Hollywood Palace

I was sitting in Red Boxx's Spot Club in Shreveport, playing .25 a point hearts. My road partner Pat was playing 3C billiards by himself on a 4 1/2 X 9 pool table. We were waiting for a friend of mine to come down; I wanted to pay him some money I had owed him for about 4 years.

In walked another friend, Don Weathersby, a good player but at that time I didn't realize how good. (He later spent some time playing in Europe.) I left the heart game so we could catch up, and I told him about Pat's match with "The Captain," and mentioned a couple of spots Captain had suggested for us. I don't remember now whether I mentioned Houma first or Don did, but either way, Don said we had to go there. He explained that a young guy, "Bobby", who managed the Hollywood Palace was a good player who would play anyone, and side action could be good, but Captain could beat him.

After the friend I owed showed up (and refused to take the money I thought owed him, claiming I didn't owe it at all) the four of us went to lunch. I told Pat about Marty refusing to take the money, and why. Marty had lent me the money in a poker game, and I had later beaten him out of it playing 9 ball. I didn't have it to pay him at the time, but I always intended to pay him when I could. Marty said, "No, no, we gambled and you won it fair and square." I said, "Bullshit, you went nuts after we started playing for a buck a game. There was no 'fair and square' about it."

Pat said, "How about if we put up $400 with him [the amount I owed] for the poker and we take 40% of whatever he wins... or whatever is left?" We all laughed.

Marty said, "Nah, nah, if you guys are dumb enough to take half my action, we can do that. 50/50 all the way."

So that's what we wound up doing after a little more back and forth. (When we saw him about 10 days later he handed us $370 and said, "I was pretty good winner and got drawn out on; I took it as a bad sign and just pulled up. You guys probably saved me $370 'cause I'd have fired down if I wasn't afraid of losing your cash.")

Fast forward.

When we walked into the Hollywood Palace I was surprised to see "Jack" behind the bar. I knew him from a few years earlier when he owned or ran a joint in Bossier City. I had briedfly dated one of his waitresses. He showed no sign of remembering me, so I assumed he didn't.

Nothing going on so I accepted a challenge from some guy who wanted to play $100-worth of no limit heads-up 5 card stud while Pat hit balls by himself. The guy had Bee cards sand-marked along the perimeters that told denomination, but not suit. I didn't care because I could read them as well as he could, and I knew he knew but he didn't know I knew. I won the first $100 and we played another. We went back and forth what I recall as a long time. When I finally got about $40-50 winner, he said, "F**k this poker. Why don't you and I just go out in the parking lot for $200?"

I said, "Nah, this is too easy."

He jumped up and I quickly pushed my chair back. He stood looking threateningly for a few seconds, then said something stupid -- I don't remember what -- and sat back down. Within a few minutes he said, "Lets each add another $200 if you think this is so damned easy."

I said OK, and he got up and went to the bar. Turned out he wanted to get money from Jack, but Jack had left for a while and left Bobby, who had come in for the night shift, to watch the bar.

Numbnuts came back from the bar with a set of poker chips and said, "Jack'll give me all the money I want when he gets back. We'll just play with these here until then."

I said, "No, I think I'll just wait," and got up to go tell Pat Bobby was there.

Pat got challenged by some guy and played a few games of $5 9 ball. Jack came back and took over the bar. He wouldn't give Leroy (or whatever his name was) any money. Bobby came over to the pool table and asked the guy Pat was playing if he could take over.

The game was on; at Bobby's challenge the bet was set at $10/game.

Bobby jumped off playing very well, and Pat was having trouble with the table, which he said played "funky." Couple of dead rails; not level; tight pockets.

Bobby got a few games ahead and asked if Pat wanted to raise the bet. $20/game was on.

Pat continued having trouble, the rolls were going badly against him and we got stuck about $150. They pumped the bet to $30/game, and I got $10/game bets with a couple of Bobby's admirers.

Nothing went well, and Bobby seemed to be in dead punch. About 11:00 Jack said he had to go and Bobby had to quit with us almost $300 loser.

Several of Bobby's "Boys" wanted to start a $5 challenge game and let Pat play, which would have been an easy small score, but I thought it was a bad idea. I said, "I'm sleepy. I need to get some shut-eye after I pick up this $200 in the parking lot." Leroy-boy, him don't say nuttin'.

Pat talked to Bobby on the way out to make an appointment for noon the next day. Bobby wanted 2:00, saying he wouldn't get off until 3 or 4:00 am.

to be continued.

Hollywood Palace

We rolled into the Hollywood Palace on day 2 about 1:00. We were stuck about $150: $300 on the 9 ball game that we thought was the nuts, minus $150 I had captured playing poker, actually gambling.

We no sooner got to the pool table than in the front door walked Don Weathersby. Houma is a loooong way from Shreveport.

Pat and Don started playing for ice-water, Pat running out almost every shot he got, Don ham-boning, showing nothing.

Bobby soon came in but said he needed to sit with a couple of cups of strong java before he'd be awake enough to play. He said he hadn't gotten to bed until almost 8:00. He sat with his coffee and watched Pat and Don play for about 20 minutes, then jumped up and said, "Lets do it." Meanwhile 3 of his admirers had come to sit with him, and they wanted action too. We cranked off for $30/game with two $5 side bets and one for $10.

Pat continued running out almost every time he got to the table and Bobby's boys -- who didn't know anything about the money we had lost the night before -- started grumbling. Pat won something like 7 or 8 out of ten, and the side betters started showing each other their pistols and talking about "hustlers." Neither Bobby nor Pat were fazed, Pat continuing to win about 2 out of every 3 games. Finally one of the crew said, "I don't want no more a this shit. You can maybe win de money; dat don't mean you take da money home witchu."

Bobby said, "No, no. Pat's a gentleman and just came to gamble. If he wins he deserves to be paid."

"Anyway," Bobby said, "this ain't my day, Pat. I gotta pull up. You come again tomorrow, we do it again."

The railbirds started encouraging Bobby to hang in there, but he wouldn't relent. I think he was uncomfortable having customers he wanted to please on two sides of the same fence.

Don said, "Hey, Bobby, I'll play you some, same price. Maybe you'll have better luck against me, but I don't think so," and gave a big smile.

That was different, and Bobby started screwing his stick back together.

After Don got several games winner, the crew became even more aggressive, openly threatening. Jack heard the racket and must have suspected what was going on. He came back and said, "Somebody has to go," while holding what looked like a chrome-plated .44 down by his thigh. "John," -- he did remember me! -- "you boys better clear out. Don, and the other boys can stay if you want."

Don said, "Nah, I gotta be going too," and we all three left with Jack keeping his three regular customers occupied. When one of them had started to follow us, Jack said, "Hold on a minute, Waa," [I'm guessing the name was "Roy"] and hold on he did.

Turned out that Don and I each had netted about $150 on our play, Pat about double that, but it was pretty disappointing. It looked like a real score might have been possible.

We went down the road in tandem until we got to a place we could get a meal, and stopped for an after-action de-brief. Don told us what he had thought we were better off not knowing previously: Jack had recruited him and a couple of other guys to play Bobby. Bobby was a good manager but Jack figured if he was ever able to put together a bankroll, he'd hit the road. Jack wanted to keep him busted.

Sorry we couldn't do a better job.