St. Louie Louie

Louie and the girls

Louie moved on the girls even better than he moved on stakehorses.

The first trip I took with Louie was to play a farmer in Hattiesburg, MS. Louie was in Jackson thumping all. Giving what ever game they ask for and out running it. After the smoke clears, Louie asks me if I had any good spots. I told him I had a great one in Hattiesburg, 90 miles south. Louie says, let's go. My wife demanded to go with us and Louie didn't care so we were off to Hattiesburg. The farmer would only gamble big money on his own 4X8 table and would only play 8 ball. I think I was suppose to beat the guy but had lost three times in a row, not being in love with 8 ball and playing on his table.

Just north of Hattiesburg is a Ramada Inn with a lounge but no pool tables. Louie sees the motel and tells me to stop and let him pick up a girl just to balance out the boy girl thing. I told, Louie we didn't have time for him to pick up a girl and meet our farmer on time. Louie says it wont take five minutes. Tongue in cheek I say, yea, right. We stop, go in and Louie sees this knocked out blond sitting at the bar. Louie walks up to her and says, "My name is Louie Roberts and I play pool for a living. Do you know of any places I can play in this area?" The girl looks Louie up and down, then looks at the guy that had been hitting on her and says, "Yea, sure do. I don't like it here anyway."

Just about three minutes and Louie was doing the introductions and we were off to play our farmer. BTW, Louie beats the farmer out of over $6K and we all spent the night at the girls house.
 
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Louie always said that he was coming back as a cue ball so everyone be a little careful when playing.

Here is a quick Louie story, I would tell more but then probably be accused that I didn't really know him.

Louie was up in Chicago playing in a tournament, I think it was the big Williards event. A guy in a wheel chair comes up to Louie begging him to play some cheap, $20 a game. I guess he just wanted to play the great Louie Roberts. Louie turns and tells the people he is with that he doesn't want to take this guys money. The guy in the wheel chair keeps begging almost hounding, saying to Louie "come on, let's just play" so Louie finally agrees. Louie made the guy in the wheelchair have the time in his life. After a few games, the guy in the wheelchair is going to run out and win a game. Louie jumps up and says to the guy "Hey isn't that a foul. Don't you have to have one foot on the floor?" The guy in the wheelchair starts laughing histerically, repeating over and over "One foot on the floor, he said I have to have one foot on the floor".

Louie had the charm to make everyone enjoy playing him & put any situation in a good light.

BTW, he beat the guy in the wheel chair out of the $200.
 
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I wouldn't know where to begin with Louie. We made two road trips together, and he stayed with me in L.A. for a couple of months on another occasion. And we spent time together in a multitude of locations. Let me start by saying he was ABSOLUTELY the best shot maker I ever saw, to this day. He fired balls in from everywhere like they were on laser beams. And everything split the middle of the pocket at warp speed. You had to see it to believe it.

And nothing touched a rail going down the table either. If the ball started out a quarter inch off the rail, that is where it stayed traveling along the rail at high speed. He could see the edge of the ball better than anyone. And these were balls that he pumped into the pockets like they were hangers! Like I said, you had to see it. Even then you would be shaking your head.

And he would run out the rack in milliseconds. Just pounding one ball after another into the back of the pocket. His position play could be spotty, because he only needed to see the edge of the ball to make it. He was one of those rare breed of players, who didn't win many tournaments, but was given a wide berth in gambling games by most of the tournament champions. Keith and Louie are two who come to mind first. Denny was another one like that.

He may have won more tournaments, but like Keith, it was hit or miss whether he would show up for a match. He could be crashed out anywhere with a broad he met the night before. Or he might have been out all night gambling in a local pool room. Louie would never turn down any woman or any drug. He was a handsome guy, with a little boy like charm. Girls melted for him. When he was excited about something, his speech would often slur, and he might stutter a little. Girls just wanted to mother him.

I will have a longer story about my travels with Louie in my book. I had the longest fight of my life with him. Yes, I did say fight! It lasted an hour or more. He was drunk, but still bigger and stronger than me.

