The best one-handed jack-up players

I agree that in the long run Ernesto did have way the best of it, but if you carefully read the above post the set was hill hill and went down to the last ball. Seidel was never world class but he was slow, methodical and capable of winning any one set. He was also an outstanding shot maker one handed jacked up which made him dangerous. Considering all of this I wouldn't say anyone was stealing in this match, 10k has a way of closing the gap

anyone is capable of winning one set .but i do understand what u mean
 
I've never had the opportunity to see the other greats play cause distance is a factor, but, I'd be willing to bet JesseAlred would be no pushover, even in a high stakes pressure situation.
 
I agree that in the long run Ernesto did have way the best of it, but if you carefully read the above post the set was hill hill and went down to the last ball. Seidel was never world class but he was slow, methodical and capable of winning any one set. He was also an outstanding shot maker one handed jacked up which made him dangerous. Considering all of this I wouldn't say anyone was stealing in this match, 10k has a way of closing the gap

Well it may be the "mad cow" ;) but I believe that Ernesto played a Canadian champ the year before, winning 2 sets, first one playing they could use the rail and the second set "jacked up" and if IRC he won the first set 9-5 and the second set 9-6, running out the last 3 racks the second set jacked up! I distinctly remember the Canadian having one of those retractable key chains that clipped on his belt with a chalk holder where the keys would be and he'd pull it out and chalk his cue and let the thing whip back into the holder. I sat through both sets and I'm pretty confident about that. I don't believe we made the '86 tournament!
 
I believe Seidel also played the canadian champ you are referring to as a warm up for his match with Ernesto in 86. Seidel beat him one set for a thousand. I remember hearing about this guy's chalk holder. I could be wrong but I think they called him Frenchy or something like that.
 
I believe Seidel also played the canadian champ you are referring to as a warm up for his match with Ernesto in 86. Seidel beat him one set for a thousand. I remember hearing about this guy's chalk holder. I could be wrong but I think they called him Frenchy or something like that.

Or something like Vincent Facquet. ;)
 
Another Jesse Allred can't play for the cash post.

He's not even in the same country as the others mentioned.

Those are videos you are watching of someone shooting around, there is no cash on the line, no pressure, and for sure no champion waiting to pounce when you miss.
This is amazing. Anyone with spare time in the Pac NW can come get you some.$$ I will bet you or anyone you know cannot beat him even one pocket jacked up.
 
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Best 1 handed jacked up

I just remembered watching George Breedlove playing jacked up against someone years ago, his opponent played better than most people I have seen but Breedlove seemed to play runout from about anywhere. I would like to see a game between him and Jesse but I would think Jesse wins.
Sad thing is I couldn't beat either 1 of them using both hands. If only I had not had to work all those years{just kidding}.
 
Good story, and absolutely true. Junior was the master one handed on a bar box. Even Ronnie and Miami couldn't beat him there.
Junior was no slouch on the big table either. One thing about Junior, he could get the money. The bigger the stakes, the better he played, and one off his strenghts was in matching up. I have only seen him actually get trapped one time.
 
Actually it was in 1986 in Resorts casino in AC. This was the tournament where Sigel lost his first match against parica then went on to win 11 straight matches to win the tournament. The match with Ernesto was between him and Mike Seidel from Baltimore one handed jacked up. It was a race to 9 for 10k plus 500 a game extra. The set went hill hill when Mike had a tough scratch going three rails around the table and the cue ball just trickled in the corner pocket with the 9-ball sitting on the bottom rail. I know this for a fact because I was the one who held the post.
Thanks FastEddieF for the post:

Here's the entire story as it happened...
1986 Atlantic City World Open Nine Ball Championship



How is it possible that I’m playing here on this pool table in the middle of the practice room at the “Atlantic City World Open 9-Ball Championship” watching the roll of the cue ball, after pocketing the 8-ball to get position on the 9-ball…that would take down a $21,000.00 win upon pocketing the 9-ball!

Hard to believe, but that was the circumstance that I was in and it was an amazing feeling. But before I get to the end of this story…let me start at the beginning.

It was December 1986 and everyone was very excited in the world of pool, because the first major world open 9-ball tournament was being held in Atlantic City. Players and fans from all over the country merged together to create tremendous action at Resorts International Hotel Casino and it was GREAT! The practice room was buzzing with excitement and the walk from the practice room to the tournament area was packed with people because of the many booths set up throughout the hallway. From Cue Makers such as Danny Janes (JOSS CUES), (I’ve been using a cue that Danny made for me over 50 years ago, and it still looks and plays like the day I got it!), to the billiard news papers, to business owners selling all types of pool paraphernalia…you could feel the action and overwhelming smell of smoke! Quite different today!

