The movie "The Hustler" was not based on Rudolph "Minnesota Fats" Wanderone. The movie was based on the book (fiction) "The Hustler". Rudolph, being a hustler, decided to change his name from "New York Fats" to "Minnesota Fats" and TELL everyone that the movie was about him.
@@joncue0304 yep, How the Hell Cole Dickson isn't on this list idk, Fats wrote a book .. it was a boy ish story.. that might of had some truth to it .. but it was mostly just Fats lying about how great he was.
I have watched all the “Fats” videos i can find on UA-cam…. And i have come to the conclusion that the best part of “Minnesota Fats” was his mouth… Him and Mike Sigel, all they did was shoot their face off….
Fats was a mediocre player with a big mouth. He never won a world title. He was a bum. The only people that mention his name are those that know nothing about pool.
Ronnie Allen: "In my professional opinion, Harold Worst was the greatest pool player who ever lived, or ever will live ... He's got my vote." Artie Bodendorfer: "Harold Worst was the greatest all around player in life, playing nine-ball, one-pocket, cushion billiards and snooker."Jay Helfert: "I have a lot of respect for Artie when he talks about Harold Worst. I've always said when asked who the best player I ever saw was, that it was HAROLD WORST! My stock answer all these years was Worst was Best! Everything Artie says is true. No top player of his era wanted to even discuss playing a money game with him. Even Lassiter drew the line playing Worst 9-Ball for money. He was afraid that he might lose his rep as the best 9-Ball player. Worst was unique, kind of like Efren in a way. If you showed him a game with sticks and balls, he would master it fairly quickly. If he wanted to be the best one-pocket player in the world, Ronnie would have been in trouble. And you know how strong I think Ronnie was. Harold Worst was a unique man, a real man's man. Courteous, humble but proud. And like Artie said, he wasn't afraid to bet his own money. In fact, he wouldn't consider having a backer. That would have been demeaning to him. Probably the closest to Worst was Rags Fitzpatrick from the 50's. ALL the players said he was unbeatable. I'll never forget the final year (1965 I believe) that Worst won the Stardust tourney. He looked anemic to me, having lost so much weight from his once healthy and robust frame. No one knew how sick he was. He was not one to complain or make excuses. He won anyway. And only a few months later he was gone.
@@dustincobb5718 I’ve been around pool for almost 50 yrs and when multiple people talk about a man being the caliber of Harold Worst you better listen. When multiple people say Lassiter couldnt beat him. You better listen I played Ronnie in 1990 He was the beast of all beasts playing one hole but when you meet people who knew them both and all of them tell you Harold was the man You better fucking listen The history books were told by the winners but some of the winners didn’t write books they just cashed checks
Saw Cornbread and McCready try to negotiate a game back in the early 80's in Toledo, OH. Sadly they couldn't come to terms. But will never forget Cornbread's wife tossing 50k on the table telling McCready to put up or shut up. He never shut up but he didn't put up either.
What about Cesar Morales? I know he hustled at some time in the US but everybody got word of it and nobody would play him. He must be that good of a hustler. I hear he also scratches his head a lot and sticks out his tongue when he makes a mistake.
I know Bata and most all of the top players. I knew Cueball Kelly and some other legends as well. The best hustlers stay under the radar and don't brag. #WidowOfAHustler
Hate to break it to you, but as someone who played for a living for over 20 years and have won some tour events, I still made 95% of my living gambling. Most of us only went to events to match up… and only a couple entries in, but if Junior Goff isn’t listed I call this invalid.
@richfollen7818 and the issue there is that anyone who was a favorite the odds were so bad even calcuttas were meaningless. Second place breaks even for top bids a lot more than people realize, and even 25 years ago it wasn’t easy to sneak in, the old pool grapevine absolutely rivaled the internet lol. Hell, the first bigger event I won I beat a US Open winner in the finals and made a profit of $475 for the weekend. It just wasn’t sustainable for anyone who wasn’t a top 10 player, much less those of us who cashed regularly but won rarely. It was fun but a brutal way to try and scratch by.
We had a guy in our town John Ward,he was so incredible of a pool player,he would run the table every time ,his breaks were so loud people would cover their ears,he exploded 2 cue balls through the years,he could’ve gone on to be the best,they said Vietnam really messed him up,never the same when he came back,but when he was in the “zone “,he could and did beat,Rempe,McCready,Dan Louie,to name a few.
Harrys they called pooch too. I would play him and cornbread at bogartz in Livonia Michigan often. Harry was a great guy. I was only 18 when i started playing tour with McDermott and he was always willing to help me learn new things in pool. Harry with 9 ball and red with one pocket
@Todd Coon is that still open? There was another one in flint i thin it was called earls or something. I didn't play in flint a much . I played a lof in Warren at a place called plush pockets which was Wednesday's and hall of fame billiards in Detroit. Alot of the cushion n cues as well.
@@jackwoods535 Crane was from the generation immediately preceding Mosconi & Caras. The few times I saw videos of him playing he was an impeccably correct gentleman and still a great player; the exact opposite of loudmouth showboat Wanderone. Do you have any thoughts on why Crane would not be picked? I played an exibition match of straight pool with Caras. He broke, I shot and missed, and he ran 327 balls.
@@obi-potobi790 Bullshit I grew up with Louie Robert’s he said Tom Cruises couldn’t make a bridge and didn’t know the first thing about holding a pool cue
I like a lot of your videos but this one in particular is full of major mistakes, false information, and the list in itself is questionable at best. Please do your research on this video and when you do, you will understand what I mean.
Yeah as a former traveling pro i can legit tell you that this list is like 30% accurate. I was beating mcready when i was only in my second year touring and he was terrible at making games for himself.
He doesn't count as he was not a Hustler,a pro player and he ran pool halls and was world champion but he didn't go around hustling so he didn't make this list
The movie "The Hustler" was not based on the the life of Rudolf Wanderone and I Quote from the book "The Hustler" noted in the beginning of the book, "I once saw a fat pool player with a facial tic. I once saw another pool player who was physically graceful, Both were minor hustlers, as far as I could tell. Both seemed loud and vain---with little dignity and grace, unlike my fat pool player. After THE HUSTLER was published one of them claimed to "be" Minnesota Fats. This is ridiculous. I made up Minnesota Fats---name and all---as surely as Disney made up Donald Duck. Walter Tevis New York 1984 Walter Tevis wrote "The Hustler"
Wanderone was a top player in his day but he was called NY Fats, he just latched onto the name after the movie came out and that proved to be the greatest hustle in his life.