I will end with this. I LOVED Louie Roberts, as much as I ever loved any man. But sometimes I hated the things he did, and staying with him could be extremely exasperating. I miss him every time I think about him, and his memory will never fade from my mind. EVERY ONE who ever met Louie never forgot him. He had that magical ingredient, CHARISMA! Louie was the biggest natural star I ever saw in pool. If the sport had gotten big, Louie would have been our superstar, the most famous pool player on the planet.

Like Tiger, everyone loved Louie. They just took to him, men and women alike.
 
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hemicudas said:
Louie moved on the girls even better than he moved on stakehorses.

The first trip I took with Louie was to play a farmer in Hattiesburg, MS. Louie was in Jackson thumping all. Giving what ever game they ask for and out running it. After the smoke clears, Louie asks me if I had any good spots. I told him I had a great one in Hattiesburg, 90 miles south. Louie says, let's go. My wife demanded to go with us and Louie didn't care so we were off to Hattiesburg. The farmer would only gamble big money on his own 4X8 table and would only play 8 ball. I think I was suppose to beat the guy but had lost three times in a row, not being in love with 8 ball and playing on his table.

Just north of Hattiesburg is a Ramada Inn with a lounge but no pool tables. Louie sees the motel and tells me to stop and let him pick up a girl just to balance out the boy girl thing. I told, Louie we didn't have time for him to pick up a girl and meet our farmer on time. Louie says it wont take five minutes. Tongue in cheek I say, yea, right. We stop, go in and Louie sees this knocked out blond sitting at the bar. Louie walks up to her and says, "My name is Louie Roberts and I play pool for a living. Do you know of any places I can play in this area?" The girl looks Louie up and down, then looks at the guy that had been hitting on her and says, "Yea, sure do. I don't like it here anyway."

Just about three minutes and Louie was doing the introductions and we were off to play our farmer. BTW, Louie beats the farmer out of over $6K and we all spent the night at the girls house.
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Just north of Hattiesburg is a Ramada Inn with a lounge but no pool tables. Louie sees the motel and tells me to stop and let him pick up a girl just to balance out the boy girl thing. I told, Louie we didn't have time for him to pick up a girl and meet our farmer on time. Louie says it wont take five minutes. Tongue in cheek I say, yea, right. We stop, go in and Louie sees this knocked out blond sitting at the bar. Louie walks up to her and says, "My name is Louie Roberts and I play pool for a living. Do you know of any places I can play in this area?" The girl looks Louie up and down, then looks at the guy that had been hitting on her and says, "Yea, sure do. I don't like it here anyway."

Back in St. Louis, Louie had a nick name other than St. Louis Louie, many people just called Him Elvis, because like you have said he certainly had a way with the Ladies!!!!!!!;)
 
jay helfert said:
I wouldn't know where to begin with Louie. We made two road trips together, and he stayed with me in L.A. for a couple of months on another occasion. And we spent time together in a multitude of locations. Let me start by saying he was ABSOLUTELY the best shot maker I ever saw, to this day. He fired balls in from everywhere like they were on laser beams. And everything split the middle of the pocket at warp speed. You had to see it to believe it.

And nothing touched a rail going down the table either. If the ball started out a quarter inch off the rail, that is where it stayed traveling along the rail at high speed. He could see the edge of the ball better than anyone. And these were balls that he pumped into the pockets like they were hangers! Like I said, you had to see it. Even then you would be shaking your head.

And he would run out the rack in milliseconds. Just pounding one ball after another into the back of the pocket. His position play could be spotty, because he only needed to see the edge of the ball to make it. He was one of those rare breed of players, who didn't win many tournaments, but was given a wide berth in gambling games by most of the tournament champions. Keith and Louie are two who come to mind first. Denny was another one like that.

He may have won more tournaments, but like Keith, it was hit or miss whether he would show up for a match. He could be crashed out anywhere with a broad he met the night before. Or he might have been out all night gambling in a local pool room. Louie would never turn down any woman or any drug. He was a handsome guy, with a little boy like charm. Girls melted for him. When he was excited about something, his speech would often slur, and he might stutter a little. Girls just wanted to mother him.

I will have a longer story about my travels with Louie in my book. I had the longest fight of my life with him. Yes, I did say fight! It lasted an hour or more. He was drunk, but still bigger and stronger than me.

