The day I played Charlie Johnson, in Razz's poolroom in Everett, Ma. with no money in my pockets, and lost.
Most Embarassing Pool Moment!
- Thread starter kath13
- Start date
This one doesn't involve me, but a friend of mine. He used to run a good sized tourney in Indianapolis, twice a year. He timed the tourney so it came between a Pro tourney in Kentucky, and one in Ohio. The players having a dead weekend, would show up to play. This was back in the early 80's, and guys like nick Varner, Louie Roberts, Gary Nolan, Willie Munson, and a few others would turn up.
Well, My buddy was talking with Buddy Hall. Buddy had just got his New Balabushka a few days before. He was showing it off, and this stripper {it was at a strip club} was standing there listening to them. She tells Buddy that's a pretty cue, could I see it. He hands it to her, and she proceeds to raise it up and look at the butt. Shoving the shaft right into the spinning blades of the ceiling fan. Made some nice dents in the brand new shaft. I'm sure that had to be a little embarrassing for her, and for my buddy since he was in charge of things. It's a funny story now, but I bet Buddy was pretty hot at the time.
Well, My buddy was talking with Buddy Hall. Buddy had just got his New Balabushka a few days before. He was showing it off, and this stripper {it was at a strip club} was standing there listening to them. She tells Buddy that's a pretty cue, could I see it. He hands it to her, and she proceeds to raise it up and look at the butt. Shoving the shaft right into the spinning blades of the ceiling fan. Made some nice dents in the brand new shaft. I'm sure that had to be a little embarrassing for her, and for my buddy since he was in charge of things. It's a funny story now, but I bet Buddy was pretty hot at the time.
I was watching a friend (whose skills with the cue I respect immensely) get ready to break a rack of 9-ball in a local tournament. All the tables around his tables had matches going on, in progress. My friend is known for his powerful break. The particular venue he's playing at requires "break cloths" but he doesn't know it at the time (he was practicing, getting ready for his first match). He sets the cue ball on the head spot, which is not his normal preferred spot, but thinks "ah what the heck -- I'm just going to whack 'em from here." What he doesn't know is that the head spot has a deep divot -- he doesn't notice when he set the cue ball down on it, it immediately rolled into the divot and was ever so slightly rocking back and forth settling into the divot. (He's too busy putting his cue together.)
He winds up and whacks that cue ball Bustamante-style. Since the cue ball is in a divot, it immediately takes to the air, and launches over the rack, over the table next to his, AND LANDS TWO TABLES AWAY, RIGHT OVER THE BACK OF THE PLAYER BENT DOWN ON A SHOT (he's facing away from my friend's table), HITTING THAT PLAYER'S CUE BALL JUST AS HE PULLED HIS STICK BACK TO STROKE THE SHOT, AND MADE THE 2-9 COMBINATION THAT PARTICULAR PLAYER WAS SHOOTING AT!!! (Can you believe it?!?)
The whole place just fell out laughing -- including me. I'd never seen anything like it. My friend was quite embarrassed, and he was dumbfounded for a moment trying to figure out why the cue ball launched like that, even though he hit it dead in the face with a level cue.
For me, the most embarrassing moment was learning the hard way why it's important to break with a completely level cue (not angled downward at time of impact). I broke -- hard -- and the cue ball went slightly airborne, not touching the table at all, hitting the head ball dead in the face. The result was the cue ball rocketed straight up in the air -- taking out the fluorescent light (this place had no covers on the light fixtures -- just exposed fluorescent tube bulbs). BOOM!!! The fluorescent tubes imploded as expected, and a shower of broken glass, the pronged socket ends of the bulbs, and the poisionous white powder rained upon the table, with the light fixture swaying gently to and fro. Needless to say, the owner was miffed enough to throw me out, and he evacuated everyone within a table's distance all the way around my table, so that they wouldn't breathe in the white powder. (He knew me well, but at the same time he needed to make an example out of me by throwing me out, because he certainly didn't want to give the impression that this type of event was "funny" or entertaining and have folks actually trying to aim for the lights on the break.)
Anyway, there's two for me. Hope they're entertaining!
-Sean
He winds up and whacks that cue ball Bustamante-style. Since the cue ball is in a divot, it immediately takes to the air, and launches over the rack, over the table next to his, AND LANDS TWO TABLES AWAY, RIGHT OVER THE BACK OF THE PLAYER BENT DOWN ON A SHOT (he's facing away from my friend's table), HITTING THAT PLAYER'S CUE BALL JUST AS HE PULLED HIS STICK BACK TO STROKE THE SHOT, AND MADE THE 2-9 COMBINATION THAT PARTICULAR PLAYER WAS SHOOTING AT!!! (Can you believe it?!?)
The whole place just fell out laughing -- including me. I'd never seen anything like it. My friend was quite embarrassed, and he was dumbfounded for a moment trying to figure out why the cue ball launched like that, even though he hit it dead in the face with a level cue.
For me, the most embarrassing moment was learning the hard way why it's important to break with a completely level cue (not angled downward at time of impact). I broke -- hard -- and the cue ball went slightly airborne, not touching the table at all, hitting the head ball dead in the face. The result was the cue ball rocketed straight up in the air -- taking out the fluorescent light (this place had no covers on the light fixtures -- just exposed fluorescent tube bulbs). BOOM!!! The fluorescent tubes imploded as expected, and a shower of broken glass, the pronged socket ends of the bulbs, and the poisionous white powder rained upon the table, with the light fixture swaying gently to and fro. Needless to say, the owner was miffed enough to throw me out, and he evacuated everyone within a table's distance all the way around my table, so that they wouldn't breathe in the white powder. (He knew me well, but at the same time he needed to make an example out of me by throwing me out, because he certainly didn't want to give the impression that this type of event was "funny" or entertaining and have folks actually trying to aim for the lights on the break.)
Anyway, there's two for me. Hope they're entertaining!
-Sean
Best reason to not have a wife!!
I went out for an afternoon of playing pool, a rare break for me when one of my businesses was a 24 hour operation. I was on call and had my wrecker parked out front but at least I was relaxing with a cue stick in hand. I got in decent action considering that nobody in the place knew my speed.
It wasn't until I won and went to add my winnings to the rest of my money that I found I was playing on air and didn't even have table time before I won! My wife had cleaned me out and neglected to mention it. She rarely touched my personal money so I never even considered the possibility. When I got home I stressed to her that I never expected to be in that position again! Not a happy camper. No problem with her getting the money but let me know.
Not an embarrassing moment but had I lost . . . . and I didn't know the other guy's speed either.
Hu
tom mcgonagle said:
I went out for an afternoon of playing pool, a rare break for me when one of my businesses was a 24 hour operation. I was on call and had my wrecker parked out front but at least I was relaxing with a cue stick in hand. I got in decent action considering that nobody in the place knew my speed.
It wasn't until I won and went to add my winnings to the rest of my money that I found I was playing on air and didn't even have table time before I won! My wife had cleaned me out and neglected to mention it. She rarely touched my personal money so I never even considered the possibility. When I got home I stressed to her that I never expected to be in that position again! Not a happy camper. No problem with her getting the money but let me know.
Not an embarrassing moment but had I lost . . . . and I didn't know the other guy's speed either.
Hu