Carnival Pool Game

Iowa state fair, the midway, I tell my Five year old daughter I'm gonna win ya a big stuffed animal. Then I think how in the hell am I gonna win you a big stuffed animal. Walk upon a four foot piece of slate with a cue ball and an eight ball, a 50 cent piece sits atop the eight ball. Carney says Shoot the cue ball into the eight, knock the 50 cent piece off the slate and pick any prize. First try I'm close, have to hit it head on, a little top, so the coin falls onto the cue ball and off the slate. Luckily get it on third try. Carney says i'm the only one to do it so far. I'm looking around like i'm Strickland, tell daughter proudly to pick any animal she wants! She picks out the smallest ugliest stuffed animal they had.
 
Thread revive!

I'm going to give this thread a SUPER bump as it's that time of the year again!

On a proper table this game is easy as pie but on goofy carny tables I've only done this twice.

Any more tips to beat this game?

Softbreak is a given..but would you break off the rail or centre table?
 
The best way I know of beating the game is to not play in the first place. It's kind of like the time I worked in a carnival.
I was the guy you've seen many times out on the midway who would, for a couple of dollars, try and guess someone's weight.
Well, one hot afternoon I was standing there sweating my nuts off, waiting for my afternoon break, when a guy and his wife walked up and plunked down two bucks. The guy said, "Guess my wife's weight."
I looked at the woman and couldn't believe my eyes. She was as big as a house.
I didn't know what to do. I had already been miss-guessing everyone's weight all day, and if I gave away any more prizes the boss was going to fire me, so I did the only thing I could think of. I yelled out, "Four thousand pounds!" Threw a teddy bear at her, and left town. :)
 
CNE time?

I used to work that one for a few years. Good times in TO, thats fer sure.

Short story.

After our monthly Scotch Tourney at one of our bars, we usually play 3 Ball for an hr or so.

The guys tend to smash the balls and hope for a dropper.

My turn, I go for the Soft Break. You have to on a Carny table cause the pockets tend to be shimmed small. Chances of one off the break are slim.

Chad, the guy who used to run the Tourney, looked at me and said,

"Are you trying to win a Teddy bear".

So true, so true.

Carnival Tables.

Obviously not level.
The ones I have tried have purdy darn small pockets.
Seriously warped cues.
Lucky to have a tip at all. And when they do, you wish you had a piece of sand paper.
No chalk.
Oh, I forgot to mention the rails. What rails? They may as well be made of 2x4s.
So yes, soft break is good. Keep em at one end.

So, if you win a Teddy Bear, even Earl would shake your hand and say, "good shooting".
 
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CNE time?

I used to work that one for a few years. Good times in TO, thats fer sure.

".

haha yep! some guys spend up to 50 bucks trying to get a 2 dollar teddy bear. my girl has been bugging me to win her something at the cne and I figured that's the only game I have a real good shot at lol. all the other games are even crazier to win! at last i have a slight chance at the pool table lol
 
I've beat it lots of times. Key is a couple of things.

1. Be aware where the poles of the tent are. Usually there are poles right next to the tables. They won't move them for your shots, so be aware of where you can reach on these tables.

2. Big rocks. A lot of the places are using over sized cue balls.

3. Soft break. With a 4 ball rotation, soft break, leaving the lowest numbered ball near the spot. Check #1 when coming around two rails for shape on it it.

4. Don't roll anything. These tables are FAR from level, so your best bet is a good pocketing speed.

hope this helps.

It's always a fun thing to go up to one of these places, put up 2 bucks and walk away with something first try. Love seeing the carnie get all upset.

This is excellent advice. I get banned everytime I play this game, and the key is knowing the equipment and how it plays. If the table is level, you at least have that going for you. The cues are another matter -- no english, center ball.

I found one year that the standard one pocket break yields big dividends at this game, for not only are you keeping the balls down table and in close proximity, but you're also pushing the balls towards a corner pocket as well, with the cue ball positioned for a shot in that same corner. The runouts are a piece of cake -- again, as long as you keep it simple and not use any english or side spin. Use good pocket speed to put the ball in the hole. Don't get fancy!

Hope this helps! I think most of the readership here would do well at this game, as long as you don't get into "show off" mode.

-Sean
 
Having worked the LA County, and CA state Fair selling kitchen related items, let me tell you most Carnival Games are not stack so the customer has a chance of being a big winner. most of the prizes are pure cheap crap.

The old Basketball Hoop is bent to the point of making not impossible to sing the ball, but you had better hit you target 110 DEAD ON or the ball will not go threw the hoop. The Hoop in mt of the carnie "joint" as the game are called, and if you move to the rear of the hoop or side of the hoop you will see it is not ROUND as it appears from the front of the Hoop.

The Pool Table are tilted, and not leavel, and let say can more if you put any weight on the pool tables.

Most of the kids working the "joint" get paid on comission, nd let say they are under the watchful eye of the carnival owner, or his people to see they don't pocket any extra cash.

I seen drunks drop a couple of hundred buck trying to win some $5.00 stuff animal for some womenn he brought to the fair. The carnival owner love these people, but in the end the carnival alway wins. Sure you see some chump walking with an oversized stuff banana, but upon close inspection, toy r us would not carry this line of cheap junk tstuffed animals.
 
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