Not sure that was Don Willis in those clips; met him numerous times in Canton, Ohio at Varsity Billiards, and at the College Bowl when he was much older and not in good health. Paid him $200 for a lesson. There are many photos of him around the web, but I've never seen a video or movie clip ever.
6:48 I just found Luther Lassiters long lost cue that was just sitting out in the open at my house for anyone to use. The bottom/bumper started to fall off and crumble so I just pulled the whole piece off and there it was a gold plate/ring screwed in underneath that nobody has ever noticed. “Bud Lassiter Happy Birthday 11-5-47”. We had 0 what it meant. My grandpa,pool player of the family, sadly passed away last February. He was the one who bought it a long time ago for my dad as his first cue. I don’t even think he knew what it was. his nice cues are always put away in cases and kept great care of them, and this was just another house stick. I’m curious on where/who he got it from now. Nobody knows…
How could you leave the greatest hustler that hustled all the hustlers.... The great Cesar Morales aka efren Reyes... He came to the US and hustled most of thnose on the list and won
I used to play cornbread at bogartz in Livonia Michigan all the time. Harry sexton ( pooch) should of been on this list too. Those 2 would play one pocket for anything and you would learn something every time too.
, cornbread was the best, I knew him played with him many times play poker with him he was a true Hustler a great con man a great Hustler Ecuador really play pool
@@jimmysupafly1547 Name was Ted Elias. Billy wouldn't play straight pool with him. So it was 9 ball & Ted beat him good each time. They also played 1 pocket & Ted again beat him. In fact Billy left owing my husband 250.00. which he never paid.
They clearly did not do their research on this video. For one, that was not Cornbread. That was strawberry. Number one should have been Vernon Elliot !
The maker doesn't care about facts, just hustling you by making you watch while he makes cash, and you make nothing but lost time and lies. Cornbread was in that match but creator doesn't even know what cornbread looks like... Sad
The Hustler WAS NOT based on Fat's life. That was a lie he used for publicity. Willie Moscone was the pool director on that film and he has always said it was nothing to do with Minnesota Fats
Minnesota fats wasn't a great player but he was a smart gambler he would leave get some sleep then return well rested in the middle of the night play, someone who had been there for many hours then get a huge spot (the 6 in nine ball ) then leave and do the same thing the next night. I'm talking about Johnson city
@@Otingocni no problem, drive by there every time I go back home from Atlanta, GA to central IL. The old building is still standing but long vacant in a weed-grown lot.
@@jayhodges2243 Been to Johnston City lots of times. Saw a lot of great pool players there. Grew up on farm just North of there. Remember Fats and Ronnie Allen being there! Fats was older and had lost a lot but he talked a great game even then. lol
Love the story my sister tells of when she played Fats. At a billiard hall in Nashville. Wasn't a money game, just friendly. But then, he was a guy...and...she was pretty...
The video of Titanic Thompson is film footage of Jimmy Caras. Judging by all the negative comments and false information you should take this video down.
Anyone who knew a southern African American named Danny Anderson back in the 70's and 80's knew he was the best anyone had seen. He even once beat Minnesota Fats but never played professionally. He once ran 6 tables in a row and would have to spot other players several balls just to get them to play him. He once won 15K from a guy who thought he was the best, only to have him meet him in the parking lot and get his money back at gunpoint. He was the best.
Funny that efren lost to buddy hall, nick Varner, Keith McCready, Mike Sigel, Johnny archer, Kim davenport, earl strickland,etc when he first came to the states. This was after jose parica his fellow Phillipines teammate use to beat him in the Philippines 🙄
The Cincinnati Kid was and always will be Joey Spaeth. Nothing against Don Willis, he's a legend, but if ur entire career was focused on anonymity you don't get dibs on the cool nickname lol
Don was the shit! Who else could challenge sprinters and beat them running backwards? Beat pro Bball players at free throws? Beat the best at horse shoes and out numbly peg the best cowboys in the world! If my uncle Red was still alive he would tell you the story that started in Amarillo and ended in Cleveland...,when he realized he'd just got run down by Wimpy and Willis at a country club😂. Red was a hell of a pitcher and Wimpy told him how to get less spin out of his change up into wind coming behind home plate. Strangest story I ever heard. Red said I went there at 17 thinking I was a pool player,came back knowing I was a shoe salesman. All kidding aside,he asked me if I'd ever met anyone who could of been the best ever at anything they chose? No sir. Anything son! Nope! Well I did,and after it was all done they got me a ride back to Amarillo after they bought me breakfast and told me where I could find good money games in El Paso.
@@allanbardon146 The names been used by a couple guys. Anderson is a bad mama jamma for sure no disrespect to him. I probably think of Joey first just bc I knew Gary. Either way they're both among the greatest of all time.
@@jackwoods535 Within the last 50 years there has been only one player who was a world champion at three-cushion billiards, nine-ball, one-pocket, straight pool and snooker ... and that was Harold Worst.
@@jackwoods535 According to Ronnie Allen and Minnesota Fats, Worst had beaten Don Willis, the "undercover monster" who was Lassiter's road partner and in his opinion the best money player of them all.
Titanic Thompson was not a pool hustler or player. He was a proposition man. Numerous sources have stated that Titanic was a horrible pool player including Titanic himself.
Then why did Fats rate him so much then ? Yes I know Fats loved to lie and embellish stories BUT his ego was so big that he'd never say someone was better than him if it wasn't true
...Too bad that whoever put together this "Top 10 Hustlers" video never met my dad (born 1923 -- passed away 2004) ... I saw him Break & Run 9 straight racks of 9-ball without missing a shot...and this was on a full-size pool table.
While certainly impressive, and qualities of a great player (NO SLIGHT to your dad!!!) Earl Strickland ran out 11 racks of 9-ball, a complete set for the prize of $1,000,000, Look it up! I've seen Mike Corella run 13 at $100 a rack. Both full size tables. NONE of these have anything to do with Hustling!!!
