The Tale of Texas Pool (2024) Movie Script

[ORCHESTRA MUSIC]
[SWOOSH]
[THUMPING]
[GLASS BREAKING]
[TRUMPETS]
[SPARKLE]
[TRAFFIC]
[DOOR UNLOCKING]
[DOOR CREAKING]
[KEYPAD BEEPING]
[DOOR CREAKING SHUT]
[LOUD GUITAR MUSIC]
[GUITAR FEEDBACK]
[ELECTRIC GUITAR STRUMMING]
[GUITAR CONTINUES]
[GUITAR CONTINUES]
Dusty highways and neon signs
Broken dreams, livin'
by the lines
Cruisin' down from
town to town
Strangers' glances never
get us down
Backroom deals and secret bets
Sweat drips down,
it's a rush we get
We're livin' life like
a roll of dice
Every strike, pays the
gambler's price
[GUITAR STRUMMING]
Hittin' pool halls on a
midnight quest
Cash in pocket, don't
need no rest
We take our shots with a
hustler's flair
Livin' off the edge,
we don't ever care
Rollin' on, we're
playin' for the win
Pool hustlers on the road,
we're all in
Cash is flowin',
the game's begun
On the road, we're number one
Doin' tricks with
a cue in hand
Betting big, can't
lose this stand
In smoky bars,
under dimlit lights
Our lives are gambled
in these endless nights
Every shot, a ticket
to the ride
Rollin' on, we're
playin' for the win
Pool hustlers on the road,
we're all in
Cash is flowin',
the game's begun
On the road, always
looking for some
[CROWD RUMBLING]
Welcome everybody out to the
50th annual Texas Open 9-ball
Championships.
[GUITAR STRUMMING]
City lights fade in the
rearview mirror
We chase the thrill, never
face the fear
Livin' life tryin'
to catch a dime
Rack up, tell the
mouth we'll rise
Neon glows and whiskey stains
Laughin' loud through
losses and gains
Egos rise, then
meet their fall
In the game of fate,
we risk it all
Rollin' on, we're
playin' for the win
Pool hustlers on the road,
we're all in
Cash is flowin',
the game's begun
On the road, always
looking for some
[GUITAR SOLO]
We'll take the bets,
break all the rules
On this endless road,
we're nobody's fools
With every town,
a new story starts
We're pool hustlers,
dealing wild cards
Rollin' on, we're
playing for the win
Pool hustlers on the road,
we're all in
Cash is flowin',
the game's begun
On the road, always losing sun
[ROCK GUITAR]
[GUITAR CONTINUES]
The engine roars
and the miles fly by
With every victory,
we touch the sky
Strumming strings and
pounding hearts
The road's a stage where
our journey starts
Guitars wail, and
the shadows flee
On this endless path,
we roam wild and free
With a deep voice,
we sing our song
We're pool hustlers,
and we can't go wrong
Rolling on through the night.
We're chasing dreams and neon
lights.
[POOL BALLS BREAK]
[RAY]: She told me she was a
professional too.
[TYLER]: She is. She is.
Yep.
[RAY]: And you're the coach.
[TYLER]: I do a little bit of
coaching, yeah.
[TYLER]: When I saw that blank
spot. I was like,
it'd be really sweet if I could
fill that spot.
To be the Texas Open, it-
and the 50th annual, it's pretty
cool.
'Cause I think everybody's going
to look and
you know, who won the 25th one,
who won the 50th, who won the
75th, right? So,
I don't know, the, the coin just
fell on my side this time.
It's pretty cool.
When you're here, you can feel
the passion and, the love for
pool here.
The Texas Open, we used to
always get real fired up for it
'cause everybody wanted to win
Texas, you know,
'cause Texas had more pride in
their pool than anybody else.
What I do say about it is I've
come in every place, but first.
[LAUGHS]
I've been two and out.
I've won two. Lost one. I've
come in second, twice.
I've come in 3rd three times.
I've come in fourth.
Come in 5th/6th. I've come in
7th/8th and I've come in 9th
through 12th.
It seems like I've come in every
place but first.
But, that's it. I've never won
it. I've come very close.
couple times.
You know, it is what it is.
[PAUL]: The Texas Open, I think
it was, the
Some of the, certainly the most
premier tournament in, in the
Southwest.
Seemed to be always full.
Uh, it was certainly the biggest
and it was, it attracted the
best players.
And it might not have been that
many players, the first one,
maybe
30 or 40? Who knows.
I remember
when it had 60 people, maybe.
Showboat Joe running the
tournament.
I mean, I remember that.
I'd play in all of them.
I'd go one, two and out, and
and sit around and watch every
great player play.
So, I think that might have
been part of the name, Showboat
Joe...
Open, Texas Open or something,
but, that was the first one.
And it-it wasn't called
anything. It was just the once
in the summer,
It was just a $25 tournament,
$25 entry fee.
But, I remember it was Danny
Jones and UJ Puckett and
Bastrop. Sammy Jon- you know
the local players from the area.
It's, basically the tournament
ran itself.
Uh, what was it, '75 or '74?
Uhh, Danny Jones and Joe
Cromleigh started the state
open.
The Texas Open had them all.
Calvin would be there, Louie
would be there,
and we'd all go there to mix it
up. It wasn't about the
tournament,
it was about the entertainment.
We all just wanted to all get
together
and showcase, you know, our, our
best game.
I played in the very first one,
but, you know Buddy Hall and
everybody played in all those
tournaments
and, uh, tournaments were
different back then.
They didn't have big
tournaments, often.
So, whenever they had a big
tournament,
all the hustlers and all the
good players would come
to those things
to gamble, you know, and make
money.
You know, so, those tournaments
were really for action, and
there was action.
There were very few tournaments,
uh, in fact, tournaments weren't
a thing then, except for the
T-Texas State Open.
And, Bob Vanover would come down
from Dallas and win it every
year.
I think he won it six or seven
years in a row.
The first one, uh, was held in
seventy
four, I believe. Sammy Jones,
he may have won, right there,
the first one, back in '74.
It started off at, uh, Moyer's.
And then that, Moyer's actually
became Austin Cue Club.
Well, Moyer's had every kind of
game imaginable.
Good, bad, ugly.
[LAUGH]
Anything you wanted you could
find at Moyer's Cue Club.
I remember when my dad and I
used to go to Moyer's
that it was called Moyers. M-O-Y
- E-R-S, and apparently the
family that owned the building
was a Moyer-that was their last
name.
So when the gentleman, Richard
Hooper, opened up that place,
he kept the name, Moyer's.
As times changed, they wanted to
sell beer, I think,
And, uh, the family, Moyer
family, wouldn't have
anything to do with it.
So they changed it to More
Yours.
Kind of, sounded the same.
But, it was called More Yours
after Moyer's.
Then it was called Austin Cue
Club.
I think he was in partners with
the guy that owned it.
He bought the other guy out or
something.
It was some, some technicality
where he had to change the name.
And then it became the Austin
Cue Club.
But we always referred to it as
Moyer's.
I mean, th-the people that were
there at the start.
Cue Club was a 24-hour pool
room.
They had great greasy food.
Terrible tables.
You had all kinds in there,
wheeling and dealing, and, gambling.
There were some big games in
there.
I think it went to Stroker's for
two years, didn't it?
I believe, and then Eric's took
it, I think.
I don't really know all about
that because then I-I
I got married and started having
kids and, uh, and my pool was
kind of, uh, secondary there for
a little while.
My name is James Ray Davis, Jr.
I am from Bastrop, Texas.
The majority of people know me
by "Junior"
because I got the same name as
my father, James Davis, Sr. and
both, uh, been around pool for
so long that, that moniker
stuck.
Who gave that to me was Gilbert
Martinez,
three-time Texas State 9-ball
champion.
He was known as Junior because
his father was Gilbert Martinez,
Sr.
Then after his father passed
away, he started calling me
Junior.
That's how I got the name
Junior.
Even though it's part of my
name, no one ever called me that
until Gilbert Martinez.
We lived right behind a bar in
Bastrop that my, uh,
grandparents, um, opened.
It was Ray's Place and they had
a restaurant. They sold bait,
like minnows,
and it was a bar as well too,
and it had three bar tables in
there.
During this time, my father was
working six days a week on the
oil rig.
After school, I would duck my
head inside to see if there was
a ball or two on the table
because I didn't have quarter to
put in the- it was a quarter a
game.
I didn't have quarter to put in
to be able to-to, uh, keep
playing,
so, I'd shoot the ball in,
if there was a ball on the
table, and I'd run around to the
other side
and I'd stick my hand and catch
it on the track...
and then throw it up and throw
it back on the table and then I-
then I'd shoot again.
That's where I learned how to
play pool was in that, in that
bar.
It was actually the same tables
that my dad learned how to play
on, the exact same tables.
[LAUGHS]
They said I would, whenever, um,
I was too short to see over that
I would pull a chair
or like a milk crate and stand
on top of it to, to shoot on
the, uh, table.
So, I've been playing pool my
whole life.
'Machine Gun' Lou Butera, had a
video game. Little bitty floppy
disk, [LAUGHS] that I would put
in my computer.
And, it was playing pool.
You had to play like, um,
'Dead Eye' Dan and all these
other characters. There was like
a
clip of him showing how to run a
rack of straight pool in under a
minute.
So, he would get up there
ping, ping, ping, ping,
ping, ping, ping, ping.
And shoot them all in.
That might be one reason why at
the time I would try to shoot
fast
was trying to do like I saw it
on the video game, you know.
But, like at that time I knew
who Lou Butera was,
but, I didn't know who Jeremy
Jones was, or
Buddy Hall, Bob Vanover,
I didn't know none of those
people, at that time.
Rafael Martinez, or CJ Wiley, or
any, any of the players from
back then, I didn't
at that time I didn't know, but
I knew who Lou Butera was.
'Machine Gun' Lou. Pew. Pew.
Pew.
What do I love about the Texas
Open?
The consistency of it.
That's been going on for 50
years.
It's like the longest running
tournament in the country.
I always loved the, uh, the
tournament and, uh, because of
the action.
'Cause people would come and
gamble and, the action of it.
Well, I've finished fourth one
time.
but, other than that,
never could, I've always
struggled to get inside the top
[RAY]: I guess it was like '87.
They had it at Strokers for a
couple of years.
I think Country Calvin and Jerry
Prado won those two.
Strokers was a short-lived deal.
That was, uh,
Joe Abraham and a guy named Coy
opened that, and, Bo-, uh,
a guy named Bob Wincher was the,
was the manager for them.
Strokers was killer, man. Um,
They had two nine footers as you
walked in the door
and then a load of four by
eights. Couple of bar tables.
But again, 24/7. A little nicer
than, uh, Austin Cue Club.
It was, uh, my home away from
home.
And then Eric's became the hot
spot and everything moved there.
That's when the Texas Open
went to 9-foot tables.
All the previous ones were 8-
footers.
Well, it kind of dwindled down
at Eric's.
I don't know what all the
reasoning was, but I know the
numbers were dropping
and it got pretty bad and then
they decided
they, didn't even, wasn't
gonna have it anymore.
And that's when you guys picked
it up at G Cue.
It flourished. It flourished at
G Cue.
And became, even, bigger than it
was at
and became, to this day at
Skinny Bob's, which is formerly
G Cue
It's as big as it's ever been.
Bigger than it's ever been.
In the old days it was more of a
regional gig, I guess.
you know, Oklahoma, West Texas.
They brought all their little
clans together.
