Pooky/One hole/Thoughts...

Matt_24

Matt_24

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I saw Pooky last night. If any of know him, he is a fantastic pool player here in VA and has gambled all over the country. He is still his personable, and VOCAL self. ;)

We talked a little about him gambling with Scott Frost at the US OPEN. I guess Pooky lost his first match, and Scott forfeited and they went on to gamble at one pocket for 7 days straight. Scotty took that one down, but that is how it goes in the life of a professional gambler.

He also told me "straight from the horses mouth" his adventures of busting BUCKTOOTH (from the book "Playing off the Rail) for a nice chunk of change. That story has been on here before so I won't re-hash it, but it was interesting hearing him tell it. Pooky is a great pool player and story teller.

Apparently he likes to come on here and read sometimes (when he is taking a break from Poker) and he reminded me of a thread I participated in with JAM about the best one pocket player in VA or something to that effect. I think we drew the conclusion that Bobby Hawk may fit that role..but Pooky wanted me to remind "everyone" (Pooky isn't the shy type, ok...he's as cocky as a fighter pilot, but you gotta love it) that Bobby Hawk was 0 and 4 with HIM at One pocket....and Pooky said that Keith McCready was the best one-holer in VA, and that Bobby can't play him without weight. I guess that comes as no big surprise when you think of it, but I've always thought of Keith as more of a 9 baller who will play one pocket if the money is right. I don't claim to say any of this as FACT, I'm just quoting straight from the horses mouth...acting as "ace AZ reporter". LOL

Guess that is all for now. Just thought I'd share this tidbit of information with you.
 
Matt_24 said:
He also told me "straight from the horses mouth" his adventures of busting BUCKTOOTH (from the book "Playing off the Rail) for a nice chunk of change.
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next time you see Pooky tell him when he comes back to california that Bucktooth would like a rematch. (I was told this "straight from the horses mouth" as well).
 
cornfed said:
next time you see Pooky tell him when he comes back to california that Bucktooth would like a rematch. (I was told this "straight from the horses mouth" as well).
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You got it!

I would pay money just as an entertainment fee to see those two woofing at each other. I know how Pooky is..and I've heard about Bucktooth, so that would be interesting!

Tell him not to hold his breath though...it might be hard to get Pooky away from poker. Sounds like it has been more lucrative for him than pool.
 
Pookie has seemed less than interested in pool lately. Not hard to imagine, he's a gambler that plays pool, not a pool player that plays for $.

I would also put KM over Bobby Hawk.
 
Black-Balled said:
Pookie has seemed less than interested in pool lately. Not hard to imagine, he's a gambler that plays pool, not a pool player that plays for $.

I would also put KM over Bobby Hawk.
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Well, Pook started off playing pool and progressed to gambling. If he didn't really love the game at one point he wouldn't waste his time in tournaments when he could win more at gambling. He used to play in all of the little weekly tournaments with a whopping $150 first place (or something of that nature). Now he has a wife, son, and mother to support from what I understand and he's doing it the best he knows how. I hope he does well in Poker if it pays better than pool.
 
Matt_24 said:
Well, Pook started off playing pool and progressed to gambling. If he didn't really love the game at one point he wouldn't waste his time in tournaments when he could win more at gambling. He used to play in all of the little weekly tournaments with a whopping $150 first place (or something of that nature). Now he has a wife, son, and mother to support from what I understand and he's doing it the best he knows how. I hope he does well in Poker if it pays better than pool.
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I remember when he first started coming into the PHall. He played for $ before he knew the rules and folks were giving him outrageous spots. Then he ended up able to give the same spots to other folks! Gotta be some love for the ggame, fer sher, but no love for the dead scene that is VA/ DC...now poker...he can get his bet on there!
 
Speaking of one-hole, we stopped by USA Billiards in Laurel this past Saturday, and there was a match-up between Tom-Tom and Nate which lasted about 5 hours, I was told. They ended up breaking even. :o

USA Billiards in Laurel lost their lease and is moving the pool room to Jessup, MD, at least that's the buzz on the rail.

