justinb386
Banned
This is really sad, but very believable.
Worst Player You Know of That Made a Living Hustling?
- Thread starter Get_A_Grip
- Start date
This is really sad, but very believable.
Hmmm... made a living? No. But I've sure met quite a few guys that "paid their way through college" that could only run about 3 balls.
Well shit fire, I'm 63 and most anyone I knew that liked pool 'paid their way through college' playing. For a while about half the folks I ran into said that, (some couldn't spell pool even if I spotted 'em the 'P' and 'L' and told 'em there were a couple of 'O's' in it) !!! LOL
When was this.I knew a lot of pool players that made their living playing pool. None lived
with their parents robbed homes and all that other crap. If that's what they did then they
didn't make their living playing pool. Most did it until they got tired of it a then went on
to something else. Most were successful, Bill Stroud, Alf Taylor, C. J, SJD Jay and
I'm sure quite a few more post on here that made their living playing pool, not selling
drugs and stealing their parents silverware to either get another fix or play another
game. This is an old worn out cliche that is nothing but a bunch of bull sh** .
jack
I'd like to have a dollar for every time I heard that line. It was like music to my ears but the reality was rarely would they get on the table and play. They always had an excuse like they haven't played in years or ? It was just their ego talking.
Thnx Jackpot. Of all that you mentioned I'm at the bottom of the list, maybe Alfie's speed. But I had a pretty good record for winning. I used to brag that I had a record like the Globetrotters because I might win every day for months! Of course I diligently ducked all champions. :thumbup:
I had a pretty good run for eight years, supporting a young family, with my only job selling ovenware, in all that time. I could afford a small apartment and then a little house until I got lucky and bought my first pool room at age 27. I went out every day with a twenty dollar bill and tried to double or triple it. That was a good day in the late 60's to early 70's. I didn't steal or sell drugs either. I just wanted to play pool. And I was far away from my family back in Dayton. I doubt they heard from me more than once every few months. I'm sure they were worried about me.
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I knew plenty of guys who were B level that made $200-$300 a night playing nickel and dime 8 ball, 9 ball, 6 ball and even 3 ball. You just had to know where to fish and when to move on. That stuff can add up quick if you're clever. To answer the OP's question, you didn't have to be a world beater to make money scuffling through college towns/bars back in the 80s. Playing long sets for big bucks was a totally different scenario, though. Lots of A and B players tried to get a spot they could stay ahead of and monsters like St. Louis Louis and many others lived for that action.
I think those days are gone forever, now, though. Go into any bar and try and get action, even $5 a game...it's either nothing or there's a shortstop present who wants to start at $50. I haven't seen a designated challenge table in a bar in years, where those nickel and dime games flourished, everybody lined up their quarters on the rail and a B player could put .50 cents in at 5:00 pm and hold the table all night, just beating all comers and taking Lincolns and beers off them at a clip.
Yes in the 80's and The Color of Money gave a BIG boost. The Internet is today showing too many faces and places . . .
chemrvos1972
Registered
Chicken man FL....b player....made scores
I never really read this thread before, but I found it quite interesting to say the least. I see a lot of names that I haven't heard in years, like Russ Maddox (George Rood's confidant), Little Oscar (a damn good bar table player), Jack White (he hustled me in L.A. and I beat him, so he took me on the road to Long Beach the next day :smile
, and my friend Fats of course.
Just to set the record straight, Fats was known as Triple Smart Fats in New York because he outsmarted all the best hustlers there. New York was only the toughest place to make a living hustling pool as you could find. Fats played jam up One Pocket, the bigger the bet the better he played, damn good at Banks and a mean game of Three Cushions (I watched him beat a young Eddie Robins in Detroit for $500 in 1963). Fats really capitalized on The Hustler and made himself world famous and rich after that. He did have a weakness for cards that cost him big time, but he always had money even when he was living at the Heritage Hotel in Nashville. I don't hold it against him that he got a free room and food for living there. He was a draw after all!
This was a fun thread to read, since I knew so many of the guys talked about on here. I really got away from the road life once I started running my own pool rooms. There was nothing better for me than having that daily money coming in. I did play pool against just about anyone that wandered in looking for a game. I didn't want them hustling my customers and I would tell them they could play me. I won some and I lost some.