Now it's more, I think it's
turning into more a pro
tournament,
you know, I mean, if you're a
shortstop and you get in,
you're just probably hoping to
cash, that'll be successful.
'Cause you know you're not gonna
beat Dennis Orcollo, Shane Van
Boening.
All that, go through all of
them. You might get
lucky and knock one off.
You know, back in the old Texas
Opens
every year you would get a
couple of those marquee players
from Mexico or one from back
East, and
they would always be up there in
the final four,
and it was cool to get to see
'em 'cause you've never seen
them play before.
Now you got, 40 of those.
I went to California and I won
California three times.
Californians are arrogant.
So I went over there and pounded
on 'em,
but I could never win Texas.
I came in second twice,
third twice, 5th twice,
probably 4th once, I don't know,
but I could never win it.
I try to come every year. I
really enjoy the event and
it's, uh, It's nice down here,
so
you know, I like to support the
events that I actually I enjoy.
and, uh, this is definitely one
of them, so I try to come
every year.
It's now the, you know, longest
continuous tournament in the
country.
And that's, uh, you know, we're
proud of that here in Texas.
You can see at the list of
winners,
are-are a great list of winners.
Probably the biggest pool state
there is.
And you know, just kind of, the
US Open's my favorite event, um
you know, the Texas Open, being
a Texan's
right there with it, you know
what I mean? So,
It's just kind of like in my
blood.
Oh,
What is a Mexican boxer?
You know what I mean? It's,
it's everything, it's
Pride. Pride.
If, uh, if I can sum up, being a
Texan in one word,
Pride. Absolutely.
Great, great Grandpa got a land
grant from the Republic of
Texas, so
our family's been here for a
long time.
We're proud of our heritage.
We like to have fun.
Willie Nelson. Cold beer.
Uh, We love pool. We love our
playing.
You know, all the different
forms of pool.
Uh. Cold beer. You know,
gotta have some cold beer,
especially when you're younger
and
doing all the things young
people do.
Wonderful place. Best place on
Earth for a pool player.
In the United States, I've been
to, probably, like,
eighty percent of 'em.
I like Texas the most.
That could be because I was
raised here, but
I love, I love Texas.
We're a proud group, I feel
like. Um,
There's... a...
sense of, like, politeness
within the community, I feel
like.
you know, being a Texan, but
then, also being tough as well.
I've never really been that
homer, like, when it comes to
sports or otherwise, but like,
I'm, I'm proud to say I'm from
Texas. For sure.
I'm very proud to be a Texan.
We recently hired a new
advertising agency for
Garrison Brothers
When they asked us
what the brand identity needs to
be,
I said, "Swagger".
'Cause we're Texans, and we've
got Swagger.
I think it's fair to say Texas
is the biggest pool state, I
would think. Um,
with tournaments, leagues, uh,
pool halls in general, maybe.
There's something about the, the
state.
Kind of an independence.
I don't know.
They're, they're proud to be
Texan.
You know, just to be a part of
the bragging rights. You know,
we're the biggest.
We-we're the best this, we're
the best that, you know.
My wife's a native Austinite.
My kids are all born here, so I
guess I'm a Texan.
[LAUGHS]
You know, every- everywhere I
go, when they ask where you're
from,
You know, and sometimes I'm with
someone else.
Well, when I say Texas, well,
you know, the other person
might say Missouri
You know, [LAUGH] whatever, and
I say Texas and,
you know, it might be in Spain.
Ohh, Texas,
you know, like, you know, it's
just known.
Pool generally is thought to
have perhaps be invented by the
French. 15th century.
Somewhere around there. It was
played by nobility.
Came about sort of
simultaneously with sort of the
great power conflicts of that
era, right.
The French and the Spaniards and
the English.
When the Colonialists came over
to the United States, they
brought pool with them.
George Washington was said to
have won a pool match.
There was a pool table
in the White House.
Thomas Jefferson had a pool
table in Monticello.
During the very founding of our
country in the 1700s, pool
existed.
There's a thought that the
Spaniards brought pool over to
the new World in Florida. But,
we do know, for a fact, for an
absolute fact, that pool
was being played in Mexico.
Mexico, of course, was a Spanish
territory, uh, before it gained
its independence.
Texas gained its independence
from Mexico in-in 1836
It became a state in 1845, in
December.
There is a reference to pool in
the journalistic record in
Texas, five months after
Texas became a state.
So, we do know that, from the
very founding of Texas, pool was
here.
Emperor Maximilian, of Mexico,
when he came to his palace in
Mexico City,
apparently the palace wasn't
quite prepared yet,
had to sleep on the pool table.
So, we know for a fact
pool was also part of our
Southern tradition South of the
border, just as it came
uh, from, you know, the Northern
powers.
A lot of the first pool tables
in the United States
were, uh, created by English,
uh, and Dutch
cabinet makers, and they were
really fantastic pool tables.
But, we also know that pool was
coming up from the South.
We do know that.
If you drive out West. If you go
out to Langtree. Texas,
which is, um, where Judge Roy
Bean held his famous court.
Uh, you can go out to Langtree,
Texas
and see the pool table, at least
the remains of the pool table,
that Judge Roy Bean used to play
pool on.
It's been part of Texas culture
since as long as we've had a
state,
it's been part of Texas culture
before, um,
you know, when we were part of
Mexico, certainly,
and, um, It's been here for a
very long time. So,
Yeah, it's a part of, part of
who we are, I think.
In pure delight
[SPANISH TRUMPETS]
Vamos a bailar en el cielo,
tan claro
Alegra y amor en este rincn
tejano
We gather 'round with friends,
laughter in the air. Strumming
Lot of respect for Bob Vanover.
Probably the best Texas player
of all time.
The way he carried himself, was
like a true gentleman.
The way he dressed, the way he
walked, the way he talked.
[NICK]: Well, I met him the
first time
there was a world straight pool
tournament that Irving Crane won
in Toledo, Ohio.
I drew him like his first match,
and I beat him, and I thought,
this is
just some rich businessman,
'cause he didn't play very good,
and
and he was real nervous, and,
uh,
I noticed a rack or two later,
he ran like 100 or something on
somebody. I said,
"Who is this guy?" [LAUGHS]
And turned out, he was the real
McCoy.
We were probably all lucky that
he only played once in a while.
He didn't play full-time.
I remember one guy thought he
was like a rich sucker, but he
evidently didn't pay
attention,
'cause he followed him all the
way to Texas to his
detriment. He-he ended up, uh,
[CLEARS THROAT]
on the short end of the stick,
so to speak, and [LAUGHS]
First of all, the best pool
player is Bob Vanover.
Any game straight pool, 9-ball,
um,
Not only was Bob Vanover a great
player, he was a great guy,
a-and that, that helped pool in
Texas.
Um, you just never seen him get
out of line.
Bob was, um,
not only a great player, but
also such a great person.
He, um, he was so humble. He was
so, uh, kind to everyone.
And even sometimes when he beat
someone by badly, he was
treating him so kind, that, uh,
you really feel very comfortable
losing to Bob. [LAUGHS]
He was pretty much kept to
himself,
but, as a player, he was a real
nice guy, too. He was real,
real sedate,
but, man, on that pool table, he
was a freaking demon.
If he had his choice, you
wouldn't get to play at all.
He and I were good friends. We
lived seven or eight miles from
each other.
I remember playing at his house.
He and I were playing straight
pool.
It must have been the holidays.
Five-year-olds and eight-year
olds and they're running all
around the table,
and they're running in and out
of the tables, and Bob ran 100.
Kids running through his legs
and running underneath the
table.
It didn't matter. He had, you
know, a level of concentration,
I guess.
Beyond, most of us.
He was very disciplined in
practice.
Every night Bob would come home
from work.
Before long he was in there
setting up a break shot and
hitting balls,
and his goal was to try to run
100 balls every night.
He just showed up to play.
You know, you just never seen
the guy really like
go over there and slump in his
chair and feel sorry for-
he got ready to try to get up
and run the next rack. [LAUGHS]
Had them glasses on and he'd go
like that and you knew you was
in trouble.
[LAUGHS]
Well, you gotta go through Bob
Vanover.
You really have to play good and
not make any mistakes or
you just wasn't going to beat
Bob Vanover.
For a guy that worked full-time
and stuff, it's unbelievable how
good he played.
I always loved Bob a lot. Uh,
Another one that just turned it
on and became a real big
competitor
'Cause he, you know, he worked
full-time.
You know, family man.
Of course probably had outside
interest other than pool, I
would guess, just knowing Bob.
[LIZARD]: I liked the way Bob
Vanover played. Me and him
got along just fine. I mean,
Uh, you know, he was a
corporate guy, you know, and
most corporate guys, I don't
even talk to, but
him, he was a little different.
He was in charge, at the time,
they had five, uh,
Haverty furniture stores in
Dallas and, uh,
and, he was one of the main
buyers for those.
Vanover had an advantage over
us.
He broke the balls better than
anybody else because he really
understood pool
in the aspect that he realized
that the break was the, the
major shot of the game.
And, he was a big guy and he
could really,
he really practiced the break,
and he knew how to break.
He probably practiced breaking
balls over and over and over
again.
Bob played good. He was a good
player.
He was about as good a player as
there was in Dallas.
Around Dallas.
We played a lot of the
tournaments there at the Texas
Open.
The way he played the game and,
he was so smart.
You know, which made it easier
for him to compete without
having to play all the time, but
Uh, to have the results and, you
know, I kind of felt it was kind
of special to
in my- in '94 I beat him in the
final there. Hahaha. So I was
pretty happy for that, you know.
I guess the only player that
ever run out the whole, ra-uh,
session in the finals.
I think he ran nine and out or
something, uh, the guy, uh,
never got to shoot.
Uh, he, he ran nine and out.
That's a record. I'm sure it
still holds. [LAUGHS]
They had about, four or five of
us
volunteer to rack the balls for
the players, as opposed to, uh,
having the players rack their
own balls, back then.
I had the pleasure of racking
the balls for Bob when he ran
nine consecutive racks.
He was playing Steve Smith
and Steve broke and didn't make
anything, and that was it.
Bob ran nine racks and out.
[LIZARD]: Alright, we're at
Moyers, and I looked at him and
I said,
"Bob you and I neither one of us
played very good that set. Let's
show them we can really play."
"Up your game, you know? Let's
come with it."
And, uh, he came with it.
So when he would break, it
sounded like a shotgun going
off, with the [SMACK] corner
the, the wing ball going
straight in.
But I couldn't stop it and I
couldn't do anything about it,
so I just took it like a man.
Didn't care a lot for it, but
that's the way it is.
Bob Vanover was a great
tournament player. He really
was.
He understood how to win in
tournaments.
He made no mistakes and he broke
real good.
And I'm not knocking Bob Vanover
at all. He knew what he was
doing.
OK, so he did it, y-you know.
And, like I say,
I think it was, I, [SIGH]
It's ok. It didn't really
bother me.
Really.
Everybody else put more
precedence on it than I did.
You know, nine and out, that's
That's about, boy, that's
perfect, you know, and that
doesn't happen very often.
He beat me one time. I won the
winners bracket. I think this
was in '95.
They were playing the Scotch
doubles tournament too, and it
was dragging on a little bit
and they wanted to play and I
say, "hey,
"whenever y'all want to do the
match, it's fine with me."
So they agreed to finish the
Scotch Doubles and I was like,
all right.
This guy's 70 or pretty up there
in age. He's going to be tired
by the time we play.
Well, he double dipped me 9-2,
9-1.