@@LordDelaware115 For someone in a non professional scene, it is great, and extremely impressive. Sure, he couldnt be put on this list against professional scene hustlers (with the exception of one or two) but thats as good as standard scene players come
@@ruachadam5227 I understand what a 9 pack is. There are guys running 15+ racks 10 ball on a diamond that aren't pros just top regional players. Not knocking your dad, it's just not as great as you are making it out to be.
You showed cornbread red and then showed strawberry brooks playing while talking about cornbread. You should replace brooks playing and show cornbread playing while you’re talking about him
no kidding. "today, tournaments provide a profitable income for any professional pool player". i think you would literally have to be in a coma to be any more detached from reality. But I guess talking out your butt is good enough for yt clicks.
Just the fact that you put Fats #1 discredits everything. Good player but not great, too much notoriety to be a hustler. Notoriety is everything, no one new who Cesar Morales was. Rags Fitzpatrick’s family has Western Union telegrams from the most famous players bird-dogging him to the money. I understand Mike Siegel would even play left-handed to clinch a bet ((he was a left handed player), that’s hustling). And Cesar Morales, (Efren Reyes turned out to be the greatest player of all time).
Not to mention that he was known as New York Fats before the Hustler came out. Because it was such a big movie, he changed his name to Minn Fats, even had it legally changed I believe, and rode the coattails of the movie.
Reminds me of a night when I had a road hustler giving me the 5 in six ball, and beating me to death. We had to change the game, but he wouldn't give me the 4 and 5. So I told him I'd play him left-handed if he gave me the 4 and the 5. I was only joking because I had been playing left-handed the whole time he was giving me the 5. The guy said OK, but we'll have to double the bet. I thought he was joking too. But when I looked at his face I could tell he was serious. I was busted, so I had to excuse myself under the guise of going to buy a Coke. I also used the opportunity to borrow some money from the house man so I could keep playing. While I was waiting for my Coke, some smart-aleck came up and said that if I didn't give him $20, he would tell the road hustler I was left-handed. I told him to shove off and went back to my game. About a half hour after we resumed play, I heard the road hustler mumble to himself, "I'll be damned, a left-handed pool player". Needless to say, I got my money back and then some.
That IS NOT CORNbREAD RED playing !!!!! That’s Strawberry brooks !!!!! They were playing each other that set and you’ve got the players mixed up . Cornbread Red was the white dude and Steawberry Brooks is the Black guy so I see how you got em confused .
Lol i actually played " red" a few times when i started touring. Him and Harry Sexton " pooch" were great hustlers. Watched cornbread once playing a kid who had no idea who he was in a game of one pocket and the kid was a decent little player but getting huge spots from red for $500 a game. The kid had a chance to win with a game ball straight into a corner table length shot and red dropped his cue while the kid was pulling the trigger. Naturally he missed the shot and red looks at him and says " you got some dog in you but it ain't pittbull" then makes the last ball for the dough. I never laughed so hard in my life. That was in Livonia Michigan at bogarts. I can confirm red was white lol. That comment you made me crack up.
What about Jose Parica?.The first top Filipino player to come to America and he beat everybody! Some say he's won more $ playing pool, than anyone alive! Too bad he's broke now, pool players don't have a pension plan...
This video is so full of errors that it would take pages to describe them all; so I'll just settle for one. When the name of Titanic Thompson is introduced, all the video images are of Jimmie Caras who was a contemporary of Willie Mosconi and was himself a world champion at straight pool. Thompson was known more for his ability to make highly favorable bets; however, his talent at pool left much to be desired.
Wrong, Greenleaf's high run has long since been smashed repeatedly. Irving Crane and Mosconi have the highest run of 309 on a 5x10 table. Greenleaf's run was beaten by Mosconi in 1955 on a 4x8 Pro Brunswick with 526 balls, which was was later beaten by John Schmidt by 100 balls in 2019, then beaten again by Jayson Shaw surpassed John's run with a run of 669.
You’ve mentioned a few pool players here got your facts wrong. There were a ton of other guys from this generation that were hustlers or road men.This is why books exist so you can read them😂
No Vernon Elliot??? He beat Keith McCready, he beat Efren Reyes several times at bank pool and Nick Varner wouldn't even play him. Elliott also bested pool legend Ronnie Allen. Elliott ended up taking about $10,000 from Allen at $1,000 a game. Elliott literally provided for a family of 6 by doing nothing but hustling pool, and they weren't poor. You don't know shit lol
@@royearl1094 ...... and Eddie with him.....let's not forget HowardBarrett.....BUT......"Bernie" was the greatest of them all....yup..... and don't forget "The Truckdrivers"(one was from Ohio and the other from Florida)
I was in a tourney once where mcready was drunk and talked in the tournament mic offering everyone that last 3 in 9 ball. We all laughed our asses off.
Back in the 60s the pool table t my local bowling alley said you had to be 21 to play. Lots of people thought it horrible that my father let my brother and me play. Minnesota Fats was almost broke in his later years. A hotel downtown Nashville let him live for free. I use to talk to him bolstering his ego as he set on a park bench feeding pigeons.
@@justsomeguy6474 that's almost right. I have bowled and played poker for money most of my life, earning a living for much of my adult life. I am painfully aware of many hustlers who have retired on their winnings. I think the more correct statement might be that gamblers die broke. In my experience, most hustlers are far more cunning and analytical than an addicted gambler. Gamblers have to have action, hustlers take action when the odds are in their favor...
@@justsomeguy6474 I think we are talking about the same group of people, just calling them different things. In my world, the gambler's are the ones going broke. All the good hustlers I've known, and competed with, always looked for an edge. And when they knew they didn't have it, they quit. Thus the name. It's not fair competition. They are running a hustle, they have an edge. The ones that keep going, we just call them bad gamblers...no big deal, two names for the same thing...
This video is wrong when describing Fats. Minnesota Fats was a fictional character in the book The Hustler by Walter Tevis. Rudolphe Wonderone took the name & said the movie was about him. Walter Tevis said in 1984 ~ That is ridiculous, I made up Minnesota Fats, name & all. as surely as Disney made up Donald Duck.
