Most unusual game/spot you've seen?
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penguin said:Reading about Cliff Joyner vs. Corey Deuel, at the DCC, playing one-pocket where Deuel has to shoot every shot using the bridge makes me wonder...
What is the most unusual game/spot the forum members have ever seen, or even heard about?
The most unusual spot I ever gave out was a few years back. In nine-ball, I gave a guy the 5 & 7 called but I had to use a house-cue and I had to call the nine.
I once gave a guy the 3-ball for $20 a game. After breaking and running the first 3 and running past his spot for the next two, he quit me.
Jude M. Rosenstock
The most unusual match-up I've ever seen happened in Georgia, a bar spot, about 25-plus years ago when there was action just about anywhere you went down South! We walked in the joint and in the back room, there were two fellows who had been playing all night long for a thousand a game on the "challenge table," the biggest money game I'd ever seen at that time.
Michael "Geese" Gerace, a strong Maryland player, walked up to the table and asked if he could get in, but when they said how much they were playing for, he backed away. A young kid about 16 years of age walks up to Geese and says, "I'll play you some, sir, if you're looking to get played."
Now, Geese was probably the best one-handed player I've ever seen in my lifetime, and he says to the kid, "What will you spot me if I play ever shot one-handed?" The kid responds, "I'll play you even, and I'll shoot every shot behind my back and you shoot one-handed." Geese liked this game and agreed, a race to 7, 9-ball, even.
They flipped the coin, the kid won the toss, and proceeded to break and run out 7 games in a row. To this day, I can't say I've ever seen anybody run 7 racks, breaking and shooting behind their back.
The BIGGEST spot I've ever seen up front and close was at Classic Billiards in Rochester, NY. It was the first time I met Bosco (Boris), and he wanted to play Keith, but wasn't quite sure how to match up with him. By his own admission, he needed a heavy spot and asked for the 3 and out in 9-ball.
Well, I definitely did not like this game, too much weight (IMO). However, I was overruled and the game went forth. After several hours, Earthquake ended up winning, but the matches were close, and it was a tough sweat, sitting on the rail.
JAM
Michael "Geese" Gerace, a strong Maryland player, walked up to the table and asked if he could get in, but when they said how much they were playing for, he backed away. A young kid about 16 years of age walks up to Geese and says, "I'll play you some, sir, if you're looking to get played."
Now, Geese was probably the best one-handed player I've ever seen in my lifetime, and he says to the kid, "What will you spot me if I play ever shot one-handed?" The kid responds, "I'll play you even, and I'll shoot every shot behind my back and you shoot one-handed." Geese liked this game and agreed, a race to 7, 9-ball, even.
They flipped the coin, the kid won the toss, and proceeded to break and run out 7 games in a row. To this day, I can't say I've ever seen anybody run 7 racks, breaking and shooting behind their back.
The BIGGEST spot I've ever seen up front and close was at Classic Billiards in Rochester, NY. It was the first time I met Bosco (Boris), and he wanted to play Keith, but wasn't quite sure how to match up with him. By his own admission, he needed a heavy spot and asked for the 3 and out in 9-ball.
Well, I definitely did not like this game, too much weight (IMO). However, I was overruled and the game went forth. After several hours, Earthquake ended up winning, but the matches were close, and it was a tough sweat, sitting on the rail.
JAM
penguin said:Reading about Cliff Joyner vs. Corey Deuel, at the DCC, playing one-pocket where Deuel has to shoot every shot using the bridge makes me wonder...
What is the most unusual game/spot the forum members have ever seen, or even heard about?
I once played someone straight pool where I wasn't
allowed to run more than 3 balls, I won fairly
easily.
I once saw George "Ginky" Sansouci spot someone
the 3 and out and the 3,5,7,9 all counted on the
break! He won with ease, the other player rarely
got to the table with an offensive opportunity.
Ah, this sort of thread pops up from time to time, and it always turns out that the most unusual spots come when a good player plays a poor one. Let's categorize these spots:
1) good player uses something other than a cuestick to shoot with
2) good player has to use bridge or one hand, shoot behind back on every shot, or shoot between legs on every shot.
3) good player can only play certain shots - for example banks, side pocket shots, caroms, combos, or kick-ins, etc.
