ABOUT FREDDY BENTIVEGNAFreddy “the Beard” Bentivegna grew up in Chicago, & turned out for pool in the shark-infested environs of Bensinger’s poolroom.
Freddy built his career putting a hurt on visiting players, & taking his game on the road; sometimes in stealth, but often in an open challenge to the best the country had to offer.
Hi, I’m Freddy “The Beard” Bentivegna,
After a fifty year stretch as a professional pool player, I was recently inducted into the Bank Pool Legends Hall of Fame. However, I wasn’t just a banker. I was also a top-notch OnePocket player. I played mostly for money, hardly any tournaments, and was well known and regarded all around the pool world. In my day, I feared no one, and played for more money then you can believe. I played in high class joints, and I played in the scariest, most dangerous pool halls on the South and West side of Chicago. Playing in those horrible joints for big money is one of the reasons I earned the respect I have today. In those days I was a predator hunting down every champion and top player that ever lived. I didn’t just stick to Chicago, I hustled all around the country and didn’t bar anybody from playing. Well, maybe one or two people (Gotta be a little modest).
In 1980 I opened up my own joint, the North Shore Billiard Club. The North Shore Billiard Club was a place of magic. Players came from all corners of the earth to play each other, and to play me and the other Chicago representative, One Pocket Hall of Famer, Artie Bodendorfer.
My second Bank Pool book, The GosPool According to the Beard, is now available on this site. There is also my DVD, BANKS THAT DON’T GO— BUT DO! Shirts, posters and other items are up for sale. Some of the stuff has the famous old, “North Shore” logo on it. I thought it appropriate. We also carry autographed trophy Cue Balls and autographed ball sets. The Cue Balls come with a enclosed plastic trophy case.
My latest bank DVD, BANKING WITH THE BEARD–The Movie is out, and it basically covers the material in the book.
Take your time, look around, and if you don’t see something you like, feel free to email me about other pool memorabilia I just may have lying around.
Freddy “The Beard” Bentivegna
Bank on, brother!
The Beard’s TV interview part 1
Who the hell did the Beard ever beat?
Following is a list of players the Beard beat PLAYING ALL OF THEM EVEN, at least ONCE, in a COMPLETE gambling session, or tournament match over his 50 year career.
| Al Racine Al Miller –bank pool, one pocket |
| Al Werline — bar pool |
| Allen Young Hoppe Hopkins – bank pool, tourn 9 ball |
| Alphonso Fonzi Daniels — one pocket and banks |
| Alton Babyface Whitlow — bank pool |
| Ardell Blackie LeSeur — Tournament only- Johnston City, IL onepocket |
| Artie Smartie Artie Bodendorfer — banks and one pocket |
| Baltimore Buddy Dennis — one pocket |
| Benny Goose Conway — one pocket |
| Berle Gabbard — bar pool |
| Bernard Bunny, Pots and Pans Rogoff — one pocket |
| Bernie The Hawk Schwartz – one pocket |
| Bill Cardone, Pittsburgh Billy Incardona — one pocket and banks |
| Bill Lawson – banks |
| Bill Memphis Rousey – tournament one pocket |
| Bill Mielke — 9 ball |
| Bill Stigall — one pocket |
| Billy Cornbread Red Burge — bank pool |
| Billy Joss West Stroud – banks |
| Billy Weir |
| Black Iceman from LA — one pocket |
| Black Nate Colbert — banks |
| Bob Black Bart, Bob Ogburn — one pocket and banks |
| Bobby Hunter — one pocket |
| Brooklyn Charlie — one pocket |
| Bruce One Pocket Ghost Perri — one pocket |
| Bud Harris — one pocket |
| Cadillac Dave Piona |
| California John Mc Cue — one pocket and banks |
| CaliRed (Greg) Derby City 2011 — banks |
| California Shorty — banks |
| Cecil Rifleman, Buddy Hall — banks |
| Cecil The Left Duke Tugwell — one pocket and banks |
| Champagne Eddie Kelly — tournaments only — Vegas & Richmond Ky, One pocket and 9 ball |
| Charles Country Monroe — one pocket |
