biggest come back

ceodynamo

Have cue will travel
Silver Member
What is the biggest come back you have had playing a set or in a tournament?

I recently played in our annual 8 ball tournament here in Ardmore, Ok and I found my self down 4-0 going to 5 on the 1 loss side of the bracket and alternate break.

I never got rattled or lost my cool, just kept playing and let the balls roll how they may. Yes I had a few games I let get away from me to help assist with the deficit. But I never let it get to me.

How I came back was a little lucky. Since my opponent only needed one game I noticed he was taking the initiative to finish the game and on his breaks was trying to run out and on 2 different occasions he wasn't able. I was then able to run out an open table or play safe and run out from there.

On my breaks if I made a ball I didn't think to my self, "I have to get out" I just let the balls determine how I played the rack and would play safe or plug a pocket and eventually got to the hill myself.

In the final game the pressure was on and I got lucky enough that he missed a ball trying to get to the 8 and I was able to win.

Overall I was proud of my comeback because it is rare in an alternate break format. I was fortunate that day and will most certainly not be that fortunate in the future. The opponent was a good player from Dallas too so I felt fortunate to come away with a win.

Now what are some of your best comebacks????? If you have seen a pro come back in a race tell that story too.
 
Both of these happened in 1 night.
I had forgotten my own cue with LD shaft and borrowed a friends McDermott
with regular shaft. I had played with McDermott for years so I figured I would
be ok. Big mistake, I missed entire balls with this thing.

Anyway, the first match was a 9-ball race to 9 and I could not make a ball to save
my life and was down 6-0 and 7-1. Then I finally got a little used to the cue and
battled all the way back to 8-8. Then I missed a very make-able 7-ball and lost 9-8.
Best part of that one was when my opponent told me he should have won 9-0, so
gracious in victory.

Second match was an 8-ball race to 7 match. This time I was pretty used to the cue
but missed a couple here and there and my opponent was playing and up 6-3. Somehow
I managed to claw back to 6-6 and broke and ran the final rack. I was very pleased
with my tanacity that night.

gr. Dave
 
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For me it was last Monday. Playing a AA, I'm up 2 games to 0 in a race to 4. He breaks r runs, then I break and run out until the 9 rattles in the pocket (more like bounced out of the pocket). He ends up winning 4-3 because I decided to take a harder shot on the 8 to get natural shape on the 9. I'm pissed because I more than likely would've won otherwise.

So, to the losers side I go. Playing another guy and he's ahead 3-0.because I was still pissed. Fourth game he breaks then pushes out, I run the rack out then, go on to win the next 3 games flat. Came back from a 3-0 deficit against a high A player :D

Sent from my X501_USA_Cricket using Tapatalk 2
 
I've told this story before. My greatest comeback in competition was in Chicago a couple decades ago, at Tom Karabotsis' room Cue Can DO in Schaumburg. It was a King of the Hill tournament, where all players had won a previous weekly tournament, and was filled with solid players. My first match was with Neal Jacobs, when he was just a brash teenager. We both went to 8, and he had me down 7-1. I managed to just play each ball determinedly, and ended up winning 8-7. Then I played Larry Schwartz 10-8. Larry had me down 9-1 and again I managed to claw my way back to a tie at 9-7, and pulled out the win 9-8. My next "opponent" was none other than Marco Marquez, the Mexican champion who had been living in Chicago for a few years. They raised me to a 10, and we played 12-10. Somehow, after being down 11-1, I grinded out an 11-10 win. Marco turned to me and said, "You play good!" I said, "You play good too!" and shook his hand. At this point I'm in the finals with Billy Incardona. He has to go to 15, and they raised me to a 12, after beating Marco. LOL I was Bill's rack boy, as he proceeded to dominate me 15-3! While I may not have won the tournament, I played some of the best pool I've ever played, being way down in three tough matches, and winning all three of them, before bowing to Cardone's expertise on the table! :D

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
 
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My biggest comeback was a cheap set a few weeks ago. Race to 5 in 10 ball with a complete stranger. The kicker is, my girlfriend had borrowed the car and arrived in the middle of the game to pick me up.

So, I was down 4-1 with my girlfriend pissed at me, and I was playing a game I never play. It was a messy comeback, but with a little luck, I fought it out and came up 5-4.
 
I am not sure if this applies, but I will share anyway...

When I lived in TX, it was fairly normal to have a 10 ball ring game with the regulars, and at $1-$1, you could have LOTS of fun, and not have to much loss involved if you stunk up the joint. Well on this particular day, I came in later than I normally do and the ring game had already started.

