Robin Bell Dodson

TheConArtist

TheConArtist

Daddy's A Butcher
Silver Member
I have never seen her play before or even heard of this gyrl until she was accepted into the Hall Of Fame, and they showed some footage of her and man she is a great shot maker huh, they call her Bank Roll, nyce nickname and plus she is a lefty just like me. Anyone else know more about her?
 
Robin Dodson? I used to see her play on ESPN all the time when I used to play pool back in high school. That was about seven years ago. She was always playing Loree Jon Jones, IIRC. I just started playing again, so I couldn't tell you what she's been up to since then.
 
Elegant and attractive, Robin was a great WPBA player in the 1980's and 1990's, and she retired at the end of the 2002 WPBA season, if memory serves. I'd guess she won over 20 WPBA titles in her career.

In those years between Jean Balukas' retirement in 1989 and the emergence of Allison Fisher as a dominant force in 1996, Robin, Loree Jon, and Ewa were the biggest winners in terms of titles won.

Though a highly successful player and now a BCA Hall of Famer, Robin is just as often remembered as the first WPBA player to become highly proficient with a jump cue, and she parlayed it into a lucrative side business selling the "Frog" jump cue.

I always enjoyed watching Robin compete, and look forward each year to seeing her at the BCA event in Vegas in May, where she has a booth.
 
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Robin was Hard Times regular for years. She is happily married now and doesn't play much pool anymore. However, when she invited to Orlando she started coming into HT daily to practice. Kenny, the owner was nice enough to have table #5 covered in the green sludge that the IPT uses so Robin, Dave Hemmah and Tang Hoa could practice when they wanted to. She is very approachable and well liked and used to shoot lights out. She still has a good game.
 
I had the pleasure of having my booth next to hers in the Valley Forge show. Robin is a devoted Christian and she had some gospel trick shot show everyday, which drew a lot of spectators. I think they did very well, as their booth was always very busy. Her husband told me they have been selling their jump cue for 12 years now.

I am not sure if this has been mentioned: Jennifer Chen told me about a bit more than 10 years ago, Robin saw Jennifer Chen played in Asia, and Robin suggested to her that she should learn her English and try to compete on the WPBA. Back then, no Asian player from Taiwan has ever gone to the US to compete full time on the WPBA.

Her advice has caused Jennifer to go to Vancouver to study her English, and later moved to LA and became one of the best players on the WPBA. Jennifer Chen told me in a way Robin has changed her life.

At her booth, she used the limited booth space to put a lot of Christian booklet out and give them away for free, she also used her precious time during the show to invite Mike Massey, Tom Kennedy, Steve Lillis...to do shows, which was not aimed at selling her products.

I was very busy and so was Robin so I never had a chance to talk to her. Actually, I really want to tell her that I totally respect her trying to give something back to pool players, rather than just sell them her products.

Richard
 
I watched her play in Reno when she was in her prime and I was impressed. She didn't miss much and when the game depended on it, she didn't miss at all if my memory serves me.
 
She was a world champ and at one time only second to LJJ in prize winnings.
She became a Christan and quit gambling.
 
Gerald said:
Robin was Hard Times regular for years. She is happily married now and doesn't play much pool anymore. However, when she invited to Orlando she started coming into HT daily to practice. Kenny, the owner was nice enough to have table #5 covered in the green sludge that the IPT uses so Robin, Dave Hemmah and Tang Hoa could practice when they wanted to. She is very approachable and well liked and used to shoot lights out. She still has a good game.
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She won a Sunday tourney there one time ( open to all pros here ). Beat Lori de Leon even.
 
Quite a few years ago she came to Anchorage to do some exceptions. After the show she was taking challengers for $10, if you win you get a T-shirt that says “I beat Robin Bell” (maiden name).
I was the first to step up and get the ball rolling. I bought two chances because my friend wanted a shirt. We played 8 ball. I broke and ran both racks :D. I remember she glared at me as if to say “You really want some of this?”

