Johnny Ervolino

"Johnny was a deadly, feared money maker -- when he was actually trying to win...I knew Johnny pretty well, but we never played. We just hung around together gambling, going to the track, and biting, with the majority of the bites being directed at me. I once tried to bite him in Los Angeles at one of the Fred Whalen tournaments. I was there with my second wife, Theresa, and we were dead empty. He turned me down; citing that he was also broke. I ran into him next at the Stardust Tournament in Las Vegas, where on a roll I won about $15,000 on the dice tables. He ended up biting me for $900! His compelling justification for the bite was the original line: "When you were broke and desperate in LA, and you came to me asking for money, what did I say to you?"

My dumbfounded reply was a blank, inquisitive stare.

Johnny continued, "I told you if I had it, you could get anything you want, right? Now, how are you going to treat me?"

Behind that seemingly flawless logic, I eagerly un-assed the $900. It wasn't until later, when I came to my senses that I realized that he had never actually given me anything but a promise. In reality, he turned me down! I did learn something though. What a wonderful way to duck the incoming bite, and then pave the way for a future bite yourself" - Freddy the Beard Bentivegna, The 'Encyclopedia' of Pool Hustlers