Smorgass Bored said:
Well, if you're making a list, I have just one word for you...... Benny "The Goose" Conway.

Doug
( there used to be a first class biter in New Orleans called Gene "The Machine" aka/ Gene "The Guppy" )
Let me make this stipulation first. Benny never borrowed a dime from me. But,,,,,,,I don’t think his conscious would let him, after I accidentally abetted him in busting the entire town of New Orleans.
Detroit Bob Dancer and I were working the legendary SONRA lounge one night. As I’m sure you will remember, the Sonra only had two bar tables. I was playing on one and Dancer was playing on the other. We had most of the cash in the joint when one of the losers walked back in with Benny Conway in tow.
Benny knew me but he didn’t know Dancer so he put his quarters on Dancer’s table. Dancer is in dead stroke. He runs all the idiots and shortstops off then it’s Benny’s turn. Benny asked Dancer what they were playing for and Dancer tells him they were playing for $20 a game. He asked Benny how much he wanted to bet. Benny asks if he would like to play for $100 a game. Dancer told him to rackum. Benny tried to get Dancer to flip a coin but Dancer wouldn’t go for it. It was his table. Benny doesn’t get to play on his first stake horse’s money. Five games later the guy tells Benny he’s out.
By this time it has gotten out all over the city, there is big action at the Sonra lounge and the stake horses are piling in. The next stake horse calls Benny over, hands him some cash and Benny racks the balls again. Same bet $100 a game. Dancer breaks but comes up dry. Benny fails to get out and Dancer does. Benny wins one game before the current stake horse pulls up, $800 or $900 stuck.
Benny goes through two more stake horses at the Sonra. Benny is talking to another potential backer. He tells the guy that if he can get him on a big table he has got the nuts. The guy agrees to stake him for a $1K set if we go across the street to the Corner Pocket pool room. Dancer agrees and we change settings.
At the pool room they agree to play for $200 a game and freeze the $1K. Dancer doesn’t miss a beat. He wins the first set fairly quickly and to our surprise they pay us and we play another set which Dancer also wins.
Benny is walking around the rather large crowd by now, asking if anyone knows this guy. They all say no. Benny then tells them in an elevated tone, but you do know who I am. He tells them he knows how bad he’s been playing but he is going to snap out or it at any time. They all shake their heads, no.
The parade to the cars is about to begin when the largest drug dealer in the city walks in. Benny greets him by putting his arm around the guy’s neck. Benny tells him what’s transpired. The guy agrees to let Benny play a $2K set but only if they play at the Sport Palace. Neither Dancer or Benny wanted to play at the Sport Palace but for different reasons, which I can not go into.
The drug dealer refused to stake Benny any other place so we all get into the cars and we’re off to the Palace.
Both players put their $2K on the light. Dancer wins the first set. The dealer walks over and pays Dancer. His and my chin fall as we see the HUGE wad of cash this guy’s got. Dancer tells me we are going to get our teeth fixed. WRONG.
Benny starts to fall in stroke. He wins that set. Dancer wins the next set but that was the turning point. Benny wins from there out. We tap out. Benny not only has our money. He has the money of all the stake horses that pulled up before he fell into stroke.
No, Benny, will never have the nerve to ask me for money. At least he hasn’t yet.