One Eyed Billiards Players

Pangit

Pangit

Banned
I just saw one of the most amazing things I've ever seen on a pool table. I'm sure there are a handful Vision impared players from the past that could hold there own?

It's my regular "Haunt", Play there almost everyday. I was so enthralled, I didn't even break my case open.

A Tourist from Texas named Johnny. Said he lost his right eye at eight years old. Farming accident, he was watching his dad, pounding some sort of iron on an anvil, fragment shot off straight into his right eye. He plays right handed. Obviously he's left eye is dominate now.

Pretty much eveyone stopped playing and watched Johnny do his thing in Ten Ball.

I'm still Gobsmacked.
 
Last edited:
One eye

Pangit said:
I just saw one of the most amazing things I've ever seen on a pool table. I'm sure there are a handful Vision impared players from the past that could hold there own?

It's my regular "Haunt", Play there almost everyday. I was so enthralled, I didn't even break my case open.

A Tourist from Texas named Johnny. Said he lost his right eye at eight years old. Farming accident, he was watching his dad, pounding some sort of iron on an anvil, fragment shot off straight into his right eye. He plays right handed. Obviously he's left eye is dominate now.

Pretty much eveyone stopped playing and watched Johnny do his thing in Ten Ball.

I'm still Gobsmacked.
Click to expand...

Had a fella on my Grumpy's Bar team in 1973 by the name of Reuben Skundberg who had lost an eye to an arrow as a child. He was a rather good player, and taught us youngsters a few things.

Donny L
PBIA/ACS Instructor
 
I used to play with a guy who had a patch over one eye, name was LJ Silver. Many years ago so I don't remember much.
 
I'm not surprised. "One-eyed" pool players actually have a bit of an advantage, in that they don't have any parallax error *at all*. There is only one eye, and the aiming is done by simply placing that eye over the shaft, like sighting a rifle. There are no "distractions" from information coming in from another eye. Binocular-visioned folks like us have issues with parallax error, with distracting/conflicting information coming in from a non-dominant eye (*if* we are not truly 100% equally binocular-visioned), as well as with shifting eye dominance. That is, the "vision center" isn't always in the same place if the eyes (or the brain's preference for, actually) aren't truly equally binocular.

Niels Feijen is an example of this "one eyed" player who has reached the upper echelons of playing ability. Although he has two eyes, his left eye is so poor, as he's 90% blind in it. That's why you'll see Niels has that square-on stance (a la snooker), and places the cue on his right cheek, just under his right eye.

-Sean
 
Three players come to mind when I think of great one eyed players

Florida player from the 80s think his name was Tom Brown great player

One eyed Tony

Billy Peay (not sure if he had on eye or if just a lazy eye but with those pop bottle glasses and his mannerisms guy was great road player)
 
huckster said:
Three players come to mind when I think of great one eyed players

Florida player from the 80s think his name was Tom Brown great player

One eyed Tony

Billy Peay (not sure if he had on eye or if just a lazy eye but with those pop bottle glasses and his mannerisms guy was great road player)
Click to expand...


I'm almost 100% sure his other eye was made of glass. And those pop bottle glasses he wore were more like hubble telescopes! And dirty too, I might add. But man, could he play some pool! RIP BIlly!
 
Tom Brown

huckster said:
Three players come to mind when I think of great one eyed players

Florida player from the 80s think his name was Tom Brown great player

One eyed Tony

Billy Peay (not sure if he had on eye or if just a lazy eye but with those pop bottle glasses and his mannerisms guy was great road player)
Click to expand...
Tom came over to Germany in the late 80's. Was in Munich during a Tournament and he was playing $500.-$1000. sets against the best that Europe had to offer at the time. He impressed a lot of people and they were amazed that he only had one eye. He was very nice and spent a while talking to me and my road buddy Mike Ketterer. I gave him the name of every pool club in Germany where he might score some action.
Heard later he did well,and what he didn't get in the straight pool matches he made up for in big table 9 Ball and 8 Ball! Hope he's still playing and doing well.
 
we have a guy in our league that has 1 eye... he's around a apa 5 or 6.

we used to have a guy with 1 arm... i can now beat almost anyone playing 1 handed after learning how he played.
 
tommy brown

hung out with tommy brown a little bit in vineland ,nj jose garcia place, great player there were articals of him running over 100 balls when he was kid.we went out and hustled a little, then moved to florida,lost contact
 
Eddie O'Connell from Bridgeport Conn. has only one eye and was a monster player back in his day--retired to a life of leasure now and doing well from what I have heard--played good he did
 
Question? They discovered a tumor in my right eye in 2000, my dominate eye. The radiation treatment left me with very poor vision, can't see a straight line upand down or sideways. I have been able to hold my own as a skill level 6 (APA). I would like some tips on aiming. My dominance has switched to the left eye only in the last year. Just need a few tip to move to the next level? Been a level 6 for about 14 years, and it really bugs me. Thanks to all in advance....Pat
 
cajunfats said:
Tom came over to Germany in the late 80's. Was in Munich during a Tournament and he was playing $500.-$1000. sets against the best that Europe had to offer at the time. He impressed a lot of people and they were amazed that he only had one eye. He was very nice and spent a while talking to me and my road buddy Mike Ketterer. I gave him the name of every pool club in Germany where he might score some action.
Heard later he did well,and what he didn't get in the straight pool matches he made up for in big table 9 Ball and 8 Ball! Hope he's still playing and doing well.
Click to expand...

Heard he passed on a couple of years ago hope it wasn't true he was one of the good guys
 
huckster said:
[...]
Billy Peay (not sure if he had on eye or if just a lazy eye but with those pop bottle glasses and his mannerisms guy was great road player)
Click to expand...

jalapus logan said:
I'm almost 100% sure his other eye was made of glass. And those pop bottle glasses he wore were more like hubble telescopes! And dirty too, I might add. But man, could he play some pool! RIP BIlly!
Click to expand...

There is a great thread, with pictures, about the late great "Will Pay" (William Cecil Peay) here:

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=252123

RIP, Billy!
-Sean
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top