..Billiard Palace..Bellflower, CA...

...hey would be interested to know the whereabouts of players from there during late 60's or early 70's....I pretty much lived in the pool hall...then...
thanks just interested...

Billiard Palace

Billiard Palace

onepocket926 said:

...hey would be interested to know the whereabouts of players from there during late 60's or early 70's....I pretty much lived in the pool hall...then...
thanks just interested...

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I played in there quite a bit at that time, coming over from San Gabriel, mostly on the 6 x 12 with Tweedy, Jimmy Van, Morgan, Tex etc... I also played some 9 ball & one pocket with Butch, before & after he bought the place from Verne. I stayed out of the pay ball games with Ronnie, Ritchie and all the other champions that came through there, but did play liability snooker with all of them that tried the 6 x 12. There was always action, and after Butch & his dad bought it, you could bite each one on their shift if you went empty. Morgan said it was the only place he could come in busted and lose a thousand. It was a great pool room and every road player in the country came through there if they came to the West Coast. I also played at Morgan's place down the street when Butch closed it, and again at Hard Times in Bellflower. The only place I play anymore is at Hard Times in Sacramento at the monthly one pocket tornaments. I see the Buffalo Billiards logo as your avatar. I have played in quite a few tournaments there over the years. John Henderson

....PayBall...lol.....

....PayBall...lol.....

....they called me ...PayBall Paul.....wish I would have stayed awayfrom the ...5x10....lol.....my daughter lives down the street from Hardtimes Bellflower...went there last year...."BIG BERTHA"....is still there....an "Aircraft Carrier"...we used to call her....I helped...Vern put it together when he got it........coupla' years back...I went to Hardtimes...and ran into....Jim Reagans...still sittin' with "BERTHA"...so he gave me the 2 and the 4 hole for a hundred...."believe it or not"......I broke made the 1 hole ...then the 3....then the 5...laid the ball in front of 6......he had'nt broke yet.................."I LOST".......so we went to the GoldCrowns...and he tried to give me the 9 to 6...he did when I was a kid...."I GOT EVEN"....and he quit....lol...

Onepocket 926, are you, by any chance, a left-handed player?

I enjoyed reading your threads. I showed Keith McCready, who used to frequent those pool rooms in California, your posts, and he remembers every one of those incidents you shared.

He said he was there when Ronnie Allen beat bumper pool champion playing one-pocket, and then witnessed the massacre across the street at the Stag Bar. Even though he was only 15 or 16 years old at the time, back then he was able to hang out in the bar and enjoy the festivities.

Would love to hear some more tales from Bellflower!

JAM

JAM said:

Onepocket 926, are you, by any chance, a left-handed player?

I enjoyed reading your threads. I showed Keith McCready, who used to frequent those pool rooms in California, your posts, and he remembers every one of those incidents you shared.

He said he was there when Ronnie Allen beat bumper pool champion playing one-pocket, and then witnessed the massacre across the street at the Stag Bar. Even though he was only 15 or 16 years old at the time, back then he was able to hang out in the bar and enjoy the festivities.

Would love to hear some more tales from Bellflower!

JAM

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From the archives -- but the question never got answered lol. Does anyone have any photos of the Billiard Palace? I'd greatly appreciate if you would be willing to share with me if you do

NH Steve said:

From the archives -- but the question never got answered lol. Does anyone have any photos of the Billiard Palace? I'd greatly appreciate if you would be willing to share with me if you do

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I was in there a fair amount in 1967-68 - there was an amazing amount of action there, especially late-night. But sorry Steve, I have no photo's.

I dropped in there from mid '70 till mid '73, usually after 11 pm. Without the Palace I would not have had a pool home. I got to play, and meet quite a few of the hall of famers in our OP hall of fame, bank pool, and life time, and some that are not in there yet.

My best play was on the 6 x 12, but wow, the 5 x10 snooker was so exceptional. I have never seen a table play that consistently year after year. The cloth had no hint of nap, but only this pure shiny blue gleam aged luminescence that reeked of being stroke by the most deadly sharp shooters on earth.

Tweety Pie, come in one day and said watch this, and he set up the ob on the 2nd diamond long rail and angled stroke it into the far corner, and said; "where else is there a beautiful magnificent table like this". So special was this table and how it played for pay pool, a shooter's paradise, and he of course was special, and he was respectful of me knowing I was a youngster, and of course all others.
He came in one day said, "I decided to go on the road, I made to Torrance", he was laughing all the time.

My best memories are from there, even Butch gave me my name 'Whitey'. Vern was so special for me, as he was for all the young guns coming up. Thanks, Palace!
Whitey

Billiard Palace. I played in the Billiard Palace in the '70s playing PayBall on the 5x10 with players like Cole Dixon, Jimmy Reid, Ronnie Allen, Richie Florence, Keith McCready, and others. It was an experience I'll never forget playing with all those champions who were very comfortable playing on the 5x10 snooker table which was foreign to me..eek!! I was a kitten playing in a Lion's Den and was eaten alive. At that time I was one of the best 9ball players in the United States but didn't have a chance with that crew. IMO, at that time (1975) Jimmy Reid was one of the strongest if not the strongest player on that table along with Cole Dixon. Ronnie and Richie also played great but the greatest feat was watching the young Keith McCready playing against all those champions he was unbelievable the way he competed and won consistently at the age of fifteen. I would room with Cole Dixon while on the road, he was a good guy that I trusted as much as anyone, and rooming with him was a joy with his easy demeanor while we ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. That was our go-to meal. Times were tough but great and the Billiard Palace along with Hard Times and the road was our Haven.

Bill Incardona

I love these threads

youngstownkid said:

I love these threads

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Yes sir! Thank you so much to those “who remember”!!!