Kenny McCoy from Columbus Ohio. Road hustler in his day. Drove semi trucks and hustled every town he stopped in. Legend has it if you've ever held a hundred dollar bill before they made Ben's head grotesquely huge, Kenny won it, spent it and won it again before buying more fuel for his rig with it. He's gotta be in his late seventies/early eighties by now. I can't even imagine how good he was in his prime. Still has eyes and straight stick though last i saw. Watched him break and run 12 racks in a row on a shimmed 9ft about 10 years ago. 😳 His pattern play and control was cheat code level. I've since moved out of state but if he's still on this side of the dirt I'd back him against anyone on this list. Not that he'd need it.
so did Bridgeport pistola' he drove tractor trailers for moving company's and hustled pool in every state then lived inside hard times billiards for *9* straight years until he went back east and got put falsely in jail for *19* years on a pure self defense case
Rudolf Wanderone is thee REAL Minnesota Fats of the Ballard's world. Born in 1913- died 1996 in his 80s. Do not talk trash about humans unless you get your facts straight before you slip on your lips 💯
There was no Minnesota Fats until the movie. Ralph was a con man and claimed that character was based on him, which is a lie. Willie Mosconi talked about this in his biography, Willie's Game. Great read.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
The movie "The Hustler" was not based on Rudolph "Minnesota Fats" Wanderone. The movie was based on the book (fiction) "The Hustler". Rudolph, being a hustler, decided to change his name from "New York Fats" to "Minnesota Fats" and TELL everyone that the movie was about him.
I was just going to point that out. Fats was, and is, a joke among people who really know pool history.
@@joncue0304 yep, How the Hell Cole Dickson isn't on this list idk, Fats wrote a book .. it was a boy ish story.. that might of had some truth to it .. but it was mostly just Fats lying about how great he was.
I have watched all the “Fats” videos i can find on UA-cam…. And i have come to the conclusion that the best part of “Minnesota Fats” was his mouth… Him and Mike Sigel, all they did was shoot their face off….
Fats was a mediocre player with a big mouth. He never won a world title. He was a bum. The only people that mention his name are those that know nothing about pool.
But in a way, that makes him a great hustler… conning most of the general public…
You forgot one of the smoothest pool hustler of alll time. Uncle Phil
I heard that the Smithsonian has Lucille on display once a year during the harvest moon.
Geoffrey....break out lucille
... MY AUNT MELVIN COULD HUSTLE ..OOOH! YOU WHAT.?..🤫🖖🏴🇺🇦
You didn't show Cornbread Red playing you showed Strawberry Brooks
2 men that nobody ever confused for one another lol
Cornbread red is literally my grandpa
And Strawberry didn’t look that great too me lol they showed him missing 2 easy shots!
What about cesar morales?
You mean efren Reyes?
@@craigcarroll1790 nah.. Cesar morales. He hustled american back in the day
Um....Cesar Morales was efrens hustler name
@@craigcarroll1790 yea. Everybody knows that.
He is an exceptional player, easily recognized, word got out quick thus ending his hustling days in the US.
Ronnie Allen: "In my professional opinion, Harold Worst was the greatest pool player who ever lived, or ever will live ... He's got my vote." Artie Bodendorfer: "Harold Worst was the greatest all around player in life, playing nine-ball, one-pocket, cushion billiards and snooker."Jay Helfert: "I have a lot of respect for Artie when he talks about Harold Worst. I've always said when asked who the best player I ever saw was, that it was HAROLD WORST! My stock answer all these years was Worst was Best! Everything Artie says is true. No top player of his era wanted to even discuss playing a money game with him. Even Lassiter drew the line playing Worst 9-Ball for money. He was afraid that he might lose his rep as the best 9-Ball player. Worst was unique, kind of like Efren in a way. If you showed him a game with sticks and balls, he would master it fairly quickly. If he wanted to be the best one-pocket player in the world, Ronnie would have been in trouble. And you know how strong I think Ronnie was. Harold Worst was a unique man, a real man's man. Courteous, humble but proud. And like Artie said, he wasn't afraid to bet his own money. In fact, he wouldn't consider having a backer. That would have been demeaning to him. Probably the closest to Worst was Rags Fitzpatrick from the 50's. ALL the players said he was unbeatable. I'll never forget the final year (1965 I believe) that Worst won the Stardust tourney. He looked anemic to me, having lost so much weight from his once healthy and robust frame. No one knew how sick he was. He was not one to complain or make excuses. He won anyway. And only a few months later he was gone.
@@dustincobb5718 I’ve been around pool for almost 50 yrs and when multiple people talk about a man being the caliber of Harold Worst you better listen. When multiple people say Lassiter couldnt beat him. You better listen I played Ronnie in 1990 He was the beast of all beasts playing one hole but when you meet people who knew them both and all of them tell you Harold was the man You better fucking listen The history books were told by the winners but some of the winners didn’t write books they just cashed checks
I love these videos showing these professional pool players shooting pool. 👍👍🇺🇸🇺🇸😀✌️✌️🎱
Saw Cornbread and McCready try to negotiate a game back in the early 80's in Toledo, OH. Sadly they couldn't come to terms. But will never forget Cornbread's wife tossing 50k on the table telling McCready to put up or shut up. He never shut up but he didn't put up either.
The best hustler should be anonymous and able to rob your money without you feeling hustled.
Yeah… We did everything Danny Basavich did, except we won more money, and never wrote a book about it.. lol..
Fats, kid delicious, simply the best.
What about Cesar Morales? I know he hustled at some time in the US but everybody got word of it and nobody would play him. He must be that good of a hustler. I hear he also scratches his head a lot and sticks out his tongue when he makes a mistake.
Yup according to legend, when Efren first came to the states he made 100 grand in one week
'you know - you shoot good,
but you also shoot lucky'
I know Bata and most all of the top players. I knew Cueball Kelly and some other legends as well. The best hustlers stay under the radar and don't brag. #WidowOfAHustler
Great comment here Max! For real the alter egos were such a huge thing before cell phones killed “the business”
@@user-hh9ni8su3p yet he wouldn't play buddy hall for money, look it up
Hate to break it to you, but as someone who played for a living for over 20 years and have won some tour events, I still made 95% of my living gambling. Most of us only went to events to match up… and only a couple entries in, but if Junior Goff isn’t listed I call this invalid.
Junior Goff! Haven’t heard that one in a long time. Great add for sure.
