How I learned to play for Money
Posted 01-23-2013 at 08:28 AM by gregcantrall
Passing the test at the H bar B
This is the preamble to the pool story.
In 1979 I had just met my the lady that is now my wife, well had known her for a couple of months. We had just moved to Oakdale, CA, "The Cowboy Capital of the World". I had long hair and a beard and rode a Harley. We played pool at the H bar B, where it was common for the cowboys to go outside and fight and the first one to hit the ground buys the beer. My wife had lived in Oakdale and knew most of the locals. The Good Ole Boys wanted to test me however. One Friday night we are sitting at a table away from the bar, on the other side of the pool table. My wife goes to the bar to get 2 more drinks. I notice while she is at the bar she had a lengthy conversation with a young man sitting next to a person she had introduced my to as an old friend. This young man was a Bulldogger and had just turned 21. When she returns with our drinks, she points out the young man and asks if I will go slap his face? I was 5' 11" and 165 lbs. This kid was about 25 pounds heavier and used to jumping off of running horses onto steers and wrestling them to the ground! So I replied "I won't slap his face, but will knock him off of that bar stool." As I was getting up, she grabbed me and made me promise not to go over there with the threat of never speaking to me again if I did. So I promised not to do anything if she would tell me what happened. Well when she got to the bar the kid had out of the blue asked her if she would go to bed with him. Before she could answer he explained that his friends had bet him a drink that he would not ask her. To which she replied, "It is a good thing you don't have that drink yet, because you would be wearing it." So now as she is telling me this his friends that put him up to it are watching us. So they have seen me get up and be restrained by her and sit back down and talk for a few minutes. Wouldn't you know, now as soon as my wife goes to the ladies room, one of the instigators comes over to me and asks, "Can you fight?" I reply "Well I can take care of myself, why?" He comes back with, "You see that kid over there?" Indicating the young Bulldogger. When I say "Yea". He says "well I bet him a beer that you could hit him two times to his one." Well I have my game face on now and come back with, "How hard do you want me to hit him?" Knowing if that kid hits me once I would be in big trouble. He replies, "Well hard enough so he can feel it!" as he smacks his right fist into his left palm. So I think about a second and respond, "Well for a beer I will." Now he heads back to the bar just as my wife returns from the ladies room. She sees him leave and imediately wants to know "What's up". When I tell her, she swears to never speak to me again if I go through with this. So I tell her I will forfeit and buy them all a beer as I was forfeiting the bet. As I am getting up to go to the bar, the instigator walks up with two drinks, puts them on the table and says, "The kid doesn't want to do it."
Now the pool story.
The First Time I Won a Game of Pool for Money I Was Flat Broke.
We continued to drink and play pool for the remainder of the evening. Come last call we had the pool table and were taking challenges playing doubles. Now the challengers are the Camarillo brothers. A couple of rodeo champions my wife has intoduced me to with the explanation that they are both good pool players as the cowboys on the rodeo circuit do gamble a lot at pool. As I am getting ready to break my wife steps close to me and tells me, "We are playing for a six pack of Michelobe to go." I just spent my last dollar on the last round of drinks. She has already booked the bet. I learned how to play under pressure real quick. I broke and ran the rack! As we are drinking the Michelobe in the back parking lot I fessed up to being broke and playing on my nerve. She replied "I know the bar tender, I could have put it on a tab." Hell, I did not even know what a bar tab was at that time. I did learn what "Fight or Flight" did for my pool game.
This is the preamble to the pool story.
In 1979 I had just met my the lady that is now my wife, well had known her for a couple of months. We had just moved to Oakdale, CA, "The Cowboy Capital of the World". I had long hair and a beard and rode a Harley. We played pool at the H bar B, where it was common for the cowboys to go outside and fight and the first one to hit the ground buys the beer. My wife had lived in Oakdale and knew most of the locals. The Good Ole Boys wanted to test me however. One Friday night we are sitting at a table away from the bar, on the other side of the pool table. My wife goes to the bar to get 2 more drinks. I notice while she is at the bar she had a lengthy conversation with a young man sitting next to a person she had introduced my to as an old friend. This young man was a Bulldogger and had just turned 21. When she returns with our drinks, she points out the young man and asks if I will go slap his face? I was 5' 11" and 165 lbs. This kid was about 25 pounds heavier and used to jumping off of running horses onto steers and wrestling them to the ground! So I replied "I won't slap his face, but will knock him off of that bar stool." As I was getting up, she grabbed me and made me promise not to go over there with the threat of never speaking to me again if I did. So I promised not to do anything if she would tell me what happened. Well when she got to the bar the kid had out of the blue asked her if she would go to bed with him. Before she could answer he explained that his friends had bet him a drink that he would not ask her. To which she replied, "It is a good thing you don't have that drink yet, because you would be wearing it." So now as she is telling me this his friends that put him up to it are watching us. So they have seen me get up and be restrained by her and sit back down and talk for a few minutes. Wouldn't you know, now as soon as my wife goes to the ladies room, one of the instigators comes over to me and asks, "Can you fight?" I reply "Well I can take care of myself, why?" He comes back with, "You see that kid over there?" Indicating the young Bulldogger. When I say "Yea". He says "well I bet him a beer that you could hit him two times to his one." Well I have my game face on now and come back with, "How hard do you want me to hit him?" Knowing if that kid hits me once I would be in big trouble. He replies, "Well hard enough so he can feel it!" as he smacks his right fist into his left palm. So I think about a second and respond, "Well for a beer I will." Now he heads back to the bar just as my wife returns from the ladies room. She sees him leave and imediately wants to know "What's up". When I tell her, she swears to never speak to me again if I go through with this. So I tell her I will forfeit and buy them all a beer as I was forfeiting the bet. As I am getting up to go to the bar, the instigator walks up with two drinks, puts them on the table and says, "The kid doesn't want to do it."
Now the pool story.
The First Time I Won a Game of Pool for Money I Was Flat Broke.
We continued to drink and play pool for the remainder of the evening. Come last call we had the pool table and were taking challenges playing doubles. Now the challengers are the Camarillo brothers. A couple of rodeo champions my wife has intoduced me to with the explanation that they are both good pool players as the cowboys on the rodeo circuit do gamble a lot at pool. As I am getting ready to break my wife steps close to me and tells me, "We are playing for a six pack of Michelobe to go." I just spent my last dollar on the last round of drinks. She has already booked the bet. I learned how to play under pressure real quick. I broke and ran the rack! As we are drinking the Michelobe in the back parking lot I fessed up to being broke and playing on my nerve. She replied "I know the bar tender, I could have put it on a tab." Hell, I did not even know what a bar tab was at that time. I did learn what "Fight or Flight" did for my pool game.
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