[DJ66]

As someone who has known John for several years and even worked for him, I can personally say I have watched him "forgive" lots of gambling debts owed to him as well as loans, many amounts in the several thousand dollar range. I have watched people take advantage of him and his generosity, then laugh at him when it's done.
I'm not a big fan of his politics, and some of his other views absolutely infuriate me, but at the end of the day, I still respect him and call him my friend.
Will he "go off" again? Possibly. But it will take a while for that to happen, and the circumstances would have to be perfect. Hopefully, this will resonate with him for a very long time, and keep his ego in check.
I wish everyone could see him this way, instead of as a celebrity, an open pocketbook, or a free ride (yeah, you can still view him as an a$$, he does have his moments). I'm sure I will get "flamed" for this post, called "nut-hugger" or whatever, but personally, I don't really care. I know the man and his family on a much more personal level than most of you. He is a good man with a good heart who made a mistake, and he will ultimately pay for it.
As an addition, I have often referred to him as a modern day "Minnesota Fats". He has a larger than life personality when in public, and is either loved or hated by the masses.

[ribdoner]

Originally Posted by DJ66

As someone who has known John for several years and even worked for him, I can personally say I have watched him "forgive" lots of gambling debts owed to him as well as loans, many amounts in the several thousand dollar range. I have watched people take advantage of him and his generosity, then laugh at him when it's done.
I'm not a big fan of his politics, and some of his other views absolutely infuriate me, but at the end of the day, I still respect him and call him my friend.
Will he "go off" again? Possibly. But it will take a while for that to happen, and the circumstances would have to be perfect. Hopefully, this will resonate with him for a very long time, and keep his ego in check.
I wish everyone could see him this way, instead of as a celebrity, an open pocketbook, or a free ride (yeah, you can still view him as an a$$, he does have his moments). I'm sure I will get "flamed" for this post, called "nut-hugger" or whatever, but personally, I don't really care. I know the man and his family on a much more personal level than most of you. He is a good man with a good heart who made a mistake, and he will ultimately pay for it.

i'd call you a good friend

[ugotactionTX]

if JB had not been such a monumental douche about so many things over the years... I would probably find myself feeling sorry for him, or anyone else in that position.

I made it about 3 minutes in before I realized there were 30 more minutes in PART 1... I hope it all works out for him but no thanks.

[SpiderWeb]

The game should have been over the first time John didnt pay. He only owes for one game

[Karate]

I watched a little of the match starting around 2am to 4 something am.
Like they said, neither played exceptional.
They were playing 9 ball and the chat said 2k per game.
JB was down 2-5 games the whole time I watched.

JB asked for a 30 minute break once.... and you'd think he would eat/drink something....but nope. Banged balls the whole time saying something like I'll pay everyone 2 dollars for every open shot I miss.

Meanwhile his opponent actually took a break and left the room the whole 30 minutes.

In walked what looked like John Morra or his twin...and grabbed a cue and started stroking down the rail where the cloth and the rail make a straight line.
Dude stroked like 200 times trying to practice a straight stroke....at least 10 minutes....this was the pro that was there. (or one of them)

Maybe JB should have done this drill also....

Anyway...what John said was...If he and his opponent both had similar Fargo Ratings.... this Austin guy should have been more in stroke because he'd been quarantined with this pro, playing daily.

It sounds like this is why they both decided to match up in the first place....similar Fargo Ratings.

Whatever.... I don't know the exact number bet...

I just can't wait to play pool again with all you crazy bastards.

See you all out there again one day soon....

[GaryB]

I didn't read all of the posts but I hope somebody asked what in the world happened to "Posting?"

I still remember my wonderment walking into Hard Times late one weekend and every light on the tournament side had cash posted on it, Lots of cash.

Just wondering.

I remember in the late 60's a group of us went back to the office in downtown LA after having more than a few drinks up the street at Frankie's Cocktail Lounge. This was 8th and Olive an area that was getting run down like the rest of downtown LA at the time. There in the lobby was a kid in only his underwear and pretty bruised up. Turns out he was shooting bullets ( I didn't even know the term at the time) over in the Crenshaw area that at the time was a mixture of Japanese and Black.They just knocked him around and took his clothes shoes and of course his cue. None of us was familiar with the sub culture of pool. A couple of the guys took him to their apartment for the night. We ended up getting him some clothes and giving him a part time job. He was clean cut, articulate and ballsy without being arrogant. He was around for a few months then just disappeared. I will never forget him standing in the lobby and he had to be ballsy if not al little crazy to shoot bullets over there. Ah, the world of pool.

[Straightpool_99]

Does anyone have a link to the actual match?

Anyway, I just feel bad for JB right now. It's his own fault for getting into this situation, but it's still sad. I hope he can get back on his feet from this. I take no pleasure in his misfortune, even though I've often disagreed with him on here on many topics. I'm not doing so great financially myself at the moment, with this Corona thing happening, maybe that makes me more empathetic to his situation. Here's to things turning around for both of us.

[logical]

Originally Posted by GaryB

I didn't read all of the posts but I hope somebody asked what in the world happened to "Posting?"

Posting went by the wayside shortly after reading fell out of favor.

Sent from the future.

[JB Cases]

About 35k to about 5 people. Everybody is cool. Everyone involved understands and everyone is getting paid.

It's a simple equation, got my nose open and just have to work off the debt. I say "work off" because if not for the current crisis and missing three big shows we would have a lot more cash on hand. So because of current unknowns with this virus I am simply paying off slower than I normally would.