I will end with this. I LOVED Louie Roberts, as much as I ever loved any man. But sometimes I hated the things he did, and staying with him could be extremely exasperating. I miss him every time I think about him, and his memory will never fade from my mind. EVERY ONE who ever met Louie never forgot him. He had that magical ingredient, CHARISMA! Louie was the biggest natural star I ever saw in pool. If the sport had gotten big, Louie would have been our superstar, the most famous pool player on the planet.

Like Tiger, everyone loved Louie. They just took to him, men and women alike.
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Jay, during my read of you post, I started hearing, literally, Loiue and the way he talked/walked. Going to college 80 miles east of St. Louis we crossed paths many times. He definitely had "style", almost a 'cool hand luke' way about em. Swagger back in those days, few had it but those that did...got what they wanted...when they wanted it. Life in the fast Lane.
 
This is what the girls had problems saying no to. Yea, Louie, was a nice looking guy for sure.
 

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jay helfert said:
I wouldn't know where to begin with Louie. We made two road trips together, and he stayed with me in L.A. for a couple of months on another occasion. And we spent time together in a multitude of locations. Let me start by saying he was ABSOLUTELY the best shot maker I ever saw, to this day. He fired balls in from everywhere like they were on laser beams. And everything split the middle of the pocket at warp speed. You had to see it to believe it.

And nothing touched a rail going down the table either. If the ball started out a quarter inch off the rail, that is where it stayed traveling along the rail at high speed. He could see the edge of the ball better than anyone. And these were balls that he pumped into the pockets like they were hangers! Like I said, you had to see it. Even then you would be shaking your head.

And he would run out the rack in milliseconds. Just pounding one ball after another into the back of the pocket. His position play could be spotty, because he only needed to see the edge of the ball to make it. He was one of those rare breed of players, who didn't win many tournaments, but was given a wide berth in gambling games by most of the tournament champions. Keith and Louie are two who come to mind first. Denny was another one like that.

He may have won more tournaments, but like Keith, it was hit or miss whether he would show up for a match. He could be crashed out anywhere with a broad he met the night before. Or he might have been out all night gambling in a local pool room. Louie would never turn down any woman or any drug. He was a handsome guy, with a little boy like charm. Girls melted for him. When he was excited about something, his speech would often slur, and he might stutter a little. Girls just wanted to mother him.

I will have a longer story about my travels with Louie in my book. I had the longest fight of my life with him. Yes, I did say fight! It lasted an hour or more. He was drunk, but still bigger and stronger than me.

I will end with this. I LOVED Louie Roberts, as much as I ever loved any man. But sometimes I hated the things he did, and staying with him could be extremely exasperating. I miss him every time I think about him, and his memory will never fade from my mind. EVERY ONE who ever met Louie never forgot him. He had that magical ingredient, CHARISMA! Louie was the biggest natural star I ever saw in pool. If the sport had gotten big, Louie would have been our superstar, the most famous pool player on the planet.

Like Tiger, everyone loved Louie. They just took to him, men and women alike.
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Thanks to all that posted! This has brought back alot of memories and laughs for me. Can't wait to read Jay's Book!
 
jay helfert said:
I wouldn't know where to begin with Louie. We made two road trips together, and he stayed with me in L.A. for a couple of months on another occasion. And we spent time together in a multitude of locations. Let me start by saying he was ABSOLUTELY the best shot maker I ever saw, to this day. He fired balls in from everywhere like they were on laser beams. And everything split the middle of the pocket at warp speed. You had to see it to believe it.

And nothing touched a rail going down the table either. If the ball started out a quarter inch off the rail, that is where it stayed traveling along the rail at high speed. He could see the edge of the ball better than anyone. And these were balls that he pumped into the pockets like they were hangers! Like I said, you had to see it. Even then you would be shaking your head.

And he would run out the rack in milliseconds. Just pounding one ball after another into the back of the pocket. His position play could be spotty, because he only needed to see the edge of the ball to make it. He was one of those rare breed of players, who didn't win many tournaments, but was given a wide berth in gambling games by most of the tournament champions. Keith and Louie are two who come to mind first. Denny was another one like that.

