Patrick Gates from Elmhurst, IL/Red Bank, NJ
- Thread starter Banks
- Start date
You should give more of a description, if you want the pool detectives to chime in.
FWIW, I'm familiar with the Red Bank/Central NJ area players and I know of no higher level player by that name, unless he is much older and moved away from NJ more than 20 years ago, which is always possible.
Eric
Last edited:
Banks
Banned
Here's a short story from my trip to Vegas for the APA team event.. (okay, maybe not so short)
I think it was Thursday, after my team lost out of the event. I had gotten a couple of the 25oz(?) beers from the ABC store and was knocking balls around. After a little while, I had a nice buzz on, but was hoping to find some cheap, easy $5 or $10 action to make a few bucks. Already down a few hundred to the casino and all, just getting a little back would've been nice.
A few pretty strong players offered up spots, but I had watched them play a little and wasn't in a position to throw away what little I had. What I really wanted was a banks game, but it wasn't exactly easy to come by. Well, around 2am, somebody comes back from the room next to the pub and tells me a guy there is willing to play some banks.
Another half hour or so later, I head on over. I tell him I just want to do something cheap, like $5 or $10 a rack. He says $10/rack is good. After getting up a few games real quick, he asks if I'd be willing to up the bet if I were to get up. I say I would and he says he was just checking to see if I had any gamble. I'm thinking that he's just trying to reel me in.
Well, I get up 4 games eventually. At one point, he's already run a 5 on me, so I know he can play a little. We bump it to $20/rack, so I'm only up 2 games. We continue to battle, with him often getting to 3 or 4, only for me to scrape my way back and win, occasionally with a 4-out. I eke by to get up $80. He now asks to make it $40/rack. I'm hesitant, since that could quickly bust me, as he's shown he can run a rack, but I oblige.
Soon enough, I'm up $160 and then it becomes $80/rack. Now I'm getting a little more concerned, as it could hurt real quick in a few games and I'm beginning to fight sleep at about 5 or 6am, having eaten almost nothing and drinking a little earlier. Lucky for me, I get through it and push ahead to 5 games up. As if $80 was dangerous, he now wants to go $200, putting me at 2 games up again. At one point, he tried telling me I didn't call the right pocket, I'm sure he had stolen a ball or two from me in a few games, but I still give him the benefit of the doubt.. well, because the customer is (almost) always right, I suppose.
A little more back-and-forth and I'm moving to 5 games up once more. He's been leaving me tough - long, rail-to-rail shots on the final ball, etc. He wasn't too happy that I had been making them more often. Sweating a little, he bumps it to $500/rack.. yet again putting me at 2 games up and posing a serious threat to my finances. Still, he can't close a couple of racks and bring it down, so I make way to 6 games up. He takes a bathroom break.
I've already told him a couple of times that I was exhausted and be willing to play more again after I rest up and eat. Well, he comes back and gives me an offer.. we play two last racks for a grand each. That way, if I win, I get $5k and can go to bed. If he wins them both, I'm still up $1k and still get to go to bed. I agree and look forward to going to sleep, as it's about 8am at this point.
The first game, he gets ahead, but can't finish. I play tough and finish with good shots. The next game, he may have gotten one, then I run my last 4, finishing with a 4-rail bank in good fashion.
He takes another bathroom break. Upon returning, he gives me a story about only having $1200 or whatever it was to give me. I accept, because what am I going to do, try to shake down a guy bigger than me in a casino? Bad and bad. Another lesson in posting, I suppose. One of the guys I went down there with consoled me a little bit afterwards, as he had been watching for an hour or two. He said, "I like the way you move." I said, "Yeah, I was playing him pretty tough." No, he meant the fact that although I got stiffed for $3800, I was handed $1200, got a hug, a handshake and a thank-you for playing.
The kicker? I only had about $100. Just got direct deposit, but that's never a good idea to bleed the atm in a casino.
Thanks, Patrick. :thumbup:
I came back home to the g/f with an extra grand. She's beginning to think I should play tournaments in Vegas more often.
I think it was Thursday, after my team lost out of the event. I had gotten a couple of the 25oz(?) beers from the ABC store and was knocking balls around. After a little while, I had a nice buzz on, but was hoping to find some cheap, easy $5 or $10 action to make a few bucks. Already down a few hundred to the casino and all, just getting a little back would've been nice.