Once I started working the tournaments I pretty much gave up gambling, although I would still back players in tournaments that I wasn't working. I had some pretty good success with Keith, Bobby Hunter, Danny Medina, Cliff Joyner and Tang Hoa. I won big betting on Dennis Orcullo as well before everyone knew just how good he was. When Billy Incardona was making the book at pool tournaments he either barred me or asked me for advice on players. :smile:
I've had a pretty good run in the pool world. Never got rich but got by pretty well. Luckily for me my family got into the real estate biz in Southern California in the 70's and I joined in. That's my pension now because I barely could qualify for social security working the minimum number of quarters to do so. I got just enough jobs in TV and movies being a tech adviser to make it. I never had a real job (unless you call running a poolroom a job) since I was in my early 20's. Once I found out I could make money playing pool, I was done with the 9 to 5 life. I feel pretty fortunate to be where I am at this stage of the game, considering I ducked the rat race forever. :thumbup:
, and my friend Fats of course. Just to set the record straight, Fats was known as Triple Smart Fats in New York because he outsmarted all the best hustlers there. New York was only the toughest place to make a living hustling pool as you could find. Fats played jam up One Pocket, the bigger the bet the better he played, damn good at Banks and a mean game of Three Cushions (I watched him beat a young Eddie Robins in Detroit for $500 in 1963). Fats really capitalized on The Hustler and made himself world famous and rich after that. He did have a weakness for cards that cost him big time, but he always had money even when he was living at the Heritage Hotel in Nashville. I don't hold it against him that he got a free room and food for living there. He was a draw after all!
This was a fun thread to read, since I knew so many of the guys talked about on here. I really got away from the road life once I started running my own pool rooms. There was nothing better for me than having that daily money coming in. I did play pool against just about anyone that wandered in looking for a game. I didn't want them hustling my customers and I would tell them they could play me. I won some and I lost some.
Once I started working the tournaments I pretty much gave up gambling, although I would still back players in tournaments that I wasn't working. I had some pretty good success with Keith, Bobby Hunter, Danny Medina, Cliff Joyner and Tang Hoa. I won big betting on Dennis Orcullo as well before everyone knew just how good he was. When Billy Incardona was making the book at pool tournaments he either barred me or asked me for advice on players. :smile:
I've had a pretty good run in the pool world. Never got rich but got by pretty well. Luckily for me my family got into the real estate biz in Southern California in the 70's and I joined in. That's my pension now because I barely could qualify for social security working the minimum number of quarters to do so. I got just enough jobs in TV and movies being a tech adviser to make it. I never had a real job (unless you call running a poolroom a job) since I was in my early 20's. Once I found out I could make money playing pool, I was done with the 9 to 5 life. I feel pretty fortunate to be where I am at this stage of the game, considering I ducked the rat race forever. :thumbup:
never mind
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never mind.
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I never really read this thread before, but I found it quite interesting to say the least. I see a lot of names that I haven't heard in years, like Russ Maddox (George Rood's confidant), Little Oscar (a damn good bar table player), Jack White (he hustled me in L.A. and I beat him, so he took me on the road to Long Beach the next day :smile
Just to set the record straight, Fats was known as Triple Smart Fats in New York because he outsmarted all the best hustlers there. New York was only the toughest place to make a living hustling pool as you could find. Fats played jam up One Pocket, the bigger the bet the better he played, damn good at Banks and a mean game of Three Cushions (I watched him beat a young Eddie Robins in Detroit for $500 in 1963). Fats really capitalized on The Hustler and made himself world famous and rich after that. He did have a weakness for cards that cost him big time, but he always had money even when he was living at the Heritage Hotel in Nashville. I don't hold it against him that he got a free room and food for living there. He was a draw after all!
This was a fun thread to read, since I knew so many of the guys talked about on here. I really got away from the road life once I started running my own pool rooms. There was nothing better for me than having that daily money coming in. I did play pool against just about anyone that wandered in looking for a game. I didn't want them hustling my customers and I would tell them they could play me. I won some and I lost some.