So much for that theory.
Back then, they played the
ladies and the men's final at
the same time at Eric's,
and so, Vivian and Belinda, of
course, are playing in the
Ladies final,
just like it seemed like every
year.
And Bob, come over to me and,
you know, he wished me good
luck, and,
You know, I knew him, but I
didn't know him real well. And,
uh,
I knew him much more the next
few years, but
He said, "Yeah, Jeremy",
"I just seem to play real well
and seem to get all the rolls in
these finals. I don't know what
it is.'
This before we started, right?
[LAUGHS] So,
You know, I took that. I was
like, OK,
I didn't let it really, I was
pretty
uh, you couldn't bother
me too much back then anyways,
but uh,
So, I can't, I think it was
Belinda heard, you know, what he
said
and she came over and in so many
words said.
"Don't fall for that Jeremy."
[LAUGHS]
"He's trying to mess with your
head."
[LAUGHS]
"You just play your game and
you'll be just fine."
"Hey, go out there and
shoot him full of holes," you
know. So, haha, eh
It was a good deal. And I, I
did. I played real well and, and
uh,
Bob didn't really make a
mistake, he just didn't have
much, much of a chance.
If there's an open table he was
usually over there running
balls.
[LAUGHS] You know, I seen him at
G Cue
one time, and he practices just
like he plays in the tournament, man.
He's bearing down over there.
He's not over there, just
hitting balls around.
Fierce competitor, man. I mean,
guy's just pure talent, ran out
from
everywhere and he was hardcore.
He didn't feel sorry for nobody.
If some, some old lady was in
the tournament. I guarantee he
was trying to put a nine on her.
[LAUGHS] You know, he, uh, he,
he was just a fierce
competitor.
For years, there was no trophy
at the Texas Open.
but when it made the move over
to G Cues,
the owners there decided to
introduce a championship trophy
and they named it,
unsurprisingly, after Bob
Vanover.
The Vanover Cup was first
introduced to the Texas Open in
2001, and,
to choose Bob Vanover as the
namesake was such an easy choice
because of the greatness of Bob
at this tournament, but also
for what he's meant to Texas
pool, Texas billiards.
I think that is so special and,
um,
that was a great way to honor
his incredible run in that
tournament.
Sorry, I feel, a little teary-
eyed here.
Yeah, I think having that trophy
named after him was just a great
way to honor all of his
accomplishments as a Texas pool
player.
When the Vanover Cup came about,
that tournament had moved I
believe up to Round Rock.
And, I think if there was
anything disappointing from
the years of, of following Bob
playing pool was that
when his game diminished and he
couldn't win, he just didn't
want to be around pool.
[RALPH ECKERT]: The very end of
his career, I noticed
the, the recognition he got from
all the other players. Then I
found out also that he
used to play also privately some
of the best players at that
time,
and he was beating them badly.
You see his name all over the
place here in Texas, and you
just hear about him, and
he's kind of like a ghost in a
lot of aspects.
It's hard to find history. You
know, we don't have
um, proper avenues to be able
to find things like you would
Cooperstown in baseball and
things like that. So,
Um, there's a void there and you
lose great guys within the sport
like a Bob.
Should Bob Vanover be in the
Hall of Fame?
Yes. If- he should be.
If you go back in any
publication from, say 1975 'til
Bob passed away.
Every tournament Bob either won,
or took second.
Um, even with the Steve Mizarak
senior tour Bob won it five out
of six years.
Yes, he should be in a Hall of
Fame. I don't think anybody's
ever nominated him.
[RANDY]: Who we got with us?
[KEVIN]: Just me and you, man.
I've actually
started the ball rolling a
little bit on forming the
Billiards Hall of Fame for
Texas.
[RANDY]: I-I put a lot of notes
down after you and I talked
about, uh,
what I would like to see started
here
[RANDY]: and how it should
operate.
[RANDY]: What were your ...what
are your thoughts?
There's all kinds of different
stuff that we could do
with the Hall of Fame and use it
to grow the sport within the the
borders of the state.
Let's talk about secretary.
[RANDY]: I've got two people in
mind,
[RANDY]: that are both executive
type women.
I work with one woman and I
worked with the other one for
years
and they kept everything
straight.
Well, that's the important part
of being a secretary. [LAUGHS]
- [RANDY]:
- Well, we talked about
like 10 subjects and, and
I forgot sometimes what you said
or I said.
- [KEVIN]:
- Yeah.
[RANDY]: So, who did you have in
mind?
Yeah, I don't know about
secretary, but for sure, like,
treasurer,
- [RANDY]:
- Yeah?
- [KEVIN]:
- The first person I
thought of was Paul Guernsey.
- [RANDY]:
- Wow. What a great
choice. As honest as the day is
long, and,
[RANDY]:corporate-wise knows, I
mean, God, he built a hundred
restaurants.
You get a hold of Guernsey,
present it to him, and I'll get
a hold of Stacy and
- [RANDY]:
- I'll present it to
them. Nice job, Kevin.
[RANDY]: I like this. We'll get
going.
[RANDY]: You know, once we get
three people, we don't sound
like me and you being idiots.
[KEVIN]: Haha. Ok, buddy,
appreciate it.
The first time we met, I was
playing in a tournament
at Slick Willies, and we were
introduced,
but, I'd already noticed her,
'cause, I mean, she was, you
know, beautiful and stunning.
We met, and I was busy with the
tournament.
and so I stayed focused on that.
Our first talk was very short.
The next time we've seen each
other, we started, uh, hitting
it off a lot more
and hitting each other up, uh,
you know, we passed phone
numbers and
became friends on Facebook, and
then started, um, going places
together.
[JUNIOR]: How did I know she was
the one?
- [BATROP]:
- He was in love with
her. He was head over heals.
[JUNIOR]: Yes, definitely.
[BASTROP]: He was hopeless.
[BASTROP]: She had him.
[JUNIOR]: Yeah, she definitely
had me.
- [BASTROP]:
- Hahaha. She had him. I
mean, he, I mean, uh, he was a,
he was a goner.
[JUNIOR]: [LAUGH] That's for
sure.
[BASTROP]: So.
That, that is for sure, but, um
You know, I didn't even have to
to ask her, to marry me.
Whenever... we first met
when she went home, she was, at
first, when we first met she was
living with her mother for a
short period of time.
She went home and she told her
mom,
"I met the man that I'm gonna
marry today."
She told her mother that the
first day that she met me.
That's a true story.
[JUNIOR]: We were going there
for the, um,
National, uh, North
American 8-Ball Championships
for BCA.
[BASTROP]: BCA Nationals.
[JUNIOR]: BCA Nationals.
Well, I mean, I think it's also
North American 8-Ball
championship.
[JUNIOR]: Anyway, um.
[BASTROP]: Maybe now.
[JUNIOR]: [CLEARS THROAT]
[JUNIOR]: Well, ok.
[JUNIOR]: I ain't got a first
place, like you. I got, I got a
third place.
[JUNIOR]: Third place master-
men's masters, out there.
[JUNIOR]: But, um,
we knew we were going out there
in the time frame
and, uh, we knew all of our
friends in pool, who support us,
uh, would be there, so, we
figured, you know, it'd be a
good
time to have a wedding and, we
could have a, um,
like a pool-themed wedding, all
of our pool friends there.
[BASTROP]: It was probably one
of my best days, you know,
to do that. 'Cause it was
awesome, the wedding,
You know, I'm playing in the
master's division and, uh,
I go out there. It was
awesome. They had all the-uh,
ton of the pool world was
there
and they all put their sticks
together and crossed their
sticks. You know, one on each
side and
formed a tunnel. And so they go
up to the tunnel and then the
wedding was there.
I mean, it was. It was really
very cool. You know, all his
friends there
then they, you know, had the
wedding and then they go back
through the tunnel of sticks,
and uh,
And then, I had to go back in,
and play the finals in the
Masters, and I won that.
I, and I won the masters
division, right after the
wedding, right?
And then I took them out to eat.
He doesn't even remember that.
[JUNIOR]: [LAUGHS]
[BASTROP]: I took him to eat,
but, uh, you know,
a bunch of us went to eat and I
took, well I took him and you
know, him and Emma and we ate
Went to the Veni-Venitcian.
And I entered a two hund- their
weekly $200 poker tournament,
and I won that.
[BASTROP]: So, all-in-all, that
day
you know, my son got married. I
mean, it was amazing.
You know, and then I win the
masters division and then I win
a poker tournament and uh
It, it was really one of the,
you know,
It was... a day that, you know,
I think about when I think
about, you know, my good days,
you know.
[JUNIOR]: She was due on 11/11,
but, they induced her two weeks
early.
I remember, saying right when,
he was being born quoting the
guy from UFC.
"It's TIME!"
Or one of those, but I like, I
like, you know, yelled It out
loud, you know, like
chanted it out, you know, just
like the announcer, 'cause, you
know,
My child was coming.
That was... October 28, 2014.
Very exciting day. Yep.
Becoming a father.
Gambling definitely has a place
in pool.
You look at the history of the
sport. It's gone hand-in-hand
with Calcutta's
and side-games and side-
hustles, and all that.
You know, that adds the
character to billiards.
But to, forget about the roots
it has with gambling
it, it just adds an element that
you don't find in other sports.
The part that I really can't
stand is when people are arguing
over,
you know, a handicap or trying
to figure out which game they're
going to play,
and it ends up being like this
big scene,
I would say I'm more of the
tournament player, but
I mean, I like the gambling side
of it too. It's you know, it's a
lot of fun and it's
you only got to play one match
to try to make some money, but,
I enjoy the tournaments. It's a
lot harder to win
eight matches to win the, win
the money than to win one, so
The competition in pool is
really what
keeps me going. I like it. It's
always different. There's never
anything the same.
I've had a lot of gambling
stories. I've always
loved to gamble, you know. I
like the competitiveness and
chasing, you know, the big
dollars.
The first time I actually played
for money in Austin, was at
Webb's.
Arkansas was playing Texas in
the Cotton Bowl.
And a gentleman came in and
wanted to play 6-ball.
So, all the locals, the regulars
were watching the game, and
nobody wanted to play this guy.
So I begged my dad for $2.00.
He wouldn't give it to me.
Begged him again for $2.00.
He would not give it to me.
On the third beg he gave it to
me.
So, I played the guy for fifty
cents a game and beat him out of
seventy-five dollars.
I was 150 games ahead... at
fifty cents a game.
We had a guy come over every
Sunday.
We'd kick it off for 5, 10 or
20,000.
We'd just kick it off at that.
I had a backer that was,
He'd put a bet under their ass.
I'll tell you. [LAUGHS]
A lot of guys liked to come to
my place and play because they
liked the table that I had
there.
A good table.
They'd compliment me on it, too.
None of them ever won, but
they'd compliment me on how good
the table was.
And of course, there were the
guys that would say,
"well, we're gambling here" and
I said, "what, my money's not
green?"
I'd go in the bars and I was
playing pool, uh,
and Bill Clinton and Roger
Clinton were sitting there
watching me play.
I look over and I see these two
Secret Service guys sitting
there.
I said, "what are you guys
doing, just sitting around?"
But I knew who they were, right?
And they said, "what do
you do?"
I said, "well, I'm a pool
hustler."
I said, "you see that guy over
there? That's Cal Partee. He's
the leading horse trainer
in Arkansas."
"You see that guy? That's his
sucker, right? They play for a
hundred a game."
"Well, I beat Cal out out of
100, but he beats him out of
100."
