Greatest Left Handed Players Ever?

pt109

WO double hemlock
Silver Member
I take it any cue discipline is allowed in this discussion….so I submit Walter Lindrum.
He held the world title at English billiards from 1933 til he retired in 1950.
probably could’ve gave them all 1,000 in a match to 5,000.
 

Cornerman

Cue Author...Sometimes
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I would think that Sigel has to be considered the greatest left handed player ever.

Currently the consensus best player in the world is left handed (Filler)- perhaps he will overtake Sigel some day- maybe overtake all right handers too.

Some of the others that come to mind are Thomas Engert, Rodney Morris, and Jayson Shaw.

What are some others that I'm missing?
Mike Sigel (greatest living tournament player)
Steve Mizerak
 

jay helfert

Shoot Pool, not people
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Love some Miz, but Sigel is certainly the best left hand pool player thus far and probably best of either hand when compared. He had the knowledge of Irving Crane, shot making ability of Earl (without the emotional fragility), and a great 9 Ball break. Just an all around phenomenal player to watch in his prime. In later years, his talking became more annoying, but there was a time he let the cue do all of the talking. There is certainly very good reason he was inducted into the Hall of Fame at such a young age, for sure.
Both Keith and Buddy could play with either hand. Keith would often hustle pool left handed and offer to switch to his right hand after beating someone. I'd have to take Keith over Sigel for the cash if they had to switch hands on every shot.
 

flyvirginiaguy

Classic Cue Lover
Silver Member
Both Keith and Buddy could play with either hand. Keith would often hustle pool left handed and offer to switch to his right hand after beating someone. I'd have to take Keith over Sigel for the cash if they had to switch hands on every shot.

I believe you misread, or I could have said it in a clearer way. I was not speaking of switching hands on every shot. I meant compared to players of either the left or right hand.
 

Geosnookery

Well-known member
Both Keith and Buddy could play with either hand. Keith would often hustle pool left handed and offer to switch to his right hand after beating someone. I'd have to take Keith over Sigel for the cash if they had to switch hands on every shot.
In Snooker both the best male player ever, Ronnie OSullivan, and the best female ever, Reanne Evans shoot left and right. Ronnie says it just seems
Natural to him. Reanne says it’s because as a girl she hated getting out the bridge and just played with both ways.

 

bbb

AzB Gold Member
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In Snooker both the best male player ever, Ronnie OSullivan, and the best female ever, Reanne Evans shoot left and right. Ronnie says it just seems
Natural to him. Reanne says it’s because as a girl she hated getting out the bridge and just played with both ways.

regarding the shot in the link
:love::love::love:
 

WardS

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I would take John Mora over any one playing both hands. Slightly off topic but he's my pick.
Tony Robles was commentating on a match this year and he told of the time he was house pro at a place in NY or NJ and they had a tight table that was used for tournaments. He said Efren came in a racked the balls broke and ran out in rotation then he racked again then he broke and ran them again left handed. Tony said he wouldn’t ever believe it if he hadn’t seen it.
 

pooldawg8

My Pride and Joy
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I`d say Jason Shaw he`s a monster player
But I`d still pick Efren any day of the week & twice on Sunday
 

baalpeteor

Member
agreed. wu jia-qing is another one like that, makes hard shots intuitively. it seems to me, with earl being the exception, that lefties are just better at intuitive, fast and accurate play.

i would like to know why but i suspect the answer would be medical and beyond the comprehension of this layman.
The answer is medical/the brain, because lefties are in their right brain... but first, I can say I am the fastest most accurate shooter at my hall, and a born lefty. I mean fast n loose like Fats or McCready. Sometimes it looks like it takes others years to aim simple shots and shoot as I wait for them to move so I can get in position for the 1-2 seconds it takes me to aim and shoot the same shot. But now I realize that it's just that they're regular-handed and their left brain needs time to analyze/be methodical.

I also can change bridges and stances at will and on every shot and still maintain accuracy. Sometimes I shoot sidewinder like McCready, sometimes regular. It has to do with the brain and wanting a better challenge and not getting bored, the same way Ronnie O Sullivan practices left handed to not be bored (but he's born right). So I mastered open and closed hand bridges, and now right-handed playing too. Again to me it's just to keep from being bored with normal pool. Sometimes I handicap myself by playing right against players not good.

When it comes to the brain, the right hemisphere that controls the left side of the body is known as our connection to GOD/source, spiritual, the mystical, intuitive, creative etc. The greatest painters/artist (think Michaelangelo) are lefties. The right hemisphere is what you can't yourself control (intuition, 6th sense etc), which is why the greatest of any discipline involving arts or skill usually is a lefty. Since lefties write left-handed and do things more with the left body, they get to excercise and use more of the right hemisphere, that good ole intuitive and feel, than right handed people.

In contrast, the left brain hemisphere which controls the right side of the body, is analytical, methodical, linear, ego (and self) even, needs instruction (like an aiming system) but you can control that side. So you can easily overthink things and over analyze using the left brain. 90+% of people are left brained/right handed.

Other left-handed greats:
Mike Tyson (naturally left but chose to box right, though his left hook is legendary).
Da Vinci
Picasso
Van Gogh
Babe Ruth
Jimi Hendrix
Paul McCartney
Ringo Starr
Albert Einstein
John McEnroe
& Bill Gates to name a few.
 
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flyvirginiaguy

Classic Cue Lover
Silver Member
The answer is medical/the brain, because lefties are in their right brain... but first, I can say I am the fastest most accurate shooter at my hall, and a born lefty. I mean fast n loose like Fats or McCready. Sometimes it looks like it takes others years to aim simple shots and shoot as I wait for them to move so I can get in position for the 1-2 seconds it takes me to aim and shoot the same shot. But now I realize that it's just that they're regular-handed and their left brain needs time to analyze/be methodical.

I am left handed in all things but shooting pool. Even tell others that left handed people are the only ones in their "right mind" heh. But I do not think that has a bearing on how slow or fast one aims a shot. As quite many players are right or left handed (or brained as you say) and play only pool in a different hand.
 

bbb

AzB Gold Member
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So when you say you're "eye dominant", you keep only one eye open when you shoot?
if you were serious in your post
 

Guy Manges

Registered
Sitting here in my 95+degrees trailer necked from all over down, I was thinking that I was the best left handed pool player ever, I had to go in the bathroom and mirror to see, Now I'm sad I don't really know if I'm the best left with right back up, that ever was, Sad, At 82 something tells me that I didn't make it, But you and me and no one will ever know except my maker,.. Guy
 
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