Ronnie Allen...What kind of cue did he use?
- Thread starter macneilb
- Start date
I dunno, I think he shot with a Timmy Scruggs a little before he shuffled off his mortal coil. Here is a good pic of him, not his cue. It was generally agreed that he could play equally well with a bar cue as long as the tip didnt fall off.
Nothing but love for this slick pudgy hustler.
Regards,
Lesh
Nothing but love for this slick pudgy hustler.
Regards,
Lesh
Ronnies skill made him great not the tool he used. JMHO.....
Thank you captain obvious
. I think we've all established that it's the archer not the arrow at this point...but it's always fun to know what the greats were playing with. I don't think anyone here is going to run out and buy a Szam because Ronnie used one, but it's interesting to know what was his cue of choice
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That's funny, he doesn't look Indian.
Just curious what cue one of the all time 1p greats used. If anyone has any pics that would be awesome
Ronnie has had a lot of cues over the years. He used to have a really nice Balabushka, before they rose in prices.
He played with Josses, Schons, Ginas, and then it got to a point, he played with whatever he could get his hands on, if you catch my drift. :grin-square:
In the later years, anything that was hockable, it was a must-have. It was that way with many gunfighters back in the '70s and '80s. That was a natural thing. If you went bust, you could always get 3- to 500 for your cue to get back in the box, play another set, or obtain some get-out-of-town money. But usuallly, if a guy beats you out of a thousand, he's give you a C-note or a jelly roll to get out of town. This is old-school etiquette. They don't hand out jelly rolls or walking sticks quite as often today.
Earlier Keith hit the nail on the head. Ronnie had so many cues that I was more interested in what cue he had now than the game he was playing. Gold rings, watches and cues were a necessary part of Ronnie's possessions as they meant instant cash when he busted out. He had more Gina cues than Carter had Little Liver Pills. I always knew when he was doing good (money wise) when he had the same expensive cue for more than six months.
I tried many a time to beat him out of his cash and cue only to lose mine in the process. But if I had to lose my money, I would rather lose it to Ronnie and be entertained while it was happening.
I tried many a time to beat him out of his cash and cue only to lose mine in the process. But if I had to lose my money, I would rather lose it to Ronnie and be entertained while it was happening.
when he had a room in north Hollywood, ca, he would usually play a balabushka, a player, sometimes bring out his ginacue, which was incredible. years later, I saw him using various makes of cues, probably whatever someone would loan him. like keith, but keith might sell the cue out from under you, lol. later on, I remember seeing Ronnie using a McDermott Harley cue, he must have liked the way it played, he used for a while.
Would love to see that Gina if there's a picture out there somewhere :wink:
Not "that" Gina, those Ginas. He had several over the years. There's pics of he and Ernie together hanging in Ernie's shop, I'll ask Ernie if any of the cues in the pics were really Ronnie's.
Maybe Will Prout will chime in. A few years back he bought a huge ivory handle 60s Gina that I'm thinking might have been originally Ronnie's (but as I'm typing this I'm wondering as it might have been Ambrose or Florence too).
Kevin
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i bought my first gina from ronnie in the early 1970s best cue i ever owned,met earnie the year lou butera won the world 14.1 championship in hollywood,had the pleasure to watch earnie build 3 cues for me in his old shop behind his house in north hollywood gina was ronnie perferred cue
Ginacue
Kevin,
I just saw this thread, been busy on some other stuff lately. The ivory handled Ginacue I have was owned by Richie Florence, not Ronnie Allen. I do own a first generation cue Ronnie owned for quite a while, but it is not ivory handle.
Not relevant to this discussion, but I do have some interesting early Ginacues owned by Eddie Taylor (1960s 8-point ivory cue), another by Marvin Henderson (his lifetime playing Ginacue , a rosewood wrapless stunner), Eddie Kelly (first box cue ever), etc.
By the way, as a side note, I want to say that Ronnie Allen was not only one of the best pool players that ever lived, he was one of the most streetwise gamblers I ever met. And wow, could he ever tell a story! Some of his road stories were stunningly interesting (and true). He is one for the ages.......
.........One more thing about Ronnie Allen.........if you log on YouTube and search Ronnie Allen Road Stories, you will be fascinated by some hours of the most entertaining road stories ever captured anywhere. You will get back on this thread just to thank me for the referral!
Will Prout
Kevin,
I just saw this thread, been busy on some other stuff lately. The ivory handled Ginacue I have was owned by Richie Florence, not Ronnie Allen. I do own a first generation cue Ronnie owned for quite a while, but it is not ivory handle.
Not relevant to this discussion, but I do have some interesting early Ginacues owned by Eddie Taylor (1960s 8-point ivory cue), another by Marvin Henderson (his lifetime playing Ginacue , a rosewood wrapless stunner), Eddie Kelly (first box cue ever), etc.
By the way, as a side note, I want to say that Ronnie Allen was not only one of the best pool players that ever lived, he was one of the most streetwise gamblers I ever met. And wow, could he ever tell a story! Some of his road stories were stunningly interesting (and true). He is one for the ages.......
.........One more thing about Ronnie Allen.........if you log on YouTube and search Ronnie Allen Road Stories, you will be fascinated by some hours of the most entertaining road stories ever captured anywhere. You will get back on this thread just to thank me for the referral!
Will Prout
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They are great stories. Here is the Playlist link with all of them on there. It was a pleasure to meet Ronnie but I am just pissed at myself for not getting up and playing him when I had opportunities. :frown:
Ronnie Allen Road Stories Playlist
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c05AHZrvbU0&feature=share&list=PL85BC9EE7D8DFDC9A