Your greatest pool shot/moment

Sitting in a room a few years back and not playing but had my gear with me. A strong player was prowling the rail birds looking for a fish. He locked on to me and started making his move, I only get to the city 6-8 times a year so I am not known.

He was relentless with his bid to play for money which I rarely do. It was to the point that the few that were watching this exhibition were starting to look at me as a chicken nit:wink:

I finally caved and we settled on a figure, and a game even though I knew I was about to get BBQed.

I played superbly and got ahead 5-1 in a race to 7 and then he snapped the 9 in twice and ran two tables. The next two games we split and I ran out hill/hill on the final game.

When the 9 ball dropped I turned around to a rail of thirty + players watching and had to shake hands and fist bump most of those folks.

I got paid and figured out that the player I had just bested was not liked very much...and now I was:wink:


I know this type of thing happens to many here all the time but it was special to me and many guys that watched it remember me when I get down to the room and reminisce about it.

Weird thing was that when I was playing I had no idea that anyone was watching.

I've won a lot of tournaments, bot it is always taking the big rack thats I found more thrill in.

Gotta love draining a couple harrigans and forcing your way through that door to take the cheeze.

Black-Balled said:

I've won a lot of tournaments, bot it is always taking the big rack thats I found more thrill in.

Gotta love draining a couple harrigans and forcing your way through that door to take the cheeze.

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No doubt. This dude was brutal in his approach and tried everything from being sweet to making fun of me. It just so happened that I had plenty of loot with me when I went through the door, even more when I left.

Cuebuddy>>>>Glad it was a short race.

It was not my greatest shot ever and it didn't occur in an action match, but the feedback I got made it the best.

I made a really sweet shot playing straight pool against Jeanette Lee in 1999 just before the 1999 National Straight Pool Championships. Steve Mizerak, in town to play the upcoming event, was watching our game and said to me "that shot will get the money every time." I simply couldn't believe it. Getting that kind of feedback from Mizerak remains one of the greatest moments I've ever known at the pool table. I was walking on air!

I think one of my most memorable shots was during a 14.1 game in a tournament in Turkey. The winner of the game got sent to UK for a week.

The game was to 100, my opponent had 99, and I had 97 and was at the table to a full rack of 14. The break ball and the cue ball were directly behind the rack and I was dead straight in.

I had several options. Play a safe and make the ball and have it spot in the front of the other 14. Play a safe and not make the ball. Call and make the ball and then play a safe. Or, try to create an angle by forcing the object ball into the far left edge of the pocket while elevating the butt of my cue in order to "hop" the cue ball into the back edge of the rack which may loosen up a ball.

We had been playing for a long while and I decided to end it, one way or another, with my shot. I went for the "hop" and called the ball.

I raised the butt of my cue and aimed the object ball the farthest I could into the left edge of the pocket and hit the cue ball very firm which would force the cue ball to the right and into the rack. The object ball slammed into the corner and the cue ball "hopped", but a bit higher than I anticipated.

It hopped about six inches in the air and came down directly on top of the rack of 14 and sat there for a second or two.

My first thought was "what the hell happens now?", but the weight of the cue ball caused the last row of the rack to spread and the cue ball rolled out to leave me the two corner balls to be straight in...one in each corner pocket.

I won 100 to 99.

My opponent did not know what to say and neither did I. He walked around the rest of the day telling people how he lost and saying, "what the hell kind a shot was that?"

to me a great shot can be a fancy one, or a simple one under pressure
sometimes you get to shoot a little of both, that's fun
I remember one time the eight was in the middle of the slate
and the cb was frozen on the only other ball on the table
long rails were blocked so I had to kick over the ball to the short rail first
hit it slow, but firm..and it went it right in the corner
in between all that space on the table
no blockers, no safety..do or die just go for it
and people around you yell and throw their hands up
no money, you're just playing for the table and the love
that's nice

I would also say that when I play a better player
and know I have to play perfect a little bit
with that pressure on, and I deliver
regardless of the game, it gives me a boost
to know that I can flip the switch when it counts
and not even caring about the outcome
but knowing that if I play good, if I play correctly
I might just win the game too..

