Hey Yobagua, This Pic Is For You

[One Pocket Ghost]

Yoba, howsabout this for a flash from the past !!! - It's been in my closet for about 33 years - It's about three sizes too small for me now ^_^ - I know you'll appreciate where this t-shirt came from, we have talked about all the great times we had at this pool hall back in the day....And anybody else out there who was at 'Ye Billiard Den', let me know, this pic is for you too.

[yobagua]

Oh man I am now on my knees busting my gut! How lucky we were to be amongst some of the finest and wildest people in pooldom. Cuban Joe, Cripple Shorty, Iceman, Marvin The Flash Henderson, Toupee Jay, Hawaiian Brian, Kim Davenport, Danny Diliberto, Jerry the Greek, Crazy Bruce, Brooklyn Butch, Black Rudy, Philly Joe Veasey, John the Dancer, Bernie Schwartz,Bob the Engineer, Pancho, Richie Ambrosia, Ronnie Allen, Eddie Kelly, Lenny Moore, Jimmy Caan, Telly Savalas, Phil Spector, Neil Young, were just some of the people you would run into this crazy place. I got my BA in poolology here. Thanks One Pocket!

[jrhendy]

I stopped in once & a while, coming from the other side of LA in the San Gabriel Valley. I was playing Brooklyn Butch & a guy that knew me came in and asked me what we were doing. I told him we were playing for $5 a game & I was 3 games winner. He told me if I won $20 Butch would probably knock me out & turn the table over on me, especially if he found out I was stalling. Butch won the next three games, I got out alive & we always got along fine after that.

[jrhendy]

I played all over So. Cal for 35+ years and gambled or played in tournaments with most of the people on your list. From your posts, I gather you are or were LA area players. I am wondering who you guys are & if we have played? my 1st recollection of playing any of these guys goes back to the early 60's in a poolroom on Tweedy Blvd. in Southgate. Frenchy the house man, a black guy I didn't know & I were playing ring 9-ball & I got all the $$ & the game broke up. The black guy said he had some $$ in Long Beach & would go get it & play some more if I would wait for him. I waited & he came back & we jacked it up and he dusted me. I saw him later that week over at Five Points Bowl in El Monte & found out it was Marvin Henderson. I never was too smart, I just liked to play.

[gulfportdoc]

Yoba, howsabout this for a flash from the past !!! - It's been in my closet for about 33 years - It's about three sizes too small for me now ^_^ - I know you'll appreciate where this t-shirt came from, we have talked about all the great times we had at this pool hall back in the day....And anybody else out there who was at 'Ye Billiard Den', let me know, this pic is for you too.

OPG, was that the room on Vine St up from St. Monica Blvd. on the 2nd floor? If so, I didn't get there until the late 60's. There was a pretty good one-armed player-- a black guy who used a small block of wood with a "V" cut in it, and covered with felt who was a pretty good shortstop. Do you recall his name? Also, don't forget "Tony-ola", Hollywood Jack, Coke, Harry the Horse, and all the rest of those thieves-- although they played more often in the Valley at Chopsticks or Big Mommas.

Anyone recall Mr. Pockets, down on 6th St. in L.A.? There seemed to be a lot of action in those days!!

Doc

[One Pocket Ghost]

OPG, was that the room on Vine St up from St. Monica Blvd. on the 2nd floor? If so, I didn't get there until the late 60's. There was a pretty good one-armed player-- a black guy who used a small block of wood with a "V" cut in it, and covered with felt who was a pretty good shortstop. Do you recall his name? Also, don't forget "Tony-ola", Hollywood Jack, Coke, Harry the Horse, and all the rest of those thieves-- although they played more often in the Valley at Chopsticks or Big Mommas.

Anyone recall Mr. Pockets, down on 6th St. in L.A.? There seemed to be a lot of action in those days!!

Doc



Hey Doc.....No, the place that your talking about was right in the middle of Hollywood - Ye Billiard Den was 4 miles west, in West Hollywood - It was a small room on the corner of Santa Monica Blvd. and Sweetzer....and Irv's hamburger stand right across the street, had the most jam-up cheeseburgers in town, served on a kaiser roll !

[yobagua]

Doc that guy was one armed Joe who is still around and plays sometime in Hollywood. He makes a good living as a sign painter. The place on Vine is now a boxing gym but could not compare to the Old Billiard Den.
A lot of people went to the 6th street place but by then pool had died down as the Stardust tournaments died down. Oh I forgot Hippy Jimmy Reid and Cole Dickson were Billiard Den regulars too.
OPG, Irvs is still there and do you remember the Raincheck Room? Lot of games were fixed there.