re: Greenway Billiards Back in the Day

The game you are talking about is Keeno. Very familiar. Spent a lot of time talking with Jersey Red and Don (can’t remember his last name), old fellow worked behind the bar. Louis Roberts came in occasionally when a big tournament was happening. Widely known as St Louie Louie. Charley Cameron, Jesse Badilla, and of course the story I told in the Buddy Hall thread about Steve Mizerak and Keith Macready, who was in The Color Of Money as Grady Seasons.
Greenway closed one Christmas Eve and it was devastating.
You never saw so many grifters and scammers in one place. Ever.
I didn’t go there for about 12-14 years when I moved out of state but when I walked in some of the same grifters were sitting on the same stools and they greeted me like I had just been there the day before.
Stories ? I got a million of them.
Here’s one:
A well known player/gambler (Shorty) went busted. When he played everything he had in his pockets was available to win. Well, when he went broke he left without saying a word. Two or three weeks later he walks back in and Charley, who was sitting by the pinball machines said “ Once to the spot for all you got”. Of course Shorty said “you got action”. He emptied out and he had amassed 452 dollars while he was gone. They each tossed a quarter to the spot on the pool table by the pinball machine, Charley’s quarter was closer, and Shorty turned around and walked out again.

I'm pretty sure there was at least one relatively famous (locally, at least ) murder that happened inside that place. I was probably a baby or toddler at the time, but my dad told me about it.

Dude I had forgotten about Shorty! I never remember the place being closed on a Christmas Eve, that would have been devastating lol!

And I just remembered Jeremy Jones used to come in and play for a couple weeks at a time. He was always hustling a golf game in the mornings and would always be setting up crazy bets. In fact, I was wrong before, JJ was the one who bear jesses corvette on foot that night.

Also, Keeno is right! Damn I had forgotten what it was called.

Buster- was he the one from Yazoo?

Didn’t a woman named Dot run the place?

Jamie Farrell. Marvin (can’t remember his last name). The old skinny dude who worked there - had black hair and was a real grump but cooked the roast beef.

BEST roast beef po boys ever.

Yep. I think the brand was Jensen even though he was a Johnson. Got a couple of his and they were promptly stolen within the year. Student loans to good use for those things.

I bought a Helmstetter cue there. It felt cool playing pool at 4 o clock in the morning.

The first murder that comes to mind is poor old Elvis. Old guy used to sweep up and throw away all the beer cans at 2:00 am. Slept in his car in the parking lot. Stayed in his car throughout the day. Some thugs robbed him and beat him to death with a tire iron while he was out in his car. Couldn’t have had five dollars in his pocket. Probably not more than two. Never caused anybody any problems.
I was sitting at the pinball machine one night when some detectives slunk in and split when they cam in the door. A couple came down the main aisle and a couple went to the left and came down along the wall. When they got to the table by the pinball machine they pounced on a guy playing pool. Stuck guns in his ear and had him bent over the table. They drug him out without ever saying why. I assumed he was a bad dude. The pool game continued.
Rest assured, if anyone approached you with an outlandish sounding bet or proposition, if you said that it’s impossible and put up your money, you were going to lose your money. Without fail. Those con artists had nothing to do all day but sit around and think of ways to fleece somebody. Like Big Robert, who would bet you he could run out a rack of nine ball. Shooting the cue ball OUT OF HIS MOUTH. You were gonna lose. Or that he could kick the ac unit hanging maybe eight feet off the floor.
If you’ve ever played snooker, try this one. Place the cue ball at the very edge of a corner pocket and place an object ball in the center of the table. Now shoot the object ball across into the opposite corner, AND HAVE THE CUE FOLLOW THE OBJECT BALL INTO THAT SAME POCKET. Several times in a row, if you didn’t believe it the first time you saw it. Incredible.

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And I went to Mugsy’s off N Littlejohn from like ‘88-‘91.

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I definitely knew you. I worked for Mack for awhile. Still see him on the regular.

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They used to have a pretty popular tattoo shop in there and I think that Daiquiri Cafe is still open on the left, but I wouldn't visit any business still open around there if I didn't have to. That area was going pretty ghetto in like 1995

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People are such pussies. See a few black people and you get all scared

I go to the Daiquiri Cafe there pretty regular when I'm in town

I spent a lot of time in Greenway back in the late 80s and early 90s. Was a favorite haunt after the bars closed. No real crazy stories, just lots and lots of games of pool. I remember it was cool playing on the tables that were a good bit larger than your typical table you'd find in a bar. I worked in a pizza restaurant/pool hall in Zachary in 88/89 and we had the smaller tables.