"So I win $1000 to pay my rent
so I can live on the lake over
there on Lake Hamilton "
"and hang around Arkansas, enjoy
your beautiful state for a
month."
And he goes, "you do what?"
I said, "I'm a pool hustler."
And he says,
"well, you ought to
take on a new profession."
And I said, "like what, sitting
around watching other people
live their lives?"
And one of them jumps out of his
chair. The other guy goes,
He told him to sit down. He
goes, "he's just -ing with
us. None of this is true."
And it was absolutely the truth.
100 percent.
A guy set up a game with me and
Fats
when I was real young, and, and
anyway, we went over there and,
anyway,
Fats, he was showing us his
scrapbook with all the movie
stars,
pictures with the movie stars
and stuff and
the guy I was with had been
gambling with him for many, many
years,
he said, uh, "Fats, we didn't
come over here to look at your
scrapbook."
"We came over here to bust you."
[LAUGHS]
Well, to tell you the truth, I
got staked by the cook there
Ted. He was a character in
himself.
He said, "come on, play that
ring game, man" It was for $20
a man, like six-handed.
I win the first four games in a
row, right?
I lose one. I win another game.
I lose the next one and, and Ted
quits. He pulls me up.
He had enough money to pay his
rent.
[LAUGHING] So he, so he,
I, I win, uh, what? Four out of,
five out of six games and he
pulls me up. [LAUGHS]
And they wouldn't let me play
the next day.
[LAUGHS] They, they said I
should have kept on playing with
my part of the money.
I was playing pool with a guy
named Mike.
We're playing 9-ball and 6-ball
for $50 a game.
And I'd been playing him daily,
or weekly for months.
There was a, a bouncer there
watching. There were eight or
ten people watching.
And, I missed the ball on
purpose and broke the bar stick.
and the, uh, bouncer came over
and he said, "that's $10.00 for
a br-broken cue."
We were playing with $50.00
bills. I said, "well, pshhh,
give me $50 worth."
And, he, he took the 50. I went
over to the rack and broke four
more cues. [LAUGHS]
And he goes. "That's enough!"
[CHUCKLES]
We ended up playing, you know,
four or five more times.
I ended up, I won $6,000 and a
Toyota Celica.
In, in Europe it's a little bit
more like, you want to show how
good you are.
In America, you try to hide your
real speed a little
bit, to get more games.
One time we're on the road,
we're going to, uh, driving to
Las Vegas.
I was still living in Kentucky,
so it was a long drive.
But I went with a couple of
buddies, and
My buddy was a good pool player,
but he, um,
He didn't know how to stall.
He couldn't, he couldn't hold
back.
And the guys we were playing
couldn't play. I mean, they
just couldn't play.
So I'm going, I'm like, OK, man,
don't worry about it. I got it.
I'm over there. I'm having to
act like,
Can't make a good bridge. I'm
having to miss balls and all
this,
and he's over here making the
balls. I'm like,
man, uh, this is probably
backwards.
They're going to know me before
you anyway,
so I, I'm probably the one that
should be making more balls,
but it's OK. He just couldn't do
it.
I played, uh, this guy in, in
Tennessee. We started out for a
thousand a set.
We had escalated and I was big
winner and I'm betting on the
side, and
and I'm giving this guy the
call-8 now. Real good player.
His name is Mark Owens.
So we're racing to 15 and it's
9-8 me and I missed the eight
and I hang it
and he makes it and he breaks
and runs five racks.
So he's up 14-9.
So, we only started out playing
for a thousand a set.
He breaks the balls and he makes
a ball, and he's got the 4-9
wired over the spot.
And the guy that's staking him
is sitting in a chair,
right where the nine's wired,
right in that, behind that
corner pocket.
No one else is sitting near the
table.
So me and my buddy see that the
nine's wired, and we only got
about eight thousand left.
You know, in our pocket, but we
brought like 15, 20 thousand.
It just so happened it's
a lot of it's in play, you know.
You can't really lower the bet,
especially being on the road.
They're going to know that
you're short on money, you know.
Anyways, he knocked a tough one
ball in and a tough three ball.
He made the two on the break.
And, he could have just tapped
the four-nine. I mean just
tapped it and it would've rolled
in.
And, he was just the type of guy
liked to fire it in on you, you
know?
And he warped it in there and
it swirled around a fake drop
pocket and it flew back out on
the table.
It went down in the pocket flew
back out almost to the spot.
So, the guy that's staking him
gets up off the chair to get the
money
'cause he can see the
balls dead, you know what I
mean? He ain't no dummy.
And, uh, as soon as that ball
goes down, he just gets up to
get that money and it flies back
out on the table.
And I said, "Man, Frank."
I said, "Frank, the 9's on the
table." He says, "Woah, I'm
sorry."
Like, like, he's about 70 years
old. Wore big old thick glasses.
So, long story short, I play
safe on the four and he
never pockets another ball the
whole set.
and I beat him 15 to 14.
So, now he's pretty upset, the
player is, you know.
So, he wants to quit for the
night.
Frank says, "Come back the next
day. We'll play you some more."
So we go back the next day and I
beat him two or three sets for
like 3500 a set. We start out.
So he wants to practice a little
bit. So, Frank's sitting in
that chair.
And so we take a break and he's
hitting balls and he rifles the
ball in that corner pocket.
Hits Frank. Comes off the table.
In that same pocket. Hits Frank
dead in the eye.
Glasses break. Blood goes
everywhere.
We never played again. He went
straight to the hospital. Game
was done.
Still to this day, people walk
up to me
and they'll say "I was at Hawks
Billiards when that nine ball
flew out of the hole."
For like 20,000 it went down in
the pocket, swirled around and
come back out.
Never seen anything like it.
Well, I, I liked playing Wade
Crane 'cause he was always
one of those guys that thought
he was the best player and
everything.
He never beat me in his life.
He's a good guy, though. A
decent guy.
The longer we played, the better
I'd play and the worse he'd
play.
And it got to where it wasn't
much fun for him.
But it was a lot of fun for me.
And he makes statements like,
"well, I love that. I love
this."
He didn't love it too much. He
got his ass dusted. [LAUGHS]
[GILBERT]: In, I believe it was
'90 they were going to have the,
uh,
BCA National Championships in
Louisville, Kentucky.
Our sponsor, at the time,
'Gentleman' Mike Jackson, had a
team put together, Jackson's All
Stars.
So he suggested to David and I
that we leave maybe a couple of
weeks early
'cause there was a tournament in
Lexington.
So we thought, well, Lexington.
Louisville. That's not too far.
So we went up there and, uh, we
get to the town,
look in the phone book, tear
that yellow page out of the
phone book and didn't see this
place.
So now we locate a pool room,
Steepleton Billiards,
and go in there and ask about
this tournament they're having
in this city over the weekend.
And they gave us these strange
looks and said, "man, I believe
y'all are lost."
"Well, this is Lexington." He
says. "yeah, but there's not a
place called that."
So I called, went and got some
quarters.
Went to the pay phone and called
Mike Jackson.
I said, "Mike, nobody's ever
heard of this place."
He said, "I've got the flyer out
in the car." He said, "let me go
get it."
He comes back on the phone and
he says, uh,
"Oh," He's laughing. He says,
"oh, I'm sorry."
"The tournament's in Lexington,
Nebraska, not Lexington,
Kentuky."
So David and I went on a road
trip and went to the wrong
state.
You had to perform or, or, not
eat.
Right? So, and we were able to
cover our nut, and
go where we wanted to, eat what
we wanted to, drink what we
wanted to
play where we wanted to, for a
couple of years. It was a lot
of fun.
[MUSIC]
Do you feel the rush [you feel
the rush] when I'm with you
Do you feel the heat [you feel
the heat] when we're breaking
through?
Do you feel alive in every
single breath?
Do you feel the love, living
life with no regrets?
Buddy Hall. Cecil Hall.
I was Buddy.
Everybody knew me as Buddy.
That's the name my dad gave me.
I was his little buddy.
You know, I was born right on a
riverboat.
Lived on the river. Every day I
wake up, I had a new yard.
Different yard, every time.
I didn't like that. My dad done
that, his whole life.
It killed him.
Wasn't, wasn't much
to the river life.
But, I was raised on the river.
I was twelve years old. I went
to a place, uh, a guy across the
street at a malt shop.
His name was Eddie Taylor.
He owned the malt shop. I was
twelve years old.
He had a little pool table back
in the back. A bumper table.
And I go back there and play
with him. It cost us a dime to
play.
And that's where I started
playing pool, on a bumper table.
He owned the joint and I I'd
visit with him and we'd go back
and play pool and
he liked playing pool with me.
I'd, I'd contest him.
I was twelve years old. I'd test
his ass. [LAUGHS]
Had to be 16 at that time to go
to a pool room in Metropolis.
It ain't that way now.
I lied about my age.
When I was 15 I went and got me
a phony birth certificate said I
was 16,
and played pool, in the pool
room.
Yeah, funny guy. Great
attitude. Except when you're
playing him.
He wasn't so nice when you were
playing him,
[LAUGH]
but, off the table, they don't
come any better.
Buddy Hall was my idol.
I saw buddy Hall play pool in
Houston in 1978, at a place
called Grand Central Station.
And there was a gentleman
playing on the back table, a
real tall guy playing a real
short guy.
And the guy I was with he says,
"grab you something to drink and
sit over and watch that
gentleman play pool."
"That's Buddy Hall."
And the gentleman he was playing
was getting a handicap.
He was getting the seven.
Buddy Hall, won the last game
that I saw played.
And the gentleman quit and he
says, "Buddy, This seven ball is
not enough... I quit."
Buddy looked at him and says,
"well, I'll tell you what,"
"I'll play you right-handed and
spot you more. I'll give you the
six ball."
I'm sitting there thinking to
myself, well this guy just
played flawless
pool left-handed and he's not
even left-handed.
From that point forward, he
became my idol.
Everybody got a nickname.
If you ain't got a nickname, you
ain't got no name.
Back in the 70s, when I met
Buddy, he was wearing actually
cowboy boots, you know.
He was like The Rifleman. They
gave him that nickname, I
guess, and
He could really play pool. He
was very serious about his
game.
I think they called him The
Rifleman for good, good reason,
man. He was an eagle eye.
When he was shooting pool, he
was a really, really fantastic
player.
I had The Rifleman was a
nickname of mine.
I shot straight man.
I was a straight shooter.
I went to the tournaments and
they'd say he shot straight like
The Rifleman.
And the, and the name stuck.
I always took a liking to Buddy
Hall. He moved to Houston.
Lost a few dollars playing him
some cheap pool every time I
could.
You know, just the way he would
turn it on when he was in a
match.
You know, Buddy'd be over there,
you know, laughing and giggling
and
you know, eating a chicken fried
steak or whatever else,
you know, and having a good
time. And then when they called
his match,
it was like, man, that's a
totally different guy.
Kind of hard to say anybody can
play better than Buddy Hall, in
his prime.
Amazing player. He's like one of
the great-greatest American
players of all-time.
I really enjoyed watching him
play when he came and he won it.
I think he won it in like, '98
or something.
His delivery is deliberate,
and smooth.
Like, it never looked like
he tried to force it. You
know, like he smoothed it
around.
Well, phuuu, Buddy. Oh my
gosh. His stroke is just
and it's like, he shoots the
same speed all the time.
He never has to shoot like too
hard or too soft.
His acceleration was so, pure
that his tip would stay on the
ball, on the cue ball a lot
longer than most players.
