How many times have you seen someone run out a set?

eight games in a row

My playing partner and I got into a game playing partners on an eight footer. The other team got the first break and then they sat down. I never got up until they were eight games down. Bobby ran out on their break and then seven times on his own break playing eight ball. The next time he broke and ducked after making about half the balls, leaving me an easy out after one of the other guys tried to shoot.

I have ran a few sets myself; an old bar room tournament, race to two. :D :rolleyes: :D

Hu
 
sjm said:
Assuming you mean a set of nine ball, I've never seen it. I did see Souquet run an 8-pack against Immonen to get out of the set when the score was 1 - 1, but that's as close as I've come.
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Any game will do, as long as one player never hit a ball.
 
Cameron Smith said:
Any game will do, as long as one player never hit a ball.
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I've surely seen a dozen runouts to 150 and two runouts to 200 in straight pool, the most memorable of which was when Tony Robles ran 200 and out against George "Ginky" SanSouci in a well-attended exhibition at Corner Billiards in what I believe to have been 1996.
 
Stevie Moore run out a set playing 9 ball against Shawn Putnam, Shawn said to me the next week at a Viking tournament in Burlington NC ( I did'nt do anything wrong except call the coin toss ) and added would'nt that sob be something if he practiced.
 
JAM said:
Well, that's a novelty! :D

He's been struggling with his 9-ball break.

Have you ever seen a player miss a shot or break bad and they blame their equipment? :mad:

A few years ago, Keith received a brand-new jump cue, custom made. It was a real beauty. Unfortunately for Keith and the cuemaker, the first time he ever got to use it was on the TV table at the U.S. Open, in full view of a packed house.

The cuemaker was sitting in the gallery with his friends, getting nestled in to see the break cue debut. I can't remember who Keith was playing on the TV table, but every single time he broke the balls, going to 11, he never pocketed one. It was embarassing. :o

JAM
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That sounds like the Shane VanBoening vs Keith McCready match two years ago.:cool:
 
Glenn Atwell told me Mike, my husband, was down against him in a tournament 1-8 and ran the set out to 9. He also beat Dan Louie once 9-0, but there were a TON of safeties involved.

I was down 0-1 in a race to 5 and put a 5 pack on a guy in Portland to win a little cabbage. :D

All of these were on 9 footers.
 
Never, and I doubt I ever will see it happen in person...


Most people just lie... Think about it - How many stories do you hear about packs being run? All the time... but how many times do you actually see somebody string 3 racks together? Pretty rare for 99.9% of all pool rooms to have somebody who strings racks all the time. But if you listen to stories, it happens all the time all over the country lol

Running racks in a pool room is synonymous with the classic fish story :)
 
Well ...

This isn't quite the same, but it still echoes around in my head .... lol

A few years ago, I was giving Bob Owen the 8 ball (yes, the cuemaker) on a 7 footer in his shop (they have since taken the Bar table out, and replaced with the 4th GC 9 footer), and on 3 different sets to 9, he

ran 5 and out on me (I was on the hill)
ran 4 and out on me (I was ahead previously)
ran 5 and out on me.

It cost me a bag of sand, so I am not likely to forget it EVER .... and I am sure Bob realizes deep in his little ole heart that he is never getting the 8 from me again ..... LOL :(
 
CaptiveBred said:
Never, and I doubt I ever will see it happen in person...


Most people just lie... Think about it - How many stories do you hear about packs being run? All the time... but how many times do you actually see somebody string 3 racks together? Pretty rare for 99.9% of all pool rooms to have somebody who strings racks all the time. But if you listen to stories, it happens all the time all over the country lol

Running racks in a pool room is synonymous with the classic fish story :)
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I agree, kind of. I have seen people string racks together, and I have done it quite a few times. HOWEVER, the vast majority (98%) of those racks I have strung together were done in practice, and I suspect that many people are like that too. But that doesn't mean it doesn't happen, only that they tell you about the time they ran 7 racks but never mention the time where they couldn't pot 7 balls.