@richfollen7818 and the issue there is that anyone who was a favorite the odds were so bad even calcuttas were meaningless. Second place breaks even for top bids a lot more than people realize, and even 25 years ago it wasn’t easy to sneak in, the old pool grapevine absolutely rivaled the internet lol. Hell, the first bigger event I won I beat a US Open winner in the finals and made a profit of $475 for the weekend. It just wasn’t sustainable for anyone who wasn’t a top 10 player, much less those of us who cashed regularly but won rarely. It was fun but a brutal way to try and scratch by.
We had a guy in our town John Ward,he was so incredible of a pool player,he would run the table every time ,his breaks were so loud people would cover their ears,he exploded 2 cue balls through the years,he could’ve gone on to be the best,they said Vietnam really messed him up,never the same when he came back,but when he was in the “zone “,he could and did beat,Rempe,McCready,Dan Louie,to name a few.
Harry sexton "9 ball Harry " is another great worth mentioning for sure! Played him a few times in Saginaw Michigan in the 80s
Harrys they called pooch too. I would play him and cornbread at bogartz in Livonia Michigan often. Harry was a great guy. I was only 18 when i started playing tour with McDermott and he was always willing to help me learn new things in pool. Harry with 9 ball and red with one pocket
@Todd Coon is that still open? There was another one in flint i thin it was called earls or something. I didn't play in flint a much . I played a lof in Warren at a place called plush pockets which was Wednesday's and hall of fame billiards in Detroit. Alot of the cushion n cues as well.
Didn't they call him "Hollywood harry" also, I got around him in Sacramento California in the early 80s?
Ok scratch my question, it just came to me, the guy I was thinking about was Harry Sims!✌️
There's shots of Jimmy Caras here but no mention of this name. Willie Mosconi was also a pool genius and record holder in tournament play.
@@jackwoods535 Crane was from the generation immediately preceding Mosconi & Caras. The few times I saw videos of him playing he was an impeccably correct gentleman and still a great player; the exact opposite of loudmouth showboat Wanderone. Do you have any thoughts on why Crane would not be picked?
I played an exibition match of straight pool with Caras. He broke, I shot and missed, and he ran 327 balls.
What does hustling have to do with Mosconi Cup?
Jackie Gleason was actually a bad ass player
So was Newman, Cruise too.
Cruise is a bullshitter.
One word… Scientology.
@@obi-potobi790 Bullshit I grew up with Louie Robert’s he said Tom Cruises couldn’t make a bridge and didn’t know the first thing about holding a pool cue
I like a lot of your videos but this one in particular is full of major mistakes, false information, and the list in itself is questionable at best. Please do your research on this video and when you do, you will understand what I mean.
I second this.
Third this. He showed strawberry Brooks instead of cornbread red
I agree, NO Cole Dickson .. Or Jim Ward.. ..
Yeah as a former traveling pro i can legit tell you that this list is like 30% accurate. I was beating mcready when i was only in my second year touring and he was terrible at making games for himself.
Yes none of the videos really match when he talks about the people .
Honorable mention for Willie Mosconi.
He doesn't count as he was not a Hustler,a pro player and he ran pool halls and was world champion but he didn't go around hustling so he didn't make this list
Willie was my childhood hero
Because Willie was never a HUSTLER, he was a professional player
The movie "The Hustler" was not based on the the life of Rudolf Wanderone and I Quote from the book "The Hustler" noted in the beginning of the book, "I once saw a fat pool player with a facial tic. I once saw another pool player who was physically graceful, Both were minor hustlers, as far as I could tell. Both seemed loud and vain---with little dignity and grace, unlike my fat pool player. After THE HUSTLER was published one of them claimed to "be" Minnesota Fats.
This is ridiculous. I made up Minnesota Fats---name and all---as surely as Disney made up Donald Duck.
Walter Tevis
New York
1984
Walter Tevis wrote "The Hustler"
Wanderone was a top player in his day but he was called NY Fats, he just latched onto the name after the movie came out and that proved to be the greatest hustle in his life.
A top player ?
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Not sure that was Don Willis in those clips; met him numerous times in Canton, Ohio at Varsity Billiards, and at the College Bowl when he was much older and not in good health. Paid him $200 for a lesson. There are many photos of him around the web, but I've never seen a video or movie clip ever.
I've been trying to get on this game? what's the entry fee?
Are you kidding me?? You left off so many legendary hustlers that were so much better than your list, I’d actually be embarrassed if I were you…
Jackie Gleason is played by Minnesota Fats, not Wanderone.
6:48 I just found Luther Lassiters long lost cue that was just sitting out in the open at my house for anyone to use. The bottom/bumper started to fall off and crumble so I just pulled the whole piece off and there it was a gold plate/ring screwed in underneath that nobody has ever noticed. “Bud Lassiter Happy Birthday 11-5-47”. We had 0 what it meant.
My grandpa,pool player of the family, sadly passed away last February. He was the one who bought it a long time ago for my dad as his first cue.
I don’t even think he knew what it was. his nice cues are always put away in cases and kept great care of them, and this was just another house stick. I’m curious on where/who he got it from now. Nobody knows…
How could you leave the greatest hustler that hustled all the hustlers.... The great Cesar Morales aka efren Reyes... He came to the US and hustled most of thnose on the list and won
This is a shit list. Hahaha Efren made an alias to hustle this hustler. HAHAHAHA
Don't forget his trip went sour after he tried Buddy Hall on for size. Didn't go well for him.
Im filipino your right,efren admits he never win against buddy hall on money game but on tournaments efren dominates him...
I used to play cornbread at bogartz in Livonia Michigan all the time. Harry sexton ( pooch) should of been on this list too. Those 2 would play one pocket for anything and you would learn something every time too.
But neither one of them ever beat my husband..
@@patsyelias8732 who was your husband?
, cornbread was the best, I knew him played with him many times play poker with him he was a true Hustler a great con man a great Hustler Ecuador really play pool
I used to watch him play at the Cushion Cue and Brew in Livonia all the time.
Definitely a one of a kind.
@@jimmysupafly1547 Name was Ted Elias. Billy wouldn't play straight pool with him. So it was 9 ball & Ted beat him good each time. They also played 1 pocket & Ted again beat him. In fact Billy left owing my husband 250.00. which he never paid.
the title should have been......best American pool hustlers ....until filipino "cesar morales" invaded their turf.....
They clearly did not do their research on this video. For one, that was not Cornbread. That was strawberry. Number one should have been Vernon Elliot !
Vernon and don willis should be in any top five if we just talking hustling. Jack cooney and fats should be in that list also.