She is a beautiful and classy lady. I think of all the times I got lucky in a pool game that stands out in my mind more than all others:) .
 
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Robin is one of the classiest women you'll ever meet in this great game. Always nice to have had her around at Hard Times when I was playing there. And yeah, she could play too, real well. Peace, John.
 
Back in the late eighties or early nineties she lived in Cypress, CA, my hometown. She and her husband ran a pro shop in Danny K's. Also, her son stars on Nickelodeon' Drake and Josh (her son is Drake Bell). She is a nice lady.

ghost ball
 
Robin is one nice lady. I only met her a few years ago at Valley Forge, but she and Keith used to be childhood friends in California. Her Frog jump cue is always a hit at the Super Billiards Expo, attracting quite a few onlookers. Allen Hopkins said the Frog jump cue is one of the BEST jump cues in the business, and for the money, it's a very good buy.

Here's a picture of veteran Robin Bell Dodson instructing an unorthodox-stroking Keith McCready how to jump a ball correctly with the Frog jump cue at her booth in Valley Forge last year. She raises her shooting arm very high before stroking the cue ball, and Robin always shares jumping strategies with anyone who asks. She's an asset to the sport and a very lovely person, inside and out.

JAM
 

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And here's a snapshot of Robin and Keith taken the year before at the 2004 Super Billiards Expo in Valley Forge. In the background, you can see the frog logo for the Frog jump cue. :)

To read more about Robin Bell Dodson, check out her website: http://www.robindodson.com

JAM
 

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My first and only time

to meeting Robin Dodson was in Las Vegas at Nationals, where she was promoting the Frog.. She was terrific, very nice, enjoyable, and very skilled.
I picked some pointers for jumping, adn bought the Original Frog as my very first jump cue.
 
TheConArtist said:
I have never seen her play before or even heard of this gyrl until she was accepted into the Hall Of Fame, and they showed some footage of her and man she is a great shot maker huh, they call her Bank Roll, nyce nickname and plus she is a lefty just like me. Anyone else know more about her?
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I hope you got enough for an answer. I'll parrot a lot of what others have said about her.


Always one to bank shots and combo the 9, it was the plethora of those shots during a tournament that caused the brunt of Jean Balukas' outburst in 1988 that caused "the fine." The small monetary slap opened a door that Jean was looking for to walk out of the WPBA limelight.

In the years after Jean, LJJ, Ewa, and Robin pretty much dominated the tour. Not coincidentally, all three are now in the Hall of Fame.

I believe she won the inaugural WPA World Championship, and might have won it again the following year.

Robin Bell is one of the classiest women the tour has ever known. Even today, I am astonished at her ability to play at the top level while having several children (four or five) and raising that family. She should be looked upon as a hero.

Fred
 
You must be a young whippersnapper not to have heard of Robin!

Robin is a sweetheart. She always tells me to stay away from her booth because I drive away all the customers, because I am so lousy with her jump cue :D

Because our kids were into modeling and acting, we always had conversations around that. Her son was the kid in Jerry McGuire - not the cute little blonde kid with the glasses, but the kid that cusses Tom Cruise out in the hallway of the hospital.

Here is a picture of us together many moons ago when she was in Seattle.


PS - And yes, that is Jeanette racking in the background.
 

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23 actually, but yeah thanks guys for sharing all that with me, i ran across an article in the Inside Pool mag. and she says she used to have problems with drugs which i can relate too then she found pool the same for me and after that that bad life was gone, so i am happy to see how pool has changed alot of people's lives. Once again for sharing guys i appreciate it.
 
Isn't it something when everyone says the same positive thing about Robin Dodson?

It is not something money can buy. I have a lot of respect for Robin simply because of this!

Richard
 
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Robin won the WPBA National Championship in 1989 and the Women's World Pocket Billiards 9-ball Championship in 1990 and 1991. An accomplished player, a delightful person and a credit to the game.
 
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