Larry Lisciotti (December 26, 1946 – February 9, 2004), nicknamed "The Prince of Pool", was an American pool player and road

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from

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Early days

Lisciotti had eaten up the local 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$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

6 on a motel room, but won thousands of dollars in a local tavern. As a road player in the early 1970s in

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, Lisciotti was playing nine-ball with an unknown entity for $15,000 for six- (meaning one player had to score six games ahead, instead of a 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.

Professional career

Lisciotti defeated Rich Riggie in a 14.1 challenge match at Gold Crown Billiards in

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decade ...

in 1971. Behind by 150 , Lisciotti rallied with a of 113 to win the match, 1000–908, before a packed house of spectators. In 1976, at the Tournament of Champions, Tom Jennings, the winner of the BCA U.S. Open Straight Pool Championship, held by the

Billiard Congress of America The Billiard Congress of America (BCA) is the governing body for cue sports in the United States and Canada, and the regional member organization of the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA).` Puerto Rico, though a US territory, and Mexico, though ...

, 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. 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. 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".

Death

Lisciotti died of cancer in 2004.

Titles

* 1974 Scarborough Open 14.1 Championship * 1974 Family Billiards 14.1 Open * 1976 Sunshine State Open 9-Ball * 1976 PPPA World Straight Pool Championship * 1980 Atlantic City 9-Ball Invitational * 1988 Connecticut Open 9-Ball * 1990 Ocean State 14.1 Open * 1991 Stamford Open 9-Ball * 1994 Stamford Open 9-Ball

Filmography

''Billiards: The Basics and the Best'', Key Media Aspen Studio, featuring Larry Lisciotti,

Mike Sigel Michael Sigel (born July 11, 1953) is an American professional pool player nicknamed "Captain Hook." He earned the nickname from his ability to hook his opponents with safety plays. Sigel has the ability to shoot pool both left-handed and righ ...

Jimmy Mataya Mataya started shooting pool at age 11. Within a few years was playing exhibitions with Willie Mosconi. He then won three consecutive Michigan State Championships in 1966, 1967 and 1968. At 21, he won the 1971 Los Angeles 9-Ball Championship. Mat ...

, and Jim Rempe.

References

External links

"Roadrunners Rediscovered!"
''Pool & Billiard'' Magazine, October 2006. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lisciotti, Larry 2004 deaths American pool players Sportspeople from Manchester, Connecticut 1946 births