![]() This was known as Ronnie's standard offer to anyone who wanted to gamble with him. I'm so good I can't even get a game unless I give it away first." Īllen was known as a "one pocket specialist." īilliards Congress of America Hall of Famer Eddie Kelly said, "Ronnie Allen was the best one pocket player I ever played." Īt a well-known annual pool event held in Johnston City, Illinois, it was in 1972 that Ronnie Allen grabbed the microphone before a standing-room-only crowd and offered to play any living human being a game of one pocket, spotting them a handicap of 10 to 8. I'm the best one pocket player in this country, bar none. Īmarillo Slim in his book recalls Ronnie's banter in the pool room: "I'm called 'Fast Eddie' 'cause I shoot fast, talk fast, and bet fast. He would offer to play one-handed to his opponent's two hands, and this eventually became his trademark handicap, which would often occur in after-hour matches at pool tournaments. Īllen had developed a one-handed skill set that enabled him to get games that he otherwise could not because of his ability to play all games well. ![]() And much to his surprise, people stepped up to play the "great" one. Often he would walk into a tournament venue and announce that he would play anybody willing to step up, boasting he was the best in the world. Ronnie "Fast Eddie" Allen offered to gamble with anybody when he was in his prime. The tournaments were gathering places for the pool players who enjoyed games of stake. Because of his charismatic personality, the one pocket game experienced a surge in popularity. This created quite a different atmosphere in pool competitions. ![]() Most one pocket players had traditionally demonstrated a conservative tableside demeanor, but when Allen hit the pool scene, he was flamboyant, often entertaining the spectators. The Power One Pocket strategy was credited to Ronnie Allen, as he could move several balls away from his opponent's pocket and towards his own, which is a valuable skill when playing the pocket billiards game of one pocket. ![]() He adored his family and enjoyed being a father. Those who knew Ronnie from the pool rooms would get a different view if they saw him at home with his family at this time. Faye and Ronnie had three children, two girls and a boy: Tracy the oldest, Ronnie Jr., and Reina. Pool was going through a slump at the time, especially in the Bay Area, so they decided to move to Southern California. But when I was on the road, I was a predator and a hustler." Īllen was 20 years old when he met and married Faye in San Francisco, after a very short courtship. I've raised three children, led a Christian life. In an interview on, Allen was asked to describe himself, to which he replied, "I've led two kinds of life. The first pool tournament he ever entered in 1961 was held at Cochran's, a popular pool room that stayed open all night long in San Francisco, California, and he won it. When he was 14 years old, he had developed his game playing at this room on a daily basis. Living the carnival lifestyle for much of his youth, Ronnie had never been in one place for more than a week, and now he had a permanent home and stayed in the same school all year, developing steady friendships.Ī friend of the family owned a pool room in Oklahoma City that Ronnie passed by each day on his way to his mom's restaurant, where the entire family worked. She bought a restaurant in Oklahoma City on the corner of 40th and May Avenue. When Ronnie was 11 years old, his father was killed in a motor vehicle accident, leaving his mother to raise his brother, sister, and himself. His father was part-owner of a carnival, and the entire family, who worked at the carnival, moved every week to a new town. Minnesota Fats said of Ronnie Allen, "Anybody who plays him for money ain't got no chance at all." Early days īorn in Danville, Illinois, Ronnie Allen was there only a week, when his family had to move. Some believe that Walter Tevis, who wrote the book The Hustler that later became an Academy Award-winning film, based the character of "Fast Eddie" on Ronnie Allen after seeing him compete. He was inducted into the One Pocket Hall of Fame in 2004 for his contributions to the pocket billiard game of one pocket. įor several decades from the early 60s to the late 80s, Allen was considered one of the best One Pocket players in the world. He was labeled as a pool "super star" in the prime of his pool-shooting career by his peers during pool's golden era. Ronnie Monroe "Fast Eddie" Allen (J– February 6, 2013) was an American professional pool player. Ronnie Allen at the One Pocket Hall of Fame banquet ceremony for his outstanding contributions to the legacy of One Pocket.
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