Hey Zee - Pool Stories Needed
 

Internet sites are reporting Johnny Ervolino passed away a couple days ago. He is from your neck of the woods and some stories are circulating about him. You ever match up, etc...? Apparently he still hit some at the Cue Club in Las Vegas until recently. Some say he could still run balls in 14.1 and play good one pocket until the end. I never saw him play tho.

Re: Hey Zee - Pool Stories Needed
 

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Some say he could still run balls in 14.1

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What does this mean? He could run the table in 14.1 seconds?

Re: Hey Zee - Pool Stories Needed
 

14.1 is straight pool. You start with 15 balls and shoot until 1 is left. The 1 stays on the table and other 14 get racked and you keep . I prefer 9-ball or 8-ball.

Re: Hey Zee - Pool Stories Needed
 

14.1 is straight pool. Make the first 14, leave a break ball, make the break ball, bust the rack, keep going. East coast guys were masters at it. The game isn't very popular anymore and doesn't work on small tables that require quarters to get the balls out. Some modern guys can still play it well, but they don't get a chance to show their straght pool games. Have you seen The Hustler? Straight pool is the game in that.

Re: Hey Zee - Pool Stories Needed
 

I've been hustled more than once by east coast guys at straight pool. "Yeah, we'll play to 50 and I'll spot you 35. You only need to make 15 and I have to make 50." Sounds fair, huh?

Re: Hey Zee - Pool Stories Needed
 

It depends. [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

I can run 15 sometimes, but those guys who can constantly run 100's are sick. And when they are that good you don't get to run 15 very often of course.

BTW, if you don't have it, you need the tape where Sigel runs 150 and out on Zuglan in the US Open. Ervolino comes into the booth to announce and is great. He has that unbelievable voice and calls like 10 balls ahead. "Nah, Sigel will make the 13 and if he gets on the 9 it will be 9,7, 10, 14, 3, and 12 for the break ball. I like that because you can just shoot stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, and out here...." Then Sigel would do it. Sigel had like 2 problems in 150 balls.

Re: Hey Zee - Pool Stories Needed
 

[ QUOTE ]
Internet sites are reporting Johnny Ervolino passed away a couple days ago. He is from your neck of the woods and some stories are circulating about him. You ever match up, etc...? Apparently he still hit some at the Cue Club in Las Vegas until recently. Some say he could still run balls in 14.1 and play good one pocket until the end. I never saw him play tho.

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Sort of a hijack, but I've played poker with Alan Hopkins a few times in AC. Pretty interesting guy...

scrub

Re: Hey Zee - Pool Stories Needed
 

My over/under on you posting that comment was ~11:00, looks like I was a little too ambitous.

Re: Hey Zee - Pool Stories Needed
 

yea i knew him a little. i stayed far away as i could. not because he was good. but he was. he left the east coast in the late 60's maybe 1970, and got a job dealing bj at ceasers in vegas. he stayed at that for many years. pool and losing backers was what he was best at. he was one of those pool types that anything you did with him wouldnt work out to your benefit. everything aside. most good east coast players never lost much if you could beat them or trap them in a game. thats why most went out west. the players there lost all they had everytime you found a way to get them down.

Re: Hey Zee - Pool Stories Needed
 

Thanks. The discussions on him haven't included your insight. [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]