The first time I played Hopkins was in Baltimore after I had been making cues for about 2 years. I wasn't playing pool that much but when Hopkins came to town they called me.
Hopkins had just won the the World's 9 ball tournament in NYC.
He asked me to play some 9 ball but I said I haven't been playing much but would play some one pocket. He said OK.
We started playing for 200 dollars a game and after about 6 hours I had him broke and was 2400 dollars winner.
He quit and asked me for $200 walk around money. I gave it to him and he stalled around the pool room looking for a game.
After about an hour and a half and no game he came over to me and said
" Billy, I'll play you a game of straight pool for $200." I couldn't believe it and said: " Allen, thats my $200", but if you want a game of straight pool, I will call someone.
I called Richard Rigey. He was the MD state champion straight pool player.
An hour later Rigey came in the door. He drove a heating oil delivery truck for a living and had come straight from work. He was covered in oil and as usual had on white socks that he always rolled down. Quite a sight.
Hopkins and Rigey agree on 200 points for $200. Hopkins lost the flip and after his break Rigey ran 140 balls without even one practice shot.
Needless to say Hopkins did not have a happy experience in Baltimore.
Hopkins and I played one pocket twice more after that first time. We broke even once and he won the last time.
Bill S.
Bill:
The way you make your post comes across very condescending (and lacking respect) to one of our most respected Hall of Fame players, also one of the very best all-around players who ever lived. Not sure if you tried to word it in that way, but I thought I'd just make a mention of it.
Your post seems to try to paint yourself in the same light as a player of Allen's caliber, as if you "sent him packing." Your story is puffed, to say the least -- he never asked you for $200 walking money as he never asked any player for walking money ever. Secondly, he didn't just win the World Title, he was 18 or 19 and on his second-ever road trip at the time - hoping to get experience and develop as a player.
Years later, around the timing you claimed in your quoted post above, he had just won the US Open 9ball and World 14.1 in the same year and had just won around $150k at The Rack in Detroit and needless to say, he:
1) Certainly didn't need your $200 "walking money" and wouldn't have asked for it if it he did since more money was always a phone call away.
2) Never would have lost to you at any game even
3) Never would have lost to Rigey at any game even
In regards to losing to both you and Rigey, that certainly happened, but the timing of your story is way off as were the details of what happened. I wasn't sure if you did that on purpose or if you were merely mistaken.
I've always found it interesting that TRUE CHAMPIONS never log into the internet and brag about "beat stories." It always seems to be underdogs who brag about wins and the stories always seem to be half-truths. Champions who do post "winning stories" are typically accurate in their account and show tons of respect to those mentioned.
Once the timing is corrected, do you really think you were a favorite over a "grown-up" Allen playing one pocket even-up and was capable of beating him to the point of him begging for walking money? Or, is it more likely, once you think about it, you beat an Allen in his late-teens in the early '70s who still played very well, but was only a sliver of what he was yet to become?
Dave