@@Otingocni there is a reason Don Wilkes is so unknown, you can't make money getting your pictures taken. Has to be the greatest real Hustler,
I like Ronnie Allen
The maker doesn't care about facts, just hustling you by making you watch while he makes cash, and you make nothing but lost time and lies. Cornbread was in that match but creator doesn't even know what cornbread looks like... Sad
Uncle Wreckum I agree, Vernon was one of the best that ever played the game.
The Hustler WAS NOT based on Fat's life. That was a lie he used for publicity. Willie Moscone was the pool director on that film and he has always said it was nothing to do with Minnesota Fats
Minnesota fats wasn't a great player but he was a smart gambler he would leave get some sleep then return well rested in the middle of the night play, someone who had been there for many hours then get a huge spot (the 6 in nine ball ) then leave and do the same thing the next night. I'm talking about Johnson city
Onofrio Laurie, Boston Shorty, Ralph Greenleaf, Machine-gun Lou Batura. These guys were the top hustlers especially at Johnson City.
greenleaf and onofrio while incredible players were way before johnston city
@@Otingocni if you are talking about Illinois, its Johnston City, with a T.
@@jayhodges2243 My mistake you are correct.
@@Otingocni no problem, drive by there every time I go back home from Atlanta, GA to central IL. The old building is still standing but long vacant in a weed-grown lot.
@@jayhodges2243 Been to Johnston City lots of times. Saw a lot of great pool players there. Grew up on farm just North of there. Remember Fats and Ronnie Allen being there! Fats was older and had lost a lot but he talked a great game even then. lol
Love the story my sister tells of when she played Fats. At a billiard hall in Nashville.
Wasn't a money game, just friendly.
But then, he was a guy...and...she was pretty...
The video of Titanic Thompson is film footage of Jimmy Caras. Judging by all the negative comments and false information you should take this video down.
bingo
It's funny having a vid on best hustlers which omits the late Fast Eddie Felson.
Hate to break it to ya,, but there never was a fast Eddie, that movie,, is fictional!🤔
Cleo Vahn
Cesar Morales? Aka Bata Reyes😁
The guy you show playing as cornbread is is strawberry brooks.
Anyone who knew a southern African American named Danny Anderson back in the 70's and 80's knew he was the best anyone had seen. He even once beat Minnesota Fats but never played professionally. He once ran 6 tables in a row and would have to spot other players several balls just to get them to play him. He once won 15K from a guy who thought he was the best, only to have him meet him in the parking lot and get his money back at gunpoint. He was the best.
Coming from a full time hustler, "Don't put up too much more than the avg bet in that hall or bar."
Shows a picture of Cornbread then a video of Strawberry Brooks playing.
It's odd that a UA-cam channel all about pool doesn't seem to know anything about pool.
😂😂this video. Great effort but nah fam. Tortured some of those names too
Forgot to mention UJ Puckett
No match for Efren Reyes...Magician
Agreed!
Efren was a tournament player, not a hustler.
Funny that efren lost to buddy hall, nick Varner, Keith McCready, Mike Sigel, Johnny archer, Kim davenport, earl strickland,etc when he first came to the states. This was after jose parica his fellow Phillipines teammate use to beat him in the Philippines 🙄
I’ve played against Mcready, he can be brutal and one of the best when he’s on
Apparently nobody in the US has heard of Efren hustling when he was young. But Cesar Morales at least hustled the best of the US one time!
Cornbread red started off with a picture of cornbread red, and then preceded to video of a hustler out of DC named strawberry red.
The Cincinnati Kid was and always will be Joey Spaeth. Nothing against Don Willis, he's a legend, but if ur entire career was focused on anonymity you don't get dibs on the cool nickname lol
Don was the shit! Who else could challenge sprinters and beat them running backwards? Beat pro Bball players at free throws? Beat the best at horse shoes and out numbly peg the best cowboys in the world! If my uncle Red was still alive he would tell you the story that started in Amarillo and ended in Cleveland...,when he realized he'd just got run down by Wimpy and Willis at a country club😂. Red was a hell of a pitcher and Wimpy told him how to get less spin out of his change up into wind coming behind home plate. Strangest story I ever heard. Red said I went there at 17 thinking I was a pool player,came back knowing I was a shoe salesman. All kidding aside,he asked me if I'd ever met anyone who could of been the best ever at anything they chose? No sir. Anything son! Nope! Well I did,and after it was all done they got me a ride back to Amarillo after they bought me breakfast and told me where I could find good money games in El Paso.
Cincinnati Kid was Don Anderson, bank pool specialist
@@allanbardon146 The names been used by a couple guys. Anderson is a bad mama jamma for sure no disrespect to him. I probably think of Joey first just bc I knew Gary. Either way they're both among the greatest of all time.
5 stripes on the break, two solids. High on the cue ball with big bertha.
title should be TOP 10 The Best AMERICAN Pool Hustlers Of All Time
I was the 1st woman to get more than one table run in a season. In my area. And I never got to play much, being a mom.
Jack Cooney was the greatest pool hustler of all time.
Don Willis,, number one.
@@jackwoods535 Within the last 50 years there has been only one player who was a world champion at three-cushion billiards, nine-ball, one-pocket, straight pool and snooker ... and that was Harold Worst.
@@jackwoods535 great reading about this player,, dam Cancer,, we lost possable the best with 30 more years of great games we could have enjoyed.
@@jackwoods535 According to Ronnie Allen and Minnesota Fats, Worst had beaten Don Willis, the "undercover monster" who was Lassiter's road partner and in his opinion the best money player of them all.
@@DANTHETUBEMAN I think Ronnie was the best.
Titanic Thompson was not a pool hustler or player. He was a proposition man. Numerous sources have stated that Titanic was a horrible pool player including Titanic himself.
Then why did Fats rate him so much then ? Yes I know Fats loved to lie and embellish stories BUT his ego was so big that he'd never say someone was better than him if it wasn't true
Minnesota Fats shot from the hip. Like he wasn't even aiming
...Too bad that whoever put together this "Top 10 Hustlers" video never met my dad (born 1923 -- passed away 2004) ... I saw him Break & Run 9 straight racks of 9-ball without missing a shot...and this was on a full-size pool table.