It was, he, it was. He was
beautiful to watch. Oh, I loved
Buddy's game.
One of the greatest, ever, um,
9-ball players, and
and I got to grow up, same area.
10-minutes from him, really.
He was an all-around player.
He,
shot-making phenomenal.
Banking, phenomenal.
Safety play, real good.
Kicking game good.
He was, um, he was something
else.
Yeah, I loved his game. I loved
his, uh, precise position.
Everything, was like this.
Buddy Hall. It was like getting
run over by a freight train.
It was like, you were the loc,
he was like a locomotive.
and the locomotive is doing like
2-miles an hour, and it's going
Chong. Chong, Ch...
And he steadily makes them balls
and they go, pop
Perfect angle. Pop. Perfect
angle. It was like, Chshhhh.
And it would just never change.
It was like being hit by a
train.
It was BRUTAL!
Buddy Hall, great player.
Playing him in tournaments, or
for cash,
now that's like a nightmare,
isn't it?
[LAUGHS]
I'd done all of it pretty good,
but I hit the pocket really
good.
I hit the pocket good.
But I played, I played the game
good.
I knew how to play safe and
stuff like that, early. I
learned how to play it early.
[NICK]: He told me one time he
won eight tournaments.
He said he won all eight
tournaments
and he used a different cue
every week.
[LAUGHS] That's pretty strong.
Well, I was a gambling sum'bitch
and I could play tournaments.
I was a tournament player and I
gambled heads-up with about
anybody wanted to play.
I had both of those in my
repertoire.
I played good pool.
I played tournaments, and I
gambled.
He had a standing deal where he
played,
Uh, he would play anybod-
anybody can come in there and
play him $1000 set.
Which was a lot of money back
then, you know, a thous-
I mean, it didn't matter it who
it was. They automatically could
play him a $1000 set.
I never really got to see him
match up. I mean, I mean, it was
very hard for him to get a game.
He offered the world the seven
ball back then at one point and
Um, not very many people came
and tried it.
But, um, yeah, he was just an
amazing player.
It was cool to get to grow up in
the the same area as him and get
to see him practice.
And, actually I've gotten to
share the table with him.
It's definitely cool being from
around the same area as a
legend,
and, hopefully, you know, I can
be a legend too out of the same
area. That'd be cool.
I'm getting old. Hell, I'm 78
years old.
Cute, but 78.
It is what it is, brother. It
is what it is.
[NICK] He's one of the greatest
that ever lived, uh, I don't
think, uh,
I don't think anybody played
much better 9-ball than he did.
I had an interesting life.
Some things were good, and some
things, wasn't so good.
But, all-in-all, I'd say I had a
pretty good life.
Well, I won, I-I became the best
player in the world.
By myself.
It was good times and bad times.
More good times than bad times.
I won more than I lost.
She went shopping for groceries.
I stayed at home and watched
James. He was only 10 months
old.
We laid on the couch and watched
Dumb and Dumber 2, and, went to
bed.
[SAD MUSIC]
Then I woke up.
It was probably 4 AM.
She was making a noise, but
wasn't there.
I called 911 and
[DEEP SIGH]
I tried to give her mouth to
mouth, but, they told me not to
do that,
that I needed to give her chest
compressions.
I did that until the ambulance
just showed up.
And, they, they couldn't, they
couldn't help her.
Very, very
very hard to even remember. You
know, to think about it.
Somewhere at the end of
September or October, I guess
two years and four or
five months ago,
I had a seizure that put me in a
coma from, uh, the fall.
Five years ago is when it
started, but, we didn't find out
what it was
for the first, like, year or
two.
Like I thought I was just
passing out.
Like I'd wake up on the ground
and I thought I had just
passed out so I wouldn't tell
nobody, 'cause it happened in
the morning.
They said that, I came down and
then apparently I had a
seizure somewhere down here.
They don't really even know
where, or what I even hit my
head against.
'Cause it had to have been
something hard.
I started bleeding and I went
back up to my room.
And there's handprints on the
handrail going up the stairs.
And me into my bed.
To be honest, I'm not really
sure how it unfolded, you know,
but they
called an ambulance, and took me
to the, Saint David's, basically
to the operation room.
They had to, operate. Take off
part of my skull to release the
pressure.
And, they didn't know if I was
going to have full mental
capacity, or
if I lose control of, uh, half
my body or, they didn't know
'cause it was, it had to do
with the brain.
Like if I was ever going to up
up the stairs,
I had to put on a, uh, a belt
and have someone help carry me
up the stairs.
So, I, uh, basically stayed
right here next to my pool table
for four months,
going very, very seldom up the
stairs, and I didn't hit a pool
ball
because I was so scared, like,
half my skull was missing.
Like, I had to wear a helmet
just in case I fell, for like,
I forgot how long I had to wear
the helmet for. Every day.
I'm blessed to have all my
faculties.
It's threw some curve balls at
me.
Phew.
Losing, losing my wife, that
was, that was, that was harder
than
going through the the seizures
and the coma and not being able
to drive, or go play pool or
anything.
Losing my wife was harder, much
harder than that.
Raising my son, without her.
So, that makes it hard.
Prop bet would be a proposition
shot.
Generally, they say if you're
going to shoot
if you're going to bet on
somebody's proposition, you're
in a bad bet.
So, a proposition shot, for
instance, would be freezing the
ball down on the bottom rail,
putting the cue ball on the
other bottom rail, on top of it.
and I can shoot it one-handed
and spin it in the corner.
Throwing a playing card over a
building. Uh.
You know, throwing a golf ball
further than a baseball... Uh.
You know, all kinds on the pool
table. I mean, I know quite a
few myself that I could show you
and you'd be like BET.
You know, haha, you know, 'cause
you're gonna, just doesn't
look possible. You know so,
it's not really the tricky ones
where you lick the finger and
put it on the ball,
or anything like- you
actually have to execute
something, but
Yeah, you know. Gaff bet. Prop
bet. Just
better off staying away from
those, haha, for the most part.
Just play some 9-ball or one
pocket, you'll be alright.
I've seen them from across the
room, from 30-feet away,
betting they could throw a
quarter in a tip jar, and, on
the bar, and stuff, and
Seen them try to throw a
quarter in, uh, the change
machine.
and, and stuff, and I've seen
them, I've seen them done.
It's, it's, but it's, um, I've
seen a bunch of crazy
stuff, it's...
Rolling, rolling the pool ball
to the wall and
closest to the wall wins, but
you can't touch the wall,
and all that, and so I've seen
them, seen a bunch of stuff like
it's crazy.
Be at the pool tournament,
you're all inside and
"Hey, I'll foot race you outside
for two or three hundred," and
they end up going outside and
foot racing. Just a bunch of
crazy stuff. Yeah, it's, uh,
Yeah, pool players they'll
definitely gamble on just about
anything.
We were all in New Orleans and I
bet 2500 I could throw it from
the front door of Buffaloes,
over a, 70-foot train,
past a 70-yard gap, onto a 5-
story building.
[JUNIOR]: But yeah, it was a
golf ball and they throw it over
a, uh,
was it a building or was it a,
uh, was it the train track?
or something. Right, and the
train track is above everything, right?
Yeah, I, I, I remember that, but
I don't,
It was a while back. I've had,
I've had brain brain surgery
since then.
Ha. My memory's not as good.
Haha. I use that a lot.
So I threw it like over, it was
around 130, 140-yard throw, and
I, and I won.
Every time I go to Buffaloes, I
pay for my trip throwing that
golf ball,
but it hurts my arm a little
now. I'm an old man. You know
what I mean?
Fat Randy one time asked me to
play some pool.
I said "No, Randy.." He said,
"what if I play on roller
skates?"
He went out to his car. I say,
"I'll play you $1000 dollar
set, if you,"
"and I'll play on roller
skates." So he goes out to his
car and gets some roller skates,
comes rolling in. I said, "you
got me." I said, "I can't take
it."
I beat him, but I mean, the
roller skates were this high.
I mean for Christ's sake, he was
like, you know, he's like 7-foot
tall.
Me and Tony Watson, even when he
was a kid.
We flipped a coin for 5,000.
We had won-beat this guy for a
pretty good amount of money, you
know, playing pool.
and we were kids, and, um,
and so this guy sho, said, "Show
me some real gamble." You know.
"Flip me a coin for 5,000."
Tony said, "You got it." I
said, "NOOO!"
You know. like, I was like, "No
way." 'Cause we're playing
pool.
And, Butch put us to it. "Oh,
you got to do it. You ain't
getting no more action."
'Cause Tony had said yes, of
course. So, I said, "Ok."
And he flipped it across that
first table.
It was on the ground. I yelled
"Heads," and I didn't get near
it,
'cause he wasn't moving towards
it. I didn't want him to think
anything. So,
I could see it was heads. I
said, "it's heads Butch."
He said, "Ok."
and, he paid the money and no
one ever went near the coin
'cause they noticed he never
went and looked at it.
So we go dead-busted and there's
this guy named John Hager, Jr.
He's like a, a champion hustler.
He, he's made millions of
dollars playing pool.
Well, he shoots 3-pointers, right.
And one day he asked me to shoot
3-pointers for 5,000, right.
So, we go shoot 3-pointers, and
the guy has a, an old ball. It's
like a sheep skin.
And, he's putting water on it,
and I can't understand why he's
putting water on it,
but, he shot first, so when he
shoots his ball, has, uh, a lot
of friction.
So when it hits the rim, it
puts the water on the rim and
it's, he has it deflated.
So, when it hits, it hits the
rim and goes in, right.
And I'm playing with a gym ball
with a sheen on it.
And I've been playing basketball
my whole life. You know what I
mean?
And so, I get to shooting and
the balls zipping out of the
rim. And I'm like, what's going
on?
I've never seen that ever, right?
And before you know it, Justin
Hall's up on the rim.
He's on my shoulders, cleaning
the rim off.
And, I need two out of three to
beat this guy, on credit.
Right. I show him my bank
account. He's like, "you got,
you got it."
And he thought he was stealing.
And I hit 2 out of 3 at the very
end to beat him.
Probably the greatest moment of
my career. You know what I mean?
'Buddy Boy' used to shoot the
cue ball out of his mouth.
[LAUGHS]
A-and play. So, I, I don't
know. He had a prop for that.
Yeah, he'd put the cue ball in
his mouth and, and, and shoot.
I went on the road with Calvin
Carner and Gary Bright.
Gary was a coin tossing son of a
bitch, boy.
He could pitch, to the line.
Like those lines right there.
He could pitch. He could pitch
to 'em. He could...
That, that coin would hit, it'd
go dit, dit, dit.
Just like that.
Dit, dit, dit. Stop. Right on
the 'ing line.
I mean, eh, pardon my, right
on the line.
We'd pitch to the dirt. Pitch to
the wall. Pitch to the line.
Pitch to the spot on the pool
table.
I got to where I can do that
halfway decent, but not never
nothing like Gary.
God, he was a joke. I mean, he'd
pitch it out there, it
most the time part of it'd be
laying on the spot.
He just could pitch.
So yeah, I was in the banks,
and, uh
I looked on the, uh, schedule
and I'm playing Efren Reyes at
9:00 the next morning.
and I was all fired up. I was
like, yeah.
Uh, I was telling Billy and Sky,
they were like,
"man, we love to play Efron just
to play him too. You're lucky,"
or whatever
Then me and my wife went to
casino.
Tony Chohan was over there.
Johnny Rocket, all of us.
