Rating One Pocket Players

Brooklyn Johnny

sjm said:
Yours are excellent lists offered with more insight than almost anyone on the form is capable of, but Johnny Ervolino's absence frm your lists is a surprise.
Click to expand...

Ervolino was another guy that didnt really feature 1pkt as his long suit. How many great players did he beat playing 1pkt? Bugs played him 8 to 7. He was a great straight pool player, mediocre horse player, good dice player and a champion bite man. Very good with the ladies also.

the Beard
 
Growing up in NC, and having seen Luther Lassiter play many hours personally in the late 60's he was one of the best 9 ball players I ever saw play for the cash. He told me something that later in life Bill Schick told me...that Buddy Hall told him that if his life depended on winning a set of nine ball, he would have Don Willis out of any player he knew to shoot. Don Willis never left Cincinatti to play but BOTH Luther and Buddy said he was the best of the best. I know this is off the topic, one pocket, but someone earlier was saying something about the best 9 ball player in the late 60's and early 70's. My two cents worth.
 
Last edited:
freddy the beard said:
Ervolino was another guy that didnt really feature 1pkt as his long suit. How many great players did he beat playing 1pkt? Bugs played him 8 to 7. He was a great straight pool player, mediocre horse player, good dice player and a champion bite man. Very good with the ladies also.

the Beard
Click to expand...

Your insights appreciated, Freddy. Thanks.
 
sjm said:
Over the years, I've heard a lot about George Rood and how many road players were sure to steer clear of him. How strong was George's one-pocket game in his prime?
Click to expand...

I was around George a lot in the 60's, when he was still in his prime. I never saw him play a game of One Pocket, only 9-Ball and Straight Pool. He never even played Banks, and in Dayton it was a popular game. He didn't play one handed or behind his back either. George wasn't into fancy stuff, he just wanted to play pool and kick your ass. And he did!
 
freddy the beard said:
I know Vernon for 40 years. We are old pals and I love him like a brother. He was an all-time banker and a terrific 9 ball player, but 1ptk was not his long suit. You may be confusing the fact that Vernon, like Buddy, Portland Don Watson, Ervolino, and a few others could beat 98% of all pool players playing 1pkt, but they were not great 1pkt players.

the Beard
Click to expand...

Thanks for the insight, Freddy. It's interesting to hear insights about how some of the top overall gamblers like Bernie fared against the well-recognized game specialists.
 
Last edited:
Everyone,
This is Billy's list and let's see here Billy has travelled the USA back and forth for the last 40 years playing just about everyone. He was once (Early 70's) known as 9ball Billy from Pittsburgh and was known as maybe the best nineball player in the land. The list of people looking to play him even was very short (Hippy Jimmy, The Miz, Sigel later, Wimpy, Buddy, etc) My Grandfather said he could play as well as he wants, and that is enough of an endorsement for me. He took a little time away from the road and started to play world class onepocket. He has played champions on there homecourt and gets the cash more often then not. I am amazed this guy is in his mid-sixties and I don't know a whole lot of people beating down his door to get down with him. He is a bonfide legend, and I am sorry that his list does not include what some people consider "top ten" players whether it is now or the last forty years. I will let everyone in on a little secret sometimes people promote themselves real well in the pool world and the public thinks that the are one of the top players. They may be a great player and a champion but some of the celebrated players would get emptied by players that the public are not as familiar with. Billy was there and lived it. A good example is from another thread (Great 9ball players) is how much of a monster Wade Crane was in the late 70's early 80's or Danny Medina was in the 80's or Dennis Hatch in the mid 90's to today. Billy's list in very close to mine although I can only go back 20 years. I am glad Billy posts here he knows his sheeet and he is not afraid to send it in, but he is awful hard to trap.
 
Last edited:
huckster said:
Everyone,
This is Billy's list and let's see here Billy has travelled the USA back and forth for the last 40 years playing just about everyone. He was once (Early 70's) known as 9ball Billy from Pittsburgh and was known as maybe the best nineball player in the land. The list of people looking to play him even was very short (Hippy Jimmy, The Miz, Sigel later, Wimpy, Buddy, etc) My Grandfather said he could play as well as he wants, and that is enough of an endorsement for me. He took a little time away from the road and started play to play world class onepocket. He has played champions on there homecourt and gets the cash more often then not. I am amazed this guy is in his mid-sixties and I don't know a whole lot of people beating down his door to get down with him. He is a bonfide legend, and I am sorry that his list does not include what some people consider "top ten" players whether it is now or the last forty years. I will let everyone in on a little secret sometimes people promote themselves real well in the pool world and the public thinks that the are one of the top players. They may be a great player and a champion but some of the celebrated players would get emptied by players that the public are not as familiar with. Billy was there and lived it. A good example is from another thread is how much of a monster Wade Crane was in the late 70's early 80's or Danny Medina was in the 80's or Dennis Hatch in the mid 90's to today. Billy's list in very close to mine although I can only go back 20 years. I am glad Billy posts here he knows his sheeet and he is not afraid to send it in, but he is awful hard to trap.
Click to expand...