While certainly impressive, and qualities of a great player (NO SLIGHT to your dad!!!) Earl Strickland ran out 11 racks of 9-ball, a complete set for the prize of $1,000,000, Look it up! I've seen Mike Corella run 13 at $100 a rack. Both full size tables.
NONE of these have anything to do with Hustling!!!
9 break and runs is pretty good but nowhere near great sorry.
@@LordDelaware115 For someone in a non professional scene, it is great, and extremely impressive. Sure, he couldnt be put on this list against professional scene hustlers (with the exception of one or two) but thats as good as standard scene players come
@@LordDelaware115
Nine breaks and runs in a ROW ...winner breaks ...and that is just one example of how good (great) of a player he was,
@@ruachadam5227 I understand what a 9 pack is. There are guys running 15+ racks 10 ball on a diamond that aren't pros just top regional players. Not knocking your dad, it's just not as great as you are making it out to be.
You showed cornbread red and then showed strawberry brooks playing while talking about cornbread. You should replace brooks playing and show cornbread playing while you’re talking about him
Pool “Hustlers”… Fats makes the list. New York Blackie, Jersey Red, Buddy Hall. All 3 were great players and even better Hustlers.
And Vernon Elliott!
I remember Luther.
They left out pretty boy floyd mataya
And CJ, Jerry Brock, etc...
On any given Sunday. Any body can be the best.
what about Willy Mosconi? He and Minnesota Fats had a great rivalry.
That's because Willie was a real player, and Fats was just a braggart.
@@jayhodges2243 Fats was a hustler
Hello, Cole Dickson?
he should make a list of a hustler hustling a hustlers hahaha
Don Willis,, would be number one.
Fred Scooter Goodman is the best hustler of the newer generation. Just my opinion!
What about Ralph Wunderone?
The maker of this video has absolutely no clue about pool and pool players.
no kidding. "today, tournaments provide a profitable income for any professional pool player". i think you would literally have to be in a coma to be any more detached from reality. But I guess talking out your butt is good enough for yt clicks.
@@JuanMarcoOfTheMedici Thank you for proving my point.
I new that when Don Willis was number two.
Shorty Lagrange out of Georgia
Great hustler, 9 ball and 1 pocket
I don't know but that dude dressed up in a painter's gig who has his ladder and paint buckets under the table just took a dude for 5k😂
A painter one day, maybe a mechanic the next, one thing is for sure, he always leaves with the money.🤣🤣
cesar morales?
Am also the new pool hustler😂🎱💯😎
What about Efren "Bata" Reyes fr phillipines..
I wonder if Minnesota fats was even from Minnesota....since he traveled around the country...
Funny how no one mentioned Cecil Lowery or Lil Al Mason.
Hung out with both pf them cecil a great guy
Man he got lucky on that shot... just saying that que sounded week🎉🎉
Just the fact that you put Fats #1 discredits everything. Good player but not great, too much notoriety to be a hustler. Notoriety is everything, no one new who Cesar Morales was. Rags Fitzpatrick’s family has Western Union telegrams from the most famous players bird-dogging him to the money. I understand Mike Siegel would even play left-handed to clinch a bet ((he was a left handed player), that’s hustling). And Cesar Morales, (Efren Reyes turned out to be the greatest player of all time).
Not to mention that he was known as New York Fats before the Hustler came out. Because it was such a big movie, he changed his name to Minn Fats, even had it legally changed I believe, and rode the coattails of the movie.
Reminds me of a night when I had a road hustler giving me the 5 in six ball, and beating me to death. We had to change the game, but he wouldn't give me the 4 and 5. So I told him I'd play him left-handed if he gave me the 4 and the 5. I was only joking because I had been playing left-handed the whole time he was giving me the 5. The guy said OK, but we'll have to double the bet. I thought he was joking too. But when I looked at his face I could tell he was serious. I was busted, so I had to excuse myself under the guise of going to buy a Coke. I also used the opportunity to borrow some money from the house man so I could keep playing. While I was waiting for my Coke, some smart-aleck came up and said that if I didn't give him $20, he would tell the road hustler I was left-handed. I told him to shove off and went back to my game. About a half hour after we resumed play, I heard the road hustler mumble to himself, "I'll be damned, a left-handed pool player". Needless to say, I got my money back and then some.
Look up Don Willis
Nobody knew *Trouffe* because that man was the hustler in charge in Montreal may he RIP Luc.
You forgot Uncle Phil Banks from the fresh prince😂😂😂😂😂😂
That IS NOT CORNbREAD RED playing !!!!! That’s Strawberry brooks !!!!! They were playing each other that set and you’ve got the players mixed up . Cornbread Red was the white dude and Steawberry Brooks is the Black guy so I see how you got em confused .
Lol i actually played " red" a few times when i started touring. Him and Harry Sexton " pooch" were great hustlers. Watched cornbread once playing a kid who had no idea who he was in a game of one pocket and the kid was a decent little player but getting huge spots from red for $500 a game. The kid had a chance to win with a game ball straight into a corner table length shot and red dropped his cue while the kid was pulling the trigger. Naturally he missed the shot and red looks at him and says " you got some dog in you but it ain't pittbull" then makes the last ball for the dough. I never laughed so hard in my life. That was in Livonia Michigan at bogarts. I can confirm red was white lol. That comment you made me crack up.
Chef Anton is a fun guy, with an excellent sense of humor and skills.
What about Jose Parica?.The first top Filipino player to come to America and he beat everybody! Some say he's won more $ playing pool, than anyone alive! Too bad he's broke now, pool players don't have a pension plan...
Some kid from Wisconsin named Lil Rat was tough as nails…..was told by multiple people to stay away from him when in the Midwest
I know of the person you are talking about. His name is Daniel Ratacyk, aka Little Rat. Him and his dad were a tough combination on the table.
I think that was Strawberry clip, not Cornbread
This video is so full of errors that it would take pages to describe them all; so I'll just settle for one. When the name of Titanic Thompson is introduced, all the video images are of Jimmie Caras who was a contemporary of Willie Mosconi and was himself a world champion at straight pool. Thompson was known more for his ability to make highly favorable bets; however, his talent at pool left much to be desired.
Also showed Earl Strickland as Keith McCready around 3:46 and gawd knows who the guy was at the intro to the Keith section.
Actually a guy called Keith McCready from Bangor Northern Ireland that plays snooker and billiards haha 😂 what a stupid video!