A few pretty strong players offered up spots, but I had watched them play a little and wasn't in a position to throw away what little I had. What I really wanted was a banks game, but it wasn't exactly easy to come by. Well, around 2am, somebody comes back from the room next to the pub and tells me a guy there is willing to play some banks.
Another half hour or so later, I head on over. I tell him I just want to do something cheap, like $5 or $10 a rack. He says $10/rack is good. After getting up a few games real quick, he asks if I'd be willing to up the bet if I were to get up. I say I would and he says he was just checking to see if I had any gamble. I'm thinking that he's just trying to reel me in.
Well, I get up 4 games eventually. At one point, he's already run a 5 on me, so I know he can play a little. We bump it to $20/rack, so I'm only up 2 games. We continue to battle, with him often getting to 3 or 4, only for me to scrape my way back and win, occasionally with a 4-out. I eke by to get up $80. He now asks to make it $40/rack. I'm hesitant, since that could quickly bust me, as he's shown he can run a rack, but I oblige.
Soon enough, I'm up $160 and then it becomes $80/rack. Now I'm getting a little more concerned, as it could hurt real quick in a few games and I'm beginning to fight sleep at about 5 or 6am, having eaten almost nothing and drinking a little earlier. Lucky for me, I get through it and push ahead to 5 games up. As if $80 was dangerous, he now wants to go $200, putting me at 2 games up again. At one point, he tried telling me I didn't call the right pocket, I'm sure he had stolen a ball or two from me in a few games, but I still give him the benefit of the doubt.. well, because the customer is (almost) always right, I suppose.
A little more back-and-forth and I'm moving to 5 games up once more. He's been leaving me tough - long, rail-to-rail shots on the final ball, etc. He wasn't too happy that I had been making them more often. Sweating a little, he bumps it to $500/rack.. yet again putting me at 2 games up and posing a serious threat to my finances. Still, he can't close a couple of racks and bring it down, so I make way to 6 games up. He takes a bathroom break.
I've already told him a couple of times that I was exhausted and be willing to play more again after I rest up and eat. Well, he comes back and gives me an offer.. we play two last racks for a grand each. That way, if I win, I get $5k and can go to bed. If he wins them both, I'm still up $1k and still get to go to bed. I agree and look forward to going to sleep, as it's about 8am at this point.
The first game, he gets ahead, but can't finish. I play tough and finish with good shots. The next game, he may have gotten one, then I run my last 4, finishing with a 4-rail bank in good fashion.
He takes another bathroom break. Upon returning, he gives me a story about only having $1200 or whatever it was to give me. I accept, because what am I going to do, try to shake down a guy bigger than me in a casino? Bad and bad. Another lesson in posting, I suppose. One of the guys I went down there with consoled me a little bit afterwards, as he had been watching for an hour or two. He said, "I like the way you move." I said, "Yeah, I was playing him pretty tough." No, he meant the fact that although I got stiffed for $3800, I was handed $1200, got a hug, a handshake and a thank-you for playing.
The kicker? I only had about $100. Just got direct deposit, but that's never a good idea to bleed the atm in a casino.
Thanks, Patrick. :thumbup:
I came back home to the g/f with an extra grand. She's beginning to think I should play tournaments in Vegas more often.
Here's a short story from my trip to Vegas for the APA team event.. (okay, maybe not so short)
I think it was Thursday, after my team lost out of the event. I had gotten a couple of the 25oz(?) beers from the ABC store and was knocking balls around. After a little while, I had a nice buzz on, but was hoping to find some cheap, easy $5 or $10 action to make a few bucks. Already down a few hundred to the casino and all, just getting a little back would've been nice.
A few pretty strong players offered up spots, but I had watched them play a little and wasn't in a position to throw away what little I had. What I really wanted was a banks game, but it wasn't exactly easy to come by. Well, around 2am, somebody comes back from the room next to the pub and tells me a guy there is willing to play some banks.