Once I started working the tournaments I pretty much gave up gambling, although I would still back players in tournaments that I wasn't working. I had some pretty good success with Keith, Bobby Hunter, Danny Medina, Cliff Joyner and Tang Hoa. I won big betting on Dennis Orcullo as well before everyone knew just how good he was. When Billy Incardona was making the book at pool tournaments he either barred me or asked me for advice on players. :smile:
I've had a pretty good run in the pool world. Never got rich but got by pretty well. Luckily for me my family got into the real estate biz in Southern California in the 70's and I joined in. That's my pension now because I barely could qualify for social security working the minimum number of quarters to do so. I got just enough jobs in TV and movies being a tech adviser to make it. I never had a real job (unless you call running a poolroom a job) since I was in my early 20's. Once I found out I could make money playing pool, I was done with the 9 to 5 life. I feel pretty fortunate to be where I am at this stage of the game, considering I ducked the rat race forever. :thumbup:
What the hell is Hefert doing in a 'Worst players' thread?
I know he won a Vegas tournament in the 70s...and sent a few players to the rack.
I was gonna make a stronger protest about him...but he mentioned Russ Maddox....
....one of my favorites of the action scene.
Keep it down, keep it down! The only tournaments I ever won were on bar tables. And we all know that doesn't count.
In my opinion, Rudolf Wanderone's name doesn't belong in this thread...
...Fatty could play.
Pretty sure he beat Richie Florence for about $20,000 getting 8/7 at one hole...
...middle sixties money...equivalent to about $150,000 in today's money.
'course, he coulldn't play as good as he said he could....nobody could....
I've seen players that needed 8/5 and the break off Fatty playing for 5 or 10 thou per game....
...maybe one of those guys might satisfy the OP....
....but I doubt they would open their books.
My understanding is he beat Richie Florence out of more than 50k and that Richie quit playing afterwards. It was said in some quarters that Fats pulled a lot of moves on Richie.
I met Fats at the Hollywood Athletic Club in the 90s. He was not that fat then and not very tall but he sure had a mouth and knew how to use it.
I apologize in advance for semi-hijacking the thread but since Jay is posting in this thread I figure he might see this.
In St Louis Louie was pretty well known and it was hard for him to hide his speed as an "unknown" at least in the main pool halls.
When you knew him did he try to hide his speed or did he just try to outrun the nuts vs lower level players and match up with other pros?
In St Louis Louie was pretty well known and it was hard for him to hide his speed as an "unknown" at least in the main pool halls.
When you knew him did he try to hide his speed or did he just try to outrun the nuts vs lower level players and match up with other pros?
The first time I met Fats was in Nashville in 1987 and he was living in a suite in one of the big hotels and hanging out nightly talking/entertaining whoever would listen at the bar at that famous old steak house that was out in the warehouse district. He had a drop dead gorgeous girl friend or wife that was about half his age. Yeah his game was pretty much gone with pool although he could still shoot a few trick shots. But I think he died a happy man. How many of us will die happy? I also doubt he died broke. Not when his name was on every cue in K-Mart at the time.
lots and lots of not so top players made tons and tons of money at pool. the truly smart ones moved up and on to better things and got richer. most of the others got broke as they got older. that is the way it works.
fats took off big scores right into his 70's and up. of course he didnt beat the good players that we remember him being around as he was past his prime when they showed up.
the true gamblers that were smart that played like c or b minus did quite well.
all you had to do as play gamblers that played worse than you or make good games .
nowadays all the people are star struck and think you have to be a runout player to gamble and back when those players got only action from each other and dumping backers.
fats took off big scores right into his 70's and up. of course he didnt beat the good players that we remember him being around as he was past his prime when they showed up.
the true gamblers that were smart that played like c or b minus did quite well.
all you had to do as play gamblers that played worse than you or make good games .
nowadays all the people are star struck and think you have to be a runout player to gamble and back when those players got only action from each other and dumping backers.
Another name that doesn't belong in a 'worst' thread....the Chicken Man
....Billy ran hundreds playing straight pool.
chemrvos1972
Registered
Wrong Chicken man.....John from Gainsville.....gets people betting....gets massive spots
Sorry....when I hear 'Chicken Man'....I think Bill Dunsmore.