It was not my greatest shot ever in terms of difficulty, but it's one that I remember well.

I was playing 9-ball at Oliver's in Louisville in 1992, for $200 a game. I broke and made a ball, and was hooked on the 1. The cueball was maybe a half-inch off the end-rail, with the 1 ball up table about 3 feet from the corner pocket, with a slight cut to the left. I jumped, made the 1, got shape, and ran out, with a crowd full of railbirds watching. My opponent quit after that game.

I've beaten a number of well-known players for money, and even more in tournaments, but my most memorable would have to be beating Efren 5-4 for $50 at HardTimes (Table 1 on the tournament side). At hill-hill I got too straight on the 8 in the corner, and had to follow it out two rails with inside english for the 9 in the other corner (same end of the table). The 9 was about a diamond below the side pocket, and I knew I was going to come close to scratching in the side, but it was the best shot I had. I hit it good, but my cueball headed straight for the side pocket. It hit the point, and stayed out. Efren said, "wooooow." It was awesome.

Could be the first time I didn't dog the 9. Have no recollection either; coulda been the 8 lol. I'm reasonably certain it happened though.

Had a great night in leagues once. We took first place the previous year and were in contention again as the season was nearing the end. We were sitting in third amongst a tight pack of 5 teams. We were playing the current point leaders and they had a team stronger than ours. Our current system favors stronger teams because the handicap is minor.

We get to pick our own player order with 5 man teams playing three rounds. The home team stays in that order and the away team rotates. So usually you stack stronger players at the end in case it came to a must win pressure situation. I usually play third or fourth in the roster because we have a couple strong veterans in the team but I’ve been really working on my game so I’m nipping at their heels a bit.

I come in and my captain asks, “How are you hitting ‘em.” At home I was pocketing everything as long as the contact point was exposed. So I said super confidently, “Very well.” So he says, “Okay, I’m putting you in last.” I wasn’t expecting that but I guess , “giddy up!” This let our stronger players tear through the belly of their team even if our weaker players struggled. It just made it more likely I might need to win my game for the round point.

The pressure was on me something fierce. I was nervous as hell. Adrenaline pumping. Shaking a bit. But I told myself it was like shooting a buck. You’re going to feel this way, it’s not going away, so commit to the idea that you’re going to have to embrace it and perform while it’s happening. I never did settle in fully. It was always there.

The first game I started my run out and made it to the 8 ball but overran position and couldn’t pocket it without shooting a windy. A windy is a shot that ain’t happening. So I play one of those open table safeties where I can place the cueball somewhere where they can hit balls but can’t pocket anything. I figured I was going to come back to a rough safety but at least I get to see the table again. My opponent plays safe poorly and lets me see the 8 ball. This time I don’t see another open table safe option. Things are looking too good for them. All I have is a bank to the side pocket that’s half covered by their ball in a way that any contact with their ball will make me miss. I figure that’s all I have so might as well attack and drill it in beautifully. I love winning on their safety. So they left a lot of balls on the table.

At the end of the second round I’m breaking against a player I don’t think I’ve ever won a game against. And again this game was the decider for the round. I found out that night that the best way to face him is to not let him shoot, because I broke and ran that rack. He wasn’t happy but he couldn’t help but compliment the out. High fives for the home team.

At the end of the third round I’m playing their best player. He’s leading the league in TRs and breaking. Another must-win game for the round. At this point I can lose and still feel like I contributed my share. I can’t remember how it went except that we both had innings at the table. I want to recall we had some safety battles and my kicking skills stood up to the test and won me counter safeties that earned me ball in hand for an easy out.

