I believe they are scanning the colors as they roll and adding them up with the associated numbers. With practice, anyone can do this. Just my opinion.
Jimmy Moore ball counting trick
- Thread starter FarmerTed111
- Start date
I believe they are scanning the colors as they roll and adding them up with the associated numbers. With practice, anyone can do this. Just my opinion.
I know the Harry Lorayne trick. Should I go ahead and spoil it out in the open?
-Andrew
I sent Mr. Helfert a PM ( I tried to anyways. Did you get it Mr. Helfert?) that provides a source for the trick. I didn't feel too bad spoiling that trick because it is not a trick that Harry Lorayne created and it is as old as the hills.
Anyways, the point of me originally posting the video was to show that things that look like pure skill can very often be accomplished by (very) simple means.
However, I do not believe there is any subterfuge in the Jimmy Moore ball counting trick; I now believe that it is a legitimate feat of mathmatical skill.
It's hard to imagine any way to do it other than extremely quick adding. I can imagine that playing a lot of rotation might have a lot to do with it, though. Frequently looking at the balls already pocketed, to determine the score of the game, would provide constant practice for looking quickly at a group of balls and knowing the total.
-Andrew
Anyone can do it? So why is Jimmy Moore the only one who figured out how to do it so far if it's so easy. Let's see, 100 million pool players worldwide and one guy can do this trick. Yeah, I guess that's easy.
Usually magic squares have all different numbers from 1 to n-squared. In the case of a nxn square each row or column adds to n*(n*n+1)/2, which for a 4x4 it is 34. Harry has one particular 4x4 square memorized and when the number N is announced, he writes down that pattern but adds N-34 to each of four pre-set locations. If you look at his square, there are four large numbers none of which is in the same row or column. Those are the cells he changed from the basic square.
He could have written the first three numbers down before the spectator's number was announced. If you notice, he stumbled over one or two of the large entries.
I don't think I've ever seen this trick. It's not impressive if you know how magic squares work. I think Ben Franklin was a fan of magic squares ... google, google ... here's the story.
As for the ball counting thing, I think there are people who could do it without a trick. One small trick that could be used is to take the number of stripes (and eight balls) and multiply that by 8 then add the remaining colors. With practice you might think "three stripes, 24, yellow blue blue red = 8, so 32." (The three balls must have been 2, 9, 10, 11.)
This sounds to me like more of a "Rainman" kind of thing. Here is a story from a couple of days ago from Yahoo. I wonder if the guy in the story could do it?
http://news.yahoo.com/video/world-15749633/amazing-man-says-numbers-are-my-friends-20121019
http://news.yahoo.com/video/world-15749633/amazing-man-says-numbers-are-my-friends-20121019
I think Jimmy had a little of this same syndrome. We may have only seen the part of it that related to pool. He was one of the most remarkable pool players of all time. Blessed with a smooth yet powerful stroke, Jimmy was a great player who always seemed to finish second in major competitions. He had "bridesmaid" syndrome. No matter that it took tremendous talent to make the finals, Jimmy had trouble crossing the goal line.
He may have played better late in life than anyone else ever. He was still competitive in his 70's and could run a hundred balls well into his 80's. My favorite memory of Jimmy was went we went to jail together! He helped me keep my cool and reassured me that we would get out soon. And we did! Our bail was $52, I'll never forget that number.
Maybe Jimmy was a little OCD. I have a friend that is perfectly "normal" but he counts things in his head all the time. He's not really obsessed with it, but if he goes into a place, and somethng catches his eye, he'll count it.
. It might be the number of people in the poolroom or the number of house sticks on the wall. I wish he had a "tell" as to what he might have counted, I could make a fortune betting on him. 
. It might be the number of people in the poolroom or the number of house sticks on the wall. I wish he had a "tell" as to what he might have counted, I could make a fortune betting on him. 
Hey, that's me! Or maybe I'm the suck at pool guy, and the blow guy is some-one else.
It was Steve Simpson. He hung around Chattanooga for a while and Phil still tells stories about him and his stories.
Thanks, that's the guy. He could easily blow the cue ball three rails and make the ball.
HumdingerBarry
Registered
No trick! It's just like Jay say's it was. In 1971 I hung out at Jimmy Moores room in Albuquerque for about 3 months. He would do little mini exhibitions all the time when He was in. He also did wing shots and rarely missed. Played a great game of 9 ball and one pocket as well as straight pool. BTW he had big hands hence 4 balls in each hand.
Wow, I'd hate to see the spit on the table after that one!
I know what you mean about Geiler. If he misses his 'kick' shot, then he says it's because he didn't have enough chalk. So he chalks his heel, adjusts, and makes the 3 railer 'kick' shot.
The only way I could add up those balls (assuming I could hold 8 balls at once), is to roll them REAAAAL slowly...like not make it to the end rail, lol! :thumbup:
That is the way I'd have to do it too, just roll them to the middle of the table and add them up at my leisure.