Harold Worst - Greatest *all-around* player in 170+ years of pool history

[arnaldo]

Reportedly, (per Freddie Bentivegna, Bill Staton, Grady Matthews (and dozens of other top players cited below) Harold Worst played every cue sport at a world-class level and never lost a tournament or action match during his entire all-too-brief playing career (died at age 37 -- stunning friends and fans alike). Won international 3-C tournaments in several countries beginning at age 24 when was also at the top of his game at all pool disciplines.

http://www.thehypertexts.com/Harold%20Worst%20Pool%20Billiards%20the%20Best.htm

Arnaldo
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

[Boxcar]

There's a damned tough premise to argue.

 

[sjm]

This is never an easy topic. Even if we ignore the matter of whether 3-cushion belongs in the conversation, I don't know how to compare Alfredo De Oro to Willie Hoppe to Harold Worst.

 

[Stevexjfe]

Harold Worst was the last BCA Three-cushion Champion.

List of world three-cushion billiards champions - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Stevexjfe]

Reportedly, (per Freddie Bentivegna, Bill Staton, Grady Matthews (and dozens of other top players cited below) Harold Worst played every cue sport at a world-class level and never lost a tournament or action match during his entire all-too-brief playing career (died at age 37 -- stunning friends and fans alike). Won international 3-C tournaments in several countries beginning at age 24 when was also at the top of his game at all pool disciplines.

http://www.thehypertexts.com/Harold%20Worst%20Pool%20Billiards%20the%20Best.htm

Arnaldo
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In the Article it say Harold Worst in 1965 Worst went over to England and won a Snooker Championship, there is no record of this anywhere that I can find and snooker documentations and archives are usually very accurate?

 

[Zerksies]

Anyone that can dominate in 3C, Pool and Snooker is tops in my book

 

[philly]

Reportedly, (per Freddie Bentivegna, Bill Staton, Grady Matthews (and dozens of other top players cited below) Harold Worst played every cue sport at a world-class level and never lost a tournament or action match during his entire all-too-brief playing career (died at age 37 -- stunning friends and fans alike). Won international 3-C tournaments in several countries beginning at age 24 when was also at the top of his game at all pool disciplines.

http://www.thehypertexts.com/Harold%20Worst%20Pool%20Billiards%20the%20Best.htm

Arnaldo
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Remember reading the hypertexts years ago relating to Harold Worst.
The site itself is a lot of fun.
You could spend hours of entertainment in the hypertexts.
Sure looks like Worst was the Best.

Grainy but fun:

 

[MattPoland]

I feel like 1965 was a strong year for him in pool. He climbed every rope and rang every bell. A feat worthy of celebration. Personally I think with that and his early demise, he casts a shadow larger than the man himself.

But when you stack up the legends of the game against each other you tend to find we all use different measuring sticks. It’s hard for me to put him on my shoulders and parade him about based off the results of a single year during an era I have difficulty clocking the competition (Moore, Shorty, Lassiter, Taylor, Kelly, Balsis).

Just erring on the side of caution, I think it’s safer to attribute ‘greatest’ status in any category to players that you have a deeper look at their game either through footage, brackets or more sustained dominance over their competition over time. It’s hard for me to give it up over a single event. But that’s just my measuring stick.

I get bringing him up. His name is a touchstone for those that have a deeper appreciation of the history of pool.

 

[philly]

I feel like 1965 was a strong year for him in pool. He climbed every rope and rang every bell. A feat worthy of celebration. Personally I think with that and his early demise, he casts a shadow larger than the man himself.

But when you stack up the legends of the game against each other you tend to find we all use different measuring sticks. It’s hard for me to put him on my shoulders and parade him about based off the results of a single year during an era I have difficulty clocking the competition (Moore, Shorty, Lassiter, Taylor, Kelly, Balsis).

Just erring on the side of caution, I think it’s safer to attribute ‘greatest’ status in any category to players that you have a deeper look at their game either through footage, brackets or more sustained dominance over their competition over time. It’s hard for me to give it up over a single event. But that’s just my measuring stick.

I get brining him up. His name is a touchstone for those that have a deeper appreciation of the history of pool.

