"Dirty Pool"

Mr. Wilson

Mr. Wilson

El Kabong
Gold Member
Silver Member
I was thinking back to athread some months ago in which Freddy B. was talking briefly about "Dirty" pool.

Ever since, I've been intrigued with the thought and would like to hear some peoples interpretations of what goes into the game and how to better play Dirty pool.

What are some of the tricks and such?

Thanks :)
 
Mr. Wilson said:
I was thinking back to athread some months ago in which Freddy B. was talking briefly about "Dirty" pool.

Ever since, I've been intrigued with the thought and would like to hear some peoples interpretations of what goes into the game and how to better play Dirty pool.

What are some of the tricks and such?

Thanks :)
Click to expand...


I like the old timer shark move of dropping your cue when the opponent is shooting. Maybe even placing the chalk on the table before he fires in a ball. One of my favorites is standing in the line of sight while your opponent is shooting. And what about the infamous " WHERE YOU GOIN? " as you are about to shoot in a straight in shot. Leaning on the table is quite distracting as is chalking obscenely loud. How about little moves like waiting to walk back to your chair when your opponent is already down on his shot? I also love the guys who will get a ref to watch a shot that is going to be an obvious good hit. But they wait until you ar ejust about to shoot it to tell you to wait until they get someone to watch the hit. I've seen many moves in my few years in the pool halls. But these just seem to stick out as some of my favorites. But I have always thought that you can always get to someone by talking about what you were "TRYING TO DO" after Every single shot. :p That seems to get quite a few people. Even the best of them. Well I hope these help you Mr. Wilson. :)

Tony
 
I'm not talking about sharking someone.

The game is played more like all the balls are "live" and nothing needs to contact a rail.....etc.
 
I've had this arguement with some older bar players, who have been playing straight-8 their whole lives, and think that ball in hand is a stupid game. Then they go out and duck a ball on purpose tapping it behind one of theirs, or oops I missed a kick and accidentally left you at the other end of the table from your ball. Or 8 is in the kitchen and they break their ball and scratch on purpose to give you ball in hand behind the head string having to kick up table and back.

The game can be just as "dirty" playing striaght-8 as ball in hand. Blocking pockets on purpose, pushing out behind a cluster getting no rail, etc. It comes down to who has the willpower to not take a chance and possibly make the first mistake. But you also have to have the discipline to know when to duck if you are the ducker.

If I play a guy who is being dirty in that way I will use the same tactics back on them. Kind of like Basketball teams who like to Full Court Press don't like to be Full Court Pressed cause they can't get setup.
 
Mr. Wilson said:
I'm not talking about sharking someone.

The game is played more like all the balls are "live" and nothing needs to contact a rail.....etc.
Click to expand...
Do you mean like in last pocket eight ball, when the eight has to go clean? And the person tells you this when there is a ball hung up in your last pocket. I had a guy woofing a while back, so we played last pocket. He was getting on my nerve so I just ran out. When I was straight in on the eight ball, he asked if it was going to hit a rail going in. I told him to shut up, and if the money was that important to him, he can just keep it.
 
there's one bar in town here that still plays it straight, and for $.25 a rack. some of the old timers can really surprise you with their moves. i like to go play there once in a while to keep perspective :P

with that having been said, my favorite straight-8 play is the intentional scratch/resulting kitchen kick. blocking balls and blatantly moving their break ball away from clusters (making it sometimes) are also fun.

-s
 
Is there such a thing as dirty pool? I don't think so, I prefer to call it defense. If you make a legal shot and screw your opponent that is good defense.

In the finals of a local 8-ball tourney last Sunday my opponent left me completely in jail shooting for the 8 to win, a little masse and finesse and his jaw dropped. I didn't make it but I made the hit on the eight and screwed hit to boot.

BK
 
People don't seem to have heard of this.

For example, use your opponents ball for a combination. Tap your opponents ball into a cluster. Hit your own ball ( or any ) without making contact with a rail afterwards....etc.etc.etc...first one to clear the table of thier balls and sink the 8 wins.

Nobody?
 