Next thing you know, we're
drinking, gambling, hit a few
jackpots playing blackjack, and
I look up and it's 3:00 in the
morning, so I went to bed.
I wake up,
and it's 9:00 exactly.
There's no way I could get
to the match on time, all
the way down the halls and
all that, but yeah, somebody
showed up and played for me.
There's a video of it, but it
ain't me.
I think, I think it was Billy's
stakehorse, if I remember right.
[LAUGHS]
That's pool for you though.
[POOL BALLS BREAKING]
Since I got hurt, my game has
improved.
It's gotten better, but my focus
to me, is probably the weakest
part.
I've gotten older, to my mid-40s
now,
and the medication I take from
the seizures
makes you a little more
lethargic, like a little more
less than
wanting to put forth the effort,
or, you know
to focus, or at least it feels
that way.
[POOL BALLS CLACK]
I scratch every time.
When it's imperative, to run
out, to be on the right side of
the ball.
I feel a little lost sometimes.
[POOL BALLS CLACK]
[POOL BALLS CLACK]
Trying to figure out
what's best for my game. Trying
to get ready for the,
tour stop at Skinny's
[POOL BALLS CLACK]
[CARMEL]: My name is
Carmel Luttrell and I am the
tournament director.
Cen-Tex tour is a regional tour
that's in Central Texas.
It's straight races, no
handicap.
There's no eligibility
requirements to be able to play.
Pros can play.
Like anybody can play.
So, I have players
from all skill levels
attending these events.
And, it's a great
opportunity to just battle
it out. No handicap, straight
races.
James Davis, Jr. wasn't able to
play today.
Apparently, he practiced too
hard for this event and got a
little too sick
My dad called me
the next morning.
He was like, you know,
"You want me to pick you
up and bring you," you know,
"Ride to the tournament", and I
was like, "man, I can't do it."
"I got sick last night and, uh,"
So I had to, cancel the
tournament, even though I really
wanted to play.
I was practicing, before the
tournament.
Played the, the weekly
tournament.
But... It's the way it goes
sometimes.
[MUSIC] in a heavy load
Hittin' cue balls in a smokey
room
Deck of cards, tales of gloom
On the road, chasing bucks and
fame
Gambling lives in a high-
stakes game
So rack 'em up, let the
hustlers play
Jeremy Jones from Baytown,
Texas.
Started pool, uh, at 17 years
old.
I worked, uh, two jobs in high
school. One of them at
the pizza restaurant.
And on the weekends, we used to,
you know, drink a few beers,
play,
play poker with our tip money,
or whatever you had planned, and
One of the guys would always go
to the game room, played pool.
Had his own cue.
And, uh, I had no clue about
pool.
So, I followed him up there one
day and he hustled me. Uh,
And then I kind of got a big
itch to try and be able to beat
him. So, [LAUGHS]
that's what got me interested in
pool in there, you know, kind of
went from there.
Well, he is a, uh, dear friend.
Uh, one of my mentors.
I was his roommate in Vegas.
His roommate in, uh, Houston.
Uh, he would, put me in events,
or go in, go in with me.
You know, and help me, uh, get
action.
Learned a lot from Jeremy Jones.
Oh, for sure he's the best
player from Texas.
I mean, Jeremy, he's a, he's a,
he's a legend. He's
an all-timer, probably already.
Oh, he was the best player
around, to my opinion.
He was the best gambler, best
player.
Amazing. He used to come to
Moyers, the Austin Cue Club.
The players would give him
weight
and then, all of a sudden, he
just, boom, became the best.
I mean, you know, real, real,
real tough player.
I don't think I ever saw him
lose playing one pocket, so, and
he played everybody.
I mean he, within a two-year
span that kid, went from
Ok player to world-beater.
Yeah.
Jeremy was special.
Amazing player. I think he might
have won the Texas State 9-Ball
championship
the first year I got to go watch
it, in like, 1994.
I won the Texas Open in 1994 and
then, uh, '01 and '03.
You know, he wasn't afraid to
gamble. He wasn't looking to
steal. He, he gambled.
I was in San Antonio when I was
living there. We were at Galaxy
Billiards, and
and, uh, there was a guy in
there from Canada,
supposedly a really good player
playing on the 9-footer.
And we were over there playing
our little weekly tournament,
and Jeremy walks in, and
walks up to the guy and next
thing you know, they're playing.
I don't know the details of it.
I mean, he literally beats the
guy. I think 11, 13 games within
30, 45 minutes.
And I walked over there and I
said, "Jeremy, why didn't, why
didn't you play it a little
slower?" And, he said,
"sometimes they love it when you
pound on them."
[LAUGHS]
That's what he told me. [LAUGHS]
You could always count 100
percent. When I was captain of
the Mosconi Cup a few years, and
while nobody can be guaranteed
to win a match, you're playing a
race to five to begin with, but,
uh
One thing some people have
trouble playing their game in
the Mosconi Cup.
Uh, they can't, the pressure
seems to be too intense for 'em
but, uh, it wasn't too intense
for Jeremy. Jeremy, he could
he, I could always count on
getting 100 percent from him
and,
if he got the opportunity to
win, he was going to win.
I think of a break and I just
think of a very offensive
player.
and, uh, just somebody that came
with a lot of energy, and
there's somebody with a drive to
win.
Jeremy Jones is he's a legend,
you know.
I played Jeremy maybe, like six
times in my career.
He's beaten me every time and I
think it's 'cause I respect him
so much, it's like,
it's kind of like playing your
old man, you know, he's a little
intimidating. He like, really
lets go of the cue.
He has that little style where
the cue leaves his hand for a
brief moment,
which I think which makes him
so, so talented.
Even when your dogging it, if
you throw your cue,
you're probably going to hit
your spot on the ball, you know
what I mean? So,
Yeah, Jeremy's my guy.
Jeremy has one of the biggest,
smoothest strokes you can have
in pool.
And he's got the most solid
bridge you've ever seen. He's
got these big hands.
The way he holds the cue is a
little bit different than
everybody else.
His thumb is actually off the
cue when he plays
and he just cradles the cue. Has
this super solid bridge and just
swings the cue. It
It's pretty crazy, actually.
He's got a very, very unique
stroke, for sure.
Oh, he's just got a ton of
knowledge, you know, I mean, his
knowledge is big. I mean, he's
You know, he was a champion pool
player before. He's still
a great player now, you know, he
just doesn't play as much, and
but as we all know, he's a
commentator now and he breaks it
down, and
people get a really good
explanation from him, you know
and he knows how to come across
and make it to where
everybody understands you know,
what he's saying.
One of the top commentators in
pool.
We wanted people to be able to
watch the show and be able to
learn something about the game.
Learn some moves or, you know,
learn how to play. Jeremy Jones
is a great one pocket player, so
I contacted Jeremy to see,
I, I made him a deal. I said,
"look."
"I got this tournament coming
up. The $1000 entry"
"one pocket tournament, 16-
players limit."
I asked Jeremy, I said, "Look,
if you'll go, out to the
tournament,"
"if you'll just commentate a
match when you're not in a match
or playing"
"I'll pay for the travel, the
hotel, the meals, everything."
"No problem, Ray." As luck would
have it, Jeremy lost his very
first match.
So when you lose your first
match in that format, you play
every round.
And he won the tournament, and
he never got to commentate a
single match. [LAUGHS]
But, anyway, we laughed about
it still, but, uh,
So, he still owes me one.
Yeah, you can learn a lot off
of, off of him commentating.
He's, um,
Explains everything well for all
level of players, you know
what I mean, and he
says everything the right
way. So everybody understands,
and
um, if you want to learn, watch
a match that he commentates
'cause you'll see the shot and
you'll hear about the shot and
how it was done, really, so.
Yeah, I think he's greatest
commentator also.
Has a lot of knowledge. You
listen to him commentating you
can always learn a lot.
I think he's the best
commentator when it comes to
especially one pocket and those
games, when it's technical
battles.
He knows all the shots. So, uh,
yeah, you can always learn.
I did myself.
You know, listen, just listening
to his streams and him
commentating. Uh
I think, I think, uh, he was
really good for the game and
still is.
He just explains things so
gracefully. He's, uh, he's a
rare breed, you know, he's,
it's like, he's he would be a
great salesman because he makes
everything sound so good, you
know.
it's like he has no chinks in
his armor.
His knowledge is unmatched.
He's like an encyclopedia for
pool.
He, he really is. So, there's
not a shot he hasn't seen.
He does so much time in the
commentary booth.
He played for so long at the
highest level possible.
There's a handful of guys that
you can put Jeremy in a
conversation with, that, um,
are probably at the pinnacle of
knowledge and, uh, execution
with, with pool.
Who do I hate playing? I hate
playing Jeremy Jones.
The guy beats me every single
time.
Funny, ironically, Mike beat me
the first time we ever played.
The Great Southern Classic. It
was kind of like the
it, it was the same people that
ran the Derby, but they were
trying to do it in the
summer, in the South.
and, uh, first match. I don't
know if it was a hill-hill or
11-9.
Um, but, he played real well. It
was back in the corner last
match of the night.
And, and he beat me, and uh, I
don't know if he's beat me
since, though.
Knock on woods. [LAUGHS]
Yeah.
I'd like to just beat him one
time at anything, just to see
what his loser face looks like.
[LAUGHS] You know what I'm
saying? The guy just been.
[SMACK] [SMACK]
[SMACK] You know what I mean.
I'm waiting for these guys to
get old
and maybe they'll let me win
one. I'm not sure. You know what
I mean?
BigTyme Classic was coming a few
months from where I was at, and
a friend
said he wanted to take me to
the tournament,
so I was excited to be back in
the grease, back in action, go
back and play again.
The, the first time in that
building that I had success,
I don't think it was called the
BigTyme Classic. I think it was
like, Buddy Hall Classic.
I lost to Sky Woodward for the
winner's bracket and ended up
taking third.
Later on I won Space City
Open down the street from there
at Bogies,
but, at that building, BigTymes,
where they held the BigTyme
Classic
I think I won the Space City
Open there as well.
I'm the only person to win it,
to have won it multiple times
and it be at two different
places.
My game has been improving. I
don't feel like I'm playing like
I used to, but,
I did have success at that
tournament, BigTyme Classic.
110 players, or something like
that. I got somewhere around 8th
place.
Beat a lot of familiar faces
that were very strong players
that wins tournaments.
Lost to Sky Woodward. He won the
tournament.
And I lost to the guy who got
4th place, Jeff. Felt
very successful because of,
being like I said, being
having the opportunity
to be back in the grease.
I'm, I'm getting closer. Right
now it's hard because I don't
have nobody to play against.
And I've never been a good
practice by myself person.
Well, my father is. My father,
he is extremely good at
practicing by himself.
He used to be able to practice
4-hours straight by himself,
tossing nine balls out on the
table. Running them out.
Never rushing one single shot
for four hours straight by
himself.
I can't do that. I've got to be
gambling.
I got to, you know, have
something at stake.
I mean, I know how to win. I've
won against good players before.
Won some tournaments before.
I think I need to try to get in,
um, tough situations where
pressure is there
before the tournament gets here,
because sometimes it's like
being tossed into the deep end
of a swimming pool.
Even though you know how to
swim, if you haven't been there
in a while,
it feels a little daunting and
the same thing in pool.
Get putting on the stream table
and you have to play Alex
Pagulayan
and all you got to do is just
run these four balls that
you've been doing forever,
but you can't, because of
pressure.
July, August, September.
90 days. The Texas Open. The
best in the world are coming.
