JG-in-KY said:
JG, And usually some of his "experienced salespeople" and collectors were moonlighting, or should I say 'daylighting' pool players - a few whose names are very well known on this forum and in the pool world. ^_^
The Weldon Rodgers School of Gambling
- Thread starter Grady
- Start date
JG, And usually some of his "experienced salespeople" and collectors were moonlighting, or should I say 'daylighting' pool players - a few whose names are very well known on this forum and in the pool world. ^_^
Johnny was from Phoenix. Called "Drano" 'cause he drained your cash if you dared play him. He didn't pay his child support (two kids) and ended up in the draft so the sad story goes......... He told me before he left he "wouldn't be coming back".... he came back within a week or so --- just not to play ever again. Sad memories for me but he was a hell of a player.SirBanksALot said:
Jack
www.johnmaddencues.com
jay helfert said:
Jay, Tell the Tang hoa recover story. I just flat out gave a cue back to a guy one time that i had bought when i had found out the guy who sold it to me was being paid to refinish it. I was only $150 worth more, but kinda a code of ethics when it comes to stolen cue's so i gave it back.
Mack
stolz2 said:
bump, bump.....
Tang's lost cue
It's about 5-6 years ago at Hard Times in Sacramento. We are having the Summer Jamboree and I'm running it for Chuck and Mike. Tang has been up all night and has to play a match later that day. He is up in the stands sleeping, with his cue in a case next to his head. When he wakes up, the cue is gone.
Hard Times has security cameras in every room, so I go in the office with Mike and start watching tape. We can see Tang sleeping up there. And his cue next to him. I keep fast forwarding until the cue is missing. Then I slowly back up the tape until I see a guy pick it up and walk out. We follow him on the other cameras tapes and watch him leave the poolroom with the cue.
I don't know the guy, so I bring Dave Piona in to view the tape. He knows every pool guy around Sacto and SF. Dave says sure he knows the guy. He's only been around a few months in SF, but he has money and occasionally backs games there. In fact, he had backed Dave once! His name was Mike something or other. Dave says he thinks he has the guys phone number somewhere. He calls his wife Christina and she finds the number.
This is now several hours after the cue is missing. And the tape is fuzzy, but you can recognize Tang's distinctive Justis case with two Aces on the side. Ming gave it to him for a BD present a year or so before. So I call the guy and he answers the phone. He is already back in SF. I tell him who I am (the TD) and ask him if he was enjoying the tournament at Hard Times.
He seems puzzled by my call, but admits to being there earlier. I then spring the trap on him, telling him we have him on tape taking Tang's cue.
He absolutely denies it, saying the only cue he carried out of there was his own. I tell him again, Hard Times has cameras EVERYWHERE and we know that it was you. He continues to deny it. I then tell him that if he doesn't return the cue by tomorrow I will show the tape to the police. And he can explain it to them. If he does return it, nothing further will be done.
It was a poker players bluff by me. The tape is too fuzzy to ever be used in a court of law and even the cops probably would not have acted on it. Too flimsy. I'm not even 100% sure I've got the right guy. But I'm going for it anyway. He continues to deny everything, so finally I say "you've got 24 hours and I hang up".
I wonder if I did any good and if Tang will get back his new Predator and break cue that were in the nice Justis case. Less than 30 minutes later Dave Piona runs over to me and tells me the guy just called him. He says the guy is scared and made a mistake and took the wrong cue. We know that's a lie. He wants to return the cue, but is too scared to come back here.
I tell Dave to tell the guy to bring the cue back to Sacto. and meet Dave somewhere and give it to him. Just the two of them. Dave calls the guy and they agree to meet at an IHOP about a mile away from the poolroom. It's a deal! Three hours or so later, Dave returns to the poolroom, cue in hand!
That's it, the Tang Hoa cue recovery story. Next time I'll tell you about Ming's stolen cue and how we got that one back. A little more exciting and slightly more dangerous.
stolz2 said:
It's about 5-6 years ago at Hard Times in Sacramento. We are having the Summer Jamboree and I'm running it for Chuck and Mike. Tang has been up all night and has to play a match later that day. He is up in the stands sleeping, with his cue in a case next to his head. When he wakes up, the cue is gone.
Hard Times has security cameras in every room, so I go in the office with Mike and start watching tape. We can see Tang sleeping up there. And his cue next to him. I keep fast forwarding until the cue is missing. Then I slowly back up the tape until I see a guy pick it up and walk out. We follow him on the other cameras tapes and watch him leave the poolroom with the cue.
I don't know the guy, so I bring Dave Piona in to view the tape. He knows every pool guy around Sacto and SF. Dave says sure he knows the guy. He's only been around a few months in SF, but he has money and occasionally backs games there. In fact, he had backed Dave once! His name was Mike something or other. Dave says he thinks he has the guys phone number somewhere. He calls his wife Christina and she finds the number.
This is now several hours after the cue is missing. And the tape is fuzzy, but you can recognize Tang's distinctive Justis case with two Aces on the side. Ming gave it to him for a BD present a year or so before. So I call the guy and he answers the phone. He is already back in SF. I tell him who I am (the TD) and ask him if he was enjoying the tournament at Hard Times.
He seems puzzled by my call, but admits to being there earlier. I then spring the trap on him, telling him we have him on tape taking Tang's cue.
He absolutely denies it, saying the only cue he carried out of there was his own. I tell him again, Hard Times has cameras EVERYWHERE and we know that it was you. He continues to deny it. I then tell him that if he doesn't return the cue by tomorrow I will show the tape to the police. And he can explain it to them. If he does return it, nothing further will be done.
It was a poker players bluff by me. The tape is too fuzzy to ever be used in a court of law and even the cops probably would not have acted on it. Too flimsy. I'm not even 100% sure I've got the right guy. But I'm going for it anyway. He continues to deny everything, so finally I say "you've got 24 hours and I hang up".
I wonder if I did any good and if Tang will get back his new Predator and break cue that were in the nice Justis case. Less than 30 minutes later Dave Piona runs over to me and tells me the guy just called him. He says the guy is scared and made a mistake and took the wrong cue. We know that's a lie. He wants to return the cue, but is too scared to come back here.
I tell Dave to tell the guy to bring the cue back to Sacto. and meet Dave somewhere and give it to him. Just the two of them. Dave calls the guy and they agree to meet at an IHOP about a mile away from the poolroom. It's a deal! Three hours or so later, Dave returns to the poolroom, cue in hand!
That's it, the Tang Hoa cue recovery story. Next time I'll tell you about Ming's stolen cue and how we got that one back. A little more exciting and slightly more dangerous.
Grady said:
I hope one day I could be that confident in my game sigh