4) good player has to play balls in numerical rotation or some specificed order
5) good player gives up the break, ball-in-hand after the break, and also gives a ball spot.
The list of "off the wall" spots a good player can give to a bad player is endless. All such spots are truly ridiculous.
When it comes to accomplished players playing each other, though, it's entirely a different matter. I once saw a match where one player was on a 15 second shot clock and the other was on a 45 second shot clock. It might not have bothered Luc Salvas or Lou Butera, but on that occasion, it was enough to level the playing field between an "A" and "B" player.
1) good player uses something other than a cuestick to shoot with
2) good player has to use bridge or one hand, shoot behind back on every shot, or shoot between legs on every shot.
3) good player can only play certain shots - for example banks, side pocket shots, caroms, combos, or kick-ins, etc.
4) good player has to play balls in numerical rotation or some specificed order
5) good player gives up the break, ball-in-hand after the break, and also gives a ball spot.
The list of "off the wall" spots a good player can give to a bad player is endless. All such spots are truly ridiculous.
When it comes to accomplished players playing each other, though, it's entirely a different matter. I once saw a match where one player was on a 15 second shot clock and the other was on a 45 second shot clock. It might not have bothered Luc Salvas or Lou Butera, but on that occasion, it was enough to level the playing field between an "A" and "B" player.
JAM said:The most unusual match-up I've ever seen happened in Georgia, a bar spot, about 25-plus years ago when there was action just about anywhere you went down South! We walked in the joint and in the back room, there were two fellows who had been playing all night long for a thousand a game on the "challenge table," the biggest money game I'd ever seen at that time.
Michael "Geese" Gerace, a strong Maryland player, walked up to the table and asked if he could get in, but when they said how much they were playing for, he backed away. A young kid about 16 years of age walks up to Geese and says, "I'll play you some, sir, if you're looking to get played."
Now, Geese was probably the best one-handed player I've ever seen in my lifetime, and he says to the kid, "What will you spot me if I play ever shot one-handed?" The kid responds, "I'll play you even, and I'll shoot every shot behind my back and you shoot one-handed." Geese liked this game and agreed, a race to 7, 9-ball, even.
They flipped the coin, the kid won the toss, and proceeded to break and run out 7 games in a row. To this day, I can't say I've ever seen anybody run 7 racks, breaking and shooting behind their back.
The BIGGEST spot I've ever seen up front and close was at Classic Billiards in Rochester, NY. It was the first time I met Bosco (Boris), and he wanted to play Keith, but wasn't quite sure how to match up with him. By his own admission, he needed a heavy spot and asked for the 3 and out in 9-ball.
Well, I definitely did not like this game, too much weight (IMO). However, I was overruled and the game went forth. After several hours, Earthquake ended up winning, but the matches were close, and it was a tough sweat, sitting on the rail.
JAM
I've been on both sides of the one hand shooting, and won some nice pots in my younger years shooting one handed. Also, I am right handed myself, but early in my fathers life he had messed his right hand up pretty bad, so he had learned to use his left, well even though he regained complete use in the right, was, and still is right handed , the experience helped him to be strong left handed. what this did for Me was, we would actually challange each other this way in practice, but no one else knew that we did this. I can't count the number of times we walked out of a small bar with our pockets looking like life vests, from being so overloaded with cash, from playing left handed. this still helps me to this day without the need for a bridge as often as most people.
Also when I was younger, I had always heard the old broom stick story from the old timers, that I am sure everyone has heard at one time or another, no matter where they are from. I was shooting a guy that was a decent shot in a place one night, pretty much having my way, got lazy a few times and let him hang around and keep It close, well this just fed his ego, and he thought he could go wild on the stakes and rattle my cage. was getting late and the bar was about to close, so I suggested we went back to my house. Remembering the story, and not being in the correct state of mind, I told him I would even shoot him with a broom handle, if he was so that sure he had My number. Got back to the house and we went at it till the wee hours of the morning. In the end it came down to one shot, with a broom in My hand, straws and all, jacked up on a piling in my small garage with no room to stroke through on. The nine was the shot for all the money, and was a coast to coast bomb of a shot. i was pretty tired not to mention alittle lit feeling, was seeing tripple by this time, and just aimed for the one in the middle, was like watching a movie when that nine fell in. It was all on that one 9 ball and if I had missed that was It. could have heard a pin drop after, all woofing, sharking, whatever, from him ended right at that point. I won't say how much it was at stake, but lets just say I was collecting payments on It for sometime. That's probably the craziest spot I ever gave anyone, though sure there are crazier that others have done. I still wonder to this day what I was thinking with that spot, have not done It since, and have no plans to ever do It again, was too close for comfort. It was fun though, and I'll always have a true tale to tell.
