Mothers Billiards,Charlotte NC
- Thread starter ktrunout
- Start date
the perfect example why pro billiard tours fail.
I think Denny is still around. I heard he hangs out at a pool room over on Central Ave. Ron can be found from time to time at Rack Em in Matthews. Tommy opened Burkatts in Monroe, but I think, if I'm not mistaken, he is a guest of the state for a few years. Brady used to show up at the Green Room in Pineville, but haven't seen him in a while. I think Max works at Burkatts. Clyde passed away a few years ago (heart attack while he was down on a shot playing pool at Morey's, which is now (thankfully) closed.
(Kelly now owns a wine bar in NoDa)
Steve
Mothers was the joint!
Way back in the day (late 80s early 90) when I got my first car I found that place. One bas ass pool hall. I was very new to the game and didn't have much to compare it too, but I knew I loved that pool hall. Some strong players and action in the back room almost always. Knowing what I know now, I would have spent more time back there taking it all in. While I visited back the some of the time, I mainly stayed in the front room (banger central) as that was where my level of play dictated lol. Hell, it probably still would hold true lol, but not quite as much.
Heck, just stepping into the back room would invite a woof from perfect strangers (to me)...I always passed. I would try some now just "cause".
I played there a bunch back in those days. Great prices, food and pool.
I quit the game for a quite few years in my early twenties. Sometime after I got back into playing I headed back to mothers to see how things were. The "crowd" was not the same. Much less pool related and more "gangsta" if you will. I have played in some rough places over the years, but the atmoshpere there made me uncomfortable, which isn't easy to do. Seemed like a good place to get shanked in the bathroom for your wallet. Sucked. I knew it had gone to shit and never headed back.
Not sure how close that visit was to the actual closing.
Was a great place when it was straight though. Sad to see its demise for sure.
Way back in the day (late 80s early 90) when I got my first car I found that place. One bas ass pool hall. I was very new to the game and didn't have much to compare it too, but I knew I loved that pool hall. Some strong players and action in the back room almost always. Knowing what I know now, I would have spent more time back there taking it all in. While I visited back the some of the time, I mainly stayed in the front room (banger central) as that was where my level of play dictated lol. Hell, it probably still would hold true lol, but not quite as much.
Heck, just stepping into the back room would invite a woof from perfect strangers (to me)...I always passed. I would try some now just "cause".
I played there a bunch back in those days. Great prices, food and pool.
I quit the game for a quite few years in my early twenties. Sometime after I got back into playing I headed back to mothers to see how things were. The "crowd" was not the same. Much less pool related and more "gangsta" if you will. I have played in some rough places over the years, but the atmoshpere there made me uncomfortable, which isn't easy to do. Seemed like a good place to get shanked in the bathroom for your wallet. Sucked. I knew it had gone to shit and never headed back.
Not sure how close that visit was to the actual closing.
Was a great place when it was straight though. Sad to see its demise for sure.
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The city of Charlotte condemed the place so they could build a station there for the light rail train. Some of those Diamond tables from the back room ended up in the Green Room in Pineville. And I agree, in it's later days, it was not a safe place to be.
Steve
Steve
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Hadn't thought of the twins in years. Didn't know em through mother's, but I met em when I got back into the game after the years away. My game was pretty bad, especially compared to thiers, but they still tried to convince me to go to the beach and hustle with em. Swore even at my level there was money to be had lol. If I were single I might have given it a go just to see how those boys rolled. Thay had game in more ways then one that's for sure.
I got a chance to go to Mothers with Scott Rabon in '96. I spent all my time in the back room watching him and Allison, Ron Park, Big Mouth Troy, and others play and talk trash. Gene was doing the cue repair and had some funny stories. This was all a brand new scene to me at the time and it was quite an experience. I never went back after hearing it went to shit. Sorry to see it go though, nice place with nice equipment.
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My bad. If those are the names for "the twins" then my last post is wrong. Those are not the twins I had in mind.
That was where I first saw the high rolling poker - pool player Dippy Dave gambling in the back room in 1995.
I lost few 'fish heads' to 'Catfish' & Mr.Oyama when I just started playing one pocket.
The twins you are referring to are Chris and Chad,these guys could not gamble with anybody that could play.
i went in there in early 93 and saw Tony Watson. Id seen him earlier, about 6 mos ago in Chicago and he had this huge knot of money. He recognized me and came up to chat with me. He said, remember that huge bankroll I had? well not much longer after that, someone put a gun in my mouth and took that from me in the parking lot of waffle house.
I think I still have a book of matches I got from mothers Billiards 18 years ago in my matchbook collection.
I think I still have a book of matches I got from mothers Billiards 18 years ago in my matchbook collection.
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I grew up in Charlotte around the bars and use to watch Denny play in his prime. He was definitely the best around. My father owned some pool halls back in the 80's and 90's.I was a youngster and he would shoot with me. He was insane on a snooker table. This was over at Past Time billiards off Central ave. Harry Panos owned it back then. It was a pretty good spot for some great action. Mothers was a great bar and went down super fast after it was sold.
The pool scene today is so different than back then...
The pool scene today is so different than back then...