They come every year now.
But they have to put their,
their shoes on like we do, one,
one at a time.
[MUSIC] Since she walked out
that door. Yeah,
I've been feeling empty, yeah,
since she walked out that door.
ohh-ahh. But she left behind
my pool cue.
My baby left me lonely
But I can still play the blues
I'm Gilbert Martinez, three-time
Texas State 9-ball champion.
Started playing pool in 3rd
grade.
As long as I had a B average, on
the weekends, I could play pool.
By the time I was
in 6th or 7th grade, my parents
got me a pool table from Sears
and Roebuck,
and I could play pool every day
at home.
I started playing pool in terms
of pool halls in San Marcos,
Texas.
The gentleman was nice enough to
extend my dad free pool time.
And he extended it to me, and
that helped out a lot and got me
interested.
From San Marcos, Austin was a
little north and San Antonio was
a little south.
He would take, uh, one weekend
and go to Austin and one weekend
go to San Antonio.
So I got the best of both worlds
at a young age and didn't
realize it 'til I got a little
older.
Yeah, I remember Gilbert back in
the early 70s. He was just a kid
then.
It was him and David Hensen,
Little David, uh, you know,
they used to frequently come
into the pool hall, right there,
on a daily basis.
You know, they probably quit
school, you know, just to hang
around the pool room.
You know, they were practicing
every day, every day.
And, even back then they showed
potentials, right there, of
becoming a great pool player.
Gilbert Martinez, Jr.
He is another one that I've got
a lot of admiration for. He is
awesome.
I was lucky enough to be able to
play pool with Gilbert a bunch
because my father would come up
there and play at the same place
as him.
So I feel like I got to learn a
lot from Gilbert.
He's one of the most talented
pool players I've ever seen.
You know, he was in Austin and
we were, you know, rivals there
for a while, but uh,
Yeah, he could play with
anybody. He could beat anybody
at any given time.
I love Gilbert, but I gotta say
it, one of the biggest wasted
talents ever. I just thought he
was
as a pure, pure pool player.
Pure stroke.
You know, I don't feel like he
had to work on it near as hard
as most people.
He was just naturally that
talented.
I would put him up there even
with some of these young guys
today that are phenomenal.
He had that kind of talent.
Gilbert Martinez. The years of
therapy that-that it took for me
to even be able to say his name.
He owned Austin. He owned it in
the late '80s, most of the
'90s.
He just was the best player in
Austin. Hands down.
Gilbert is, uh, such a talent.
He's a really good shot maker
too, you know.
And I always tell him, I said,
"Gilbert, you have to make good
shots 'cause you get in trouble
with your shape."
[LAUGHS]
But, he's, he's very
knowledgeable.
His, uh, his, his dad, you know,
taught him so much.
He became a great player.
A great player. I-you know, I
wish he,
the situation would have been
where,
Um, greater heights would have
been available to him, you know.
Gilbert Martinez, Sr. was an
every day face at Moyer's.
He wore, uh, you know, the
bowling-type, bowling shirt,
cut off square on the bottom.
And he'd stand flat-footed. He
was a good player. He'd steer
Gilbert around.
This little kid comes up says,
"hey buddy, you want to play
some?" That was Gilbert.
[LAUGHS]
He was probably 10 or 11 years
old.
His dad was about 15-feet away,
telling him where to go.
[LAUGHS]
I know that Gilbert faced Bob
many times,
and as Gilbert reminded me, he
only beat him once in the
finals.
um, had beaten him other times,
maybe earlier in the event,
but, Gilbert, by far one of the
greatest players in Texas,
beyond a doubt.
Him and, him and Vanover. Those
were some of the better matchups
I used to see back in the old
days.
Those two guys, when they got
after it, it was a good match
most of the time.
I played a lot of pool with Bob.
Him and Dick Lane used to come
rob us at those tournaments at
Eric's.
What I remember the most about
Bob was at one point in my life
he offered to give me lessons.
Excuse me for breaking down.
[SOB]
But, anyway. Bob Vanover, I
never could beat him,
in the finals of a tournament, I
would beat him
here and there in a match,
but one year, at Kevin's pool
hall, I did beat him. Finally
beat him.
The only thing I regret is that
my father was not alive to see
it.
I looked up to him.
[SAD PIANO]
[CROWD RUMBLING]
[CHALK HITTING TABLE]
[CROWD RUMBLING]
[POOL SHOT]
[CROWD RUMBLING]
[CHALK HITTING TABLE]
[CROWD RUMBLING]
[POOL SHOT]
[CROWD CHEERING LOUDLY]
[CROWD CLAPPING]
[CROWD]: Gilbert!
[CROWD CLAPPING]
I was just glad I beat the man.
Man, it was so long beat-playing
him and not winning.
I finally beat him to, to win
something. Felt good.
[KEVIN]: We've got a great
project that we started working
on since we last talked, so,
Uh, Randy Goettlicher, Paul
Guernsey, Stacy Linerode and
myself
went and contacted an attorney
and formed a non-profit
[CATHY]: Ok.
[KEVIN]: for the Texas Billiards
Hall of Fame.
[CATHY]: Wow.
[KEVIN]: The first person that
got voted into the Texas Hall of
Fame is Bob Vanover.
[CATHY]: I'm- I'm touched.
I think that's always been the
hardest part of his game. He
contributed so much
to the game as far as just his
championship-level of play.
[KEVIN]: You know, the, the
votes went in and Bob was the
one that
we determined was the one
that was going to be first
in the Hall of Fame.
[CROWD MURMURING]
[MURMURING CONTINUES]
Want to thank everybody for
coming out to the first ever
Hall of Fame.
How is it that Bob Vanover,
who's won nine Texas Opens and
dominated Texas for so long.
Legendary 9-and-out in the
finals. How is that guy not in a
Hall of Fame?
Well, F-that. Let's start a Hall
of Fame and put his ass in
there.
[CHEERING]
I would like to introduce to you
2024 Billiard, Texas Billiards
Hall of Fame,
Mr. Gilbert Martinez.
I appreciate everybody
remembering me playing pool.
I was one of the fortunate ones
that's had a front row seat to
this Texas Open.
[GILBERT]: Thank you, man.
[CROWD CHEERING]
The legend of Jeremy's prowess
as a road player and hustler is
widely known.
Lethal and feared. He took on
all comers, all games on any
equipment, and beat most of
them.
It's a tremendous honor and
privilege to induct my brother,
Jeremy Jones
into the Texas Billiards Hall of
Fame. Thank you very much.
[CLAPPING]
So Jeremy's in Saudi Arabia as
we speak.
Um, this morning he sent me an
e-mail.
Five emails.
with what he wanted to say and
who he wanted to thank.
To be included in this is a
great honor and truly unreal.
Congrats to all the other
inductees as well. Very well-
deserving.
First of all to be mentioned...
in the same sentence with Bob
Vanover. Oh, God.
Belinda Calhoun.
Where's Gilbert? Gilbert
Martinez, Jr.
And, Jeremy Jones.
It kind of leaves me speechless.
Thank you for your friendship,
inspiration, support and
encouragement, and God bless
you all. Thank you.
[CHEERING]
Just talking about Bob and all
his accomplishments within the
state.
A pool player in Texas that
didn't know who Bob Vanover was.
You talk to any pro pool player,
they're glad that Bob Vanover
had a job, and that's a fact.
My father's had lots of awards.
Won lots of professional
tournaments.
Set records, including world
records, and is a Texas legend.
This would be the
highlight, the absolute pinnacle
for him.
This lasts forever. The Hall of
Fame lasts forever.
[CLAPPING]
Thank y'all for coming and
congratulations again to all the
Hall of Fame inductees.
See y'all next year.
[LOUD CHEERING]
My health, my health has made it
to where
I'm able to go play more, but
pool, it gives me inspiration
to, because I love to play the
game.
I love this so much because it's
so challenging, like, mentally.
It's always a puzzle. You always
have to figure it out.
And then, on top of that, you
get the camaraderie you get
with everybody that's there.
Pool has definitely helped,
helped me.
You can't, you can't be, uh,
like, weak-minded or weak-
hearted.
You have to have, you know,
tough skin
playing the game of pool, and,
whenever
I mean, I guess it's helped me,
with, you know, the tragedies
I've had because I've had to
endure them
and keep pushing forward.
And find the, uh, silver lining
in the, you know, in the dark
clouds.
whenever they're, uh, around me.
Both my parents were pool
players.
My dad, he is still a pool
player.
He played in the very first
Texas State Championship 51
years ago.
He is playing in this sta-
year's state championship.
I can't remember anything
without pool.
I still feel blessed to be able
to go and compete because for a
while I didn't know if I
was gonna be able to.
But, success at the Texas Open?
Um,
in, finding enjoyment.
and, having fun with the
competition.
you know, and, uh, being able to
be focused when I need to be
focused
and accept the cards, the way
they fall,
I love pool.
Sometime you hate it, because
you're playing bad.
You're like, "Oh, I hate this
shit." And, sometime you play so
good, it's like you're
playing a, a guitar or an
instrument. You know, it's like
music.
You know. You feel it through
your skin. It's like, "Oh, man,
I love it."
You know, and then sometimes you
hate it. You know, that's why I
said, you know,
sometimes I hate to lo- that I
love this game, and sometimes I
love that I hate this game,
So, it's, but, nothing will ever
change it. I absolutely love
this game.
It's, it's in my DNA.
To be a champion, you have to
have the correct mental
disposition. Uh,
You know, it's really, it's
really easy to get down on
yourself
when you're watching so many
talented players.
You got, you know, Gomez and you
have Skyler, and
all these guys, they're just so
good and they make it look
so easy.
It can be intimidating, but you
just once again you got to love
yourself.
You have to stay objective.
You have to fight through the
negative feelings and you have
to,
you have to be your best friend
out there because really,
they're out for blood. So,
It's kind of like a, a brawl
against many men, you know. You
ju-
You just got to keep your dukes
up and keep fighting. You know
what I mean?
Every one of them I knew that
was a champion, had heart. Every
one of them.
It ain't nothing more.
All that other shit don't mean
nothing.
Well, persistence for sure.
And, if you got a little talent
as well, more than I had,
then you can make it, uh, uh,
really far in this world.
You have to believe you're the
best guy. The best pool player
in there.
You have to believe that. And if
you believe that,
then you have a good chance of,
of following through with it.
Well, if you're talking about
all-around, I think I'm the
best.
Yeah. A lot of people may
disagree with that, but if you
take, uh,
uh, 9-ball, one pocket and
straight pool,
I think I'm the best.
The want to. Just want to.
Want to more than anything else.
Want to be the best.
If you want to be the best,
there's a chance you will be.
If you want it.
When I was a young man, I wanted
to be the best player on Earth.
I told my, uh, my wife,
when I was 18, we got married.
I told her I was going to be the
best player in the world and,
and she wasn't going to stop me.
And she didn't.
That was kind of cruel for me to
say that to her, but,
I wanted to be the best player
in the world. That's ALL I
wanted.
Then I read a book.
In this book, it said if you
live your life and you
put all your energy into one
thing and you do it over and
over every day.
You'll eventually go insane.
I used to run the weekly
tournaments at Skinny Bobs.
And I get a call from Dennis one
night and he's singing. "Heyyy
Tracyyy."
Singing the songs to me like he
always does.
He goes, "Hey, I want to
practice on the TV table."
'Cause with the Texas Open was
coming up. He said, "can I use
it for two or three hours?"