Anyway throughout the rooms, there was a lot of talk about games that would be played in the practice room. Matching up for cash games was a big thing in the pool world back then. I was known for playing “One Handed Jacked-Up Pool” and had put out an open challenge to anyone in the world to play 9-ball. There were no immediate takers on hand even though the hotel was packed with champions. They were all great players, but my specialty was jacked up play! So, they decided to import someone by the name of “Frenchy” (he was considered by many players to be possibly the best in the world at that time) who was from Canada and his form of playing was to hold his cue as if he was fencing! He was very effective and we hooked up and played a set for $1000.00. I was a bit nervous to start and he won the first set. We then played a second set and I ran through him to the point that he refused to play a third set and exclaimed to me that he thought I was the best player in the world. I thanked him for the complement and the action, and waited for the next match-up.

It didn’t take long…the next day another import that originated out of Mexico and was then residing in California was known as Ernesto Dominguez. He was a top-notch tour player, and a One-Pocket champion. Ernesto was considered, to be the best jacked-up one-handed player throughout the pool world. He was exceptionally strong, because his game was to play super safe, meaning, he hardly ever left his opponent a shot, when he missed. Because of his “One Pocket knowledge”, he was on auto-pilot to consistently play great safeties. Me, on the other hand, I was a wide-open shot maker that would shoot away at anything that was in front of me. At that time, shot for shot I had no fear of any player in the world! Our two very different modes of playing, made for a very exciting match-up!

The stage was set and we started playing. We kicked off the set for $10,000.00, a race to nine 9-ball. My backer was also betting $500.00 per game on the side. The room was packed with more than 200 people moving around and positioning themselves for a place to watch the match. It went back and forth to start with and then Ernesto jumped ahead by two games. It stayed that way until the score was 8 to 6 in his favor. Not a good position for me to be in, but there was no giving up! He missed a 3-ball and I proceeded to run out to win that game making the score 8 to 7. The next game I broke and ran out the rack making the score now even at 8 to 8. I now broke the balls and ran to the 8-ball leaving him the equivalent of a spot shot on the 8-ball and the nine laying close to the head rail midway. He missed the shot and left the 8-ball in a position that, in order for me to make the shot and get position on the 9-ball I would have to deep draw the cue ball past the side pocket without scratching and proceed to travel three rails around the table to get the position on the 9-ball to win the match.

This is where I found myself at the beginning of this story! Hitting the 8-ball as perfect as it could be hit, I’m now watching the cue travel past the side pocket, and in a perfect line with perfect speed to create a lock shot on the 9-ball to win the match…take down $21,000.00 and be at the top of the Pool World! But, then came an amazing twist of fate as I watched Allen Hopkins, Steve Mizerak and numerous others jump out of their seats and started clapping for the perfect hit that I made, I noticed that when the cue ball came off of the third rail, and was on its way to line up perfect with the 9-ball, the cue ball started taking a left hand turn and kept rolling to the left as if there was a magnet drawing it towards the corner pocket. I heard the roar of clapping starting to diminish to groans, as the cue ball kept turning and getting closer to the pocket…to the point that I could now hear a pin drop onto the floor, if someone had dropped one! No one in the room made a move as the cue ball continued on its lop-sided path to the corner pocket. But, then as the cue ball got to the edge of the pocket, it stopped and you could hear a sigh of relief until (I caught a glance of Allen Hopkins face grimacing as he was looking at me in disbelief) out of nowhere the cue Ball decided to disappear into that black hole of a pocket!! It ended up being a $21,000 scratch! Thirty Eight years later and I still see it as clear as the day it happened!


Until the next story…

Thanks for spending time with me.

Best Wishes,


Michael Seidel
OHAPMAN©
 
Thanks FastEddieF for the post:

Here's the entire story as it happened...
1986 Atlantic City World Open Nine Ball Championship



How is it possible that I’m playing here on this pool table in the middle of the practice room at the “Atlantic City World Open 9-Ball Championship” watching the roll of the cue ball, after pocketing the 8-ball to get position on the 9-ball…that would take down a $21,000.00 win upon pocketing the 9-ball!

Hard to believe, but that was the circumstance that I was in and it was an amazing feeling. But before I get to the end of this story…let me start at the beginning.

It was December 1986 and everyone was very excited in the world of pool, because the first major world open 9-ball tournament was being held in Atlantic City. Players and fans from all over the country merged together to create tremendous action at Resorts International Hotel Casino and it was GREAT! The practice room was buzzing with excitement and the walk from the practice room to the tournament area was packed with people because of the many booths set up throughout the hallway. From Cue Makers such as Danny Janes (JOSS CUES), (I’ve been using a cue that Danny made for me over 50 years ago, and it still looks and plays like the day I got it!), to the billiard news papers, to business owners selling all types of pool paraphernalia…you could feel the action and overwhelming smell of smoke! Quite different today!