Nevertheless since every table reacts differently sometimes the balls just never lay in a position that can be run out. I was playing 8 ball last night and for the life of me I couldn't get a good layout after the break.
 
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Neil said:
I don't know who you are, or how old you are. But if you play long enough, and get around enough, you will eventually see AND do things that you will never see the pros do on t.v. That does not mean you could ever do them again. But you can say with pride "I did that" I have 2 shots I remember from 30 years ago that I pulled off that I wish were on video. At the time I could barely run 15 in staight-pool. But I did 2 shots that I will never forget. Just because something is way out of the ordinary doesn't mean it's not true. And if you are one of those people that have to see something to believe it, then I guess nobody was even alive before you were born? I'm sure a lot of posters on this thread don't appreciate you implying that we are a bunch of liars. Especially since some of those run-outs mentioned happened at tourn. with hundreds of people present.
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Hello...
This is The Master Shooter Royal James Brewster.

I agree with Neil. You are right Neil. There are people out there who can do more than 10 racks of pool. This is very true.

From:

The Master Shooter Royal James Brewster...
 
Cameron Smith said:
I have never seen it myself and would love to see a match tape of it. And yes I do have an ulterior motive. I have asked this question everytime the "alternate breaks vs. winner breaks" discussions come up, but have never been answered.

But I am truly interested in figuring out how often it occurs. Any stories would be great, I certainly hope Grady, Freddy, Jay or anyone else some road or tournament tales.
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We were in the middle of a big pool tournament a few years ago, and the players had gone home for the night. I had been playing cards all night long with a player that didn't want to go home. If I remember correctly (which unfortunately I do), it was the infamous "Leon Long". The best card shark this side of the Mississippi.

He told me that by dealing every hand, I was getting a spot. After he took me for about $200, I decided that my odds were better on the pool table. So I agreed to play him a race to 5 for a $100 on the bar table (even).

We flipped for the break and he won. I racked a nice tight rack, and he proceeded to break and run out. I gave him another nice rack, and he did it again. He ran out the entire set (5-0). My only regret is "not shit racking" him on the final two games.

Old Leon Long....the best gambler I've ever known.
 
sometimes you just have to see it through

I had a guy call the eight ball and the pocket he was making it in three times in a row on an eight footer. We were playing by the game and I was getting poorer every time he broke. I could have slug racked him but I just kept being ever more careful that every rack was perfect. Sometimes you just have to see something through and I won't be the one to start with bad racks or stacking the balls although I will cheerfully do it if that is the way someone else wants to play the game.

Hu


oceanweb said:
We were in the middle of a big pool tournament a few years ago, and the players had gone home for the night. I had been playing cards all night long with a player that didn't want to go home. If I remember correctly (which unfortunately I do), it was the infamous "Leon Long". The best card shark this side of the Mississippi.

He told me that by dealing every hand, I was getting a spot. After he took me for about $200, I decided that my odds were better on the pool table. So I agreed to play him a race to 5 for a $100 on the bar table (even).

We flipped for the break and he won. I racked a nice tight rack, and he proceeded to break and run out. I gave him another nice rack, and he did it again. He ran out the entire set (5-0). My only regret is "not shit racking" him on the final two games.

Old Leon Long....the best gambler I've ever known.
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Neil said:
I don't know who you are, or how old you are. But if you play long enough, and get around enough, you will eventually see AND do things that you will never see the pros do on t.v. That does not mean you could ever do them again. But you can say with pride "I did that" I have 2 shots I remember from 30 years ago that I pulled off that I wish were on video. At the time I could barely run 15 in staight-pool. But I did 2 shots that I will never forget. Just because something is way out of the ordinary doesn't mean it's not true. And if you are one of those people that have to see something to believe it, then I guess nobody was even alive before you were born? I'm sure a lot of posters on this thread don't appreciate you implying that we are a bunch of liars. Especially since some of those run-outs mentioned happened at tourn. with hundreds of people present.
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I'm not saying it never happens... just that most of the stories you hear are just that, stories... I've been hanging around pool rooms for 20 years. One of which had the best players in AZ playing there. They rarely strung racks let alone enough to finish a set out.... At least not like everybody says... And these are top players who can, and do, play with anybody in the world...