And I said "no, Dennis, the
tournament's going on."
And I thought about and I'm like
this guys right now's probably
the best player in the world.
I can't tell him no.
So I call him back. I said "OK,
Dennis, you can have the TV
table."
And, uh, people started coming,
I guess people texted said,
"hey, Dennis is here."
and people come in and they're
wanting to just watch him shoot, right?
It was the most boring shit I've
ever seen in my life.
This dude for three hours never
pocketed one ball.
He broke the balls,
would walk down there, re-rack
them. Break them. He did this
for three hours.
And I'm sitting there. I wa-I'm
like,
everybody's standing around what
was waiting to see some miracle.
Run a five pack or something. He
never even shoots one ball.
And, he walks over there to me
and I said, "dude, that was some
boring shit."
He goes, "that's the most
important shot in pool."
He said, "if you learn that one,
you will win." [LAUGHING] That's
what he told me.
He's just practicing
fundamentals, he sit, he sits
over there,
and he plays hard when he
practices.
Bob Vanover was another one,
like that.
So, those guys have that, uh,
mindset and consistency that
they can do that
and I guess that's what makes
them a lot better than everybody
else.
Every year it's-the competition
becomes tougher and tougher and
tougher, so
it definitely takes a lot of
luck to win a big tournament
nowadays.
In my opinion, there's a lot of
luck involved in pool
that may not appear as luck, but
there's a lot of luck involved.
Lot of luck.
Got to get good rolls, play
good, do good things, good
things happen.
Slack off,
the rolls can turn in a
heartbeat.
I don't know, but if you find
out, will you tell me?
[LAUGHS]
I thought I was there a couple
times, but
I don't know what does it take
to-?
My father told me when I was
young, "some people figure it
out, and some don't."
[LAUGHS]
But, um,
obviously, dedication.
Y-your will to play against the
better players.
Not just the better players, you
have to want to play the best
players every chance you get.
And not want a handicap from
them and not want, you know, you
have to get in there.
And, try. Fail.
and then figure out how to get
better
then, like, rin-rinse, wash
and repeat.
And constantly be looking for
the bet-better players and your
chance to play against them.
You seek it. You know you don't,
it-it ain't gonna fall in your
lap.
You know, you can't be, you
know, be afraid to fall down.
To fail.
Get back up.
Try again.
What does it take to be a
champion?
You play every champion you can
play.
[MUSIC] Under a sky so wide
where dreams begin to fade
I saw the light a burning
wreck, my soul about to break
You pulled me through [Pulled
me through] like a miracle
[Miracle]
[TV BROADCAST]: We are
broadcasting live from the 51st
Texas Open 9-ball championships.
Once again, the greatest pool
players in the world have
descended upon Texas,
for the longest running 9-ball
tournament in the world.
[SINGER]: That guides me to the
dawn
Hold on my son
[Hold on my son] Hold on my son
Hold on myyyy son.
[TV]: Junior takes his first
match handily in this double-
elimination event.
[SINGER]: You were my guide
taught me strength, to rise when
I would fall
To carry on [Carry on] with
the love you've shown [Love
you've shown]
In your embrace, I find my
home,
[TV]]: JUNIOR WITH A MASSIVE
COMEBACK! Down five to two, he
roars back to win it nine to
five.
[TV]: Chohan with a convincing
nine to one win over James
Davis, Jr.
[TV]: and with this shot,
Henneessee will advance.
and Junior's tournament comes to
an end.
[JUNIOR]: I think it does help
him out a lot to see me fall
down
and then climbing my way back up
and being able to continue on
with life.
Him seeing resilience and my
willingness not to give up that,
that should help him in life.
[SINGER]: With every step I
take, I'm grateful for your
light
Through darkest times, you
were my guide
No more shadows, together
we'll stride
Your love's redemption in my
life
Your love saved me from the
dark so why don't you just hold
on
In your eyes, I see the spark
that guides me to the dawn
Hold on my son
[Hold on my son]
Hold on my son
Hold on myyyy son.
[INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC]
[JUNIOR]: What do you want?
Steak? Oh, man, that'd be great.
Yeah, that'd be great. Go get
some rolls and steak.
[BASTROP]: Good shootin', son.
[THUMPING MUSIC]
You're asking me something
that's 50 years ago, so.
Haha. Good luck
with getting, get-get,
getting the right
recollection.
Getting tired of
me bragging?
[KEVIN]: Hell, no. We
haven't even gotten to
the good shit yet.
[LAUGHING] Huh?
[KEVIN]: I said, I think
you're holding back.
[BUDDY]: I ain't holding
back. My back's holding
back.
[KEVIN]: [LAUGHS]
I had a friend of mine
from California come visit.
and we were shooting pool.
and Willie Nelson came on
came on on the jukebox
and she started talking,
talking trash about
Willie Nelson
and I became the biggest
redneck so quickly.
[LAUGHS]
Don't be talking shit
about Willie Nelson.
[LAUGHS]
That's when I realized
I was a true Texan, man.
[LAUGHS]
Can't come from California
and talk shit about Willie
Nelson. [LAUGHS]
No matter where I'm at
pool's huge, but when I
get back to Texas,
It's the best. If I had to
do it all over again, I'd
move to Texas earlier.
That's for sure.
So, that's going to be
a good payday for
one pool player at least,
a couple of them.
[KEVIN]: Yeah, hopefully
you, right?
[FEDOR]: Hopefully me, yeah.
I didn't want to say that,
but, hopefully it's me.
[LAUGHS]
I walked up to him and
I said,
"I understand you're
Bob Vanover, and,"
"I'm Cathy Petrowski,
and um,"
"I understand you're a
pretty good player and
that you could give me
some lessons."
And I don't know by then
how many titles he had,
All I know is I felt
like crawling under a
pool table.
It was the equivalent of
walking up to Martina
Navritalova
not knowing who she was
and saying, "Hey, I hear
you're a pretty good
tennis player."
"Can you give me some
lessons?"
I think every good bar
should have a pool table
in it.
Because pool brings
people together and
makes people competitive
and um, whenever I go
out, I'm looking for a
bar that has a pool table.
Pool is not so popular
in Georgia.
I think it was illegal
to play pool on Sunday.
All pool rooms had to close.
Texas is a little more
wide open, and uh,
Lots more players.
Better players.
I play whoever the same.
I don't, uh, I just get
up there and play.
Nobody's really got
my number, I wouldn't
think, I mean.
I mean, I've lost to
probably all of 'em
Once, or twice, at
least, you know.
One of the best compliments
I ever got paid was by Bob
though
when they presented him
that cup.
His name's on there nine
times, and he said, "well,
if that Gilbert Martinez"
"doesn't stop playing
he might have a chance."
My name's on there a few
times. I had a chance to
be on there a few more
and I dogged it.
But, it is what it is.
Yep.
I was telling my son,
I said, "Oh, by the way."
And then I added, "the
inaugural class."
He says, "oh, I was just
about to say, you mean
there's a Texas Billiard
Hall of Fame"
and you're not
already In it?"
[LAUGHS]
I'll never forget him
talking, Rafael Martinez
talking
about pool. Because it
was the first time we got
to be that close to him
and it wasn't at the pool
table watching him play.
And he, he said stuff
like, "My right arm,
it's a mother ###."
That's what he told us.
[LAUGHS] I was about 18,
19 years old and
We're sitting there
listening, you know,
to the Gospel, you know.
He definitely believed
it and so did we.
[LAUGHS] He was a playing,
playing mother ####.
I'll tell you that.
I loved the game. And
Louie Roberts and Buddy
Hall
and all the people I
played. Why did we play it?
It wasn't for the money.
Money? What if I wanted
money I'd go get a job.
Hahaha. It's me again.
Pool can just consume
you and bury you, and
frustrate you, but then
it can also be
therapeutic, and
it can be beautiful and
when it's done well you
can really just
fall in love all over
again.
For one, anytime that
anyone wants to be you
a prop bet
You know. [LAUGHS]
Don't do it.
'Cause they, they know
what they're doing.
They can do it.
That's why they're betting
it. You know, they're
trying to pick up some
extra cash.
We understand that pool
has a stigma to the
normal crowd, but
It's, it's changed it's
ways, uh, som- mostly.
You know, I mean, we're,
we got big events
I mean it's getting out
on the streaming side
from a lot of different
areas, and
It could get more
mainstream soon.
Take a little bit of
an investment from who
knows who.
You know, and it, it
can turn around.
And every beer joint
had a pool table, it's
like
they'd put a pool table
in before they'd put a
bar.
and they had to have
the pool table
and there might be a
foosball or a pinball
machine around, but
the pool table is
where all the activity, happened.
I wasn't looking for
no friends, I was
looking to
put you in the loser's
bracket.
It's an opportunity to
play the, the best
players.
I mean, you might
play Vanover. Gilbert.
You'd play Jeremy.
I-it could be Buddy
Hall. It could be
Tommy Kennedy.
It could be, any
number of people.
Played really solid,
played my best game in
the last
two or three matches
and, uh, took it home.
There's a reason
people flock to
barbecue joints
across the state and
wait hours in line.
And there's a reason
why people spend days
watching the Texas Open.
Playing in the Texas
Open.
It's because it's
different down here.
People care.
People want it to
matter, and they make
it matter.
And that's special,
and it's what makes
Texas special,
and what make the
Texas Open special.
Ray Hansen was going to
have me on the live
stream one time and he
goes,
"Well, I don't know.
You cuss a lot."
[LAUGHS]
I said, "yeah, I, uh,
that's the way I talk."
He said, "you did just
walk up to me and say
what do you want mother-"
[LAUGHS]
I said, "well, I didn't
mean it like that, I
meant what's up, dude."
[LAUGHS]
It's getting to where
there's not as much
gambling.
So, some people don't
mind the gambling, some
people do.
but, we don't want to
shut off doors to
anyone, you know.
So, I mean it's still,
and it's improving on
being a great living.
I mean, everyone says
it's not a good living,
but, I mean, you know,
top guy made about
500,000 last year
to play pool
You know, it's not like
golf where they're making
20 million.
but it's still better
than a, a lot of jobs
I know of. [LAUGHS]
Espcially getting to
do something you love.
It was like a promise
pool gave to the world.
and I still believe
that, pool,
not only a game,
or a sport,
I think it's an art
and probably the
final freedom which is
still existing in this
world.
Oh, here's a good one.
This guy's 70 and,
he's, uh,
he's doing about 80
and the state cop
pulls him over.
He said, "you know I'm
going to be off in
30 minutes."
He sees the guy's
pretty old. He said,
uh,
"If you can make me
smile or laugh,"
He said, um, "I-I'll
let you go."
And he said, "well,
you know,"
"About 20 years ago my
wife ran away with a
state trooper,
and he says, "I was
scared to death you
was bringing her back."
[KEVIN]: [LAUGH]
[LAUGH]
Billy said he wants to
play 200-a-rail on his
home table.
So, if anybody wants to
stake me I'm available,
you know what I mean.
I play-I played him a
hundred-a-rail on
my own money, it's just
with four kids it's getting a
little stressful, you know what
I mean.
I wish I could have told you
more about th, uh, Texas Open,
but
M-m-me and Bob Vanover
understood each other quite
well, it was, uh,
Yeah, Bo-bo-Bob was, uh, was
cool. Yeah.
[CLAP] Thank you.
[KEVIN]: Well, that was awesome.
Well, thank you. I'm, I talk
too much, but,
[KEVIN]: No, you talk just the
right amount.
[ROCK MUSIC]