The house man at USA Billiards [Mr. Lee wasn't there] said Tom-Tom and Nate went to Richmond THIS PAST WEEKEND to compete in a one-pocket tournament. I remember reading about this tourney on the AZB forum and had forgotten about it. :o

Does anybody have any updates on what happened? The name of the pool room escapes me. It wasn't The Playing Field, but it was like Sports-something. Good Virginian one-holers would be Shorty from Richmond. He won't let anybody take his picture, and he doesn't compete in too many tournaments, but if you want to see an interesting one-pocket match-up in Richmond, Shorty is usually front and center.

Freddie Boggs is right up there on the top level for Virginia one-pocket mechanics, but he's emigrated and hangs his hat now in the wonderful City of Las Vegas. :cool:

About one-pocket phenoms in the D.C./Maryland/Virginia area, it goes without saying that Strawberry is probably the most legendary. Bus Driver Ronnie is worthy of mention, and one-pocket was definitely the game of choice of the late Michael "Geese" Gerace.

Baltimore used to have a contingent of topnotch players, but they all kind of dwindled away with the closing of Greenies, et cetera.

Currently, the most feared one-hole player IMHO would be Max, but he always seems to be MIA in recent times fighting personal demons; however, the BEST one-pocket player in my neck of the woods today, IMHO.

That's about it for the local smut! :D

JAM
 
it was sidepockets...we couldn't make it out there this weekend. heard ugotaction was out there tho

JAM said:
Does anybody have any updates on what happened? The name of the pool room escapes me. It wasn't The Playing Field, but it was like Sports-something. Good Virginian one-holers would be Shorty from Richmond. He
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JAM,

I was surprised I didn't see you and Keith Friday night at Bill & Billies. Hope all is well and you both have a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season.

I'll have to agree with your opinion on Max. Not only do I think he is the best, but one of the most entertaining to watch. It seems his creativity is endless at times. ;)

Sorry to hear about USA. Many of my younger memories are based in that pool room. Watching Esther grow up, watching Mr. Lee give everyone under the sun a "haircut", the ring games between Warren, Cliff and JT that would go on for hours, almost beating Danny Green in the tournament (though he'll deny it until the day he dies!!! HAHA!!), etc. *sigh* Hopefully it'll be an easy transition for them.

Amanda
 
JAM said:
Speaking of one-hole,...Does anybody have any updates on what happened? The name of the pool room escapes me.
JAM
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DAM, JAM! I was depending on you for our update!!

OK then, you are forgiven. But who is gonna help us out?
 
SonjaBlue03 said:
JAM,

I was surprised I didn't see you and Keith Friday night at Bill & Billies. Hope all is well and you both have a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season.

Amanda
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And you?! What happened in the midnite madness event? What time did it finish? For please???;)
 
Oh, about Pookie, I think the thing that separates him from the rest is his sense of imagination when he's in the pit.

To his advantage, Pookie does play ALL games well and is subject to strike when you least expect it. I think he is an offensive shooter most times, going for shots others would usually play safe. It is because of this trait that Pookie's capabilities are endless.

And about online poker, you always hear about the big kahunas caught by these credit card-yielding Internet cowboys, but it's the big kahunas that got away that tell the whole story. I am not a big proponent of online poker, though I do enjoy 7-Card Stud immensely.

The first time I ever met Pookie, he snuck up on Keith in Baltimore and matched up with him. Keith gave him a spot, and Pookie barbecued him in record time for a dime, I think it was.

My favorite Pookie story is when he came to the 2003 Carolinas Open at Fast Eddies in Goldsboro, NC. He jumped right in the pit and got in action, battling it out with Hennessee from Tennessee and a few others. There were many top pros in attendance, and Pookie asked Jose Parica if he'd autograph a dollar bill for him.

About a year later, Pookie had scored a few tournament conquests under his belt, and at the 2004 U.S. Open at the Chesapeake Conference Center, fans were coming up to Pookie, requesting his autograph.

JAM
 
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Black-Balled said:
And you?! What happened in the midnite madness event? What time did it finish? For please???;)
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Let's see, players. . Slivka, Ryan McCreesh, Brandon Shuff, Max Schlauthauer (commonly referred to as "Glen Burnie Max" since no one can pronounce his last name, hehe), Danny Green, Doug Sharp, Joe Cataldi and many others were in attendance. I think Pops got a great turn out for this tournament.