One day I was playing one of the best in the state (Chuck Evens) and he ran about 50% of his racks from the break which is absolutely amazing. We played about 60 games. He had 1 three pack, 3 two packs, and about 12 singles. I won about 17 games and the rest were his without break and runs...

He had a phenominal record that day but the best he could do is a 3 pack... I gave him the exact perfect rack every single game too. I asked him, that day, what his record was and he told me 5 in a tourny and 7 in practice. This guy plays amazing and its just dificult to imagine him playing any better. Running out a set he would have to play twice as good /yikes How many people in the world can do that?????

Imagine how stellar one would have to play to run out a set. Sure it happens, but most people just make up stories about it. These are the same people who claim to have 6 packs lol :)

Next time you are at a pool room, count how many racks get strung together by the best player in the room... You won't count many in the game of 9 ball...

Don't be mad at me, I'm just honest :)
 
I would also love to see a "true" run out. The kind where one player never gets a single shot. Are there are any recorded examples? I've actually never seen more than 3 or so on the ESPN.
 
Against me: I was playing a guy in Germany, a Bundesliga player for about $50 a set race to five. He won the first game, I won the second, and he ran out the set from there. We played one more set and he ran out that one from the break. I should also mention that this was in semi-darkness as the power was out and we were playing by the light coming in from outside.

Aslo in Germany: I saw a guy run out 4 in a race to 5 and come up dry on the break. His opponent got up and ran out the set from a cold start, didn't even have his cue together when they started the set.

Kelly Fisher ran out the something like seven racks from her break in the first tournament she won in California. It's on TV in cut up version.

I half saw Jesse Bowman run out two back to back sets in one of the BCA or VNEA nationals. I was tending the booth while he was doing it. That is he ran out every single time he came to the table. something like 17 games or something like that. Confirmation would be appreciated.

I have never had a video where anyone has run out the set. Perhaps they don't sell so well.... :-)
 
Imagine how good one would hve to be: Well obviously, pro speed is probably a prerequisite for running over five racks consistently. Added to talent is also situational luck.

For someone to run out a set there is usually some luck present with the balls landing in good patterns.

Lest we forget - a young 17 year old ran out the rest of the set two years ago to claim the world championships when his opponent sat on the hill. This on super tight pockets.

In the 80's there was a $50,000 Bonus at the McDermott Masters if any player could shut another out, by running out the race to 5 or 7 with no combos and no 9 ball breaks. IIRC Buddy Hall came within one game of doing this twice.
 
It's a pretty crappy statement to say that most people make up stories about their accomplishments. Whatever milestones a player has they were hard earned. I myself have run 98 balls in 14.1 run 5 racks in 9 ball several times and 6 in 8 ball once. I have countless 3-packs. And I am a mediocre player.

The pros are so far above average that it's not even funny. When these guys get in gear they are liable to run out any set to any amount. I have three friends who have run 7 and 9 packs and they are shortstop speed. Niels Feijen reportedly ran 17 racks of 9 Ball on the big table.

Running out a set is nothing more than a combination of situation, (you breaking), having the skill to do it, and luck of the break with the layouts. I have run out the set in races to 2 and 3 many times in my life. :-)
 
John Barton said:
Imagine how good one would hve to be: Well obviously, pro speed is probably a prerequisite for running over five racks consistently. Added to talent is also situational luck.

For someone to run out a set there is usually some luck present with the balls landing in good patterns.

Lest we forget - a young 17 year old ran out the rest of the set two years ago to claim the world championships when his opponent sat on the hill. This on super tight pockets.

In the 80's there was a $50,000 Bonus at the McDermott Masters if any player could shut another out, by running out the race to 5 or 7 with no combos and no 9 ball breaks. IIRC Buddy Hall came within one game of doing this twice.
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Wu did put a 4-5 pack in the finals, but it was hardly running out the set. However, under that much pressure, I think it equates to running a 8-9+ pack normally.
 
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