$5 action and the Great white Boulder...

[Rackemep]

Here in the little city of Kingman, Arizona is the strangest place I've ever lived in as far as the pool scene is concerned. There is little to no action and the league players are revered as the better players in town! There are no pool rooms and only one 9' table but you have to be an elks club member to have access to it...Anyways I've been pretty much reduced to banging balls in the bars since I've moved here minus the occasional trip to the pool halls in Vegas and Havasu. Recently I moved across town and have an Eagles club a stones throw from the house...upon inspection they have one really old but "nice" valley 7' table unlocked (free pool) and a gaggle of regulars that play bar rules "straight eight" all day. Now this straight eight stuff is something I've only known of since I've lived here...Anywas To my surprise there's a couple guys in the group that shoot pretty good! So I go in there tonight and one of the old timers wants to play $5 a rack and the other two guys are willing to bow out and let us go at it, the catch is he wants to change the red circle Q-ball out for a huge monster sized Boulder! I agreed and proceeded to loose $20 pretty quick...I was clipping the edges of balls that I needed to barely clear in order to pocket my ball and my speed control was off a mile! I couldn't believe how far that sucker would roll once it got moving! I finally started to get grasp on controlling the behemoth ball by the end of the night...still felt like I was shooting a damn bowling ball around the table though... After going back and forth (biggest lead I had was $10) I ended up $5 looser and a bit tipsy on the night but I'll be back for more of that action! That big ol Q-ball is a trip if you've never shot with one!

 

[Cezar Morales]

Here in the little city of Kingman, Arizona is the strangest place I've ever lived in as far as the pool scene is concerned. There is little to no action and the league players are revered as the better players in town! There are no pool rooms and only one 9' table but you have to be an elks club member to have access to it...Anyways I've been pretty much reduced to banging balls in the bars since I've moved here minus the occasional trip to the pool halls in Vegas and Havasu. Recently I moved across town and have an Eagles club a stones throw from the house...upon inspection they have one really old but "nice" valley 7' table unlocked (free pool) and a gaggle of regulars that play bar rules "straight eight" all day. Now this straight eight stuff is something I've only known of since I've lived here...Anywas To my surprise there's a couple guys in the group that shoot pretty good! So I go in there tonight and one of the old timers wants to play $5 a rack and the other two guys are willing to bow out and let us go at it, the catch is he wants to change the red circle Q-ball out for a huge monster sized Boulder! I agreed and proceeded to loose $20 pretty quick...I was clipping the edges of balls that I needed to barely clear in order to pocket my ball and my speed control was off a mile! I couldn't believe how far that sucker would roll once it got moving! I finally started to get grasp on controlling the behemoth ball by the end of the night...still felt like I was shooting a damn bowling ball around the table though... After going back and forth (biggest lead I had was $10) I ended up $5 looser and a bit tipsy on the night but I'll be back for more of that action! That big ol Q-ball is a trip if you've never shot with one!

Why would u agree to using a bowling ball to gamble lol
He must have been really familiar with how that god dammn rock moves.

Challenge him using the snooker whitey next time , u can possible draw 2 table length easy but eat ur wheaties before u atrempt a follow shot lol

 

[garczar]

BigRock.............

Here in the little city of Kingman, Arizona is the strangest place I've ever lived in as far as the pool scene is concerned. There is little to no action and the league players are revered as the better players in town! There are no pool rooms and only one 9' table but you have to be an elks club member to have access to it...Anyways I've been pretty much reduced to banging balls in the bars since I've moved here minus the occasional trip to the pool halls in Vegas and Havasu. Recently I moved across town and have an Eagles club a stones throw from the house...upon inspection they have one really old but "nice" valley 7' table unlocked (free pool) and a gaggle of regulars that play bar rules "straight eight" all day. Now this straight eight stuff is something I've only known of since I've lived here...Anywas To my surprise there's a couple guys in the group that shoot pretty good! So I go in there tonight and one of the old timers wants to play $5 a rack and the other two guys are willing to bow out and let us go at it, the catch is he wants to change the red circle Q-ball out for a huge monster sized Boulder! I agreed and proceeded to loose $20 pretty quick...I was clipping the edges of balls that I needed to barely clear in order to pocket my ball and my speed control was off a mile! I couldn't believe how far that sucker would roll once it got moving! I finally started to get grasp on controlling the behemoth ball by the end of the night...still felt like I was shooting a damn bowling ball around the table though... After going back and forth (biggest lead I had was $10) I ended up $5 looser and a bit tipsy on the night but I'll be back for more of that action! That big ol Q-ball is a trip if you've never shot with one!