Worst was a legend among his peers during the Jansco years.
Worst always bet his own money.
Lots of the best players ducked him.
I know what you mean though.
It is difficult to clock a players true speed when they didn't want their speed even to be known.
You might appreciate this video about speed, possible exaggeration, and just downright folklore:

 

[Stevexjfe]

Anyone that can dominate in 3C, Pool and Snooker is tops in my book

I don't know about dominating snooker but he certainly dominated 3-cushion and Pool for a couple of years before he died. Lassiter certainly wouldn't have won as many titles in the 60s, if Worst were still alive.

 

[garczar]

"Well, he wouldn't have played good modern tight tables". Just said that to beat all the 'they couldn't play on modern stuff' yahoos to the punch. HW was an absolute master of all cue games. A freak of nature to have that much ability. RIP sir.

 

[mikemosconi]

Worst was probably the best during his short tenure as a player. No doubt he would have been great in any era- even today. Perhaps, though, not as dominating today- simply bc one look at the European players and their training regimens and we all know that the competition is actually much stiffer today.
I know that we had the Lassiters, Balsis, etc. back in the mid 60s- but today you have 100 guys who can shoot as straight or more so than they did back then; with equal consistency at the very least; that is just a fact. The pool schools, the European pool leagues, etc. have produced guys with strokes so straight and pure that these modern trained strokes would
be the dream of most players 60 years ago.

You can tune into a tournament like the Predator 8 ball World championship on U Tube and just watch player after player with totally pure and correct mechanics - just a an entry into their present day greatness as players.

 

[gregcantrall]

Can't remember now where I saw that he studied under Willie Hoppe, who taught cue ball at impact.

 

[Bob Jewett]

Can't remember now where I saw that he studied under Willie Hoppe, who taught cue ball at impact.

If you're playing balkline, that may be good advice. I think it's really bad advice for pool.

 

[gregcantrall]

If you're playing balkline, that may be good advice. I think it's really bad advice for pool.

Rodney Morris and Oscar Dominguez are the two pool players I know of that say they look at the cue ball. Stephen Hendry saying the same is evidence that it works in all variety of cue sport.

 

[WobblyStroke]

If you're playing balkline, that may be good advice. I think it's really bad advice for pool.

Plenty of pros look at the cue ball. Jeremy Jones for one (who I actually heard of this for the first time from as I had assumed everyone just looked at the object ball last). Allison Fisher also said she mostly looks at the OB but when breaking, on the rail, or jacked up (including jump shots obv) she looks at CB last.

Worst was probably the best during his short tenure as a player. No doubt he would have been great in any era- even today. Perhaps, though, not as dominating today- simply bc one look at the European players and their training regimens and we all know that the competition is actually much stiffer today.

The top guys aren't any better, there's just more of them. Worst was a 3cushion world champion from age 25 till he died 12 years later. He had tremendous table knowledge. He was accurate enough to win a pro snooker tournament and powerful enough to pull off 7rail draw shots as an exhibition....SEVEN! Pool god. So he obv had the knowledge and arm talent, but what really set him apart that some of the oldtimers mentioned in the link OP posted is his mind and incredible power of concentration. It is that quality that would bring him to the top of any era. The 'intangibles' of great champions would make them champions in any era, but imo, if you collected em all and just let em play a while, Worst would have a real good chance of coming out best.

 

[Texas Carom Club]

his legend seems to grow exponentially with each thread.....

 

[WobblyStroke]

his legend seems to grow exponentially with each thread.....

A few more of these threads and he'll have a chance at Don Willis' 45 str8 break and runs in 9ball, or getting out and sinking the 9 23 times in one game! lol
A lot of the stuff on HW is documented tho. Top 5 pick on anyone's all time dream team or they don't know what's up....or just think they can pick Willis 5x

 

[kling&allen]

I did a lot of research on Worst for a (yet-to-be completed) project. He ran his father's shoe store for a while, was in the Army (listed "Shoemaker" as his occupation on his draft card), and had his own billiard supply company. It's too bad for us that he didn't live 20 years before or 20 years later.

 

[FunChamp]

A few more of these threads and he'll have a chance at Don Willis' 45 str8 break and runs in 9ball, or getting out and sinking the 9 23 times in one game! lol
A lot of the stuff on HW is documented tho. Top 5 pick on anyone's all time dream team or they don't know what's up....or just think they can pick Willis 5x

You made me laugh. Thank you. Yes, I get tired of the stories that you never see, "They played for 6 days straight and nobody ever missed a ball!" "I swear he ran 60 racks of 9ball in a row, one handed and with the lights off"