So I was the decider for all three round points and that also earned us totals for the virtual 4th round point. So we beat them 4-0. That was enough to put us in first place and knock them out of contention. We held on to first for the last few weeks and took the trophy. And my performance that night was clutch and everybody knew it. It felt amazing that night and that pride rekindled at the league banquet as we were presented our trophies for the second consecutive year and I reflected on that glorious night.


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Joe Balsis made that shot in a final match of the U.S. Open. His intention was to jump the CB into the middle of the rack, and it worked perfectly! IIRC he was playing the Deacon, and Cueball Kelly was the referee, who ruled the shot legal.

Scott Lee
2019 PBIA Instructor of the Year
Director, SPF National Pool School Tour

u12armresl said:

I've heard of that once before, and as you said the weight parted the seas.

Nicely told story.
Thank you.

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The greatest shot I ever made in front of a crowd was in the late 90's at the University of Illinois. I was playing the college champ last pocket 8ball...where both players cannot have the same pocket. He stuck his last ball in my last pocket, and it came to rest on the short rail side of the pocket. I ended up with a perfect 5-rail bank on the 8ball, and it sailed right past my opponent's ball without touching it into my pocket, for the win! The crowd in the game room went crazy cheering and clapping. The game room manager (he ran the bowling alley too) was recording video on a VHS camera, and caught the winning shot on tape. Somewhere amongst all my crap I still have that clip!

Scott Lee
2019 PBIA Instructor of the Year
Director, SPF National Pool School Tour

sjm said:

It was not my greatest shot ever and it didn't occur in an action match, but the feedback I got made it the best.

I made a really sweet shot playing straight pool against Jeanette Lee in 1999 just before the 1999 National Straight Pool Championships. Steve Mizerak, in town to play the upcoming event, was watching our game and said to me "that shot will get the money every time." I simply couldn't believe it. Getting that kind of feedback from Mizerak remains one of the greatest moments I've ever known at the pool table. I was walking on air!

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I had a moment like that myself. I was playing a One Pocket match with a friend of Efren's and he was sitting right next to the table watching us play. My opponent put me in a dead trap and my only escape was to shoot the cue ball two rails out of the far corner and into the bottom of the pack. It worked out better than expected, with the cue ball burying itself in the pack and two balls moving close to my pocket. Efren got this broad grin on his face and piped up, "Quit showing off Jay!"

So many "great" shots definded by those who said as such. Hard to pull one out of the crowd to be honest. Tons of spin doing something wacky. A million miles an hour at a tough angle to open up the rack. A simple jump demostrated to a pro who said I couldn't be done that way.

I was shooting in the quarter finals of the VNEA Classic division ( 50-59 year olds )
Sportsman final at the VNEA World Championships in 8 ball. Was playing a
Australian Gentleman and was down 4-3 to race to 5. A lot of Australian shooters
will keep playing safes until the table is open and then run out.
After the third consecutive safety against me,

I was left with my last object ball, frozen on a long rail 2-1/4 diamonds up and the cue
ball across the table about 1-3/4 quarters diamonds up and a half inch off the rail.
The eight ball was near the spot. I three railed the cue ball and cut my object into the
corner pocket and the cue ball rolled off the cushion into position for a straight in shot
to the side pocket.

I had the alternating rack in the 9th game and broke and ran. Confidence was high
and went undefeated to win becoming the 2015 Champion which will display my name
forever.

Shane Van Boening came to town to do an exhibition/lessons/tourney and he was playing $20 a game and there was a line to play him with about 30 people watching and when my turn came I broke and ran, overcoming my nerves. He handed me a $20 and then he signed my accustats DVD of his first US Open Win.

Luxury said:

Shane Van Boening came to town to do an exhibition/lessons/tourney and he was playing $20 a game and there was a line to play him with about 30 people watching and when my turn came I broke and ran, overcoming my nerves. He handed me a $20 and then he signed my accustats DVD of his first US Open Win.

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"He can't beat me."