Hello forum.
I am a long haul truck driver who plays pool with a hobby in photography.
When I am not steering my Peterbilt down America’s highways and byways, I’m steering my Sneakey Pete around the green felt in America’s bars and pool halls. Or I am taking pictures of God’s great America the Beautiful.
We live in a quite the country, not everyone appreciates how good or how beautiful it is, if we just look around a bit.
Anyhow, getting back to pool.
Truth be told, I am more of a barbox player than a big table player but I will hit balls on any table. Even snooker and 3-cushion.
I watch this forum religiously and want to thank the Lord above for the people who founded and formed Azbilliards. It has become the definitive internet stop for all cue sports related subjects and information.
Please pardon my long windedness. I am not much of an internet person as I don’t think I have much to share so I simply read the website and lurk and never post.
Until recently I didn’t even have an account.
But something has happened that I felt is post worthy so I figured I would finally get that account and make a post.
Those two undercover road agents mentioned in a post awhile back?
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=365388
Those guys are for real.
I was witness to one of their takedowns in a bar in Oklahoma.
They travel with both a stake horse and a strong arm guy.
The players are both the nicest guys you could ever meet. Very polite. Professional. Even generous to a fault off the pool table. But make no bones about it. These guys are road agents of the highest caliber and they take the game very seriously. Why shouldn’t they? It’s their living.
I do think there undercover time is up. Things are starting to trickle out here and there about them and if what the other poster was taking about in the other thread is true it makes total sense for them to try and snap off Hard Times for the tournament and then all the action they can handle later.
Anyhow, getting back to Oklahoma.
I see thousands of people from thousands of locales and I can peg people to a fault. I pegged the New York guy and the Arizona guy. I know which is which. But the Arizona guy is the better player. They are both world beaters and I am sure when either of them is in the zone no one on God’s green earth can touch them.
But I think the retired gentleman who travels in his RV mixed them up.
I think the Arizona player is a bit better of a player.
Anyhow, they hit a bar in Oklahoma and took five grand off the owner. First the guy from New York took down one of the top players there for like $700 hundred playing $50 a rack Eight Ball. Got up 14 games and the guy paid off and quit.
I watched him put two six packs on the guy. It was over in like 45 minutes.
The action table is right by the bar, and when people match up. They rope off the table. So it’s just the two players and whoever is tending bar. The bar is in an L shape though so everybody else can still get served on the end. They simply rope it off so no knuckle head who doesn’t know what’s up will bump into the guys who are matched up.
Pretty smart little barbox gambling set-up.
Anyhow, I have never seen any bar table Eight ball like that guy from New York was
playing. He was playing crazy run out Eight Ball. Jumping over the edges of balls. Moving balls. Breaking up trouble balls. Full table length draw shots when jacked up over a ball.
The guy he beat was actually a decent player, I saw him hitting balls before these road agents came in. He was a B+ or A- player.
Funny point of interest.
When the B+/A- player is counting out the $700 he was pretty distraught and the guy from New York was actually really encouraging. Told him he could tell he could play and there was no reason with some serious practice that he could become a world beater.
Tells him 16 years ago he played his speed. B+/A- speed. Then says he finally decided to take the game seriously. Moved to New York City. Rented a shitty one room apartment but one that was 15 feet by 20 feet, so he could fit a tight nine foot Brunswick in there and he took a shitty job working nights and simply worked the night job 8 hours a night. Sleep eight hours, and spent the other eight hours playing pool. That was his day. He tells this guy he did that for 10 years straight. Never went out. Never gambled. Got his game perfect and then he quit his night job and hit the road.
Damn. That’s dedication. And self control. For a guy to do that. Hole up in a ratty apartment that is essentially one large room and hit balls every waking moment when not working the night shift.
Well, after he gets done with the B+/A- player the owner comes over and claims he has never seen anyone play that perfect pool.
Then the guy from New York says, “Well, you haven’t seen my buddy play. He’s better than me.”
And the New Yorker points to a guy who has been watching next to another guy who I pegged as their stake horse.
Well, the owner couldn’t believe it. Said he gladly take a huge spot to play for some large money if his friend wanted to step up.
After very little haggling the game was set at 15 ahead Nine Ball for five grand. With the bar owner getting the 3 out.
Now they must have had a line on the bar owner. Because while I was there, I didn’t see the owner play.
That set took like 45 minutes.
Bar owner wins the flip. Breaks and runs out the first rack.
Second break. Doesn’t make a ball.
But hooks the guy from Arizona.
Arizona steps up. Kicks at the one to make it and get shape on the two.
Runs out.
Then breaks and runs the next 15 racks to win.
Broke and run 15 racks.
16 racks total counting from the kick the one to get out.
Now, here is where it gets kinda interesting.
I had my camera with me. And I was sitting in the corner taking a few pics here and there and it is a Canon 7D so it does video.
I recorded a couple racks as video on the sly and thought I was going to get away with it. But on the last rack. This huge Russian comes in and stands off to the side of the table as Arizona runs the last rack to win.
I can tell something is up. He stands off to the side. Watches as the owner reluctantly pays off Arizona. Watches as they have a little casual conversation. Small talk.
Then the huge Russian walks up to Arizona and Arizona points me out.
Damn my heart was pounding.
The Russian walks over to me, and in the most polite husky Russian voice I have ever heard said. “I can take the memory off your hands and pay you for it. Or I can watch you erase it and reformat it right here, and you can keep the memory card.” He casually let his jacket open a bit and I saw a shoulder holster. Yup. He was packing. He wanted me to know it too.
I apologized. Said I simply was excited to see pool played at such a high level and I’m a long haul truck driver who plays pool and does photography as a hobby and I wanted to document the event.
He understood. He was very polite about it. Said “his guys” were camera shy and simply didn’t want their photo taken that’s all.
I formatted the card right then and there. He watched me do it. He thanked me and they were on their way out of there. Everybody’s jaw still on the floor.
But here’s the kicker.
I went out to get the camera from my truck while the guy from New York was matched up in that eight ball match intending to take some photos and video of that match. Ran back into the bar. Snapped a shot of New York. But my memory card was full. I had to run to my truck to change the memory card. Came back with another one. The one the Russian guy had me erase.
They didn’t know I had a shot on the other memory card in my truck.
I have a picture of the guy from New York. Here it is.
Now before everyone jumps on me about ruining action for this crew. This is an event that needs to be known. These guys are the best pool players walking the face of the earth. How can anyone fault me for taking their photo?
Plus, they are coming out of the shadows anyway as the other poster claimed in the other thread. The news already broke. I did nothing wrong for wanting to document what I was seeing.
Plus, these guys aren't hustlers. They are headhunters. They are honest about their speed and go at it that way. Truth be told, it's the right way in my opinion.
Anyhow, that is the information I wanted to share.
Keep up the good work Azbilliards.
You got my action whenever I can get online.
Bobby
Here is New York jumping the edge of a ball to run out.
:grin-square:
