Who's Chris Bartrum's Traveling Buddy?

[watchez]

JCIN - and if you wanted to help out a friend, like you said, then it could have been done over the phone or by PM, email, etc. Now, with this information made so public, you have reversed the situation in that the local players can now ask for way more weight than they need & rob the road players.

Con men?? That is a strong term. If someone, a local, is playing pool for $$ and doesn't know who Chris Bartrum is then they probably need to rethink their 'hobby'. I suppose that all pool players, in your mind, should go around with name tags & walking into pool rooms stating they are in dead punch & who wants to play?

The only hustle I am against in pool is dumping.

JCIN - the pic you have of your avatar. Alex came here a few years ago before he was a known tournament champion. He was with Ronnie Wiseman. My good friend Andy Quinn GAVE Alex the 8. Andy is a great player but who knows how many balls out of line that was. Guess what? Andy doesn't think he got conned.

Maybe you should think about changing your avatar.

 

[biggame]

Well the womens tour has been around for about 30 years now they are right on pace, in the next 20 years they might be up to a $20,000 first prize.. Most of the women work 2 jobs to make it and complain all the time..I sure want to do what I love and be miserable sounds like fun..

 

[DeadPoked]

Spoken Like Some Guys Who Cant Run Out......this Is These Guys Livelihoods To Go On The Road And Grind Out Money...and U Nit Detectives Think You Should Tell People Who They Are....

What A Joke!!!!!!!!! Aint Ur Dam Business Stay Out Of It...............

This Is Why Poolplayers Stay Broke..........detectives Who Cant Make A Ball And Never Bet A Quarter Ruin Their Action...good Players Wouldnt Have To Go On The Road To Make Money If There Were Decent Tourneys But There Isn't...........so Now You Try And Knock Their Action From Your Home Computer With Ur C#*$s In Your Hands.............

Just Shutup And Let People Gamble...........

Does anyone take this guy seriously? Any side of the issue that this guy is on, I'd bet 99 out of a 100 I'd rather be on the other side.

 

[jay helfert]

Chris and another player are here in Seattle, playing everyone they can and winning. Does anyone know who the other guy is? I have not seen him but I heard he is young and on the skinny side. I will get a better description later.

Tell your old man to get up and play. He plays good enough to protect himself, and you know it Linda. It takes a very strong player to handle Mike.

When I'm in stroke, I'll try anybody a few games to see how they play. If they play too good, I can always pull up. And If not, then everything is okay by me.

Mike plays a speed where he should never really be in danger of getting out of line. A good player must show his speed to beat Mike. Just my humble opinion. No offense to you or Mike.

I like giving action to road men. It doesn't take long to see how they play. And every once in a while, I figure out a way to make them sweat. I NEVER call anyone or ask anybody how someone plays. It's so subjective anyway. I always figured I played good enough to protect myself. A couple of top players laid down on me and found out it wasn't so easy to get even.

In my entire life, only Larry Lisciotti and Wade Crane ever hustled me successfully. And neither one won much. Once I saw their true speed I was gone.

The only caveat to this is that if you know a player is too strong, then you can either leave him alone or ask for weight. I mean when Stalov walked into my poolroom a couple years ago, what was I going to do with him. I don't need to try him out. I know the outcome already. Even my road game (Banks) won't save me here, and I knew it. He ended up playing Cecil $50 a game One Pocket and torturing him.

 

[watchez]

Jay--I am confused. Didn't you Tap Tap earlier when it was stated the internet should be used for seeking identity of road players. Maybe I misread what you were tapping or maybe you had time to rethink.

 

[JCIN]

JCIN - and if you wanted to help out a friend, like you said, then it could have been done over the phone or by PM, email, etc. Now, with this information made so public, you have reversed the situation in that the local players can now ask for way more weight than they need & rob the road players.

The question was asked in this forum. I answered in this forum.

If a road player does not know what he can give up, or can't figure it out pretty soon he will not be a road player long. Just exactly what state secret has been let out of the bag here. All that has been posted is 2 names that may or may not be correct.

Con men?? That is a strong term.

If a player gives a false name, what would you call it.(I am not accusing this guy in Seattle of that. But it happens pretty often) I call it deception in order to gain an advantage. Saying you are one thing when you are not. Sounds like a con to me.


[QUOTE If someone, a local, is playing pool for $$ and doesn't know who Chris Bartrum is then they probably need to rethink their 'hobby'. I suppose that all pool players, in your mind, should go around with name tags & walking into pool rooms stating they are in dead punch & who wants to play?[/QUOTE]



All of the largest scores I have seen have been people doing exactly that.

The only hustle I am against in pool is dumping.

Why? Guy is just trying to make a living. It's hard out there. If you can lie, why not dump? Whats the difference who you rob? The sucker your playing or the sucker who is backing you.

JCIN - the pic you have of your avatar. Alex came here a few years ago before he was a known tournament champion. He was with Ronnie Wiseman. My good friend Andy Quinn GAVE Alex the 8. Andy is a great player but who knows how many balls out of line that was. Guess what? Andy doesn't think he got conned.

Maybe you should think about changing your avatar.

I like my Avatar just fine. I like Alex also. People were talking about Alex in the late 90's. So your buddy(who I have never heard of) gave a fillipino kid who was with Ronnie Wiseman the 8? I don't even know where to start.

My whole point is all a guy should do is tell the truth if he is asked his name. No one on here said a WORD about how the guy with Chris does or doesn't play. If someone is going to gamble with you, OF COURSE THEY THINK THEY CAN WIN!!!!

If someone on here gets screwed on a cue deal the knives come out. But it is okay to decieve some one in the pool room? I will never understand that. Or say that I agree with it. I have some friends who have done the deep undercover road man stuff, I admit they are good stories, as long as you weren't the mark. I have and will, tell them that I don't agree with this crap. Each man makes his choices and lives with the results.I have done my share of shady sh!t in the past and I am not proud of it. But I have learned from my mistakes.

Look I'm not saying anybody is a bad guy or evil. I just don't agree with it. Hell there are some people I really enjoy being around who I wouldn't trust with a quarter. It's not my place to judge, I am just stating what I think about the practice of lieing and cheating to gain advantage.

Oh and for any aspiring road men out there....if you don't wanna get knocked.....don't go into a pool room with Chris Bartram. Just sayin.

 

[Johnson]

If someone on here gets screwed on a cue deal the knives come out. But it is okay to decieve some one in the pool room? I will never understand that.

not completely the same thing but both are shady, stealing a cue is theft/crime and hiding your identity is more along the lines of deception/conning, when a cue is stolen it's bad for business so a big deal will be made to try and scare others from doing it in the future, heck the same thing happens to the supposed knockers for likely the same reasons but its kinda backword logic, i think its very similar to the whole "dont snitch on your friends" bs, they are trying to protect their business even if it's immoral/illegal
________

 

[jay helfert]

Jay--I am confused. Didn't you Tap Tap earlier when it was stated the internet should be used for seeking identity of road players. Maybe I misread what you were tapping or maybe you had time to rethink.

I can see where you'd be confused. I'm confused too. Actually, I think a player has every right to use any means at his disposal to find out what he's up against. It's pretty hard for name player to sneak in anywhere these days. So a player like Chris Bartrum is going to have to play local champions if he wants a game. And he should.

Or he can play shortstops and give up some weight. That's what happens when you get real good at Pool. And play top players at high profile tournaments like Derby City. Pretty hard to remain anonymous. If you really want to stay undercover, you should avoid all high profile events, and be like Jack Cooney for 30 years.

There has always been a pool players grapevine where you could find out information, long before the internet. Most road players knew where to play, who to play, how much to bet, and what their best game was, before they ever got there. And a whole lot more as well.

Personally, like someone else on here, I prefer not to handicap any games that I'm not directly involved in. My general response when asked how someone plays is "He never misses a ball". That pretty much ends that conversation.

These days, when two players go on the road, the top player is almost always going to have to play other good players. And the second guy can play the shortstops. That's a fact of life. To try to sneak the top player in against weaker opponents is going to be difficult, if not impossible. He may get away with it once, but then he is going to have to play someone closer to his speed.

The days of going on the road and "hustling" pool is long over. If you want to go on the road, you better play good and expect to play good players. It's probably the only way a top player can make any real money. Walking in and asking to play the best players for some serious cash. It's quicker this way and easier to get a game, and to win some money. IF YOU PLAY GOOD! All that stalling will only cost you time and money.

This is just my opinion and you are entitled to yours. If I were to take a top player on the road today, we wouldn't be looking for soft action. We would be looking for someone who wants to bet high, and give us a game. If you don't play good enough to beat the local champions, you don't belong out there anyway.

 

[JCIN]

I can see where you'd be confused. I'm confused too. Actually, I think a player has every right to use any means at his disposal to find out what he's up against. It's pretty hard for name player to sneak in anywhere these days. So a player like Chris Bartrum is going to have to play local champions if he wants a game. And he should.

Or he can play shortstops and give up some weight. That's what happens when you get real good at Pool. And play top players at high profile tournaments like Derby City. Pretty hard to remain anonymous. If you really want to stay undercover, you should avoid all high profile events, and be like Jack Cooney for 30 years.

There has always been a pool players grapevine where you could find out information, long before the internet. Most road players knew where to play, who to play, how much to bet, and what their best game was, before they ever got there. And a whole lot more as well.

Personally, like someone else on here, I prefer not to handicap any games that I'm not directly involved in. My general response when asked how someone plays is "He never misses a ball". That pretty much ends that conversation.

These days, when two players go on the road, the top player is almost always going to have to play other good players. And the second guy can play the shortstops. That's a fact of life. To try to sneak the top player in against weaker opponents is going to be difficult, if not impossible. He may get away with it once, but then he is going to have to play someone closer to his speed.

The days of going on the road and "hustling" pool is long over. If you want to go on the road, you better play good and expect to play good players. It's probably the only way a top player can make any real money. Walking in and asking to play the best players for some serious cash. It's quicker this way and easier to get a game, and to win some money. IF YOU PLAY GOOD! All that stalling will only cost you time and money.

This is just my opinion and you are entitled to yours. If I were to take a top player on the road today, we wouldn't be looking for soft action. We would be looking for someone who wants to bet high, and give us a game. If you don't play good enough to beat the local champions, you don't belong out there anyway.

From now on I am going to wait 12 hours before posting any long replies.

That way Jay can come along and say very clearly what takes me 4 posts and a bout with carpal tunnel to try and convey.

Or I'll just write "What he said" after all his posts.

 

[mikepage]

Spoken Like Some Guys Who Cant Run Out......this Is These Guys Livelihoods To Go On The Road And Grind Out Money...and U Nit Detectives Think You Should Tell People Who They Are....

What A Joke!!!!!!!!! Aint Ur Dam Business Stay Out Of It...............

This Is Why Poolplayers Stay Broke..........detectives Who Cant Make A Ball And Never Bet A Quarter Ruin Their Action...good Players Wouldnt Have To Go On The Road To Make Money If There Were Decent Tourneys But There Isn't...........so Now You Try And Knock Their Action From Your Home Computer With Ur C#*$s In Your Hands.............

Just Shutup And Let People Gamble...........

Come on Jamie you need to enter the real world here. I didnt warn people to stay away from him or say he's a world beater, I just suggested who the traveling partner might be. And frankly Jay Klatt is a friend of mine. He plays pretty sporty, but there a carload or two of people in Seattle area that ought to be bellying up to the table. There's just not a busload or two.

Think about what was known about him

(1) He's Bartram's traveling buddy
(2) They've already been beating up on people

If someone like Mike Z. is considering playing him (and he should be imo), he might at this point actually be more likely to play knowing who he is. So, imo, identifying him is not knocking his action at all--unless the guy is trying to separate the kids from their lunch money.

Banning cell phones and internet in the pool world just ain't gonna happen. That train has left the station.

Me answering Linda's question here is not that different from Linda coming up to me in a poolroom, pointing across the room, and asking, "who's that guy who just walked in with Chris Bartram?"

 

[Johnnyt]

I think what Jay and a few others said is correct. A top player is not going to make any money on the road if he’s trying to hustle lower skilled players w/o giving up a LOT of weight. Their pictures are all over the net.

I was what most of you on here call a nit. I was a B to B+ player on a bar table and was what I call a Tri-State road player. I played in NY, NJ, PA, FL, and sometimes Con. I only played in bars, and hardly ever played for more than $20 a game. I worked a real job most of the time supplementing it with pool at night and weekends. I never got rich off it, but took in $300 to $500 a week for years. Most of it was in 1957 to 1986.

I believe a smart B player that can judge talent fast and can manage their money can STILL make a decent salary doing it…but it’s a tough grind.

The definition of a pool hustler is someone that lures lesser skilled players to gamble with them at pool. They are con-artists. But most people can’t be hustled if they don’t have any greed in them to start with. Most think they have the nuts before they reach for their wallet. Johnnyt

 

[hippiepool]

God, I hate the internet.... Knock, knock! Who's there? Internet knockers in every freakin corner of the internet. What's wrong with pool? Good players have a much tougher time making money because they get knocked in forums like this! I never minded getting knocked by someone making a phone call but this internet snooping is brutal......................

Saw

if they cant match up in an even game , with someone their speed ....
then they need to grow some "huevos" ..................

 

[Southpaw]

Maybe every poolroom and bar across the globe should have computer stations set up in them and when someone buys a cue, they should have to register their ID so that no one will EVER have to gamble again. Knockers are people that either A) cant play good enough to win or B) cant play at all and are jealous of those who can. If I see someone come into my poolroom and I know how good he plays, I will see who he plays and pick a side to side bet on. To road players, hustling is their livelyhoods and no one has the right to mess with someones livelyhood! JMO.

Southpaw

 

[watchez]

The question was asked in this forum. I answered in this forum. How many posters are there on AZ? Yes it was asked, doesn't mean you had to be the one to answer.

If a road player does not know what he can give up, or can't figure it out pretty soon he will not be a road player long. Just exactly what state secret has been let out of the bag here. All that has been posted is 2 names that may or may not be correct.

If a player gives a false name, what would you call it.(I am not accusing this guy in Seattle of that. But it happens pretty often) I call it deception in order to gain an advantage. Saying you are one thing when you are not. Sounds like a con to me. All Mike Z or Linda had to do was ask to see his drivers license.






All of the largest scores I have seen have been people doing exactly that.




Why? Guy is just trying to make a living. It's hard out there. If you can lie, why not dump? Whats the difference who you rob? The sucker your playing or the sucker who is backing you.


I like my Avatar just fine. I like Alex also. People were talking about Alex in the late 90's. So your buddy(who I have never heard of) gave a fillipino kid who was with Ronnie Wiseman the 8? I don't even know where to start.

My whole point is all a guy should do is tell the truth if he is asked his name. No one on here said a WORD about how the guy with Chris does or doesn't play. If someone is going to gamble with you, OF COURSE THEY THINK THEY CAN WIN!!!!

If someone on here gets screwed on a cue deal the knives come out. But it is okay to decieve some one in the pool room? I will never understand that. Or say that I agree with it. I have some friends who have done the deep undercover road man stuff, I admit they are good stories, as long as you weren't the mark. I have and will, tell them that I don't agree with this crap. Each man makes his choices and lives with the results.I have done my share of shady sh!t in the past and I am not proud of it. But I have learned from my mistakes. So you, being from Indiana, have had conversations with Brian Groce & George Breedlove & told them they are shady shits??

Look I'm not saying anybody is a bad guy or evil. I just don't agree with it. Hell there are some people I really enjoy being around who I wouldn't trust with a quarter. It's not my place to judge, I am just stating what I think about the practice of lieing and cheating to gain advantage.

Oh and for any aspiring road men out there....if you don't wanna get knocked.....don't go into a pool room with Chris Bartram. Just sayin.

Your right, it worked out terrible for Kid Delicious.

 

[PoolSponge]

To put another spin on things, I look at this two ways. 1) if I find out who the unknown player is and I still don't know him that could be more of a concern (I still play) or 2) I know who the unknown is and want to play because of who it is.

Not long ago an old client called to set me up with action. I said who is it? He said some guy from the east coast that just got blasted by a local powerhouse. The client told me he was a strong AAA like me so it would be a good match. We agreed to a race to 9 for $100. I won the first 9-7 and he the second by the same margin. After the match the bar was closing so we were outside and that is when the confession came out that is was Jason Williams who is a past Junior Canadian champion and a strong semi pro and the powerhouse he had played he had pounded 9-2 rather than the reverse as they told me at first to bait me. I would have played anyway, I like the challenge and really have no fear. I just don't bet big if I know I am the underdog. But I still bet.

Knockers can stir just as much action as I am sure they kill. We had a guy in town a few years back, forget his name, and he was a monster. He was pounding everyone and the line up to play him was a very long one. He got action in every room for a week straight. The knockers stirred the action.

 

[The Saw]

I learned two things quickly when I was young & didn't have many friends 'in the know' in the pool world.

#1. Don't ask where someone gets their money.

#2. Don't get involved in, make statements about, or give opinions about a game that you are not involved in.

After being around pool almost 20 years, I don't need nor would I use the internet to knock a game or a player. I either have made enough friends that I can ask for a straight answer or I might just dare--GAMBLE. But if I ask my friends, I don't announce it to the rest of the world.

Three big taps to that....

Saw

 

[satman]

As I have read thru this thread, I have heard it all I think.
As it was said, if you don't want to get knocked, why would you run with Chris? Jesus, most of the pool world has found out who he was and how he plays the last couple of years. Anyone who knows anything about gambling on pool, will guess he plays really well if he walks in with Chris. If he came in and was playing the part of a backer and then picks up a cue, you gotta figure he plays.
If you expect to walk into a poolroom and get $1000 or larger sets, you gotta expect the locals want to find out who you are. In Linda's case, maybe Mike was wanting to match up. she's allowed to ask who this kid is and find out any info that may help them win the $$$$$$. I'm sure they got all the info on who they wanted to play before they walked into the poolroom.
If a road player comes into town and I get called to come and play them, I won't play large sets. Especially if I don't know them or their speed. I have played a couple of times for 200 just to see how a guy plays and kinda gauge them. But I know what kind of things I need to look for too.

The whole thing boils down to whether you want to play against unknown odds. Find out all the info you can, Just because a guy wants to be a road player, don't mean you have to support them.
A friend of mine used to do exactly what someone mentioned. Go into a town, tell them upfront they want to play the best player they"ve got, and they want to bet high. They always got action and almost always made money. They stayed away from the places where the most dangerous players were.

 

[Ummagumma]

Chris and another player are here in Seattle, playing everyone they can and winning. Does anyone know who the other guy is? I have not seen him but I heard he is young and on the skinny side. I will get a better description later.

So where is everyone (the local players) anyhow? I know one of them is in Sacramento at the moment and another one is not feeling well. I was at Dr. Cue's last nite when Chris and Jason walked in, and they were having a hard time finding anyone to play (the place was rather devoid of any players).

Jason did play Chuckie, but I don't know the details.

 

[JOEY]

Nit!!

hey MCWHORTER, YOURE A NIT. i apologize in advance to everyone else on the board for doing that. i dont post on here much, but i lurk alot. its just everytime this guy posts, it bothers the hell out of me. he has diahhrea of the mouth... or keyboard....lol

 

[ginsu]

I learned two things quickly when I was young & didn't have many friends 'in the know' in the pool world.

#1. Don't ask where someone gets their money.

#2. Don't get involved in, make statements about, or give opinions about a game that you are not involved in.

After being around pool almost 20 years, I don't need nor would I use the internet to knock a game or a player. I either have made enough friends that I can ask for a straight answer or I might just dare--GAMBLE. But if I ask my friends, I don't announce it to the rest of the world.

Right on! That's the way I grew up. If your not involved it's not your business.