I guess there's no way to say that so-and-so is 'da man' but if there was Billy would be on the short list.
 
Never saw Cleo Vaughn play I guess.........

It's obvious to me Jay and Freddie never saw Cleo Vaughn play. Grady refused to go to Mobile to play Cleo even though there was tons of cash to be won there if he could have won. The only guy on the list to chase the cash in Mobile was Ronnie. Yea, he got it but Cleo told him to tell the rest of um where he got it and no one showed up.

You guys either didn't see Cleo play or are going through "Mental-Pause" leaving Cleo off all the lists.

You guys go ask RA how Cleo played. Then you might rethink those lists...
 
You're right, Bill

hemicudas said:
It's obvious to me Jay and Freddie never saw Cleo Vaughn play. Grady refused to go to Mobile to play Cleo even though there was tons of cash to be won there if he could have won. The only guy on the list to chase the cash in Mobile was Ronnie. Yea, he got it but Cleo told him to tell the rest of um where he got it and no one showed up.

You guys either didn't see Cleo play or are going through "Mental-Pause" leaving Cleo off all the lists.

You guys go ask RA how Cleo played. Then you might rethink those lists...
Click to expand...

You're correct, Bill. I never seen Cleo play. I did hear he was a good player, high roller and tough to beat, but I didnt accumulate enough info on him like I did with some of the other players who I also didnt see, like Roberts and Rags. The fact that Cleo was a one-stop shop (played only in Mobile) didnt help either. I also heard some tush-hog stories. Cleo was a big bookmaker wasnt he? I heard if you won you would have to do it delicately. That's one reason I never went there.

the Beard

Someone deserving is always gonna be left off these kinds of lists. I just realized that I left a lock-cinch guy off the original roster. That was unforgiveable, and nobody's mentioned it yet either. John Cannonball Lefty Chapman is who I forgot about. Played everybody, everywhere, and for all he had.
 
Last edited:
freddy the beard said:
You're correct, Bill. I never seen Cleo play. I did hear he was a good player, high roller and tough to beat, but I didnt accumulate enough info on him like I did with some of the other players who I also didnt see, like Roberts and Rags. The fact that Cleo was a one-stop shop (played only in Mobile) didnt help either. I also heard some tush-hog stories. Cleo was a big bookmaker wasnt he? I heard if you won you would have to do it delicately. That's one reason I never went there.

the Beard

Someone deserving is always gonna be left off these kinds of lists. I just realized that I left a lock-cinch guy off the original roster. That was unforgiveable, and nobody's mentioned it yet either. John Cannonball Lefty Chapman is who I forgot about. Played everybody, everywhere, and for all he had.
Click to expand...

The first time I took a raod trip was with a guy from Denver. We ended up in Houston, at the old Le Cue down on Rice and there was Cannonball playing some guy banks.

I was just amazed being right off the farm and having never seen a game of banks played. He hit em at warp speed from everywhere and just when I thought I had seen it all, he hit a long rail bank so hard, the ball was air borne for about 5 feet and split the wicket. I came out of my seat and everyone in the place laughed at me.
 
Beard:

In your prime, how would you compare your bank game to your 1P game? Many people think of you as the "go to guy" for banks, but you obviously played a helluva game of one hole as well. I recall you saying you gave Efren 1P lessons when he first came over - is that correct?

I'm just interested in reading what your thoughts are regarding which game you played better - and by how much (compared to competition).

Dave
 
Mr. Beard -

I would like to hear your opinion (if you know these players) on two St. Louis great one pocket players of yesteryear -

Dean Higgs
Gordon Guy

Thanks.
 
hemicudas said:
It's obvious to me Jay and Freddie never saw Cleo Vaughn play. Grady refused to go to Mobile to play Cleo even though there was tons of cash to be won there if he could have won. The only guy on the list to chase the cash in Mobile was Ronnie. Yea, he got it but Cleo told him to tell the rest of um where he got it and no one showed up.

You guys either didn't see Cleo play or are going through "Mental-Pause" leaving Cleo off all the lists.

