"Also, Grady Mathews was more of a character in real life than he ever could have been in the movie. At one time he was one of the best one pocket players in the world. He use to come to Las Vegas quite often in the 80's & 90's. I have not seen him in years though."

You ain't kidding about Grady's prowess at one pocket, definitely one of the best in the world. He also ran/owned the only "illegal" gambling joint I've ever played in. He had a high rail setup that would fit on top of a pool table (the joint was a pool hall) that he'd use for a craps game. Another pretty decent pool player, Charlie Shootman (how's that for the real name of a pool player) was frequently the stick man in the craps game. Ah, the good old days!