It just so happens that this time they were play $2-$5 (which was out of my comfort zone at the time), and there were like 6 people in the game, but I had money in my pocket and had been hitting them pretty good that week, so I decided to play.

Being that I was "the new guy" in the game, I was put at the end of the rotation. Well as it happens I lost like $80 before I even chalked my cue, and when I got to the table, I dogged what might have been the easiest 5 ball on earth. So back to my seat I go.

This continued for... lets say an hour, and I am like $240 loser, and am considering calling it quits and going to the bar LOL.

Instead I decided to stay in, and ended up stringing a few racks together AND some early money balls.
So with six players paying out $5 a rack is $30 a rack, and with early money balls and stringing some racks together... I flat broke even. When I broke dry, I unscrewed my cue and went to get a beer LOL.
 
I've always been better player from behind. Probably because I have to give handicap when playing money on my home city.

Couple times come in my mind when think many comebacks..
Last 32 cup. 120+ players..
Eurotour maybe year 2000 or close to that when I played against Rico Diks(former Dutch pro player) I was 5-1 down at race to nine with alternative break. Diks had run out 3 times from his break and 2 times from my dry break...
5-1 down he made safety where I could hit lowest ball easily 1 rail but I would sell out 9 times of 10. I choose kick four rails because then I got super safety easily if I just hit solid hit..
I made killer safety from there and played lights out after that and won game 9-8...
It was my first ever big tournament and after game many guys come tell they were happy because I put Diks out from tournament because he had been winning them on streak. 3 guys were Souquet, Immonen and Ortmann.

Another one is against one Finnish champion in Open tournament semifinal.. I was 8-0 down at race to nine.. Won 9-8 with nine on snap hill hill game ;)
 
I'd have too say my biggest come back would be a 8ball tourney played while back goin too 7 I was down 6-0 I draw one of best players 1st match he plays about perfect till he's on hill maken me sit for while game 7 rolls around mistake made I win few make couple great safes end up on hill 6-6 I break dry he runs beating me 7-6 so I grind my way back meet him again in final double dipped him felt pretty good to :thumbup:
 
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I'm not that good and haven't been playing that long, so I'll just say having to spot a guy two games in the local 9-ball tournament, ending up down 4-0, and coming back to win five in a row. First game, he dogs the heck out of an easy shot early in the rack by hitting it really hard and the ball flies around the table, finding the 9 and dropping it. Same thing the second game, shits in another 9. So I was four down through no fault of my own, but that's nine ball. I wouldn't really say winning five in a row against this guy is any sort of accomplishment considering his skill level, but just bearing down and not giving him any chances is something I was a bit proud of considering I'm young and green and prone to beating up on myself.
 
I've told this story before. My greatest comeback in competition was in Chicago a couple decades ago, at Tom Karabotsis' room Cue Can DO in Schaumburg. It was a King of the Hill tournament, where all players had won a previous weekly tournament, and was filled with solid players. My first match was with Neal Jacobs, when he was just a brash teenager. We both went to 8, and he had me down 7-1. I managed to just play each ball determinedly, and ended up winning 8-7. Then I played Larry Schwartz 10-8. Larry had me down 9-1 and again I managed to claw my way back to a tie at 9-7, and pulled out the win 9-8. My next "opponent" was none other than Marco Marquez, the Mexican champion who had been living in Chicago for a few years. They raised me to a 10, and we played 12-10. Somehow, after being down 11-1, I grinded out an 11-10 win. Marco turned to me and said, "You play good!" I said, "You play good too!" and shook his hand. At this point I'm in the finals with Billy Incardona. He has to go to 15, and they raised me to a 12, after beating Marco. LOL I was Bill's rack boy, as he proceeded to dominate me 15-3! While I may not have won the tournament, I played some of the best pool I've ever played, being way down in three tough matches, and winning all three of them, before bowing to Cardone's expertise on the table! :D

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

This looks like the kind of handicap tournament that I would never enter...or put anyone into.
Changing handicaps mid-tourney?......with all entrants abilities well known?

Skulduggery abounds
 
when some amazing things can happen, when we're not thinking, just experiencing

I was down 9/4 in the finals of the Dallas Open to Roger Griffis, who had recently played Efren the finals of HARDTIMES and SANDS REGENCY OPEN.

Something happened and I fell into a deep zone and won 17 games in a row. Roger went from up 9/4 to down 10/0 in the following set.

Roger ask me after it was over "why me, there's lots of other players you could have done this to, why me?" I had no response, the game had taken me over and I could barely remember a shot. This is when some amazing things can happen, when we're not thinking, just experiencing the moment, the shot, and the creativity.

