 5 players in the world just 10 years ago or so. He was completely feearless and would play anyone, usually on his own dime!
I know the story about Mark going back to Utah and being born again. I was wonderring if anyone knows anything about what he is doing these days, or if he is playing at all?
 
Snake?

Do you mean Mark Haddad or Snake? He's a very good 1pocket player, right? This Mark got into religion a few years ago too, that's why I think this is who you're talking about.



QUOTE=thebigdog]Does anywone know what ever happened to Mark Tad? I have brought up his name in a couple of threads. I have also seen other people mention his name on occasion. Seems like the guy just disappeared off the face of the Earth. I find it hard to believe that so many people I talk to in pool halls have no idea who Mark Tad is. This guy was probobly one of the top 5 players in the world just 10 years ago or so. He was completely feearless and would play anyone, usually on his own dime!
I know the story about Mark going back to Utah and being born again. I was wonderring if anyone knows anything about what he is doing these days, or if he is playing at all?[/QUOTE]
 
He is talking Mark Tadd unless he has a different name. He was the best player I have ever seen. Practiced all the time. I watched him break the balls for 4 hours. Just break and re-rack. I asked him why and he said
all he needed was to be able to see the first one. He would also throw balls
on the table and run out for hours. Rarely if ever missing.

He played poker in Vegas and won a bunch and then lost a few times and
split. He became a born again christian. I think he still plays but rarely and probably never in a poll room that is open.

I have had two people tell me that they played poker online with a
guy that is said to me Mark. I think it might have just been
someone BSing.

I wish he would come back into the sport.

With my own eyes I watched him offer Archer the eight, Townsend the 8,
Tommy Kennedy the 8, and then finally David Grossman the 7.
Some people through David some money and they played. I think David won the first 5 or so and then messed up and Mark won that game and
then ran 7 racks. It was over.
I have heard great stories about him and was lucky enough to see him play a
few times. real nice guy. Kinda quiet.




Rickw said:
Do you mean Mark Haddad or Snake? He's a very good 1pocket player, right? This Mark got into religion a few years ago too, that's why I think this is who you're talking about.



QUOTE=thebigdog]Does anywone know what ever happened to Mark Tad? I have brought up his name in a couple of threads. I have also seen other people mention his name on occasion. Seems like the guy just disappeared off the face of the Earth. I find it hard to believe that so many people I talk to in pool halls have no idea who Mark Tad is. This guy was probobly one of the top 5 players in the world just 10 years ago or so. He was completely feearless and would play anyone, usually on his own dime!
I know the story about Mark going back to Utah and being born again. I was wonderring if anyone knows anything about what he is doing these days, or if he is playing at all?
Click to expand...
[/QUOTE]
 
Rickw said:
Do you mean Mark Haddad or Snake? He's a very good 1pocket player, right? This Mark got into religion a few years ago too, that's why I think this is who you're talking about.
Click to expand...

They're two different players. I hung out with Mark Tadd quite a bit like 10 years ago. The guy played absolutely great. When he was playing his best pool, there wasn't anyone he wasn't subject to beat. I know it's been mentioned on here before, but there was a tournament, the L.A. Open is what I think is they called it, where there was a 9-ball division, a bank-pool division, and a one-pocket division. Quite a few of the top players at the time were there playing. Mark first comes in second in the one-pocket, then wins the bank pool, then goes on to win the 9-ball. Not that tournament play means everything, but that is an accomplishment worth mentioning, to say the least.

I just spoke to someone in Reno during the tournament at the Sands who was there from Salt Lake. The person knows Mark and talks to him quite a bit, I guess. He said Mark didn't play anymore, had kids, and I believe he said he was playing cards again. Who knows, the story about the online poker player being Mark could be true.
 
Not Mark Haddad

No Rick not Mark Haddad. I know Mark Haddad he is a good player but not the same speed as Mark Tadd. Mark Tadd could have easily given him the 6 ball.There are accu stats tapes of Mark Tad out there. If you go to accu stats site you can find his match against Kim Davenport, I think it was the finals of the Bicycle Club Invitational around 1992 or so. I think Kim wins the match hill-hill race to 15. There is also one of him playing in the Reno Open.
I find it hard to believe how few people seem to even know who he is, it wasn't long ago he had most of the top players in the world scared to play him.
 