How about the guys in wheel chairs that have no choice, I have met a few that will flat clean your pockets out if you take them too lightly. those guys earn every bit they get, and most want nothing to do with a spot. My hats off to them, I learned alot early on from a guy like that, i will never take a spot, If I can't take them straight up, personally i don't want the win, even for money. if i can't hang in there with them, I'll just wait until the times right and I can. once you get to a certain level of play, It just seems to come down to who puts the most time in, and holds up under the gun anyway. If I don't put My time In, It's my own fault, don't need a spot to make up for that, just need to put more time in.
Do like Hearing the stories though and look forward to more.
Greg
The most unusual spot I saw was Jack Cooney playing 9-ball with someone. Jack only had two pockets to sink the 9-ball in. He still won.
JoeyInCali said:
That's a good one also, some older guys we use to shoot with a long time ago loved one pocket, so have seen simular spots on the 9 with only one pocket used. Ofcoarse also played , and saw where all shots had to be banked, or just the money ball had to be banked. i've even saw people shoot with there cue backwards. Guess It depends on the stakes as for what clout It holds, but makes it interesting either way.
I've seen a couple strange spots in the last couple years, and I've heard some stories too. I myself was bored and gave a friend of mine the 3,5,7,9 for $3 per game. I didn't think I could win, but wanted to see if I could put heat on myself for basically nothing. I played pretty good and won $12 when my friend quit.
At a tournament about a year ago I saw Tony Chohan play a local young gun some $50 per game one pocket, both of them shooting behind the back every shot.
A funny story I heard was about my friend Ernesto Dominguez, when he was invited to play in a tournament in Japan years ago. The locals matched him up with a player for $5,000 per set, but Ernesto had to play 1-handed and the other guy could play with both hands. When they were about to play, his opponent, some unknown Japanese player pulled out a $15,000 Tad cue, and Ernesto started to think 'oh crap'. The guy won the flip and broke and ran the first rack perfectly, so now Ernesto was thinking he got himself into a bad game. The guy came up dry on the next break, and Ernesto ran 3 racks in a row one handed! The Japanese player was so rattled, he couldn't make a ball after that, and Ernesto won $10,000! After that, they flipped a coin for $5,000 more, and Ernesto won that too. That's a pretty nice score!
At a tournament about a year ago I saw Tony Chohan play a local young gun some $50 per game one pocket, both of them shooting behind the back every shot.
A funny story I heard was about my friend Ernesto Dominguez, when he was invited to play in a tournament in Japan years ago. The locals matched him up with a player for $5,000 per set, but Ernesto had to play 1-handed and the other guy could play with both hands. When they were about to play, his opponent, some unknown Japanese player pulled out a $15,000 Tad cue, and Ernesto started to think 'oh crap'. The guy won the flip and broke and ran the first rack perfectly, so now Ernesto was thinking he got himself into a bad game. The guy came up dry on the next break, and Ernesto ran 3 racks in a row one handed! The Japanese player was so rattled, he couldn't make a ball after that, and Ernesto won $10,000! After that, they flipped a coin for $5,000 more, and Ernesto won that too. That's a pretty nice score!
Hey JAM, I was there. I know Boris well. He is capable of running in the 20's in straight. He first asked for the 2 and up as I remember.JAM said:The BIGGEST spot I've ever seen up front and close was at Classic Billiards in Rochester, NY. It was the first time I met Bosco (Boris), and he wanted to play Keith, but wasn't quite sure how to match up with him. By his own admission, he needed a heavy spot and asked for the 3 and out in 9-ball.
