…I missed out on that horse! 😢 Below is a true story about another horse I missed out on. 😖

Then I’ll reply with another horse that got me more than even for the day. 🤑

AUNT ANGIE

The best pool tournament I have ever been to was the Willard’s International 8 & 9 Ball Classic. Which is saying a lot, since I went to a lot of pool tournaments from the mid 70’s through the 90’s.

It was held twice at the Pheasant Run in Saint Charles, Illinois in 1991 & 1992. It was a long 10 day tournament. 8-Ball & then 9-Ball on regulation tables. All in a huge convention room. The room also had sky room seating. There was also another smaller room with bar tables.

I went both years, but this is about the one in 1991. The first day I am walking around the tournament floor, checking out the action. Freddy Guarino, who also lived here in Las Vegas & owned Cue-Topia, along with his partner, Mary Kenniston, came up to me & asked if I wanted to go to Off Track Betting to bet the horses. 🐎 I immediately told him no, as I could do that anytime back in Las Vegas. I was there for the pool. 🎱 So off he went.

The next morning I order breakfast from room service which included the daily newspaper. Once I get to the sports section, I eventually get to the race results from the day before. As I looked them over, I see a horse that paid $120 to win. 😳 The name of the horse was…

AUNT ANGIE

Saint Charles is a suburb of Chicago. I use to go to Chicago for the summers & work in Victor’s restaurant on Dearborn in downtown. My uncle Vic owned it along with his sister, my…

AUNT ANGIE

Now I was flush with cash, even more so when I had beat a guy out of a $1,000 at the Rum Runner, a couple of hours before catching my flight to go to the tournament. ✈️ So there was no doubt in my mind that I would have bet a $100 across the board on…

AUNT ANGIE

Just the win ticket alone would have paid $6,000. 🤑 With the place & show tickets, it would have been close to $10,000. 😢

When I get back to Las Vegas I go over to my moms house. She lived with my…

AUNT ANGIE

So I show my aunt the race results that I had cut out of the paper & tell her the story. She smiled & said…”You are just like your uncle Vic.” My uncle is the one who really got me into gambling when I was 10 years old. We closed up the restaurant one night & he took me with him to Sportsman’s Park to bet the horses. Just before the first race he hands me the racing form & asks who I liked.🤔 I knew nothing about horses or even how to read the racing form. So I just picked number 3 because I liked the name.

My uncle asked me if I had any money. I said no you haven’t paid me yet. So he takes out $2 to bet the 3 horse to win & tells me I can pay him back when he pays me for working in the restaurant. Well, the 3 horse won! I don’t remember how much it paid, but when he handed me the winnings I peeled off $2 to pay him back & said, NOW I have some money. 😆

In the one photo I am with arguably the best all around pool player to ever live, Efren Reyes. Mary Kenniston is in the one chalking up her cue.

RIP AUNT ANGIE.