Playing an intentional safe on a bar table I have heard called dirty pool and worse.
 
Yes this is the totally unevolved version of pool, some which many still play who don't take the game seriously, or haven't seen the real rules of 8-ball. If you make a bad hit, there is no ball in hand, the cueball just stays where it is and your opponent has to shoot from there. You have to call every little detail of the shot, for example, if you shoot a shot that hits the rail first, then caroms off a ball, you have to call "rail first off the (x)ball". If the shot happens to go in clean instead, you lose your turn. I remember when I first started playing pool, if the cueball was close to a cushion, we could use the "scissors" rule, where you could move the cueball the distance of two fingers off the cushion to shoot. That was way back at the beginning where my bridge hand consisted of my cue resting between the knuckles of my pointer and middle finger lol. Another rule I remember is a table scratch, where even though you can hit your opponents balls without touching a rail, if you just shoot the cueball and it hits nothing, your opponent has the option of leaving the ball there or shooting from behind the line. There was never any BIH anywhere.
 
In my experience, you will be accused of playing "dirty pool" if you try any kind of obvious safety when stuck playing so called "Straight 8". These people do not understand the real game and expect you to make a "white man's try" at every shot. (I actually played in a league many years ago that had that exact phrase in the rules.)

The same guys that still play this game are the ones most likely to cave your head in over a 2.00 game if they think you're playing "dirty" on them. My general response to "straight 8" is to walk away. If I'm feeling a little feisty I might say something like "Go ahead and keep the table, I wanted to play pool..."

I've been a league director involved in growing into small towns where I had to try and sell players on real rules, it can be a challenge.

Playing straight 8 and responding to someone who's playing "dirty" against you is taking your life in your own hands. I was once in a game of doubles and an opponent dinked the cueball about 2 incehs to hide it. My partner responded by dinking it another inch leaving the Neanderthal Brothers hooked themselves. The incoming ape-man responded by squatting down and tipping the table over. Had I not been in a group of about a dozen guys, it could have gotten real ugly before the bouncers escorted our less evolved friends out the door.

We do know what dirty pool is. My response to the original post is why do even want to play it? Better to play real pool.
 
MasterRacker said:
In my experience, you will be accused of playing "dirty pool" if you try any kind of obvious safety when stuck playing so called "Straight 8". These people do not understand the real game and expect you to make a "white man's try" at every shot. (I actually played in a league many years ago that had that exact phrase in the rules.)

The same guys that still play this game are the ones most likely to cave your head in over a 2.00 game if they think you're playing "dirty" on them. My general response to "straight 8" is to walk away. If I'm feeling a little feisty I might say something like "Go ahead and keep the table, I wanted to play pool..."

I've been a league director involved in growing into small towns where I had to try and sell players on real rules, it can be a challenge.

Playing straight 8 and responding to someone who's playing "dirty" against you is taking your life in your own hands. I was once in a game of doubles and an opponent dinked the cueball about 2 incehs to hide it. My partner responded by dinking it another inch leaving the Neanderthal Brothers hooked themselves. The incoming ape-man responded by squatting down and tipping the table over. Had I not been in a group of about a dozen guys, it could have gotten real ugly before the bouncers escorted our less evolved friends out the door.

We do know what dirty pool is. My response to the original post is why do even want to play it? Better to play real pool.
Click to expand...

this is dirty pool, and why i hate straight 8. i used to live in a town and their league was like this. if you had to play a "safe", you'd had better make it look like you were trying a shot or all hell broke loose.
 
The joys of playing bar pool lol!!!!!!!