Watched David Matlock hit the greatest big-ball shot i've ever seen: he's hooked(on a Valley) about 3/4 length of table from OB. With his playing cue(no shorties back then) he jumps, makes ball and DRAWS his agate back to where he started. Absolute silence. Everyone that sweated it really didn't know what to say. Unreal stroke by maybe the greatest bar-box player ever.

 

[Johnnyt]

You said you played an "old timer". Back in the day all BB players were use to the big ball (mud ball), as every Valley came with that ball. Johnnyt

 

[Black-Balled]

Ive got big balls, hes got big balls and shes gotbig balls.
Theyre dirty big balls.

 

[fastone371]

You said you played an "old timer". Back in the day all BB players were use to the big ball (mud ball), as every Valley came with that ball. Johnnyt

I have a 1974 or !975 model year Valley according to serial number. It has the magnetic ball return mechanism. When did they stop using the big ball and start using the magnetic ball?

 

[Johnnyt]

I have a 1974 or !975 model year Valley according to serial number. It has the magnetic ball return mechanism. When did they stop using the big ball and start using the magnetic ball?

Back in the day meaning when the BB came out...about 1957. Johnnyt

 

[jtompilot]

You said you played an "old timer". Back in the day all BB players were use to the big ball (mud ball), as every Valley came with that ball. Johnnyt

Sorry Johnny, but the big ball is not a mud ball. The mud ball is the same size as the regular balls but weighs as much as the big ball if not more. From what I remember

 

[Rackemep]

Why would u agree to using a bowling ball to gamble lol
He must have been really familiar with how that god dammn rock moves.

It was cheap action and it was the only way he was going to play...it was a move for sure. Really I only lost a couple bucks getting the hang of the big cue ball. I expect to see different results should we play again...

Challenge him using the snooker whitey next time , u can possible draw 2 table length easy but eat ur wheaties before u atrempt a follow shot lol

I can draw the big cue ball a mile! Getting it to stop is the problem!

You said you played an "old timer". Back in the day all BB players were use to the big ball (mud ball), as every Valley came with that ball. Johnnyt

I've heard that the big cue ball was kind of the standard BB ball back in the day but have always heard "mud ball" in reference to when they actually had clay balls back in the late 1800's to the early 1900's...id say the guy I played last night was in his early 70's (just a guess)...I'm only 34 so to me someone in their 70s is an old timer...

 

[pt109]

The big ball is FAR more dependable than the magnetic ball...it's predictable.
....hard to find a magnetic ball that rolls straight.

 

[Rackemep]

The big ball is FAR more dependable than the magnetic ball...it's predictable.
....hard to find a magnetic ball that rolls straight.

I can see that being the case...hard to get the weight of the magnet perfectly centered. What was getting me in trouble was accidently clipping balls that the normal size cue ball would pass clearly...basically I was hooked on the edges of balls because of the size of the ball...took me a bit to adjust...

 

[Johnnyt]

Sorry Johnny, but the big ball is not a mud ball. The mud ball is the same size as the regular balls but weighs as much as the big ball if not more. From what I remember

You are right. Sorry, I get mixed up sometimes. Johnnyt

 

[dabarbr]

Sorry Johnny, but the big ball is not a mud ball. The mud ball is the same size as the regular balls but weighs as much as the big ball if not more. From what I remember

Yep, that mud ball was like playing with a giant ball bearing.. They were always dirty looking from what ever it was impregnated with. I never played with my playing cue stick when ever it was used in a bar. I always used something off the wall. I was always afraid it would ruin my cue.

You stood a good chance of mis cueing if you tried to draw it more than a foot.

 

[garczar]

Mud & Magnetic

Actually the mud-ball is also magnetic. Early magnetic balls had a magnet covered by a plug that was machined flush. Some rolled straight, some kinda wobbled. The mud-ball had metal powder mixed in the phenolic so the magnet in the table would grab it. They were like hitting lead, just deader than dead. You had specialists that liked one or the other. Matlock LOVED the "grapefruit" due to his 3cushion upbringing whereas FatRandy(Tulsa barbox legend) hated it but could do magical things with the mudball.