September 18th, 2024 Newsletter

Cold Deck Quote:

"There's more to poker than life." - Tom McEvoy

Get to know a club member..... Rex Bell.

Rex Bell, Townes Van Zandt, and Blaze Foley in 1980

Nickname: Wrecks
Handle: StarBockBeer
Pet Hand: JT

Editor's Note: Rex "Wrecks" Bell has lived a life that is full in many ways. Please forgive this writer for delving deeply into subject matter that is of great interest to myself without regard to you the reader. I am a big fan of Rex's music and the names that he has played and worked with. I hope some of this is enlightening for some of you who are fans of Texas Blues and Country music and the role Rex played in shaping a part of it.
I am including some links below to some mentioned music and sources. For those of you with no interest in music history, I offer my apologies for the depth of my dive into the subject. Further apologies for not having the room to fully delve into Rex's work with Lucinda Williams and the discovery and launch of Hayes Carll's career. Both are, in their own right, very deserving.

The segment titles of this profile all come from the lyrics of the song Rex's Blues. Click the links below to listen to the songs and lyrics mentioned within this interview.

"If I had a nickel I'd find a game"

Me: What's your origin story with poker?

Rex: I grew up playing with my family for pennies. It feels like I have always played.

Me: When you came of age, you joined the Navy. Where were you based?

Rex: I was on the west coast of Oahu. I spent 3 years as a radio operator in a volcanic crater in Nanakuli. I ran a poker game while I was in the Navy. Mostly 7-Stud but also 5 card Draw and Stud. I took it seriously and kept records on all my wins and losses.

Rex at the Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe in Galveston

"Feelin' full of foolish rhyme"

Me: How did you get into music?

Rex: I was a karaoke kid. I sang to my girlfriend or just to the radio. I started a small group in the Navy and as we were getting ready to play a show, our guitar player quit. I promised myself that is the last time that would happen and I went out and bought a guitar that day and taught myself how to play.

Me: But you made your way as a bass player. How did that transition take place?

Rex: I'll let you in on something. The top four strings on a guitar is basically a bass guitar. A bass player is just a frustrated guitar player.

Me: I did not know that. While we are on the subject of transitions, how did you go from having a little band to owning a music venue?

Rex: I knew I wasn't good enough to make a living playing guitar. So my singing partner and I planned to open a club in Houston as soon as we got out of the Navy. We opened the club on a shoestring budget. We named it The Old Quarter because there was a sign out front that already read "Old Quarter". So we just went with it.

Me: That's good stuff. How did you get talent to come play at The Old Quarter?

Rex: I opened some shows for Townes at another small club and we got to be friends. When we opened The Old Quarter, he was the first call. He brought Guy Clark over and they hung out at the end of the bar drinking wine and before you knew it, other artists were stopping by to hang with them and it became pretty easy to book gigs.

Me: You ended up playing with some pretty big names including Lucinda Williams, Andy King, Lightning Hopkins, Hayes Carll, and of course Townes Van Zandt.

Rex: So Rocky and Dusty Hill (of ZZ Top fame) came knocking on my door after getting kicked out of another club. They ended up living with me for a while and before you knew it I was working with them. When they went to form ZZ Top, they turned me on to Lightning Hopkins as he needed a bass player. Playing with those other names all worked off that. Each one would need a player and knew I could play pretty well and the timing worked out.

Me: You played Carnegie Hall.

Rex: Lightning had another bass player that was a State Senator. He was a pretty bad bass player but he had connections and could get Lightning a bunch of gigs that gave him a lot of exposure. I would watch the show and see every time he would mess up and I knew I had some job security. Anyhow, when Lightning got to play Carnegie Hall, he asked me to play with him because he knew he didn't want to screw that show up.

Me: So you are running the club and playing with multiple artists?

Rex: By this time Townes and I were not just playing together but running together as well. We were really bad for each other in a lot of ways lifestyle wise. But we were more than just friends we were kindred spirits.

Me: Townes' song Rex's Blues is a dark song that you have told me you have always had mixed feelings about.