You all forget Ralph Greenleaf
His record in straight pool is still unbeaten today 287 balls and twenty world championships
Wrong, Greenleaf's high run has long since been smashed repeatedly.
Irving Crane and Mosconi have the highest run of 309 on a 5x10 table.
Greenleaf's run was beaten by Mosconi in 1955 on a 4x8 Pro Brunswick with 526 balls, which was was later beaten by John Schmidt by 100 balls in 2019, then beaten again by Jayson Shaw surpassed John's run with a run of 669.
@@WillieDines1 wow thank you I didn't know still his championships are a record I think?????
Greenleaf was not a HUSTLER he was professional player,, big difference!
@@roadrunner381 that's so true
I like how you did the list backwards,, who on this list beat Don Willis in a money game???
Don willits used loaded cards and marked dice and couldn't make a ball on a billiard table, and thats facts.
@@williamburdon6993 Harold Worst was the best
I like how they’re the greatest pool players, but they only show them making the easiest shots
Great players are great players because of what they can do with the cue ball. They rarely leave themselves a hard shot.
That's why they were great. They could play shape so they always had easy shots.
Where is Willie Mosconi.?
You’ve mentioned a few pool players here got your facts wrong. There were a ton of other guys from this generation that were hustlers or road men.This is why books exist so you can read them😂
Where do Greenleaf and Mosconi fit in?
No Vernon Elliot??? He beat Keith McCready, he beat Efren Reyes several times at bank pool and Nick Varner wouldn't even play him. Elliott also bested pool legend Ronnie Allen. Elliott ended up taking about $10,000 from Allen at $1,000 a game. Elliott literally provided for a family of 6 by doing nothing but hustling pool, and they weren't poor. You don't know shit lol
yeah you are right on that .he beat efren and his backer out of a lot of money .yeah this guy knows nothing about old hustlers .lol
@@royearl1094 ...... and Eddie with him.....let's not forget HowardBarrett.....BUT......"Bernie" was the greatest of them all....yup..... and don't forget "The Truckdrivers"(one was from Ohio and the other from Florida)
I was in a tourney once where mcready was drunk and talked in the tournament mic offering everyone that last 3 in 9 ball. We all laughed our asses off.
I was looking to see if someone mentioned Ole vern.
I was thinking the same thing.
Back in the 60s the pool table t my local bowling alley said you had to be 21 to play. Lots of people thought it horrible that my father let my brother and me play. Minnesota Fats was almost broke in his later years. A hotel downtown Nashville let him live for free. I use to talk to him bolstering his ego as he set on a park bench feeding pigeons.
All hustlers die broke. Tournament players retire. That's the moral of this story.
@@justsomeguy6474 that's almost right. I have bowled and played poker for money most of my life, earning a living for much of my adult life. I am painfully aware of many hustlers who have retired on their winnings. I think the more correct statement might be that gamblers die broke. In my experience, most hustlers are far more cunning and analytical than an addicted gambler. Gamblers have to have action, hustlers take action when the odds are in their favor...
@@johnjohn37371 Nope, they all keep gambling after they have lost their edge and lose their bankroll. I've seen it over and over.
@@justsomeguy6474 I think we are talking about the same group of people, just calling them different things. In my world, the gambler's are the ones going broke. All the good hustlers I've known, and competed with, always looked for an edge. And when they knew they didn't have it, they quit. Thus the name. It's not fair competition. They are running a hustle, they have an edge. The ones that keep going, we just call them bad gamblers...no big deal, two names for the same thing...
Where’s uncle Phil?
This video is wrong when describing Fats. Minnesota Fats was a fictional character in the book The Hustler by Walter Tevis. Rudolphe Wonderone took the name & said the movie was about him. Walter Tevis said in 1984 ~ That is ridiculous, I made up Minnesota Fats, name & all. as surely as Disney made up Donald Duck.
He needs to re do the video and put cole Dickson in the mix probably even at the number one spot imo. :)
Wrong...My sons father played with him. The younger generations need educated. Pool hustling has been around for many years.
@@laschell59 What am I wrong about ? I'm not of the " younger " generation. I know Pool....
Didn't know that Grady Seasons was an actual pool player
Bobby Legg?
Jerry "Haystacks" Schneider. RIP
What about Pretty Boy "Trophies cant buy you a Rolls Royce" Floyd.
Kenny McCoy from Columbus Ohio. Road hustler in his day. Drove semi trucks and hustled every town he stopped in. Legend has it if you've ever held a hundred dollar bill before they made Ben's head grotesquely huge, Kenny won it, spent it and won it again before buying more fuel for his rig with it. He's gotta be in his late seventies/early eighties by now. I can't even imagine how good he was in his prime. Still has eyes and straight stick though last i saw. Watched him break and run 12 racks in a row on a shimmed 9ft about 10 years ago. 😳 His pattern play and control was cheat code level. I've since moved out of state but if he's still on this side of the dirt I'd back him against anyone on this list. Not that he'd need it.
so did Bridgeport pistola' he drove tractor trailers for moving company's and hustled pool in every state then lived inside hard times billiards for *9* straight years until he went back east and got put falsely in jail for *19* years on a pure self defense case
Columbus Ohio chris bartram was probably the best money player I’d seen. He was one of the last road players before the internet ruined it.
What about Corey Deuel, Howard Vickery & Dee Adkins?? They are all from Columbus..
Dee atkins was also really good from columbus.
@@jimmysupafly1547 Corey lived with Dee's family for a long time.. Corey is originally from California
01:21 2 dollars? those are 1 dollar bills.
Fats said he NEVER Hustled anybody?
Every other word outaa fats mouth was a lie, he was a total con!✌️
Rudolf Wanderone is thee REAL Minnesota Fats of the Ballard's world. Born in 1913- died 1996 in his 80s. Do not talk trash about humans unless you get your facts straight before you slip on your lips 💯
Nope. Fats grabbed the name when the movie went big. Walter Tevis NEVER met the man.
He was called fats in the 40s.he traveled the country with baby face whitlow.
There was no Minnesota Fats until the movie. Ralph was a con man and claimed that character was based on him, which is a lie. Willie Mosconi talked about this in his biography, Willie's Game. Great read.
No Paul Thornley?
U.J. Puckett was a classic hus
You left out Cesar Morales.
The ending could have had a better shot.