Tale of Texas Pool, The (2024)

[bunniefuu]

[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 ba*ls 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 sh**t 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 sh**t 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 sh**t on

the, uh, table.

So, I've been playing pool my

whole life.

'Machine g*n' 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 sh**t them all in.

That might be one reason why at

the time I would try to sh**t

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 g*n' 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 k*ller, 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 ba*ls,

and his goal was to try to run

100 ba*ls 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 ba*ls 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

ba*ls 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 sh**t.

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 ba*ls for

the players, as opposed to, uh,

having the players rack their

own ba*ls, back then.

I had the pleasure of racking

the ba*ls 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

sh**t 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

ba*ls.

[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 ba*ls 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 a*s.

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 ba*ls and all

this,

and he's over here making the

ba*ls. 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 ba*ls,

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 ba*ls 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

ba*ls 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 ba*ls and he r*fles 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 a*s 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 k*lled 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 a*s. [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 sh**ting 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 sh**ter.

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 sh**t 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 ba*ls

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'b*tch

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 ba*ls 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 sh**t

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 sh**t 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 sh**t

3-pointers for 5,000, right.

So, we go sh**t 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 sh**ting and

the ba*ls 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 sh**t 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 sh**t.

I went on the road with Calvin

Carner and Gary Bright.

Gary was a coin tossing son of a

b*tch, 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 ba*ls 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 ba*ls 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 ba*ls CLACK]

[POOL ba*ls CLACK]

Trying to figure out

what's best for my game. Trying

to get ready for the,

tour stop at Skinny's

[POOL ba*ls 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 ba*ls 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 ch*nk 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 ba*ls 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 ba*ls 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 d*ck 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 a*s 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

sh*t." 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 sh*t 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 sh**t, right?

It was the most boring sh*t I've

ever seen in my life.

This dude for three hours never

pocketed one ball.

He broke the ba*ls,

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 sh*t."

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 sh*t 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 sh**ting 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 sh*t

about Willie Nelson.

[LAUGHS]

That's when I realized

I was a true Texan, man.

[LAUGHS]

Can't come from California

and talk sh*t 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 ill*gal

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]