You guys go ask RA how Cleo played. Then you might rethink those lists...
Click to expand...
Cleo lived in Blythville Arkansas when he was much younger, Weenie Beanie beat him for $100,000.00 in the 50's. Cleo was a card and 9 ball player.He lived in a small frame home and drove a chevy. He then moved to Las Vegas and worked as a dealer for 3-4 years. when he came back I met him in his home town of Marked Tree Ark. He told me he could never beat the big poker games in Vegas, he said after payday he beat all the smaller games but not the big one. after getting the place in Mobile he became a great one pocket player. I never heard anything about him muscling anyone, but he would stall players around for days, to get their nut up before matching up.
 
Long suit was always banks

SpiderWebComm said:
Beard:

In your prime, how would you compare your bank game to your 1P game? Many people think of you as the "go to guy" for banks, but you obviously played a helluva game of one hole as well. I recall you saying you gave Efren 1P lessons when he first came over - is that correct?

I'm just interested in reading what your thoughts are regarding which game you played better - and by how much (compared to competition).

Dave
Click to expand...

There was always a much lower range of guys that were the favorite over me playing banks than 1pkt. I never thought there was more than 5 or 6 guys who were the favorite over me in banks, and on a 5 x 10 that number was smaller. One pocket I always played spotty. My game would have wide disparities. I have beaten Grady, Bugs, Artie, Cecil, Steve Cook, and others even. I have also lost getting a spot, sometimes a big one, from the same people.

I never gave Efren "lessons." He learned the game from me, however, as we played almost every day for a year. Efren is gracious enough to admit he learned the game from playing with me and Billy Cardone. Parica learned much of his 1pkt and bank game playing me in that same room. Efren, Parica and Luat all hung out there. Luat, however, wouldnt play any 1pkt.

the Beard
 
Pinocchio said:
Looks like to me Steve Cook an Don Watson would have to beat somebody on that list....................................
Pinocchio
Click to expand...


Gonna be hard for Steve to now,he's asleep.RIP:(
 
freddy the beard said:
There was always a much lower range of guys that were the favorite over me playing banks than 1pkt. I never thought there was more than 5 or 6 guys who were the favorite over me in banks, and on a 5 x 10 that number was smaller. One pocket I always played spotty. My game would have wide disparities. I have beaten Grady, Bugs, Artie, Cecil, Steve Cook, and others even. I have also lost getting a spot, sometimes a big one, from the same people.

I never gave Efren "lessons." He learned the game from me, however, as we played almost every day for a year. Efren is gracious enough to admit he learned the game from playing with me and Billy Cardone. Parica learned much of his 1pkt and bank game playing me in that same room. Efren, Parica and Luat all hung out there. Luat, however, wouldnt play any 1pkt.

the Beard
Click to expand...

Thanks Beard. Which of the Filipinos bank the best? Just curious. I know people expect to hear Efren, but ya never know til ya ask.
 
I always heard vernion elliot gave bugs a ball at one 1 hole and got a ball playing banks. Note: gabe is the only person in the last 7 or 8 years to beat efren getting 9-7 when actually betting something decent, period!!!!
 
Great List

jay helfert said:
IMO Alex and Corey are both in the current top ten One Pocket players. Efren is a precarious #1, not quite so dominant as the last 15-20 years.

Parica should be on any all time top twenty as well. It's too hard to make just a top ten. Too many good players!

My all time top twenty would be in a loose order:

Rags Fitzpatrick
Ronnie Allen
Efren Reyes
Clem Metz
Ed Kelly
Bugs Rucker
Eddie Taylor
Boston Shorty
Jersey Red
Jose Parica
Allen Hopkins
Mike Sigel
Steve Cook
Steve Mizerak
Cornbread Red
Harold Worst
Grady Mathews
Nick Varner
Jim Rempe
Jimmy Fusco
Johnny Ervolino

Notice that the only active players included here are Efren, Grady, Hopkins, Varner and Parica. I just think the rest of these guys were better than the current crop of players at One Pocket. Today's list would include:

Efren Reyes
Gabe Owen
Tony Chohan
Scott Frost
Cliff Joyner
Corey Deuel
Alex Pagulayan
John Schmidt
Shannon Daulton
Danny Harriman
Click to expand...


Jay, I have thought through your list, and it is a really good one. Tough to do, too! The only "still loose end" for me is Marvin Hendereson.

Will Prout
 
ibuycues said:
Jay, I have thought through your list, and it is a really good one. Tough to do, too! The only "still loose end" for me is Marvin Hendereson.

Will Prout
Click to expand...


Oops, you're right, he belongs up there very high on the top twenty list. I said this wasn't easy to do. I knew I'd leave someone out. I'd put Marvin up there with Kelly, Bugs and Taylor, right in there somewhere. He's waving his finger at me right now, I can feel it. Sorry Marv. :embarrassed2:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top