One of the most interesting persons I have met in my lifetime and around the Pool scene was Maurice 'Papa' Burke. Papa Burke came from Oklahoma to Wichita, Ks. where he owned Burke's Steakhouse and Motel (more like monthly cabins for rent). Papa Burke was rumored and known to have had
connections with the 'Big Boys' down in Oklahoma, and had gotten into trouble with the law when he was younger.
Papa Burke was smart, very street wise, and not a person that you ever wanted to be on the bad side of. When I knew him, he was married to Jan, or Mama Burke to anyone that knew her. She was an extremely nice & sseet hard working lady that constantly put in 60-80 hours a week working. Papa Burke made no bones about how much he liked the ladies, and had been married 3 times, I believe. Occasionally he would tell us a few stories about his past ladies in his life.
Papa Burke was a tough cookie, and always known for making a 'good game'. 1 bar table was in the back room of Burke's Steakhouse with
Booths around 3 sides of it. Burke's was normally open 7 days a week
from 4 pm until 6 am the next morning From 9-10 at night, the Pool table
was constantly going with $10,$20, $30 challenge 9 ball until some players matched up for bigger money. $100-$500 dollar sets were commonplace, and some extended into multi-thousand dollar sets. It was indeed the Money table in Wichita, Ks.
I spent many a night down there playing all night, and then have to run
home, shower and go straight to my job at Boeing at the time. Many a road player would come through Wichita, and they all stopped at Burke's first. I saw and played with many of them, including Greg Stevens, Buddy Hall (right before he turned pro), Omaha John, Fat Randy, Doc, and many others. If you did not keep up with it, youi could be playing someone famous in Pool circles and not even know it. The Villa was a bar right next to Burke's, and it Opened at 6 in the morning, so any games not concluded when Burke's closed went next door to the Villa to continue. Sometimes Papa Burke would just lock the doors though and let you play IF he got 10% of the set money.
Papa Burke, at his motel, had quite a place for himself, that included a horseshoe bar with saddles for barstools. He frequently played poker with many doctors, lawyers, and other people where you had to have $7,000
cash to just sit down at the table. I never ever saw Papa Burke with less than $2,000 cash on him, and he always had that big roll with a couple rubber bands about it. He had a few small tables with a checkerboard on it, and loved to play checkers. I think I only saw one person that ever beat him a game or two at checkers. He was uncanny at setting up double and triple jumps in checkers.
Papa Burke had a few nice cues, including a Bushka, but didn't play much.
He was awful cagy though, and you had to be careful not to make a game with him where you had to run fast as hell to outrun the spot. I once gave him (his idea, not mine) the 3,5,7 and the breaks for $10 a game, and didn't like it much.
Once I was playing an Oklahoma Road player, who had a buddy with him, and I had the guy stuck about $300-400 dollars, and his buddy came up to me at the table, mind you, when I was preparing to break, and stuck a knife against my back, and said, 'You had better lose this set or else'. Several people were all around in the booths, and a few seconds later,
Papa Burke put a .25 against his back, took the knife away from this guy, and kicked him out never to return. He let the road player continue playing me, but the guy quit after I won another set.
I once borrowed $200 from Papa Burke until payday. After I got home after work on payday, and planned on going to pay Papa Burke, he showed up at my apartment, in a chauffered Silver Mercedes Benz to 'collect' the
$200.
When I first came to town, i was matched up with Junior Brown, a 19 year old kid, who was famed to be the best in Wichita. My brother, Knute, was Papa Burke's lawyer, and he backed me against Jr.. We shot $1,000 dollar sets, and there was about 70 people crammed into the booths around the table. Jr. won the first set, and I struggled back to win the second set, 11-9. Jr. left me a hard shot on the 9 ball for the set. The 9 was frozen against the end Foot rail with the cue ball sort of in the middle, but I did not like the long rail bank because of the angle and with the 9 ball being frozen, I though a bank would throw the ball wide, so I took my time, and I kicked for the 9 ball for the set, knowing that if I missed, Jr would make the 9 ball, and we would be hill-to-hill with him breaking the last game.
Well, I hit the kick perfect, and kicked it into the corner pocket, and everyone went crazy, people were cheering, clapping, and never in all my 44 years of shooting Pool have I experienced anything like that. You would have swore I won the Super Bowl with a last second Hail Mary pass.
I ended up down 1 set with Jr.., and although Jr. plays very good today
(we are friends now), I still think he was even better then. He was fearless.
I once, after being divorced (I had a few) for 5 months, and not shooting
went down to Burkes in the afternoon, and got into a 3 man ring game for $50 a man per game. We played for 31 hours straight, and I had to quit because I wore hard contacts, and my eyes were giving out. I broke even in that game, but was $1,500 down at one time, and then I ran 11 straight racks to help me get back to even.
