Do you ever see players placing their Cigarette on the rail before shooting?

animatedvmaker · Jun 10, 2020

I was just watching this short clip of a One Pocket game, and this guy is shooting with a cigarette in his mouth (lol, not sure how he was able to concentrate like that).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poLstQTKh68

For some reason, it reminded me of some players I knew as a kid, who would always place their cigarette on the rail, before shooting each shot.

Not sure why they did that though, because there were always ash trays next to the chairs. They would bring their cig with them to the table, and place it on the rail before shooting though.

Just a silly random memory from my childhood, that I wanted to share. Not sure if many other pool players ever do that.

pwd72s · Jun 10, 2020

Saw a Jackie Gleason interview (maybe 60 minutes?) where he did that...shot pool as he talked with the interviewer. Since it was his table getting burnt, I figure it was his business.

Lawnboy77 · Jun 10, 2020

Cigarettes on the rails was common in the old pool hall I grew up in. There were no ashtrays around, or even furniture to put one on. Just an old brass spittoon against the wall at the foot of each table. The old pine floor was the ashtray.

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markjames · Jun 10, 2020

Ye in those days every pool table had burn marks.
The rougher the place, the more cigarette burns.
Often they weren’t small either, as in the whole
Thing burned away without being moved.

HawaiianEye · Jun 10, 2020

I used to do it years ago. Everybody who smoked did.

animatedvmaker · Jun 10, 2020

markjames said:
Ye in those days every pool table had burn marks.
The rougher the place, the more cigarette burns.
Often they weren’t small either, as in the whole
Thing burned away without being moved.

It was actually just this one kid I remember who did it, and he would place the cig in a way, where the ashes would fall to the ground, if they were to fall. He always seemed to be careful about the way he placed the cig, in that certain way.

Just can't remember if I ever seen other players doing that.

Now I remember Jacky Gleeson doing it too, in The Hustler, after reading one of the replies above.

animatedvmaker · Jun 10, 2020

pwd72s said:
Saw a Jackie Gleason interview (maybe 60 minutes?) where he did that...shot pool as he talked with the interviewer. Since it was his table getting burnt, I figure it was his business.

He did that in The Hustler too, right? I forgot about that, but I think he did.

Thunder Thighs · Jun 10, 2020

I did that when I was 15-16. Then I moved on to fancier pool halls that actually had ash trays. :lol:

Tronpocket · Jun 11, 2020

How about those gold crown 1s with ashtray corner pockets.
They be full of ashes , gum and trash....
Worse idea ever, even for when smoking was..
.."fashionable".

Buzzard II · Jun 11, 2020

What a bunch of geezer's here. Oh, I'm 70 and well, yeah that was a custom back in the day. I bet those that remember that also have a fondness for Gold Crown tables not that new fangled Diamond stuff the kids all like.

lfigueroa · Jun 11, 2020

I use to play at a room that had a lot of smokers.

They'd lay their cigarettes on the rail when shooting and I'd come home with a thick black band of ash across the front of my jeans.

Lou Figueroa

CocoboloCowboy · Jun 11, 2020

Tought to find a place to smoke any long insider with pool table, use to be that was common. Smoking & plying pool.

Texas Carom Club · Jun 11, 2020

Plenty of casuals do it

Poolhall60561 · Jun 11, 2020

Lots of people smoked in the 60’s and 70’s and it was not uncommon to park your lit cigarette on the rail. It was a great day in Illinois when smoking was banned in bars.

maha · Jun 11, 2020

most of them are all dead now. few made it to their 70th birthday.

mikemosconi · Jun 11, 2020

Brunswick made a Gold Crown I with built in ashtrays for the corner pocket rail caps. I remember coming home from tournaments in the mid 80s and stripping in my garage at midnight prior to entering my home. I did not smoke - but one reeked of it everywhere after a night in a pool hall back then.

Often when you find older Palmer cues and cue cases from the 70s - the smoke is embedded in the box style cue cases and the linen wraps of 60s and 70s cues. Moving down to SW Florida two years ago I see a lot of bar/pool hall combos with food served- older places and I still see people smoking inside some of the places- not sure of the laws since I don't smoke. I won't bring my custom cues or cases into the smoke laden places. The drinking and smoking killed many of the pool players at a young age- cancer, heart disease, etc. many I knew as very good players in NY in the 60s and early 70s were gone before their 65th birthday.

if you were from Westchester NY you would know some of these names who were all gone close to age 65: Mt Vernon Tommy, Dario, Mambo Jim, Indian Bob, Chinese Mickey, George the Greek- of Liscotti from Ct. and John Vivos from Ct.

Black-Balled · Jun 11, 2020

Another reason GC>Diamond, curved rails!

You can place yer smoke on the rail in a manner that the cherry is not touching the rail and not hanging over the edge.

Ashtrays in corner castings? Visually cool, lame to bridge in though.

Buzzard II · Jun 11, 2020

maha, good point, glad I stopped. mikemosconi, did you ever play in Joe's Last Chance Saloon, late sixties, in Blauvelt, NY? That was the barpool hangout of mine. Quarter beer, quarter game.
An interesting drive back to Jersey.

CocoboloCowboy · Jun 11, 2020

I recall before Arizona enacted their Smoking Ban, going to many Bars for Tournment, most of the cloth had holes it in from smokers.

Today that is not the case.

jasonlaus · Jun 11, 2020

lfigueroa said:
I use to play at a room that had a lot of smokers.

They'd lay their cigarettes on the rail when shooting and I'd come home with a thick black band of ash across the front of my jeans.

Lou Figueroa

That was from the metal on the Gold Crowns

Do you ever see players placing their Cigarette on the rail before shooting?

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