A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

petie

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Oct 2, 2005
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Citrus Springs, FL
The first time I ever saw "Pots and Pans" was in a bar in Saginaw Michigan that is right across from GM Saginaw Steering Gear Plant. It had to be about 1984 or 1985 I think but it could have been earlier. He had his Revere Ware spread over one of the tables and offered to play me for the Revere Ware against my $100.00. The only thing that saved me is that I had just bought a complete set of Calphalon or, most likely, I would have been down for the count. He was a really good bar table 8-Ball player and bought the Revere Ware at a wholesale price so anyone betting money against the pots and pans was giving 2 to 1 odds. He was a genius.
 

Hard Times Carla

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Bunny Rogoff

Bunny Rogoff

The first time I saw Bunny was at the Pop and Top Bar on Detroit's southwest side. There was a Cadillac plant down the street and on Fridays all the guys from the plant would come in the bar and bet their paychecks. Lots of good players would be sitting around hoping to get in a ring game.

Bunny parked an 18 wheeler outside the bar and stumbled in. [where he borrowed the 18 wheeler I don't know]. He smelled like whiskey and could hardly walk. He had one of those big wallets on the heavy chain attached to his belt. He put his quarter up on the table and sat down on a bat stool. Suddenly he fell off the bar stool and crashed to the floor. Some guys helped him up, and he laughed and said he was ok. Eventually, it was his turn to rack the balls and he fell down again in the process. He pulled out a wad of money and said he would play anyone one game for $100. The shop guys fell for that, and eventually Bunny won all the money. He continued to fall down, and never made more than two balls in a row. It was an Academy Award performance. And he really was a good player.

He got a little goofy at the end of his life. But he was one funny guy.
 

wincardona

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Aug 7, 2007
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Dallas Tx.
Bernard was a good friend of mine he's from pittsburgh pa where I grew up. I first met Bunny when I was 15 years old and he instantly liked me because I was a tool he could use to make money for him. I didn't mind because he taught me a way to hustle. Bunny was one of the best pool hustlers I ever knew, he played very good but never showed his speed. He was always content playing for cheap and grinding out his wins. Bunny was a stand up guy who was very honorable his entire life all along playing a game where honor was hard to find. We stayed close for the entire 50 plus years we knew one another. I visited with him before he passed in a home in Las vegas, it was sad because he couldn't finish a sentence without switching topics. Yes he was one of a kind and he died not owing anyone anything. RIP Gov.

Dr. Bill
 

vapros

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May 24, 2004
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baton rouge, la
The only time I ever saw Pots and Pans I was sitting at a table in Tunica, MS with Dr. Bill, who was dining on a hot dog. P & P showed up behind Billy, and they greeted each other as old friends. Billy introduced us and then excused himself, allowing the guy to take his seat. Dr. B hustled away, eating his tube steak as he went.

Bunny did his short program for me and then wandered off, to see what might be happening across the street. I guess he didn't last long after that summer.
 

gulfportdoc

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Jun 25, 2004
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Gulfport, Mississippi
Bunny's passing may have brought the era of the colorful character to a close. He was the last in the line of unique oddballs who used to be in attendance at major pool tournaments and some large pool rooms. Seemed like there were always several guys floating around specializing in certain tasks which were intended to amaze or to entrap: guys who could spin the ball 3 rails, do trick shots, toss coins, perform athletic feats, do card tricks, etc.; or to just simply entertain folks. It was reminiscent of a carnival.

Times have changed. In today's PC atmosphere, and presence of hair trigger sensitivities, there seems to be little interest in wonderment, or the simple joys of fascination. Who knows? Maybe someday someone will fire it back up.

~Doc
 

LSJohn

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monett missouri
do card tricks, etc.;

~Doc

Heh. Reminds me of an experience -- well, almost an experience -- at DCC a few years ago when it was at the Exec Inn. I happened by a guy who was doing some pretty amazing card tricks in the lobby. I watched for a while, got bored, and went back to the arena.

A couple of days later some guys were getting up a hold 'em game in one of their rooms upstairs and I went up to play. Nice set up, high quality chips and a full-time dealer.... the guy who I'd seen doing card tricks! :eek:

I suddenly lost my interest in poker. :heh
 

Frank Almanza

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Aug 31, 2005
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Upland, California
The only time I ever saw Pots and Pans I was sitting at a table in Tunica, MS with Dr. Bill, who was dining on a hot dog. P & P showed up behind Billy, and they greeted each other as old friends. Billy introduced us and then excused himself, allowing the guy to take his seat. Dr. B hustled away, eating his tube steak as he went.

Bunny did his short program for me and then wandered off, to see what might be happening across the street. I guess he didn't last long after that summer.