Anyway throughout the rooms, there was a lot of talk about games that would be played in the practice room. Matching up for cash games was a big thing in the pool world back then. I was known for playing “One Handed Jacked-Up Pool” and had put out an open challenge to anyone in the world to play 9-ball. There were no immediate takers on hand even though the hotel was packed with champions. They were all great players, but my specialty was jacked up play! So, they decided to import someone by the name of “Frenchy” (he was considered by many players to be possibly the best in the world at that time) who was from Canada and his form of playing was to hold his cue as if he was fencing! He was very effective and we hooked up and played a set for $1000.00. I was a bit nervous to start and he won the first set. We then played a second set and I ran through him to the point that he refused to play a third set and exclaimed to me that he thought I was the best player in the world. I thanked him for the complement and the action, and waited for the next match-up.

It didn’t take long…the next day another import that originated out of Mexico and was then residing in California was known as Ernesto Dominguez. He was a top-notch tour player, and a One-Pocket champion. Ernesto was considered, to be the best jacked-up one-handed player throughout the pool world. He was exceptionally strong, because his game was to play super safe, meaning, he hardly ever left his opponent a shot, when he missed. Because of his “One Pocket knowledge”, he was on auto-pilot to consistently play great safeties. Me, on the other hand, I was a wide-open shot maker that would shoot away at anything that was in front of me. At that time, shot for shot I had no fear of any player in the world! Our two very different modes of playing, made for a very exciting match-up!

The stage was set and we started playing. We kicked off the set for $10,000.00, a race to nine 9-ball. My backer was also betting $500.00 per game on the side. The room was packed with more than 200 people moving around and positioning themselves for a place to watch the match. It went back and forth to start with and then Ernesto jumped ahead by two games. It stayed that way until the score was 8 to 6 in his favor. Not a good position for me to be in, but there was no giving up! He missed a 3-ball and I proceeded to run out to win that game making the score 8 to 7. The next game I broke and ran out the rack making the score now even at 8 to 8. I now broke the balls and ran to the 8-ball leaving him the equivalent of a spot shot on the 8-ball and the nine laying close to the head rail midway. He missed the shot and left the 8-ball in a position that, in order for me to make the shot and get position on the 9-ball I would have to deep draw the cue ball past the side pocket without scratching and proceed to travel three rails around the table to get the position on the 9-ball to win the match.

This is where I found myself at the beginning of this story! Hitting the 8-ball as perfect as it could be hit, I’m now watching the cue travel past the side pocket, and in a perfect line with perfect speed to create a lock shot on the 9-ball to win the match…take down $21,000.00 and be at the top of the Pool World! But, then came an amazing twist of fate as I watched Allen Hopkins, Steve Mizerak and numerous others jump out of their seats and started clapping for the perfect hit that I made, I noticed that when the cue ball came off of the third rail, and was on its way to line up perfect with the 9-ball, the cue ball started taking a left hand turn and kept rolling to the left as if there was a magnet drawing it towards the corner pocket. I heard the roar of clapping starting to diminish to groans, as the cue ball kept turning and getting closer to the pocket…to the point that I could now hear a pin drop onto the floor, if someone had dropped one! No one in the room made a move as the cue ball continued on its lop-sided path to the corner pocket. But, then as the cue ball got to the edge of the pocket, it stopped and you could hear a sigh of relief until (I caught a glance of Allen Hopkins face grimacing as he was looking at me in disbelief) out of nowhere the cue Ball decided to disappear into that black hole of a pocket!! It ended up being a $21,000 scratch! Thirty Eight years later and I still see it as clear as the day it happened!


Until the next story…

Thanks for spending time with me.

Best Wishes,


Michael Seidel
OHAPMAN©
Nice contribution!
 
