Evening star., 1942-12-10
Jack Doyle, Official OddsMoker
Of Broadway, Dies in Florida
Was Ready to Quote
Figures on Any
Important Event

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Dec. 10
Jack Doyle, Broadwsy's official odds
maker, is dead at 66.
The husky-voiced veteran OF New
York's real Broadway" died of a
heart attack here yesterday. He had
stopped off for a few days en- route
back to New York after visiting
Miami for his health.
Mr.. Doyle quoted betting odds,
particularly for his newspaper pals.
on any event on which a wager could
be made, from a prize fight to an
election. He was most widely known
for his morning line on the big
league baseball pennant races each
spring. but also had an international
reputation as price-maker on any
sport
A London bookmaker woke him up
at 3 am. one day to inquire by tele-
phone what price he was quoting on
the Americas Cup yacht races that
year. Several Argentines cabled him
annually for his figures" on the
international polo matches. He put
out a winter book" each year on
the Kentucky Derby.
Was "Sheet Writer"
Born at Springfield, Mass, the
canny Irishman came to New York
in 1899 and for a few years worked
as sheet writer" at local race
tracks. Then for 81 years he op-
Grated huge billiard parlor he had
opened in company with John J..
McGraw, late manager of the New
York baseball Giants, and Tod
Sloan, the famous jockey. In 1898
he retired from that establishment.
He established his odds from rec
ords he kept on the percentage of
winning favorites in all sports. From
these he discovered that football,
for 30 years, had the highest per-
centage of winning favorites of all
sports-85 per cent-and race horses
had the lowest-31.
He insisted he was not a betting
commissioner, but strictly price
maker. He said he never took a
commission or made a quarter bet
ting until 1886, when some trif1ing
commissions were forced on me in
the Roosevelt landslide election that
fall"
Tired of Drugstore Job.
Mr.. Doyle came to Broadway at the
age OF % after tiring of his job as a
drug clerk in Springfield. He had
decided on the race track as a
career. and Billy Hayes, a prominent
bookmaker at the old Sheepshead
Bay track. gave him his first Job.
While working for Hayes he BECAME
acquainted with Mr.. McGraw, and
it was over the dinner table at Rec
tors one night that they Planned to
open the billiard parlor. Tod Sloan
walked in as the deal was under dis
cussion, and pointing to the famous
Jockey, Mr.. Doyle said: There's a
good fellow. Let's take him in" So
the partnership was formed.
On February s. 1906, at the north
east corner of Broadway and Forty
second street, the billiard parlor
opened. The first night was what
Mr.. Doyle later called a gala af-
fair" Everybody who was anybody
along Broadway, around the ball
parks, the fight clubs and the race
tracks turned out for it. The bill
lard parlor was success, not only
as a business, but as hangout and
rendezvous for celebrities.
Doyle's was no ordinary pool room.
1t became Landmark on Broadway.
1t had a bar and restaurant and
its drawing appeal was not limited
to wielders Of the cue. In its hey
day from 1906 to 1920. it was one
of the city's most popular spots for
big names"-actors. ball players,
comedians, jockeys, singers, sports
men.
Celebrities Were There.
Eddie Foy, an old billiard fan,
and Christy Mathewson. used to sit
in the high chairs along the wall
Enrico Caruso, when he lived at the
Knickerbocker Hotel, used to drop
in for an occasional game. Mike
Donlin, Jim Jeffries, Kid Mccoy,
Lew Fields and Joe Weber were
among those who used to climb the
stairs and push through the swing
ing doors in Doyle's golden age.
1t was said that the genial Irish
man probably had attended more
sports events than any man Of his
time and that he knew personally
more people. big and little. in the
broad field of sports than any Of his
contemporaries He had an encyclo-
pedic memory and an analytical