Roger got his justice, in 1997 he beat me in the ESPN Ultimate 9-Ball finals.

I couldn't have been happier if I had won it myself. Roger has been an inspiration in my life and if anyone had to win I was glad it was him.
 
First match of the final 16 players in Rochester, MN vendor 8-ball tournament. I lost the first two games which took 45 minutes. Horrible play by both of us. He takes a restroom break and leaves me to think about what I am doing wrong. I remember that I am not chewing gum to help relax so I put a piece of Hubba Bubba in. It is loser break format.

After he returns, I break and run.

He breaks dry, I run down to the 8 and make it but I need another inch of cloth to keep the cue ball from falling. I am down 1-3.

I break and run.

He breaks dry, and I run out.

Another dry break by him and another run out to win the match.

His cheering section which was quite vocal for the first hour, were very quiet for the remainder.

I did not realize that I was running tables until after it was over. I was focused on playing the pattern.
 
A Bit Of Snooker History

In the snooker world The Masters is second only to the World Championship.

Paul Hunter - won the Masters 3 times 10 - 9, coming from behind in the final each time.

2001 Masters
In the final Hunter recovered from a 3–7 deficit against Fergal O'Brien to win 10–9. Hunter compiled four centuries in six frames, and earned the £175,000 first prize.

In his post-match interview, Hunter caused a media sensation by admitting he resorted to "Plan B" with Lindsey Fell, then his girlfriend, during the interval while 2–6 down. The 'B' in "Plan B" purportedly refers to the word "bonk", a British slang term for sexual intercourse. Hunter and Fell retired to their hotel room and he recalled: "Sex was the last thing on my mind. I just wasn't in the mood. But I had to do something to break the tension. It was a quick session – around 10 minutes or so – but I felt great afterwards. She jumped in the bath, I had a kip and then played like a dream. I reeled off four centuries in six frames. I won easily."

2002 Masters
Defeated Mark Williams 10–9, despite at one point of the match trailing 0–5.[25] In doing so, he became only the third player in history of the Masters to retain the trophy along with Cliff Thorburn and Stephen Hendry, and in doing so he won the £190,000 prize money.

2004 Masters
Won the Masters for the third time in four years, yet again by the score of 10–9. Hunter trailed Ronnie O'Sullivan throughout the entire match before pipping him to the trophy in the final frame. In fact, Hunter trailed 1–6, 2–7, 6–8 and 7–9 before reeling off the final three frames to seal the sixth title of his professional career. He made five century breaks in the match.

Hunter died in 2006 from cancer, age 27.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Hunter
 
In Chicago, late 1990s, APA Las Vegas qualifier. The match score was 2-2 and I got down 0 to 4. I was a 5 playing a 6 and my team was forlorn while the other team was starting to celebrate. I removed my head from my backside and won the next 4 games. We went on to win the trip to Vegas that year!

Cory
 
Playing Big Ed, race to four, 1pocket one afternoon, for $200, getting stuck 0-3 and coming back to win the set 4-3.

That night we play again, same deal: 1pocket, race to four, for $200, and I get stuck, again, 0-3 and come back to win 4-3.

On the way out the door, Al says to Big Ed, "Big Ed, if I were you... I wouldn't drive over any bridges on the way home."

Lou Figueroa
 
Early road days took off Morro Paez 4 straight sets at College Billiards in San Diego. His backer left for a few minutes & came back in with a guy that looked homeless, he was a mess. Backer offers to put this guy in the box 10 ahead for 2 dimes. I take the bait & this guy breaks & puts a 4 pack on me. He breaks dry in rack 5 & leaves me hooked, I Pushout & he runs 2 more to go 6 up. Back & forth for awhile & 2 hours later he's up 8. It took 9 more hours but I came back from down 8 to winning that 10 ahead set. This guy played jam up.

Sitting there after the fact Jay Swanson told me the guy Morros backer put in was called Roy the cook & was homeless. Lived next to a dumpster outside. Jay told me when his mix was right Roy was a beast & he was.

Ps: Jay also told me if the stakehorse hadn't run out of the magic powder he was feeding Roy in the bathroom I'd have been poorer when I left.
 
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I've had a 6-2 race one time, and the guy won the first game.

I won the 6 in a row I needed.

Another time I "almost" had a great comeback, in league we were playing in the playoffs and the first two guys lost, when it was my turn, the other player needed ONE ball to make it impossible for us to win, I needed to win a bit over 5 racks without him sinking a ball for us to win. I won 3 racks before he made his one ball. I actually though I was going to pull off the win for us LOL.
 
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