Rex: That song could have been called Blaze's blues or Townes blues or any person that was living the lifestyle that we were at the time. We were on stage somewhere in North Carolina and he asks me to take a break and after I leave the stage he plays Rex's Blues for the first time. I wasn't very flattered and really hated that song for a long time. I didn't see the depth of it until later in life. So I always took a vodka break back stage while he played it.

Me: Do you think Townes asked you to leave his presence because he didn't want to look at you while he played that song or because he didn't want you to look at him while he sang the words?

Rex: That's a really good question. pauses I should have asked him so many things. I don't know why he did that. I wish I had asked him what Pancho and Lefty was about and why he did a lot of things. We don't ask enough questions I guess.

"Tell my Mother I did no wrong"

Me: StarBock - that's not just some random poker handle you picked is it?

Rex: It sure isn't. StarBock is a beer that I came up with. We served Lonestar and Shiner Bock on tap at the Old Quarter. A couple people would order a mix of the two and I labeled it StarBock Beer. The story doesn't end there though. Starbucks sued me. They sent me a cease and desist letter and I ignored it. My lawyer and I thought we had a case and we went to court over it. Judge Kent, who is now a convicted felon by the way, ruled that while we didn't infringe on the Starbucks brand, StarBock Beer diluted it. We took it to appeal and we were one justice short of having our case in front of the U.S. Supreme Court! Ultimately, we were able to sell the beer at music events only - whatever that means. I was really hoping that we would win and the brand would take off due to the publicity. But that was not to be.

Star Bock Beer Logo.

"If I won a dollar I'd make it rain"

Me: What do you get out of poker?

Rex: I love the competition. I was pretty good for a long time. I had a stroke in 2016. That really messed my memory up and I lost my poker chops. Even in music, I found myself bringing lyrics to my own songs with me when I played. I quit poker for 5 years. I picked it back up in 2021 and watched some of the better players play (at the VFW game) and have sharpened myself back up. If you notice I stay after I have busted just to watch and try to improve.

I feel like I am consumed by the game sometimes. I want to get better. I hope it's not too late for a man to get better.

"I'm chained upon the face of time"

Me: You have had some tough things happen in your life with your stroke, cancer, losing your first wife... but you still say you are satisfied.

Rex: Yes I am. Listen a person can only hope to be in my position. I have grown to be an older man and that isn't afforded to everyone.

"There ain't no dark till something shines; I'm bound to leave this dark behind"

Me: You mentioned the great Van Zandt song Pancho and Lefty earlier. In the song, one of the characters meets his end and the other goes on with his life in a quiet solitude of sorts. The song refers to the idea that the story doesn't end there and that Lefty needs your prayers as much as Pancho does. In real life, there were two, in your words, kindred spirits and one met his demise early and the other goes on living. Do you ever feel like Lefty?

Rex: I truly believe that Townes thought he would outlive me. We were both equally nuts and put our bodies through a lot physically and chemically. Rex Smiles - We would have drunken wrestling matches and he was tough and had been a wrestler in college. *smirks - I just loved him so much.

Me: When Townes introduces "Rex's Blues" on the album "Live at the Old Quarter", he says that "If you cut cards with Rex and you draw a 3.... Rex will draw a 2".

Rex: Yea he thought I was unlucky in a playful way. You know, I tried for years to bring this prophecy to life. I would cut cards with people back stage or at poker games. Finally, at this year's annual Townes wake on January 1st, my wife cut out a 3 and I made a 2. It finally happened after 51 years of trying and it was my lovely wife that delivered it.

Me: You're a lucky man Rex.

This week's Tip of the Cap goes to.... Ryan Conner. It's his birthday! Let's face it, nothing else is going on. :)

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How to Use More Aggression in 3-Bet Pots

Coach's Corner

Do you have trouble imagining 3 bet ranges?

Are you not sure what to do when you miss the flop?

Jonathan discusses 3 bet ranges, betting strategies, when to show aggression, and when to play defense.

This is high level strategy but I would encourage you to, at least, check it out to get introduced to the concepts.

Level: PRO