One weekday I had just opened, and was practicing on the billiard table when this guy
walks in. He was over six-foot tall and dressed in painters clothes and walked with a limp. He
smelled of cheap wine. He watched me play billiards for a few minutes before he asked if I
wanted to play for two dollars a game and loser pays for the time for the table. I told him it was
slow now and I could play but if I got busy I would have to quit. He said he understood and we
played. I played him two games of a race to fifteen point?s wins. I beat him both games easy. The
score was four to fifteen and six to fifteen. He paid me and paid for our time on the table and
thanked me for the games and left.
The next day this same guy came in at about the same time dressed the same and
smelling the same asking if I had time to play a few. I said yes. We played two games and again
I beat him three to fifteen and six to fifteen. He came in everyday for the rest of the week and we
played with the same result. I didn?t see him on the weekend and had forgotten about him by
Monday. Sure enough at a little after one in the afternoon on Monday in he comes. He said he
had hit the daily double at Belmont Park Saturday for four hundred and sixty dollars. He said he
always played the one-two combo in the double and it came in. I followed the horses in the paper
so I knew that the one-two had come in like he said and paid four-sixty for a two dollar bet.
He said he was on a lucky streak and would I play him for twenty a game instead of the
two dollars we had been playing for. I felt a bit guilty. But said I would. I figured I would beat
him for twenty or forty dollars and he would quit and that would end it.
The first game I beat him eleven to fifteen. Before the next game he asked if I would
raise the bet to forty a game. I said yes and beat him ten to fifteen. The next two games he won
thirteen to fifteen and twelve to fifteen and said he was getting use to the table now. He then
asked if I wanted to up the bet to eighty a game. I said why not make it a hundred a game?
He agreed and we played five more games with him winning four of them. Then we
played another five games and he won four of them. By now I am a little rattled that I am letting
this chump beat me for some serious money. At this point he says today is his last day painting in
this area and would not see me for awhile. Thinking I wouldn?t get a chance to get even after
today, I say how about making it two hundred a game. I figured he would say no, but he said
sure.
We played five more games at two hundred each and he won them all. I said I was broke
then.
He then says to me. I will play you for your stick against my three hundred. Well my cue
was a nice one, but not worth three hundred to me. In fact I won it in a pool game for payment of
fifty-five dollars. I said yes and we played. He won nine to fifteen. I gave him the cue and we
said our good-byes and he left.
About two minutes after he left one of my regular customers came in as I was sitting at
the counter licking my wounds. He says, "I hope you didn't play that guy that just left with the limp."
"Why?" I said.
"Because he was the New England Three Cushion Champion not too many years ago."
What a fool I felt like at that moment. Johnnyt
walks in. He was over six-foot tall and dressed in painters clothes and walked with a limp. He
smelled of cheap wine. He watched me play billiards for a few minutes before he asked if I
wanted to play for two dollars a game and loser pays for the time for the table. I told him it was
slow now and I could play but if I got busy I would have to quit. He said he understood and we
played. I played him two games of a race to fifteen point?s wins. I beat him both games easy. The
score was four to fifteen and six to fifteen. He paid me and paid for our time on the table and
thanked me for the games and left.
The next day this same guy came in at about the same time dressed the same and
smelling the same asking if I had time to play a few. I said yes. We played two games and again
I beat him three to fifteen and six to fifteen. He came in everyday for the rest of the week and we
played with the same result. I didn?t see him on the weekend and had forgotten about him by
Monday. Sure enough at a little after one in the afternoon on Monday in he comes. He said he
had hit the daily double at Belmont Park Saturday for four hundred and sixty dollars. He said he
always played the one-two combo in the double and it came in. I followed the horses in the paper
so I knew that the one-two had come in like he said and paid four-sixty for a two dollar bet.
He said he was on a lucky streak and would I play him for twenty a game instead of the
two dollars we had been playing for. I felt a bit guilty. But said I would. I figured I would beat
him for twenty or forty dollars and he would quit and that would end it.
The first game I beat him eleven to fifteen. Before the next game he asked if I would
raise the bet to forty a game. I said yes and beat him ten to fifteen. The next two games he won
thirteen to fifteen and twelve to fifteen and said he was getting use to the table now. He then
asked if I wanted to up the bet to eighty a game. I said why not make it a hundred a game?
He agreed and we played five more games with him winning four of them. Then we
played another five games and he won four of them. By now I am a little rattled that I am letting
this chump beat me for some serious money. At this point he says today is his last day painting in
this area and would not see me for awhile. Thinking I wouldn?t get a chance to get even after
today, I say how about making it two hundred a game. I figured he would say no, but he said
sure.
We played five more games at two hundred each and he won them all. I said I was broke
then.
He then says to me. I will play you for your stick against my three hundred. Well my cue
was a nice one, but not worth three hundred to me. In fact I won it in a pool game for payment of
fifty-five dollars. I said yes and we played. He won nine to fifteen. I gave him the cue and we
said our good-byes and he left.
About two minutes after he left one of my regular customers came in as I was sitting at
the counter licking my wounds. He says, "I hope you didn't play that guy that just left with the limp."
"Why?" I said.
"Because he was the New England Three Cushion Champion not too many years ago."
What a fool I felt like at that moment. Johnnyt
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