He may have won more tournaments, but like Keith, it was hit or miss whether he would show up for a match. He could be crashed out anywhere with a broad he met the night before. Or he might have been out all night gambling in a local pool room. Louie would never turn down any woman or any drug. He was a handsome guy, with a little boy like charm. Girls melted for him. When he was excited about something, his speech would often slur, and he might stutter a little. Girls just wanted to mother him.

I will have a longer story about my travels with Louie in my book. I had the longest fight of my life with him. Yes, I did say fight! It lasted an hour or more. He was drunk, but still bigger and stronger than me.

I will end with this. I LOVED Louie Roberts, as much as I ever loved any man. But sometimes I hated the things he did, and staying with him could be extremely exasperating. I miss him every time I think about him, and his memory will never fade from my mind. EVERY ONE who ever met Louie never forgot him. He had that magical ingredient, CHARISMA! Louie was the biggest natural star I ever saw in pool. If the sport had gotten big, Louie would have been our superstar, the most famous pool player on the planet.

Like Tiger, everyone loved Louie. They just took to him, men and women alike.
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I saw Louie win a tournament on the southside of Chicago I'm thinking it was Protyme Billiards but I can't be sure. He put on the most brilliant display of shotmaking in the final match of this tourney. He took shots that most players would have played safe. Louie got out from everywhere
he should be called the original Magician 'cause that's what he was. He also was as charasmatic a person as I've ever met. Philw
 
Anybody knows whom did Louie beat in the finals of the US Open. I dont have that info and would like to have it.

Thanks to anyone able to provide the info.
 
juegabillar said:
Anybody knows whom did Louie beat in the finals of the US Open. I dont have that info and would like to have it.

Thanks to anyone able to provide the info.
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My notes show Louie winning the 1979 U.S. Open over Steve Mizerak. Not sure where I got the info from, so others can confirm or disconfirm this.
 
Also, it should be known that Louie was far from depressed when he committed suicide (or was killed as many of us believe). He was not broke either. He was living with a very wealthy woman in Arizona that was probably 20 years older than him. He walked around with money in the wrappers from the bank. She gave him a credit card to buy anything he wanted. Something Louie never had had. He had just come back from Las Vegas where he won $50K in a slot machine & was only upset that he went to the pool room & no one would play him. He started burning $50 bills til they forced him to leave.

Louie was also not drunk or on anything the night he died. I spoke to him once, friends of mine spoke to him multiple times that night. There was big action going on in St Louis that night & Louie was bored calling for updates and then talking about anything that came to mind.

Unfortunately, when Louie died the internet was not so big or even around (not sure when the internet first started) but I have searched and you can find little or nothing about his death. I would love to read the police report. According to what I was told, there was no gun powder found on his hands.
 
watchez said:
Also, it should be known that Louie was far from depressed when he committed suicide (or was killed as many of us believe). He was not broke either. He was living with a very wealthy woman in Arizona that was probably 20 years older than him. He walked around with money in the wrappers from the bank. She gave him a credit card to buy anything he wanted. Something Louie never had had. He had just come back from Las Vegas where he won $50K in a slot machine & was only upset that he went to the pool room & no one would play him. He started burning $50 bills til they forced him to leave.

Louie was also not drunk or on anything the night he died. I spoke to him once, friends of mine spoke to him multiple times that night. There was big action going on in St Louis that night & Louie was bored calling for updates and then talking about anything that came to mind.

Unfortunately, when Louie died the internet was not so big or even around (not sure when the internet first started) but I have searched and you can find little or nothing about his death. I would love to read the police report. According to what I was told, there was no gun powder found on his hands.
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Interesting, watchez. This is at odds with what we've been told all these years. Who else here can shed some more light on this?
 
watchez said:
Also, it should be known that Louie was far from depressed when he committed suicide (or was killed as many of us believe). He was not broke either. He was living with a very wealthy woman in Arizona that was probably 20 years older than him. He walked around with money in the wrappers from the bank. She gave him a credit card to buy anything he wanted. Something Louie never had had. He had just come back from Las Vegas where he won $50K in a slot machine & was only upset that he went to the pool room & no one would play him. He started burning $50 bills til they forced him to leave.

