New-York tribune., 1909-05-15
POOIROOM DAYS OVER
CAN'T GET INFORMATION.
OIdtimer Says Truck Drifting Is
Good Enough for Him

There has been no wholesale opening of pool
rooms in the city, such as planned 10 follow
the beginning Of racing in New York. The failure
of the to start operations is attributed to a
number of causes OF these the most important
Is the fact that they have been unable to OBJ
tain any information for their patrons. without
prompt information the poolroom business is at a
standstin.
horses are running around New York is what the
fraternity calls a 'piker." q with small
bank roll. and in order to bet race he must
know how he Jared In the before On the
opening day at Belmont Park the poolroom men
were all at for the results did not get in for
a half hour after each run and about
the time that the horses had gone to the post for
the following. This condition of affairs. due
the efforts of the racetrack officials to put the
poorooms out of business. has about ruined the
business of the poolroom men. The time Is past
when a man standing in pooroom could follow
the horses just if he were at the track ana
cash his bet promptly
Another thing that has kept the pcoroom men
from opening around the city is the activity OF
the police. Poolrooms cannot exist without some
central bureau whence the news from the track is
distributed. and the police have struck at those
places instead OF at the individual poorooms
One who for many years operated one or
the largest and most prosperous poolrooms in this
city before the passage of the Agnew-Hart bill
when yesterday said;
"An this talk about the poolrooms starting up
all over the city is You take 1t from me-
and l know, there are not over five Out-and-out
poorooms in greater New York at the present
time, and those that running are starving to
death. They can't get a bit of information the
way things being done down at the track. ana
who sit a hot. stuffy room until late at
night TO find out how things came out? Then, no
knows when the police will break In. gran
everybody, including the bank roll. which con-
tains your bet and march you to the station house
But while the rooms are not doing business
don't think that there is saloon out of ten In
Manhattan where you can't make a bet. You may
not be able to make the bet yourself but the bar
tender will do It for you Then again, the pool
men can't afford give the way that they
did in the last few years. People would be sur
prised II they knew how many declared themselves
I'm the winnings in room. There Is nothing 10
1.-THE old-fashioned poolroom is dead
THE handbook not making money
either. II you make bet with handbook man now
you never know If you will get your money If you
do pick a winner. Most of those fellows are here
to-day and away tomorrow. and If they have
bad day they to some other saloon and start
a book there. At present the handbook men and
poolroom men are demoralized. and unless they
devise some means to get information so that
bettor can know where he is at they won't do any
business this summer.
1T used TO be great graft and one that brought
the change home. but the IL is now I don't
want any part of II. Truck driving has II beaten
To death