JAM
He plays Pat H. 50 to 15 in straight. You know how good Pat is in straight. He played Pat for 18 hours straight one night to end up even. A story about Pat H. - I wasn't there but back in the Mike Sigel days (they both played at Classic). I heard He and Mike played 3 games of straight. The first game Mike broke and Pat ran 100. The second game Pat broke and Mike ran 100, the third game Mike broke and Pat ran 99, then Mike ran 100. Anyway, I wasn't there but this is the story that flies around.
pete lafond said:
You've got a good memory, Pete! I was sweating bullets on that 3-and-out match between Keith and Boris. I hear he's also an excellent backgammon player!
I was told by a fellow AzB-er that the owner of Classic Billiards is going to be flying in and attending the DCC for the 9-ball event. For all I know, Boris may be at the DCC, but I haven't heard about any Bosco sightings to date. Last year, he played a set with Efren Reyes in the action room. I hope we run into Boris at the $15,000-added Joss event at the Turning Stone Casino, February 19th-20th! He's always a lot of fun to be around, very upbeat and a very nice guy!
Here's a picture of a very sick-with-the-flu Earthquake and "Bosco" taken at last year's DCC!
JAM
Attachments
Well, here's another unusual game. Some folks who attended the DCC this year said that Corey Deuel was getting odds that he could run a rack of 15 balls from jump street. The only stipulation is that he got to move the CB one hand-length after the break. I didn't hear the outcome, though, and wonder if he got any takers! 
JAM
JAM
JAM said:Well, here's another unusual game. Some folks who attended the DCC this year said that Corey Deuel was getting odds that he could run a rack of 15 balls from jump street. The only stipulation is that he got to move the CB one hand-length after the break. I didn't hear the outcome, though, and wonder if he got any takers!
JAM
i believe i heard that he was about 2200 up on that deal jam.
on a side note, looks like with the weather here i won't be leaving this weekend like planned
how did things go at usa tuesday?
vapoolplayer said:i believe i heard that he was about 2200 up on that deal jam.
on a side note, looks like with the weather here i won't be leaving this weekend like planned
So sorry to hear you won't make it to that NYC charity event! With Allen Hopkins and Tony Robles, just to name a few, attending, I know this is going to be one fine tournament.
I'm trying to forget Tuesday (LOL). Keith barked and barked and barked at the little tike, wanting to play 11 to 7, but the kid wanted 12 to 7 and wouldn't budge. They ended up playing sets of 9-ball, with KM spotting him the wild 7- & 6-ball and all the breaks. The youngster ended up having a very profitable evening! JAM enjoyed the house specialty, some delicious Korean dumplings, quite an expensive meal!
There was a bigger match going on between "Shorty" and an unnamed local Maryland player, though, with the jump-ball mechanic Marylander ending up 2 sets ahead winner.
JAM
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JAM said:
didn't they break even at 11-7???? that would be the fair game then....sounds like he's trying to rob keith
the 6, 7, and the breaks???? talk about having the nuts..... i hope this guy will go off when keith finally gets the right game.
bruin70 said:
That's a sucker's bet. I'll give anybody in the world that spot. The trick is phrased this way: "Every rail is a pocket. Any ball driven to a rail is considered a pocketed ball" (perhaps making a concession that it doesn't count on the break)
The problem is this, if the cue-ball touches a rail, it's a foul. You might win a game or two but in the long run, that rock has to hit the wall more often than not, even in a silly game like this.
Jude M. Rosenstock
Jude Rosenstock said:
excuse my ignorance on this one.........so basically if he hits the object ball into the rail its "pocketed" but at the same time if the cue ball touches the rail its a foul and then you have ball in hand to run out? basically you're counting on the fact that the rock has to hit the cushion more times than not, giving you ball in hand to run out more racks? i'll have to remember that one.
thanks
Jude Rosenstock said:
There sure is a big difference between, "...all that player had to do to win was TO HIT THE OB TO THE BACK RAIL..." and what you say, "...Every rail is a pocket..."!
A big enough difference that I think you are talking about 2 different things!
-pigu
piglit said:
Well, I'm gonna see Ginky tonight so I'll ask him. I probably know the B player, too.
Jude M. Rosenstock