I liked the guy. He would run his jokes by me. The same ones that I heard may times before but I always showed respect and reacted like it was the first time. I would have liked to have seen his bar table eight ball game. Which is my best game
 

jrhendy

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May 24, 2004
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5,717
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Placerville, CA
I liked the guy. He would run his jokes by me. The same ones that I heard may times before but I always showed respect and reacted like it was the first time. I would have liked to have seen his bar table eight ball game. Which is my best game

There you go, blowing our chance to make a little $$ in Texas.:lol
 

straightback

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Feb 16, 2014
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1,851
From
owensboro, ky
Bunny's passing may have brought the era of the colorful character to a close. He was the last in the line of unique oddballs who used to be in attendance at major pool tournaments and some large pool rooms. Seemed like there were always several guys floating around specializing in certain tasks which were intended to amaze or to entrap: guys who could spin the ball 3 rails, do trick shots, toss coins, perform athletic feats, do card tricks, etc.; or to just simply entertain folks. It was reminiscent of a carnival.

Times have changed. In today's PC atmosphere, and presence of hair trigger sensitivities, there seems to be little interest in wonderment, or the simple joys of fascination. Who knows? Maybe someday someone will fire it back up.

~Doc

Keen observations, Doc. I agree - much of the allure of the subculture of pool comes from vaudeville-like characters that inhabit the pool halls. Anyone ever see Larry Nevel draw a ball the length of the table with the CB stuck on the cushion WITH ONE HAND? Insane.
 

petie

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Oct 2, 2005
Messages
3,314
From
Citrus Springs, FL
Bunny's passing may have brought the era of the colorful character to a close. He was the last in the line of unique oddballs who used to be in attendance at major pool tournaments and some large pool rooms. Seemed like there were always several guys floating around specializing in certain tasks which were intended to amaze or to entrap: guys who could spin the ball 3 rails, do trick shots, toss coins, perform athletic feats, do card tricks, etc.; or to just simply entertain folks. It was reminiscent of a carnival.

Times have changed. In today's PC atmosphere, and presence of hair trigger sensitivities, there seems to be little interest in wonderment, or the simple joys of fascination. Who knows? Maybe someday someone will fire it back up.

~Doc

I have often thought of the symbiosis between the Carnival and pool hustling. "Step right up ladies and gentlemen. On the stage you see Weenie Beanie a man so obsessed with spheres that he will daze you and amaze you while spinning his rock." Artie, Grady and quite a few others made their bones on the midway attracting suckers with promises of great expectations and then letting them down with a rigged game which they had no chance of winning in the first place. I once met a guy at a pool tournament who offered to pitch pennies to the top of a stool for the cash. The penny was pitched from a certain distance and he beat everybody. Little did the suckers know that this guy had spent hours and hours the night before preparing with that particular stool at that particular distance and going so far as to rough up the top of the stool in a certain spot so as to affect the bounce and grab and slide of the penny.
 

One Pocket Ghost

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May 25, 2004
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Ghosttown
Cool old poolroom coat rack made with pool balls..strange though - the 5ball is a striped ball...

Well Smitty and John H. are in the same camp with Pat - they all picked the same shot...

And I give major props to Pat here - he hit it great/almost perfect, just about executed it like Efren - I know I wouldn't have executed it that well...

He killed whitey dead on the rail, snookered me on the 1ball, but just missed by 1/8" getting that key second snooker on the 6ball...here's how his shot turned out ------>
 

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LSJohn

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monett missouri
I have often thought of the symbiosis between the Carnival and pool hustling. "Step right up ladies and gentlemen. On the stage you see Weenie Beanie a man so obsessed with spheres that he will daze you and amaze you while spinning his rock." Artie, Grady and quite a few others made their bones on the midway attracting suckers with promises of great expectations and then letting them down with a rigged game which they had no chance of winning in the first place. I once met a guy at a pool tournament who offered to pitch pennies to the top of a stool for the cash. The penny was pitched from a certain distance and he beat everybody. Little did the suckers know that this guy had spent hours and hours the night before preparing with that particular stool at that particular distance and going so far as to rough up the top of the stool in a certain spot so as to affect the bounce and grab and slide of the penny.

Heh.

Great post Pete
 

One Pocket Ghost

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Ghosttown
Only 3 years old...could be the next Shane/Skylar/Justin Bergman...his form and fundamentals are already better than mine...:eek: :(...but I think I can out-move him playing One Pocket...:heh...:D ----->
 

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One Pocket Ghost

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What a typical weekday (Thursday) afternoon at Chris's Billiards looks like...3:30 pm - 3 pool games going on - all One Pocket...that's Clyde shooting in the foreground...

In the background, standing at the table behind us..large sized approx. 69 yr.old guy - longish grey hair, big grey moustache - you can't see him that clearly..plays pretty good...was wondering if any of you Louisiana guys know him..he used to be from down there, but he's been living up here with us for about 1-1/2 years now - his name is Paul Campo.

- Ghost
 

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RedCard

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Only 3 years old...could be the next Shane/Skylar/Justin Bergman...his form and fundamentals are already better than mine...:eek: :(...but I think I can out-move him playing One Pocket...:heh...:D ----->

That child is playing with a Babybushka, very rare.
 

One Pocket Ghost

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Ghosttown
Here's a bar where they take real good care of their pool table and it's Simoanis cloth - and they look like a nice friendly group of folks there too...:D
 

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