Weenie Beenie: A Filet in a Hot Dog World

That was his first big score, but others would follow. He made regular road trips down to Hot Springs, Ark., and was a regular in Johnston City, Ill., before George and Paulie Jansco contemplated even the first of their famous hustlers' jamborees. (And it was there, during the 1963 tournament, that Weenie Beenie was driven out to the woods by bandits and relieved of more than $1,000.) He also won and lost a fortune in Detroit at the Rack, and claimed to have wagered and won big bets against Ronnie Allen and local players in Washington, D.C.

One such player - let's just call him "Al" - had received a reputation for being the biggest locksmith in Southwest Washington. Local player Dick Yates recalled one session down at Joe's poolroom with Al and Weenie playing a game of one-pocket. "As usual, Al tried to lock up Beenie in a sucker game," Yates explained. "The rules for that particular game, Weenie had to make two balls in a side pocket while Al had to make eight balls in the lower two pockets. The game went in Al's favor for quite a while. Then the stakes were raised quite a bit.

"At that point Weenie won six expensive games in a row. Seems as though Weenie knew a thing or two about locking up a sucker. During the seventh game, Al accused Weenie of cheating and demanded all his money back. Weenie told him where to go, and Al came at him with a cue stick. Al, still with the cue in hand, chased Beenie from 7th & D streets to G Street; from G to 8th Street; then back to 7th & D streets. At that point Weenie jumped into his car and waved bye-bye to Al. Not only was Beenie a smarter and better pool shooter, he was also a faster runner."

And his reputation rose, so too did his fame. His national trick-shot career began in 1965, after AMF selected him for the company's "Staff of Champions." Eventually it led to appearances on ABC's "Wide World of Sports," ESPN and on the popular game show "I've Got a Secret" - where he sank 15 balls in one shot. On the "Tonight Show," Staton tutored the buxom Mamie Van Doren on a trick shot, who exposed an eyeful of cleavage while bending over. Johnny Carson quipped, "Who cares?", when she missed.

His winning personality likewise contributed to the popularity of Arlington's Jack and Jill Cue Club, which Staton co-owned and sometimes described as the nation's most successful poolroom. I have no idea on what he based that claim, but it's true that Jack and Jill was always busy. Weenie Beenie told me that it didn't matter that he once lost the front-door key, because the poolroom was never empty.

"The Jack and Jill Club opened up in 1967, and never closed for one minute in 14 years," Weenie Beenie explained. "We had waiting lists at 4 in the morning. This was a 30-table poolroom. One time I had a waiting list until 7:30 in the morning. My partner and I gave everybody action. It was in the basement of a drugstore, and it didn't have one window. Not one speck of light came in. There were no clocks on the wall, and nobody knew what time it was."

The room had bleachers 20 rows high, a tournament room, big action and top road players. Regular Billy Pullen remembered the room fondly. "If anybody came to the East Coast, that's where they stopped: Jack and Jills," said Pullen. "They had the 9-ball championship. Ed Kelly won there. They had the U.S. Open there, and every player who was a player came through. Ronnie Allen used to hang around there; Lassiter was there. It had a two-table pavilion … that they'd use for tournaments and all-night matches."

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