Big Ball/Matlock

Island Drive

Otto/Dads College Roommate/Cleveland Browns
Silver Member
Too bad this generation will never get to see how different and creative the matlock mind worked and played with the large Rock. The game david played on a box with the Big ball was as unique/different and on a level similar to efern and his impacting style of kicking and board play. David on a bar box in his prime was definitely something special to see. Almost every rack his shape or run out patterns were very different than his peers. Be nice to see footage of that, but didn't see much if any video of those days, in those bars, but it was def. Efren like thinking, and why not, david also played very good three cushion.
 
I am thinking of buying the" King of the bar table" with dave matlock ,Miz,Archer. Have you seen it and do you think it was just with the Big ball or could it be helpful with the now smaller cue ball. As in learning patterns?
 
By the way I should have added I only play on barbox so that is one of the reasons of the interest of Dave Matlock
 
For the price it's great to have either way. You get to see one of the greatest do his thing. I know Dave, and he told me that there was only one shot on the whole recording that was a "re-shoot". There's one cross side that you can see a short "time flash" - that's it. Don't remember how many break & runs are on it. Lots.
 
Too bad this generation will never get to see how different and creative the matlock mind worked and played with the large Rock. The game david played on a box with the Big ball was as unique/different and on a level similar to efern and his impacting style of kicking and board play. David on a bar box in his prime was definitely something special to see. Almost every rack his shape or run out patterns were very different than his peers. Be nice to see footage of that, but didn't see much if any video of those days, in those bars, but it was def. Efren like thinking, and why not, david also played very good three cushion.

Bill,

Got a lesson on "big ball" bar box last week. Our APA team played in a bar with two tables. We started on one. When the time started to get short, our opponents offered to allow us to play on both tables. They forgot to mention the second table had a "big ball". Made a lot of shots but the weight difference put me out of line too often. Took me four racks of pure hell before I finally remembered to how to play with it. Spinning the ball other than "follow" was lots of fun as well. Gave me new appreciation for the great players like Matlock and Keither who endured the challenge and conquered it! To say I'm in awe is an understatement!

Lyn
 
Matlock

Just think of playing without a jump(dont know how to kick stick)and having to play Efron. Davids offensive and defensive kicks are *******insane.Once DAVE Y.AND I thought it out we would get Dave in a set of 11 ahead no races. Howd that work for us?. 1 shot apush. THOUGHT WE WERE IN A RACE TO 11.
 
I also hear that Omaha John Shuput and Dave Yeager from IA were some of the best with a big cue ball on a bar table.
 
I also hear that Omaha John Shuput and Dave Yeager from IA were some of the best with a big cue ball on a bar table.

Yeager not at this level, shuput definitely closer in talent, but the Goose was a good BB player, and quite a few of the w coast mexicans could play pretty good also, but not like matlock. Fat randy out of OK played good big ball....the goose busted em/chemical warfare, reds early 80's, they played over forty hours non stop.

In the mid seventies when the original Hard Times was in Costa Mesa Ca. and McCready was coming into his prime years there was very good bar table player out there Called King Kong (bernardo chavez) who played real well with the large rock, got to see him and keith go at it a few times, tho KK needed weight, never seemed to help once ether got rolling with the large packages. But my point is what I learned from watching. I never realized at the time, if ya wanna draw the cue ball of the rail with an Angle back down table....you didn't use bottom english. What a realization that was.
 
David's powerfull stroke owes a lot to his 3c talent. Around 1990 Dave was playin' a good local giving up the 8 on a valley. Dave got hooked and was left a kick or a jump of about 5ft. Without hesitation he hopped his rock and drew that big-ass cueball straight back for shape. Unreal shot. BTW, Bill mentions FatRandy. Randy played David's speed with the regular-size Valley ball. Randy was best player in Ok. for yrs. until the chemicals grounded a great talent.
 
Yeager not at this level, shuput definitely closer in talent, but the Goose was a good BB player, and quite a few of the w coast mexicans could play pretty good also, but not like matlock. Fat randy out of OK played good big ball....the goose busted em/chemical warfare, reds early 80's, they played over forty hours non stop.

In the mid seventies when the original Hard Times was in Costa Mesa Ca. and McCready was coming into his prime years there was very good bar table player out there Called King Kong (bernardo chavez) who played real well with the large rock, got to see him and keith go at it a few times, tho KK needed weight, never seemed to help once ether got rolling with the large packages. But my point is what I learned from watching. I never realized at the time, if ya wanna draw the cue ball of the rail with an Angle back down table....you didn't use bottom english. What a realization that was.

when you said draw off the rail down table, did you mean they use alot of side english instead?thanks for the answer
 
I am thinking of buying the" King of the bar table" with dave matlock ,Miz,Archer. Have you seen it and do you think it was just with the Big ball or could it be helpful with the now smaller cue ball. As in learning patterns?