Another half hour or so later, I head on over. I tell him I just want to do something cheap, like $5 or $10 a rack. He says $10/rack is good. After getting up a few games real quick, he asks if I'd be willing to up the bet if I were to get up. I say I would and he says he was just checking to see if I had any gamble. I'm thinking that he's just trying to reel me in.
Well, I get up 4 games eventually. At one point, he's already run a 5 on me, so I know he can play a little. We bump it to $20/rack, so I'm only up 2 games. We continue to battle, with him often getting to 3 or 4, only for me to scrape my way back and win, occasionally with a 4-out. I eke by to get up $80. He now asks to make it $40/rack. I'm hesitant, since that could quickly bust me, as he's shown he can run a rack, but I oblige.
Soon enough, I'm up $160 and then it becomes $80/rack. Now I'm getting a little more concerned, as it could hurt real quick in a few games and I'm beginning to fight sleep at about 5 or 6am, having eaten almost nothing and drinking a little earlier. Lucky for me, I get through it and push ahead to 5 games up. As if $80 was dangerous, he now wants to go $200, putting me at 2 games up again. At one point, he tried telling me I didn't call the right pocket, I'm sure he had stolen a ball or two from me in a few games, but I still give him the benefit of the doubt.. well, because the customer is (almost) always right, I suppose.
A little more back-and-forth and I'm moving to 5 games up once more. He's been leaving me tough - long, rail-to-rail shots on the final ball, etc. He wasn't too happy that I had been making them more often. Sweating a little, he bumps it to $500/rack.. yet again putting me at 2 games up and posing a serious threat to my finances. Still, he can't close a couple of racks and bring it down, so I make way to 6 games up. He takes a bathroom break.
I've already told him a couple of times that I was exhausted and be willing to play more again after I rest up and eat. Well, he comes back and gives me an offer.. we play two last racks for a grand each. That way, if I win, I get $5k and can go to bed. If he wins them both, I'm still up $1k and still get to go to bed. I agree and look forward to going to sleep, as it's about 8am at this point.
The first game, he gets ahead, but can't finish. I play tough and finish with good shots. The next game, he may have gotten one, then I run my last 4, finishing with a 4-rail bank in good fashion.
He takes another bathroom break. Upon returning, he gives me a story about only having $1200 or whatever it was to give me. I accept, because what am I going to do, try to shake down a guy bigger than me in a casino? Bad and bad. Another lesson in posting, I suppose. One of the guys I went down there with consoled me a little bit afterwards, as he had been watching for an hour or two. He said, "I like the way you move." I said, "Yeah, I was playing him pretty tough." No, he meant the fact that although I got stiffed for $3800, I was handed $1200, got a hug, a handshake and a thank-you for playing.
The kicker? I only had about $100. Just got direct deposit, but that's never a good idea to bleed the atm in a casino.
Thanks, Patrick. :thumbup:
I came back home to the g/f with an extra grand. She's beginning to think I should play tournaments in Vegas more often.
A good lesson to be learned, even if you start off cheap, pay off after every game with a stranger. You could have gotten his $1,200 and lots more sleep.:boring2:
I used to lose the first game on purpose to pay off and establish how we were going to handle it.
Banks
Banned
Very true, though I think he just didn't want to pay up the rest. Tried telling me he could have it wired in 2 business days, but knew nobody was staying past the weekend.
I ate a nice, fat meal at the steak place the next day, with prawn appetizer and a couple of beers.
Got a couple of other cheap games afterwards, including a couple with Sebastian. He was quite the character. I mostly just played for a little time-killing fun until I could bring the loot back home to the little lady.
Banks
Banned
Yeah, though, being my first big score, I did find out a few important things. One of which is that I can still play under pressure. :thumbup2: Even my teammate said that the other guy could bank, but I was too consistent. Run one or two, two or three, some fours.. done. Hook him, run one or two, repeat. Had some luck, too, which the guy wasn't thrilled about.
Banks
Banned
Yeah, definitely need to get to the pay after each game when the cheese starts to climb up there.
I guess you are spotting me in banks than if I am spotting you in 8 ball, thanks for outing yourself
If you're willing to spot me in 8b, that's the least I can do. :thumbup:
Although, I don't think I ran a single 5 against the guy.
sht I don't run 5s in bank pool anyway so you are a lock lol. I get ecstatic when I hit 3.
