Cleo was a short card, poker and pool player.
Cleo was rumored to have lost 90 thousand + to Weenie Beanie in the late 1950's or early 1960's in Blytheville Ark.
He was driving a 8/10 year old chevy and living in a small house. That was a huge amount of money at that point in time.
I was with Joe Cosgrove and Joe played him 9 ball in Marked Tree Ark. in 1965.
I seem to remember that's were he was from. (?)
After the game Cleo told me he'd been working in Las Vegas for three or so years. He said he played in the smaller poker games with every paycheck and got pumped up, but never in those years beat the big games.
A few years later I heard he had part of the room in Mobile.
Later Ronnie Allen said he promised to play all the road players, but called all over and got a line on them, then had an excuse every day until their nut had run up.
That made them easier to match up with.
He was a force to be dealt with in his room.
He lost a couple of times to Richard Austin in South Haven Miss. He beat Richard every time in Mobile.
Rod.