Louie was also not drunk or on anything the night he died. I spoke to him once, friends of mine spoke to him multiple times that night. There was big action going on in St Louis that night & Louie was bored calling for updates and then talking about anything that came to mind.

Unfortunately, when Louie died the internet was not so big or even around (not sure when the internet first started) but I have searched and you can find little or nothing about his death. I would love to read the police report. According to what I was told, there was no gun powder found on his hands.
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I never heard all this. When he was drunk he would get very depressed, even suicidal. So I assumed he was drunk that night. If he was sober, he would never kill himself! I have often suspected someone robbed him, and he put up a beef or said something to piss them off. I knew he was holding $$$ when he died. Someone may have followed him to his motel from the pool room.
 
hemicudas said:
It was the finals of a tournament and I don't even remember who Louie was playing, Scott but Louie won the break and was down ready to hit the balls, stopped, looked into the camera and said something like, "Mom, don't worry, I will be home soon and I will cut the grass." Cowboy Jimmy Moore was the announcer of the match, which Louie lost.
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Close, it was the first ESPN telecast of a pool match in the 1982 Caesars Tahoe Classic. I was the TD and was working in the truck for ESPN. Louie was playing a Quarter final match with Hawaiian Brian (he lost). His first time at the table the guy with the hand held camera focused on Louie up close. He turned to the camera and said "Don't worry Mom, I'll be home soon to cut the grass". It was a pure Louie moment, full of magic. Even the producer and director in the truck broke up laughing.
 
jay helfert said:
I never heard all this. When he was drunk he would get very depressed, even suicidal. So I assumed he was drunk that night. If he was sober, he would never kill himself! I have often suspected someone robbed him, and he put up a beef or said something to piss them off. I knew he was holding $$$ when he died. Someone may have followed him to his motel from the pool room.
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As my memory serves me, he died in the house of the lady he was staying with. Maybe someday I will do the research somehow to get the police reports to see if there were any signs of a break in, etc.
 
watchez said:
As my memory serves me, he died in the house of the lady he was staying with. Maybe someday I will do the research somehow to get the police reports to see if there were any signs of a break in, etc.
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And I heard he was in a motel. ???
 
watchez said:
Also, it should be known that Louie was far from depressed when he committed suicide (or was killed as many of us believe). He was not broke either. He was living with a very wealthy woman in Arizona that was probably 20 years older than him. He walked around with money in the wrappers from the bank. She gave him a credit card to buy anything he wanted. Something Louie never had had. He had just come back from Las Vegas where he won $50K in a slot machine & was only upset that he went to the pool room & no one would play him. He started burning $50 bills til they forced him to leave.

Louie was also not drunk or on anything the night he died. I spoke to him once, friends of mine spoke to him multiple times that night. There was big action going on in St Louis that night & Louie was bored calling for updates and then talking about anything that came to mind.

Unfortunately, when Louie died the internet was not so big or even around (not sure when the internet first started) but I have searched and you can find little or nothing about his death. I would love to read the police report. According to what I was told, there was no gun powder found on his hands.
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I have also heard these stories in fact from a prominent cuemaker whom I think is anything but crazy. With all the new technology in the field of forensics it would be nice if we could find out what really happened if it was anything other than what was reported. Philw
 
He was found in the dining room of the house he was living in. He was on a cordless phone that night calling the pool room, outside actually of the house he was staying at. Mesa Arizona was the place. That night, the owner of the pool room & Louie's best friend - called the house to call Louie back & a detective answered the phone. The detective got permission from Louie's girlfriend to tell the pool room owner what happened & the pool room owner's face went white when he was told that Louie was found dead IN THE HOUSE.

Louie was scared of his own shadow. I don't think he would ever have the guts (if that is the correct word for this instance) to shoot himself, suicide or not, and was afraid of guns.

Louis ran with Roger Reel, Rusty Brandemeier, OldHasBeen and to a latter extent Jimmy Brooks to name a few from St Louis. Rusty (banks) and Louie (9-ball) were a formidable road team.
 
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