| Charles Low Down Dirty Preacher Red Jones — one pocket |
| Charles Rosie Rosenblatt — one pocket |
| Charlie left handed from Ky. Jones — one pocket and banks |
| Charlie the Ape — bar pool |
| Chicago Paul Jones — one pocket and straight pool |
| Chris Gentile – one pocket and banks |
| Chris MacDonald — one pocket |
| Chubby Chino, Chicago Chino — 8 ball |
| Chuey Rivera — 8 ball |
| Cliff Spotmaster Joyner — one pocket and banks |
| Clyde Childress — banks |
| Country Calvin Hargrove — bar pool |
| Crazy Frank from Buffalo – one pocket |
| Cuban Joe Valdez — one pocket |
| Dallas Joey Torma — one pocket |
| Dallas West — tournament only, straight pool House of Lords, Chicago |
| Danny Buffalo Kid Di Liberto — bank pool |
| Danny Medina — bank pool |
| Dave Yeager |
| David Sizemore — one pocket |
| Denny Searcy — bank pool |
| Diamond Bill Cress — 9 ball and one pocket |
| Dick Weaver — one pocket and banks |
| Don Preacher Feeney – straight pool |
| Don Rose — bank pool |
| Don Waterdog Edwards — one pocket |
| Donnie Anderson — bank pool |
| Earl The Pearl Strickland — bank pool |
| Eddie Detroit Whitey Beauchene — bank pool |
| Eddie from Milwaukee Matthews — bar pool, one pocket |
| Eddie The Hat Burton – one pocket |
| Eddie White Cannonball Kienowski — banks |
| Edgar Shake and Bake White — one pocket |
| Edward Chris McGeahan — banks |
| Efren Bata, The Magician Reyes — one pocket and banks |
| Elihu Alley-Oop O’Rear — bar pool |
| Eugene Clem Metz – bar pool 8 ball |
| Fat Glen Knowles — one pocket and banks |
| Floyd Baxter – bar pool |
| Frank Bananas Rodriguiz — banks |
| Frank McGowan — One Pocket, Fred Whalen tourn. LA, 4 games to 2 |
| Frank Sailor Stellman — banks |
| Freddy New Orleans Sessions — banks, one pocket |
| Freddy Salem – one pocket |
| Frisco Jack Cooney – one pocket |
| Gary Pinkowski — banks and one pocket |
| Gary Spaeth — one pocket, banks when he was very young |
| Gene The Glove Catrone — one pocket |
| George Brunt — banks |
| George Michaels — one pocket , banks and 8 ball |
| George Stardust Lounge Chicago Walker — bar pool |
| Glen Piggy Banks Rogers — bank pool, one pocket |
| Grady Professor Mathews — one pocket |
| Greg Big Train Stevens — bank pool |
| Handsome Danny Jones – bank pool |
| Harry Poochie Sexton – bank pool |
| Harry the Horse McConnell — one pocket |
| Hippie Cole Dickson — one pocket and banks |
| Hippie Jimmy Marino — bank pool |
| Hippie Jimmy Reid — bank pool |
| Hound Dog Calhoun — one pocket |
| Howard The Coward Meechum — bank pool |
| Hubert Daddy Warbucks Cokes — banks and one pocket |
| Ike Runnels – banks |
| Iron Joe Procita – banks |
| Isaac Little Miami Gonzales — banks, one pocket |
| Isadore Pony Rosen – banks and one pocket |
| Jack Jersey Red,The Red Raider Breit — tournament only, Philly Legends, two matches, one pocket |
| Jaffar Patch Eye, Henry Chapman Basheer — banks and one pocket |
| James the sniper Christopher — one pocket |
| James Youngblood Brown — banks and one pocket |
| Jamie Red Rifle Farrell – banks |
| Jeff Carter — banks and one pocket |
| Jerry Breisath — banks |
| Jerry the Actor Orbach – one pocket |
| Jerry Prado – one pocket,Hot Springs, AR |
| Jew Paul Brusloff — one pocket |
| Jimmy Flyboy Spears – one pocket |
| Jimmy Pretty Boy Floyd Mataya — tournament 9 ball |
| Jimmy The Kid Wetch – tournament one pocket |
| Joe Cognoscenti Gold — banks and one pocket |
| Joe Philly Ross — one pocket |
| Joe Rocha – bar pool |
| Joe The Grinder/ The Back Solomon — one pocket |
| Joey Cincinnati Kid Spaeth – bank pool |
| John Abruzzo — bank pool |
| John Drew Hagar — one pocket |
| John Henry McHenry — one pocket |
| John Henderson — one pocket partners |
| John Red Shoes Zaksas — bank pool |
| Johnny Boy Skinner — bank pool |
| Johnny Lefty, Cannonball Chapman – banks and one pocket |
| Johnny Popcorn Miller – one pocket |
| Johnny Velvet Foghorn Ervolino — banks |