Do you remember the cue that Mark was playing with? In the early rounds he was playing with a cue with the butt end wrapped in duct tape. He was awesome!
 
I once saw a tape of Mark Tadd and Gary Spaeth playing some serious banks.
These two can really bank.
 
Joseph Cues said:
I once saw a tape of Mark Tadd and Gary Spaeth playing some serious banks.
These two can really bank.
Click to expand...
I saw Mark playing Cole Dickson in Las Vegas. They were playing run out one pocket for $2,500 a game. They were both running racks of one pocket like they were playing 9-ball it was incredible. I have never seen two guys play one pocket like that.
 
thebigdog said:
I saw Mark playing Cole Dickson in Las Vegas. They were playing run out one pocket for $2,500 a game. They were both running racks of one pocket like they were playing 9-ball it was incredible. I have never seen two guys play one pocket like that.
Click to expand...


I've hear of him, i was told that he was at the u.s open and could get in action .And then something about him playing cards in Cali.But I hear a lot of stories, but never seen him play live.but sound like he can hit them sweet..I'll go out and look for the tapes..
 
The truth is they cheated him in poker in Vegas at the maxim poker room. They put their mechanic dealer in and robbed him for all his $$. Not gonna name name but it wasn’t pretty.
 
frankncali said:
He is talking Mark Tadd unless he has a different name. He was the best player I have ever seen. Practiced all the time. I watched him break the balls for 4 hours. Just break and re-rack. I asked him why and he said
all he needed was to be able to see the first one. He would also throw balls
on the table and run out for hours. Rarely if ever missing.

He played poker in Vegas and won a bunch and then lost a few times and
split. He became a born again christian. I think he still plays but rarely and probably never in a poll room that is open.

I have had two people tell me that they played poker online with a
guy that is said to me Mark. I think it might have just been
someone BSing.

I wish he would come back into the sport.

With my own eyes I watched him offer Archer the eight, Townsend the 8,
Tommy Kennedy the 8, and then finally David Grossman the 7.
Some people through David some money and they played. I think David won the first 5 or so and then messed up and Mark won that game and
then ran 7 racks. It was over.
I have heard great stories about him and was lucky enough to see him play a
few times. real nice guy. Kinda quiet.
Click to expand...
[/QUOTE]
first time i saw him was in Charlotte at Mothers pool room

he got Searcy (and his backer) to give him the 8 for a hun per game

a few hours later he was giving Denny the 7, at that time Denny could still play, but not like he did in the 70's

Mark was with Johny Rider?, all his horses were fast, real fast

iirc this was around 92
 
Mark Tadd was actually Mark Tademy and, yes, he was a monster player. In the early 1990's, he was known to steer clear of Archer and Parica but was willing to gamble with practically anyone else at 9ball. I had lunch with him, Tommy Kennedy and Tony Robles during what I believe was the 1996 World 8ball in Las Vegas.
 
I got to watch Tad compete against pros (including Jose and, I think, Jeanette) when I was playing at South Bay Billiards in the early 90s. A beast in those days for sure.

pj
chgo
 
straightline said:
I remember a bowling alley on Hawthorne but that was in the 70s. For better or worse, I missed the 80s, 90s boom.
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure it was on El Segundo in the town of Hawthorne. Jay Helfert would know better than my threadbare memory - I think he lived near there at the time.

pj
chgo
 
Last edited:
Patrick Johnson said:
I'm pretty sure it was on El Segundo in the town of Hawthorne. Jay Helfert would know better than my threadbare memory - I think he lived near there at the time.

pj
chgo
Click to expand...
Ok. Never went up there except to catch or leave a plane anyway. There were bad neighborhood for strangers up that way.
 
The late Tracy Joe was very impressed with Tad's level of play. I remember him ranting about just how good he played.
 
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