If you know what your doing, you can always look like your making a attempt but still leave your opponent no shot. Or just do the "opps, my bad i miscue'd or didnt hit the CB hard enough, type shot"

Its always nice if you get to a place where guys just shoot at everything, and dont know crap about actually playing pool or playing safe.
 
cuetechasaurus said:
Yes this is the totally unevolved version of pool, some which many still play who don't take the game seriously, or haven't seen the real rules of 8-ball. If you make a bad hit, there is no ball in hand, the cueball just stays where it is and your opponent has to shoot from there. You have to call every little detail of the shot, for example, if you shoot a shot that hits the rail first, then caroms off a ball, you have to call "rail first off the (x)ball". If the shot happens to go in clean instead, you lose your turn. I remember when I first started playing pool, if the cueball was close to a cushion, we could use the "scissors" rule, where you could move the cueball the distance of two fingers off the cushion to shoot. That was way back at the beginning where my bridge hand consisted of my cue resting between the knuckles of my pointer and middle finger lol. Another rule I remember is a table scratch, where even though you can hit your opponents balls without touching a rail, if you just shoot the cueball and it hits nothing, your opponent has the option of leaving the ball there or shooting from behind the line. There was never any BIH anywhere.
Click to expand...

I saw some guys doing something similar to this in a bar the other night. If the CB was near the rail they used the butt of the cue stick to measure how far they could move it away from the rail.
 
Fonzi and Watusi

Mr. Wilson said:
I was thinking back to athread some months ago in which Freddy B. was talking briefly about "Dirty" pool.

Ever since, I've been intrigued with the thought and would like to hear some peoples interpretations of what goes into the game and how to better play Dirty pool.

What are some of the tricks and such?

Thanks :)
Click to expand...

The greatest shark move I ever saw was when Alphonse "Fonzi" Daniels was playing One Pocket on a tough pocket 5' x10' table in my joint, North Shore Billiard Club, with a high-roller named Watusi. Watusi was frozen to the back rail, and he had a long shot to his pocket at his game ball. Fonzi had his game ball hanging in his pocket; but if Watusi made his shot he would win the game. Sweat poured off Watusi's forehead as he stroked and stroked at the ball. They were playing very high, and this was a critical game to win. Watusi finally began to deliver the stick to the cue ball. At the exact instant the cue tip was about to make contact with the cue ball, Fonzi quietly remarked, "You better chalk up." Watusi miscued so badly that the cue ball didn't travel over a foot. Fonzi shot in the hanger to win and deadpanned, "I warned you."

the Beard
 
Similar to what I saw. Clarksburg, WV, many years
ago. Smitty Righter & Guy Buffy, hill-hill, 7-7 in
1 hole. Smitty has long straight in for game &
series. Smitty ALWAYS took 20 strokes before
he shot a ball. ALWAYS. Drove opponents nuts.
So, he starts stroking & Buffy starts counting.
Right at the end of the 20th stroke, Buffy
drops his stick. Smitty mis-cues, Buffy wins.
Smitty says," Damn you, Buffy, that was the
dirtiest trick anybody ever did to me".
Everybody else laughed.

freddy the beard said:
The greatest shark move I ever saw was when Alphonse "Fonzi" Daniels was playing One Pocket on a tough pocket 5' x10' table in my joint, North Shore Billiard Club, with a high-roller named Watusi. Watusi was frozen to the back rail, and he had a long shot to his pocket at his game ball. Fonzi had his game ball hanging in his pocket; but if Watusi made his shot he would win the game. Sweat poured off Watusi's forehead as he stroked and stroked at the ball. They were playing very high, and this was a critical game to win. Watusi finally began to deliver the stick to the cue ball. At the exact instant the cue tip was about to make contact with the cue ball, Fonzi quietly remarked, "You better chalk up." Watusi miscued so badly that the cue ball didn't travel over a foot. Fonzi shot in the hanger to win and deadpanned, "I warned you."

the Beard
Click to expand...
 
Once at Chris' Billiards a guy loudly crinkled up his potato chip bag as I was running out. When that didn't work, he actually stood in my line of sight and dropped his pants.
 
Frankenstroke said:
Once at Chris' Billiards a guy loudly crinkled up his potato chip bag as I was running out. When that didn't work, he actually stood in my line of sight and dropped his pants.
Click to expand...

that is the funniest thing i've heard all day. :D

i'm gimpin' just thinking about it. money on the line, you're trying to concentrate and get through the rack. the pool hall, otherwise quiet as a church. then... he walks in your line of sight and drops trou to throw you off. a dirty move indeed, but man that is classic... ya gotta hand it to him for the effort.
 
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