| Jose Amang, Little Giant Parica – banks and one pocket |
| Jumpin’ Sammy Jones — one pocket |
| Junior Weldon – bar pool, one pocket |
| Keith Earthquake, Ether McCready — bank pool |
| Keith Young Squirrel Thompson – one pocket |
| Kenny Romburg Remus — one pocket, banks and billiards |
| King James Rempe — banks |
| Kokomo Joe Ross — banks |
| Larry Boston Shorty Johnson — banks |
| Larry Iceman Hubbart — banks |
| Larry Oil Can Lisciotti — banks |
| Larry Swartz — 8 ball, one pocket |
| Leon Ledford – bar pool |
| Leonard Bugs Rucker — one pocket |
| Little Al Romero — one pocket |
| Little David, The Giant Killer Howard — 9 ball |
| Long Beach – banks |
| Louie (Allingers Philly) Esposito — banks |
| Louis Little Hand Bramlett — banks |
| Marcel Camp — banks |
| Marco The Snake Marquez — banks |
| Martin Omaha Fats Kaiman — one pocket |
| Marvin Pittsburg Flash Henderson — one pocket and banks |
| Melvin Strawberry Brooks — one pocket |
| Mexican champion Cannella – 8 ball |
| Mexican Johnny Vasquez – one pocket and banks |
| Michael Geese Gerace -- one pocket |
| Mike Babyface Gulyassy — Tournament Dayton OH banks |
| Mike Bandy — banks |
| Mike Captain Hook Sigel — banks |
| Mike Carella – banks and one pocket |
| Mike Shoes Gambony — bar pool, one pocket |
| Mike Tennessee Tarzan Massey – banks |
| Milborn Gar Frazier – one pocket |
| New York Harry Cohen — banks |
| Nick Varner – banks, broke even $200 game one pocket |
| Norman Hitch Hitchcock – one pocket |
| Norman The Jockey Howard — one pocket |
| Okie Sam, Crotzer — banks |
| One-eyed Jesse Webb — banks |
| One-Eyed Tony Howard – one pocket and banks |
| Paul Doc Brienza — Tournament |
| Peter Rabbit Linhard — banks, one pocket |
| Petey Fusco – one pocket |
| Philadelphia Joey Veasey — one pocket |
| Pittsburgh John Stapoli — one pocket |
| Port Chester Mickey Carpinello — banks |
| Ray Booth — one pocket |
| Red Jew Town Red — banks |
| Rich Geiler – tournament Burlington IA |
| Richard Bucktooth Cook — one pocket |
| Richard Rocketman Slupik – bar pool |
| Richie Florence –Tournament Dayton OH, Onepocket |
| Richie from the Bronx Ambrose -- one pocket and banks |
| Robert (Houseman in TCOM) Agins — one pocket |
| Robert Cotton LeBlanc – bar pool, one pocket |
| Robert Rags Woods — tournament LA |
| Rodney Babe Thompson – banks |
| Roger The Rocket Griffis – banks |
| Ronnie Fast Eddie Allen — banks |
| Ronnie The Hat, Bald Eagle Mayes — one pocket, 8 ball |
| Roy Kilroy Kosmolski – one pocket |
| Rudolfo Boy Sampson Luat – banks and one pocket |
| Rusty Brandymeyer — banks |
| Scott Kitto — tournament |
| Seattle Joe, Tracy Joe Salazar — one pocket , 9 ball bar pool |
| Seattle Sam, Fat Sam Trivett — one pocket |
| Shannon, The Cannon, Daulton — one pocket |
| Skippy Dallas, Tx Le Cue Riggs — banks |
| Spanish Mike LeBron – one pocket |
| St. Louis Louie Roberts — banks |
| Sterling Buttermilk Ward — one pocket |
| Steve Cookie Monster Cook – one pocket |
| Steve Lizard Smith — one pocket and banks |
| Steve Miz Mizerak – banks |
| Surfer Rod Curry — one pocket |
| Tex Jean Sonny Springer — one pocket |
| Three- finger Ronnie Sypher — one pocket and banks |
| Tom Karabatsos — one pocket |
| Tom Spencer — one pocket and banks |
| Tommy Staten Island, Doc Halliday — one pocket |
| Tommy The Sailor Kramer – one pocket |
| Tony Banks Coleman — banks |
| Tony Fargo Ferguson — banks |
| Top Mexican 9 baller, Chi Chi — banks |
| ToughTony Brewer — banks |
| Toupee Jay Helfert – banks |
| Truman Hogue — Chicago Bumps tourn. bank pool |
| Utley UJ Puckett – one pocket |
| Vernon Brier Spivey – one pocket |
| Vernon Eliot — banks |
| Vince from Allingers in Philly, “Joe DiMaggio”– banks |
| Vince Pancho Carelli– banks and one pocket |
| Wade Billy Johnson Crane – banks and tournament 9 ball Johnston City |
| Watson (Capitol Billiards Detroit, The Rack) – one pocket |
| Wendell Weir — banks |
| Willie Munson — one pocket and banks |