Yes, a lot of memories were made down at Burke's, a lot of good Pool and money sets, and Papa Burke was just one of those people you could never forget.
Grady promised to tell a few stories about Papa Burke as he knew him well.
connections with the 'Big Boys' down in Oklahoma, and had gotten into trouble with the law when he was younger.
Papa Burke was smart, very street wise, and not a person that you ever wanted to be on the bad side of. When I knew him, he was married to Jan, or Mama Burke to anyone that knew her. She was an extremely nice & sseet hard working lady that constantly put in 60-80 hours a week working. Papa Burke made no bones about how much he liked the ladies, and had been married 3 times, I believe. Occasionally he would tell us a few stories about his past ladies in his life.
Papa Burke was a tough cookie, and always known for making a 'good game'. 1 bar table was in the back room of Burke's Steakhouse with
Booths around 3 sides of it. Burke's was normally open 7 days a week
from 4 pm until 6 am the next morning From 9-10 at night, the Pool table
was constantly going with $10,$20, $30 challenge 9 ball until some players matched up for bigger money. $100-$500 dollar sets were commonplace, and some extended into multi-thousand dollar sets. It was indeed the Money table in Wichita, Ks.
I spent many a night down there playing all night, and then have to run
home, shower and go straight to my job at Boeing at the time. Many a road player would come through Wichita, and they all stopped at Burke's first. I saw and played with many of them, including Greg Stevens, Buddy Hall (right before he turned pro), Omaha John, Fat Randy, Doc, and many others. If you did not keep up with it, youi could be playing someone famous in Pool circles and not even know it. The Villa was a bar right next to Burke's, and it Opened at 6 in the morning, so any games not concluded when Burke's closed went next door to the Villa to continue. Sometimes Papa Burke would just lock the doors though and let you play IF he got 10% of the set money.
Papa Burke, at his motel, had quite a place for himself, that included a horseshoe bar with saddles for barstools. He frequently played poker with many doctors, lawyers, and other people where you had to have $7,000
cash to just sit down at the table. I never ever saw Papa Burke with less than $2,000 cash on him, and he always had that big roll with a couple rubber bands about it. He had a few small tables with a checkerboard on it, and loved to play checkers. I think I only saw one person that ever beat him a game or two at checkers. He was uncanny at setting up double and triple jumps in checkers.
Papa Burke had a few nice cues, including a Bushka, but didn't play much.
He was awful cagy though, and you had to be careful not to make a game with him where you had to run fast as hell to outrun the spot. I once gave him (his idea, not mine) the 3,5,7 and the breaks for $10 a game, and didn't like it much.
Once I was playing an Oklahoma Road player, who had a buddy with him, and I had the guy stuck about $300-400 dollars, and his buddy came up to me at the table, mind you, when I was preparing to break, and stuck a knife against my back, and said, 'You had better lose this set or else'. Several people were all around in the booths, and a few seconds later,
Papa Burke put a .25 against his back, took the knife away from this guy, and kicked him out never to return. He let the road player continue playing me, but the guy quit after I won another set.
I once borrowed $200 from Papa Burke until payday. After I got home after work on payday, and planned on going to pay Papa Burke, he showed up at my apartment, in a chauffered Silver Mercedes Benz to 'collect' the
$200.
When I first came to town, i was matched up with Junior Brown, a 19 year old kid, who was famed to be the best in Wichita. My brother, Knute, was Papa Burke's lawyer, and he backed me against Jr.. We shot $1,000 dollar sets, and there was about 70 people crammed into the booths around the table. Jr. won the first set, and I struggled back to win the second set, 11-9. Jr. left me a hard shot on the 9 ball for the set. The 9 was frozen against the end Foot rail with the cue ball sort of in the middle, but I did not like the long rail bank because of the angle and with the 9 ball being frozen, I though a bank would throw the ball wide, so I took my time, and I kicked for the 9 ball for the set, knowing that if I missed, Jr would make the 9 ball, and we would be hill-to-hill with him breaking the last game.
Well, I hit the kick perfect, and kicked it into the corner pocket, and everyone went crazy, people were cheering, clapping, and never in all my 44 years of shooting Pool have I experienced anything like that. You would have swore I won the Super Bowl with a last second Hail Mary pass.
I ended up down 1 set with Jr.., and although Jr. plays very good today
(we are friends now), I still think he was even better then. He was fearless.
I once, after being divorced (I had a few) for 5 months, and not shooting
went down to Burkes in the afternoon, and got into a 3 man ring game for $50 a man per game. We played for 31 hours straight, and I had to quit because I wore hard contacts, and my eyes were giving out. I broke even in that game, but was $1,500 down at one time, and then I ran 11 straight racks to help me get back to even.
Yes, a lot of memories were made down at Burke's, a lot of good Pool and money sets, and Papa Burke was just one of those people you could never forget.
Grady promised to tell a few stories about Papa Burke as he knew him well.