I said it was free money and it was. Free in the sense that when a person is going off the people on the other side can ONLY gain and not lose. It's not the same as two parties posting a stake and going at it. The risk is not the same. Anyone who has spent any time gambling in pool rooms understands this.

At no time did I say that I would not pay everything I lost. I also haven't asked for any discount on what's owed although one of the people made a generous offer that I accepted.

Someone here made a comment that if I weren't such a douchebag then he could muster up some sympathy. Well, let me be clear, I didn't ask for anyone's sympathy. I got myself in for the reasons I stated and I will pay off everyone as I clearly stated.

I am not in financial trouble, my company is fine. I don't have to sell an organ to pay for it.

I made a video primarily for my own reasons to kind of work out the analysis and to be clear that I am 100% at fault and I didn't get hustled or ganged up on. I simply got into a weird state where I stopped having fun and dug a hole that got increasingly bigger. The pattern has been the same with only the amounts being different throughout my life in pool. The other reason I made the video was to show people what can happen in such a dynamic and let them take whatever lesson that can from it if any.

Some will see an out of control degenerate gambler. Some will see a guy who just got in way over his head. Some will see an egotistical jerkoff who got what was coming to him. Some will see a nice guy who got hustled in their opinion.

I see it as purchasing an experience that will shape the rest of my life. Not being in my skin and not having lived my life there aren't many who can understand the deeper points I was making in my video. There are, however, a few good friends who understand them completely.

So, moving forward I am at peace, family and business are fine, everyone is getting paid and pool is TRULY fun again. Buy a JB case and you will have something solid that is way more reliable than JB's pool game.

[JB Cases]

Originally Posted by Karate

I watched a little of the match starting around 2am to 4 something am.
Like they said, neither played exceptional.
They were playing 9 ball and the chat said 2k per game.
JB was down 2-5 games the whole time I watched.

JB asked for a 30 minute break once.... and you'd think he would eat/drink something....but nope. Banged balls the whole time saying something like I'll pay everyone 2 dollars for every open shot I miss.

Meanwhile his opponent actually took a break and left the room the whole 30 minutes.

In walked what looked like John Morra or his twin...and grabbed a cue and started stroking down the rail where the cloth and the rail make a straight line.
Dude stroked like 200 times trying to practice a straight stroke....at least 10 minutes....this was the pro that was there. (or one of them)

Maybe JB should have done this drill also....

Anyway...what John said was...If he and his opponent both had similar Fargo Ratings.... this Austin guy should have been more in stroke because he'd been quarantined with this pro, playing daily.

It sounds like this is why they both decided to match up in the first place....similar Fargo Ratings.

Whatever.... I don't know the exact number bet...

I just can't wait to play pool again with all you crazy bastards.

See you all out there again one day soon....

The reason I asked for that break was that I wanted to try and refocus. I was on the phone with a friend and I said I would pay $2 for missed shots. Was just a way to try and get a rhythm that felt somewhat comfortable. At that point though there wasn't any getting better and every shot felt really hard. As I explained in the video the conditions were very uncomfortable and hard to deal with. But as I said I chose to be there and chose to get stupid with the bets and that made it even tougher on me.

I learned a lot and most of it is because I had a friend with me who could lend his analysis from his perspective. I would rather have learned these lessons for a lot less money but in the end it's not about the money. You are right that preparation and practice is a key component and even though you didn't know why I was taking the break and "banging balls" you are correct that walking in with better fundamentals (gained through the repetition) is super important. And yes it's "obvious" but as I said when your mind isn't right then what's logical isn't really at the forefront.

[JB Cases]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

I don't know John, never met the guy other than his internet stuff. So, does anyone think he really learned anything? Or, will he "go off" again?

I might play a big set in the future someday but I definitely won't be going off - big or small. Sometimes you just KNOW that you turned a corner and this is that time for me.

[JB Cases]

Originally Posted by HawaiianEye

I've always thought he was bi-polar or had a bit of schizophrenia.

He can't control himself and has a tendency to always let his emotions control his impulsive actions.

The second part is definitely true. The first might be the case on some level but highly doubtful. Think mindfulness and conditioning. Just needed to come to some long over due realizations and inner truths.

[JB Cases]

One more thing:

If you're ever so lucky to have an amazing partner like I have cherish them because no amount of money or success can replace them. Finding someone who truly means it when they say "for better or worse" is like winning the life lottery. Someone who picks you up when you stumble and runs alongside you to greater heights than you had ever dreamed you could reach is more important than a million words trying to explain why.

[Kickin' Chicken]

Originally Posted by JB Cases

The second part is definitely true. The first might be the case on some level but highly doubtful. Think mindfulness and conditioning. Just needed to come to some long over due realizations and inner truths.

John, I love you, man...just about unconditionally!

Nearly everyone gets swept up in something or another at some point in their lives. You just do it spectacularly and maybe more frequently than most.

Now, try to do your version of Willie's IRS album. I know, the shows need to get going for you...

best,
brian kc

[JB Cases]

Originally Posted by Kickin' Chicken

John, I love you, man...just about unconditionally!

Nearly everyone gets swept up in something or another at some point in their lives. You just do it spectacularly and maybe more frequently than most.

Now, try to do your version of Willie's IRS album. I know, the shows need to get going for you...

best,
brian kc

I JUST reopened this thread to post that this line in your sig sums it up best. And here you are!

"Don't let your alligator mouth overload your jaybird ass!" - my Father (Brians's dad)

I guess I forgot that lesson after leaving home at 14 because my mother would always make sure that it didn't. :-)