Last I was there Slivka and Genie Man were still in the winner's bracket. That was at 3am. Having to work at 9, I had to leave though I was thoroughly enjoying watching all of the matches and immersing myself in the excitement of it all.

Anyone else know what the final result was?

Amanda :p
 
SonjaBlue03 said:
JAM,

I was surprised I didn't see you and Keith Friday night at Bill & Billies. Hope all is well and you both have a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season.
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We were planning on going, but as the clock neared midnight, I fell sound asleep. I hope we can make the next one. Who won it?

SonyaBlue03 said:
I'll have to agree with your opinion on Max. Not only do I think he is the best, but one of the most entertaining to watch. It seems his creativity is endless at times. ;)
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He's very talented. I'd like to see him come out of hibernation a little more often. He made a cameo appearance with Danny Green at a Thursday night $20 tournament at Champions in Silver Spring before it closed. He and Danny played against Keith, two on one, and beat him pretty resoundingly. Danny's nostrils were wide open and wanted more, but Keith recognized he got himself in a definite no-win situation. Max still plays phenomenally well.

JAM
 
JAM said:
Currently, the most feared one-hole player IMHO would be Max, but he always seems to be MIA in recent times fighting personal demons; however, the BEST one-pocket player in my neck of the woods today, IMHO.
JAM
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JAM,
You would put Max as the best one pocket player in DC/MD/No. VA?

I would have to say either Gerry Slivka, Tom Wirth, or Keither. Do you think Max is better than these two?

Also, what's your opinion of Kevin "Lefty" Gardner (the young black player who frequents USA Billiards). I think he plays one hole pretty sporty.
 
Black-Balled said:
I would also put KM over Bobby Hawk.
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Agreed. There is this one guy that moved into town from Texas - Paul I think. I don't know much about him and I haven't seen him in a while, but I do remember after one of the Planet Pool events in Sterling that he matched up with Ryan McCreesh (who plays good one pocket too) for some $50 or $100 (can't remember) a game. I think they were playing even with Ryan spotting him a ball on Ryan's break. Anyway, Ryan won the first two easily but then the momentum shifted and Paul won a bunch in a row. I remember Ryan saying, "I need 9-6 from you" before storming out of the pool hall. After watching the action, I asked the guy to play some cheap and we broke even after an hour but I could tell that he reverted back to "stall" mode, like he displayed in the first two games with McCreesh. So, I was left with the feeling that I didn't know how good the guy played, but that he played definitely better McCreesh. That's pretty scary considering he could be the best player in VA right now and nobody's ever heard of him (one pocket only). I know Brandon has played him a couple times too but never for big money. I'd be curious to hear him or Ryan chime in about this guy. I haven't seen him for months.
 
mapman72 said:
Agreed. There is this one guy that moved into town from Texas - Paul I think. I don't know much about him and I haven't seen him in a while, but I do remember after one of the Planet Pool events in Sterling that he matched up with Ryan McCreesh (who plays good one pocket too) for some $50 or $100 (can't remember) a game. I think they were playing even with Ryan spotting him a ball on Ryan's break. Anyway, Ryan won the first two easily but then the momentum shifted and Paul won a bunch in a row. I remember Ryan saying, "I need 9-6 from you" before storming out of the pool hall. After watching the action, I asked the guy to play some cheap and we broke even after an hour but I could tell that he reverted back to "stall" mode, like he displayed in the first two games with McCreesh. So, I was left with the feeling that I didn't know how good the guy played, but that he played definitely better McCreesh. That's pretty scary considering he could be the best player in VA right now and nobody's ever heard of him (one pocket only). I know Brandon has played him a couple times too but never for big money. I'd be curious to hear him or Ryan chime in about this guy. I haven't seen him for months.
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uhhhhhhhhhhhh
 
Black-Balled said:
uhhhhhhhhhhhh
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Much to the detriment of my workload...

Richmond 1H tourney:
1st- Danny Green
2nd- Eddie Abraham
3rd- Some dude (no bet) from SC/ GA...Brian___
 
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