The Dead Strokes take aim at Vegas

By Kyle Jorreyjorrey@theacorn.com

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers POOL HALL JUNKIES—Above, Simi Valley resident Bill Cox is one of an eight-member pool team named “The Dead Strokes” that plays out of Moorpark Billiards. The team, which is comprised of members from Thousand Oaks, Moorpark and Simi, recently became one of just four teams from the area to qualify for a national event in Las Vegas. Below, team member Laura Angel considers her next move. With 230 different teams and over 1,500 members, the South Coast chapter of the American Poolplayers’ Association (APA) is the second largest league of it’s kind in California, behind only a chapter in San Diego that has over 600 teams.

Nevertheless, the eight members who make up of the “Dead Strokes” of Moorpark Billards still consider themselves one-of-a-kind.

“I truly believe this a special team,” said Bill Cox, 59, of Simi Valley—the self-proclaimed grandfather of the Dead Strokes. “Not only do we have such a love for the game of pool, but we have a real love for each other. We’re what a team should be.”

Comprised of players from Simi, Moorpark and Thousand Oaks, the Dead Strokes recently finished first in their bracket at the APA’s regional eight-ball tournament, qualifying for a spot at the APA Nationals, held Aug. 22-27 at Las Vegas’s historic Riviera Hotel and Casino. They beat out 54 other eight-ball teams to qualify.

Jackie Jankowski of Moorpark is the team’s founder—and its motherly figure. At one time in her youth a nationally-ranked pool player, Jankowski started the team in 2001 while working as the head bartender at Moorpark Billiards.

“A friend of mine owned a pool hall in Simi and asked me to help out for two weeks, and it just blossomed into this,” Jankowski said. “I’ve been here (Moorpark Billiards) ever since.”

Since their inception, the Dead Strokes have always been about playing pool second—and having a good time, first. Today’s collection is no different.

“(New players) always feel like they have to do well in order to help the team when in reality, to help the team, they just need to have fun,” said team member Don Shawley, 44, of Moorpark. “In this team, if you don’t have fun, we don’t want you. Everybody that’s here wants to be here.”

To make the game fun for both pool sharks and table rookies, the APA has a built-in handicapping system based on a individual ratings assigned to players of different skill levels. The ratings go from two to seven— two being the beginners and seven being the best of the best.

In APA competition, the five players chosen to represent the team in a match cannot have ratings that exceed 23.

Team member Darryl Lyden of Thousand Oaks is co-captain of the Dead Strokes and carries a rating of six.

Having played since he “could see over the table,” Lyden is one of the players his teammates turn to when looking for shot advice.

“It’s good for people to ask me a lot of questions, and then I try to help them out as best as I can,” said Lyden, the team’s youngest member. “I have no problems with that. If people want to ask for my advice, then I’m more than willing to give it. I like to think I know a thing or two about this game.”

But without a doubt, the team’s true star is T.O. resident Richard Haydt, who at the regional qualifying tournament at the Grand Vista Hotel in Simi Valley won 40 out of the 42 games he played.

Haydt is a seven skill level and considered the anchor of the Dead Strokes team. He was out of town at the time of this interview, but his teammates were more than willing to speak on his behalf.

“It’s an inspiration to watch someone like Richard work the table. He’s something special,” said Mike Flood, 43, of Moorpark. “He doesn’t miss very often, and when he does, the other person doesn’t usually have another shot.”

Jankowski has known Haydt for more than four years, and said his knowledge of the game quickly rubs off on other players.

“He’s a great ambassador of the sport,” Jankowski said. “He’s a great man, a great father, and one heckuva pool player. You have to see him play to really appreciate it.”

Just a month remains until the troupe leaves for Las Vegas’ Riviera Hotel for an all-expenses-paid trip to APA’s biggest night of the year. The six-day event will feature 600 teams from all across the country playing on an endless sea of pool tables.

Though it might seem a bit overwhelming for the new players, just the thought of playing in a national pool event is enough to get most of the Dead Strokes smiling.

“It’s not so much about winning, even though to win would be great, but it’s about the opportunity you may never get again in your life,” said Shawley, who operates a McDonald’s in Westlake. “It’s just amazing to get there out of thousand and thousands of teams across the country.”