Larry Lisciotti

Larry Lisciotti (born Manchester, Connecticut, U.S.; died February 9, 2004) was an American professional pool player and notable road hustler, nicknamed "the Prince of Pool".

Larry Lisciotti

Early days

Lisciotti had eaten up the local action before he graduated from high school, but as soon as he obtained a high school diploma, he hit the road. He remembered it as the best time of his life, as there were times when he spent only US$6 on a motel room, but won thousands of dollars in a local tavern.

As a road player in the early 1970s in Charlotte, North Carolina, Lisciotti was playing nine-ball with an unknown entity for $15,000 for six-ahead (meaning one player had to score six games ahead, instead of a race to six) in order to win the money. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a black, shiny object pointing directly at his head as he was getting ready to shoot the nine-ball in the pocket. He missed the shot, as the bullet flew over his head. It happened five more times, each time Lisciotti was getting ready to shoot a game-winning shot. After missing six consecutive nine-ball shots in a row, Lisciotti had had enough and said, "If he's going to kill me, let him!" He fired the last nine-ball in the pocket with authority, but thankfully only heard a clicking sound as the gunman ran out of bullets.[1]

Professional career

Lisciotti defeated Rich Riggie in a 14.1 challenge match at Gold Crown Billiards in New London, Connecticut in 1971. Behind by 150 points, Lisciotti rallied with a run of 113 to win the match, 1000–908, before a packed house of spectators.[2]

In 1976, at the Challenge of Champions, Tom Jennings, who was named the World Champion of the annual US Open Pocket Billiard Championship, held by the Billiard Congress of America, agreed to battle it out with Lisciotti for the top spot. The two players played straight pool, 1,000-point catch-up at 200 points per block for five nights, in a much publicized winner-take-all $10,000 challenge match.[3] The last night, Lisciotti made a 125-ball run to bring his score to 999, one point away from victory. Tension in the air, Jennings made a 57 ball run trying to catch Lisciotti, but undercut a break ball, allowing Lisciotti to pocket one ball for the win.[4]

The September 1976 issue of Hustler Magazine profiled Lisciotti's life as a professional player and gambler. The article was written by Jay Levin, entitled, "Larry Lisciotti, Pool Hustler".[5]

Death

Lisciotti died of cancer in 2004.[6]

Titles
  • 1976 World Open Pocket Billiard Championship Challenge of Champions
  • 1980 Professional Pool Players Association Nine-ball Championship, (Atlantic City, New Jersey)

Filmography

Billiards: The Basics and the Best, Key Media Aspen Studio, featuring Larry Lisciotti, Mike Sigel, Jimmy Mataya, and Jim Rempe.

References
  1. March/April 1991 The Last of a Rare Breed Archived 2011-06-09 at the Wayback Machine, by Suzanne Weinstock, page 24
  2. "Pot Shots", by Bruce Venzke, page 15, The National Billiard News, November 1979. Retrieved May 18, 2007
  3. "Liscotti 'Cans' Jennings", Billiards Digest, page 6, June 1987. Retrieved 10 February 2013
  4. "Lisciotti Jolts Jennings", by Milt Goldring, The National Billiard News, p. 3, July 1977. Retrieved June 15, 2007
  5. "Remembering the Dugout and Larry Lisciotti", laudizen.com. Retrieved 10 April 2009
  6. Earl Yost (February 20, 2004). "Larry Lisciotti, Pocket Billiards Champion, Dies Of Cancer". Hartford Courant. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
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