The resurrection of this thread triggers memories of Stories on Ronnie Allen. It was somewhere in the 1990s that I had the pleasure of his aquintance in Chico CA.
The first story on Ronnie came in Tacoma. He made a proposition bet while playing at Tacoma Whiteys place. The story came from Don McKay(RIP)who was a witness. The bet was a spot shot jacked up one handed and the cueball doesn't touch a rail. "The Rail" filled the pockets on the table with the money bets with one attempt for all the money. He did it.
My 411 on Ronnie came from Race Track Rick. It was, "if you are not in on it don't bet." As he had witnessed a dumping of the rail with a partner booking bets on each game. Signals were used to indicate who should win each game. 🤷‍♂️
The owner of Team Players in Chico had deep pockets and spoke of backing Charles (the local champion) for up to 10,000. So when Ronnie landed in Chico and resided with his sister, I was in Butte creek looking for gold as my next hobby. Well as coincidence would have it, shortly after his arrival The Monk came through town. 🤔 The owner was eager to back Ronnie in a one ball one pocket game. One handed of course. It seems that the ball started frozen mid footrail. So after my day of prospecting the creek I arrived at the room to be swarmed by 3 or 4 college students that had witnessed the game. They were all so excited to tell the story of how close it was and how "unfortunate scratches" had tipped the scale to The Monk. 🤷‍♂️
My chuckle warranted the enquiry, "Why are you laughing?" I related my 411 message. At the conclusion of "if you are not in on it" , the owner joined our table. In unison they turned to him and the chorus was, "Greg says you got dumped".
The owner was a big boy and well within his entertainment budget so he took it well.
Chapter 2 of my Ronnie experience in Chico:
I was harvesting at 20 a game 9 ball with a local gambler that spent most of his time in the card room. He thought he was a hustler and one pocket was his secret game. The owner knew him and would have bet on him. Ronnie sat adjacent the owner (well at every opportunity) as we played. I ended the set with a mini jump shot the took whitey onto the rubber of the rail and back down to cut the ball in. Well 320 was my take. So as I relaxed alone at the bar with my wind down beer, Ronnie sidled up and put the bit on me for, "a loan". I explained, "I don't lend nor borrow". Since his being in town had gotten the gamble juice flowing, I thought it appropriate to tip him either $20 or $40. (Can't remember which). I explained, "This is a gift". A week later he hit me up for another "loan". 🤷‍♂️ I explained, "I am neither a groupie or fish. NO!" I figured that any real player should have been able to see my advantage in the 9 ball game. He had the opportunity to make sweat bets with the owner while watching. 🤷‍♂️ But of course he would live by the motto, "if you're not in on it don't bet." 🤷‍♂️
 
miami, and aguaza the two puerto ricans,, weldon, ronnie, and a few others less known, like staten island(tom halliday) played it top speed and all were close. im talking 9 ball. not other games where some were much better at that game. monk was near top but played less a little as he wasnt as good of a player.

i dont know about allred but since he made a video and edited it to make luck shots look like he played them i dont give him credibility. but probably a top one handed player as well but not being a gambler doesnt cut the ice.
 
I witnessed Miami (from Puerto Rico) and Aguzatate shooting jacked up one-handed at Paddy's 7-11, back in the early '60's, right after "The Hustler" premiered in 1961. Aguzatate was practicing by himself, while Miami was walking around Paddy's, trying to make lock up games.
Aguzatate was the better shooter, but he was shy and quiet and couldn't play up to to his speed for the cash.
He could draw the cueball better than any other one-handed player that I've seen, but his nerves got the best of him when the cash was on the line.
Miami, on the other hand, was a killer in money games....very smart and slick. He lived in Paterson, NJ at that time and tried to stay under the radar, which was easy back then. But at Paddy's 7-11, everybody knew everybody. You couldn't lemonade your game for very long.
Jersey Red, Johnny Ervolino, Brooklyn Jimmy, and several other notable NYC players were in the room, but that night their backers couldn't make a game with Miami or Aguzatate. Dumping was rampant at Paddy's, and the crowd was afraid that no matter which way they would bet, they would lose.
 
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i dont know who chico(miami?) was but miami was from patterson nj as he had a pool room there. which changed hands with him and ray martin.

aguza was a terror in the bars one handed and played fine for the cash. dont know about his poolroom play. even miami said he couldnt beat him and miami said he was the best in the world.

7 11 was the most treacherous place ever about winning if you were a stranger. too many great players no one knew about. like brooklyn jimmy, who could run a 100 balls anytime and lemoned at all times. rex and so many others. even crazy bruce when he wasnt diving down the stairs.
 
i dont know who chico(miami?) was but miami was from patterson nj as he had a pool room there. which changed hands with him and ray martin.

aguza was a terror in the bars one handed and played fine for the cash. dont know about his poolroom play. even miami said he couldnt beat him and miami said he was the best in the world.

7 11 was the most treacherous place ever about winning if you were a stranger. too many great players no one knew about. like brooklyn jimmy, who could run a 100 balls anytime and lemoned at all times. rex and so many others. even crazy bruce when he wasnt diving down the stairs.
You're right.
It was Miami, not Chico.
Miami told me that Aguzatate choked for big money....maybe Miami was just barking?

Brooklyn Jimmy offered to play me $10 nine-ball if I gave him the 8. What a character!
Rex was always there, dressed to the nines, and Flaco, Staten Island, Country, plus the pimps from Harlem.
Paddy's bathroom was to be avoided at all costs, and the entire poolroom was filled with cigarette smoke.
The Metropole Cafe' was downstairs and you could see the topless dancers if you peeked inside.
I was 18 at the time and couldn't get in to the Metropole, but Paddy's was open to anybody.
 
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I'll throw a name out that I've not seen mentioned. Leroy Fonteneau from Detroit and later from Indy. He played Miami and came out ahead.
 
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