Ross Keith Thompson
Verified Member
It was the summer of 68, I was barely sixteen. In my mind absolutely no player on earth under 21 yrs. could win against me at table game that had pockets including bumper pool.
I was steered into Cole Dickson at LeCue Club in downtown Houston. By my 16 th birthday my nine ball game was that of a pretty solid player, my one pocket game was about equal. Played just under the solid players in Houston such as Grady Mathews, John "DUKE" Powell and so on.
Cole Dickson offered me the call eight for ten a game, man did I jump on that action! LEGAL STEALING! Man was I wrong!
I was packing a good wad in my pocket, about 5 or 6 hundred and loved playing on my own money. Ten or twenty dollar action was right down my ally, loved it.
Cole Dickson was the push I needed to raise my game and what a push he gave me. He was no ordinary good playing short stop. He was out of my league and at 10 a game had me 190 stuck, nineteen games down.
Never started dogging it in this match due to the fact I new no other kid in the world could win against me. This was the only reason he didn't bust me.
I was gonna lose my whole stack to him at 10 a game because of ego. No way a long haired hippy looking kid could hang with me playing nine ball on a quality Gold Crown table.
I did become a great racker of balls in this match of babies, LOL. At twenty games down I kicked off the greatest run I had made to date. Hit Cole with three packs and four packs just like he did to me. Had never had to do that before and wasn't sure I could, but I did.
Ran the table the last few games we played and he quit. Turned him down to play even and vowed to never play him again, way too tough! We played once more when I was 18 in Johnston City, we had became great friends. I won the lag for first break in our tourney match and hit him with a six pack.
Needless to say, not many ever recover from six packs in a race to eleven.
Final score 11 to 5, we blew a joint and laughed the rest of the night back at our room with his friend Steve, GOOD MEMORIES!
I was sixteen yrs. old by a few months or so, my one hole and 9 ball game was near first class. The local top players in Houston wouldn't give me any weight playing anything. I was hungry for action and had half a pocket full of money, 300 hundred to be exact. A young road player came thru Houston and we got together and matched up some even one pocket for 30 a game. Man was I in hog heaven, life didn't get any better.
But the young one holer I had matched up with was Larry Liscotti, quite possibly the best all around player in the world at 20=22 yrs. old. It took him about four hours or so to relieve me of my 300 hundred and devastated my ego for a long time.
Didn't give a sh-t about the money, I had to beat this guy but he had left Houston with my bankroll. Vowed to get his ass one day when we crossed roads again. Was in my prime and so was Larry in Johnston City 1971. Was fresh off revenge games with Freddie the Beard and Tall Jeff, had a pocket full and was ready for Liscotti, wanted him bad! Needless to say I was broke and heading home the next day, not from a pool game.
Changed my life forever and soon would give up the uphill struggle. Played the Stardust tournament the next spring at 19 yrs. and quit after that.
Both Cole and Larry inspired me to play at an elite level that most never reach. There is nothing like dominating another good player when you are virtually unbeatable. BEST OF TIMES/MEMORIES
I was steered into Cole Dickson at LeCue Club in downtown Houston. By my 16 th birthday my nine ball game was that of a pretty solid player, my one pocket game was about equal. Played just under the solid players in Houston such as Grady Mathews, John "DUKE" Powell and so on.
Cole Dickson offered me the call eight for ten a game, man did I jump on that action! LEGAL STEALING! Man was I wrong!
I was packing a good wad in my pocket, about 5 or 6 hundred and loved playing on my own money. Ten or twenty dollar action was right down my ally, loved it.
Cole Dickson was the push I needed to raise my game and what a push he gave me. He was no ordinary good playing short stop. He was out of my league and at 10 a game had me 190 stuck, nineteen games down.
Never started dogging it in this match due to the fact I new no other kid in the world could win against me. This was the only reason he didn't bust me.
I was gonna lose my whole stack to him at 10 a game because of ego. No way a long haired hippy looking kid could hang with me playing nine ball on a quality Gold Crown table.
I did become a great racker of balls in this match of babies, LOL. At twenty games down I kicked off the greatest run I had made to date. Hit Cole with three packs and four packs just like he did to me. Had never had to do that before and wasn't sure I could, but I did.
Ran the table the last few games we played and he quit. Turned him down to play even and vowed to never play him again, way too tough! We played once more when I was 18 in Johnston City, we had became great friends. I won the lag for first break in our tourney match and hit him with a six pack.
Needless to say, not many ever recover from six packs in a race to eleven.
Final score 11 to 5, we blew a joint and laughed the rest of the night back at our room with his friend Steve, GOOD MEMORIES!
I was sixteen yrs. old by a few months or so, my one hole and 9 ball game was near first class. The local top players in Houston wouldn't give me any weight playing anything. I was hungry for action and had half a pocket full of money, 300 hundred to be exact. A young road player came thru Houston and we got together and matched up some even one pocket for 30 a game. Man was I in hog heaven, life didn't get any better.
But the young one holer I had matched up with was Larry Liscotti, quite possibly the best all around player in the world at 20=22 yrs. old. It took him about four hours or so to relieve me of my 300 hundred and devastated my ego for a long time.
Didn't give a sh-t about the money, I had to beat this guy but he had left Houston with my bankroll. Vowed to get his ass one day when we crossed roads again. Was in my prime and so was Larry in Johnston City 1971. Was fresh off revenge games with Freddie the Beard and Tall Jeff, had a pocket full and was ready for Liscotti, wanted him bad! Needless to say I was broke and heading home the next day, not from a pool game.
Changed my life forever and soon would give up the uphill struggle. Played the Stardust tournament the next spring at 19 yrs. and quit after that.
Both Cole and Larry inspired me to play at an elite level that most never reach. There is nothing like dominating another good player when you are virtually unbeatable. BEST OF TIMES/MEMORIES