I bought a cheap copy a few years ago and I have to say that I don't think there's much instructional value. It's basically Dave running a bunch of racks, Archer playing with him a bit (it's mostly Dave though), and Mizerak talking about how great Dave is. From what I remember, Dave doesn't really break down his decision making or anything, he mostly just runs balls.

If you can get a copy cheap, it's probably worth it for fun. But, IMO there are a lot of books and other instructional materials (for example anything from Phil Capelle) that have much more instructional value for the $$$.
 
Here's a taste:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2_aE6OR-yU

kE3kx.png
 
Yeager not at this level, shuput definitely closer in talent, but the Goose was a good BB player, and quite a few of the w coast mexicans could play pretty good also, but not like matlock. Fat randy out of OK played good big ball....the goose busted em/chemical warfare, reds early 80's, they played over forty hours non stop.

In the mid seventies when the original Hard Times was in Costa Mesa Ca. and McCready was coming into his prime years there was very good bar table player out there Called King Kong (bernardo chavez) who played real well with the large rock, got to see him and keith go at it a few times, tho KK needed weight, never seemed to help once ether got rolling with the large packages. But my point is what I learned from watching. I never realized at the time, if ya wanna draw the cue ball of the rail with an Angle back down table....you didn't use bottom english. What a realization that was.


King Kong plays real good with the big ball,

I havent seen a big ball box in forever. I never much liked it, I could go to bars and rob the stiff's but that was about all, I never had the ability to adjust to the big ball(or the red circle now days):(
 
I loved the 8 footer coin ops and the big ball.... kinda miss it. No tables like that around here anymore. Learning to draw a big ball full table or more on an 8 footer..... man those were the days. Taught me how to stroke the ball for sure. Stll find a 7 footer w big ball but not the same.
 
Larry Hubbert (of the APA) is the only one that I know of to beat Matlock

I also hear that Omaha John Shuput and Dave Yeager from IA were some of the best with a big cue ball on a bar table.

I was around John back in his prime and he David was the favorite, but couldn't spot him anything. Dave Yeager was an awesome bar player as well, but again, played a hair under MATLOCK. Larry Hubbert (of the APA) is the only one that I know of to beat Matlock with the big cue ball. Buddy played him, but only with the regular ball.

I beat him a 10k set, but had Wade Crane breaking for me, and in the set Matlock ran 8 racks in a row. We finally "got the cash," but it was extremely tough and could have went either way.
 
I loved the 8 footer coin ops and the big ball.... kinda miss it. No tables like that around here anymore. Learning to draw a big ball full table or more on an 8 footer..... man those were the days. Taught me how to stroke the ball for sure.

the big ball and slow cloth hepled everyone devlop a stroke, the pitty pat pool we have now with snooker pockets aint my favorite.
 
the big ball and slow cloth hepled everyone devlop a stroke, the pitty pat pool we have now with snooker pockets aint my favorite.

Agreed!!!! sometimes my stroke gets me in trouble on the fast stuff we have nowdays. (I still play on the wool at home)
 
what

Dave Yeager played John Shupits speed big Bruce stacked it acouple times and so did i once 40 a game we win 960. Granted John beat Dave also . When i last had the bar rag shootout in 84 in Clinton Ia..Buddy beat Allen Hopkins 9-2 Allen missed one shot . At the same time 2 tables down Dallas West beat Omaha John 9-0 John came up empty on the first break. lots of good big ball players in the 80s.
 
seems like I was still in High School.

Dave Yeager played John Shupits speed big Bruce stacked it acouple times and so did i once 40 a game we win 960. Granted John beat Dave also . When i last had the bar rag shootout in 84 in Clinton Ia..Buddy beat Allen Hopkins 9-2 Allen missed one shot . At the same time 2 tables down Dallas West beat Omaha John 9-0 John came up empty on the first break. lots of good big ball players in the 80s.

I was at that tournament in Clinton. Dallas West ran 10 Racks in a row if I remember correctly during that tournament.

You put that on? I remember every great player in the US was there. Omaha John gave Tony Coleman the 6 Ball too. LA Keith, Earl, Rempe, etc. what a Bar Tournament that was, certainly the best I'd ever seen. I thought that was in 82 or 83 ....seems like I was still in High School. ;)
 
Back
Top