The foursome most often playing One Pocket at the billiards hall I hang out at consists of an older gentlemen who’s 88 years of age and has had a glass eye since he was a young child and knows his way around a pool table the likes of which I’ve never seen a match; a man in his sixties who has had a stroke and has difficulty speaking but no difficulty playing really talented pool, having run a pool room for many years; another man in his sixties who used to run a pool hall for many years who taught pool to just about everybody around; and me.
We all meet every day and rattle the little brown jug to shake out the numbered pills to choose up sides. It doesn’t really matter to me which team partner I get, because they’re all about evenly talented, although I’m particularly happy when I get the 88 year-old. I’m the one who I’m sure they dread getting stuck with, but they never complain aloud, much to their credit.
Three, four and five-rail banks abound in each game. Clever pass banks, two-rail shots and plenty of cross-corner banks are the order of the day. These guys are truly a treat to play with. I’ve learned so much from them, I could never repay them for all the information they’ve shared. They are always willing to help me learn.
Lately I’ve been dazzling them a little with shots I’ve learned from a book by Freddy Bentivegna I downloaded from Kindle. Shots like the “Automatic Straight Back” with varying amounts of English, some really narrow “Automatic Cross Corner” shots, “2-Railers Up and Back”, and “2-Rail Cross Corner” shots. They either know all these shots and many more or they’ve seen them done a zillion times. But, it’s fun being able to “fit in” with these wonderful buddies and enjoy pool each weekday.
I’m in my late sixties, too, and it’s a blast playing pool in my retirement and sharing many fun-filled hours with good friends.
We all meet every day and rattle the little brown jug to shake out the numbered pills to choose up sides. It doesn’t really matter to me which team partner I get, because they’re all about evenly talented, although I’m particularly happy when I get the 88 year-old. I’m the one who I’m sure they dread getting stuck with, but they never complain aloud, much to their credit.
Three, four and five-rail banks abound in each game. Clever pass banks, two-rail shots and plenty of cross-corner banks are the order of the day. These guys are truly a treat to play with. I’ve learned so much from them, I could never repay them for all the information they’ve shared. They are always willing to help me learn.
Lately I’ve been dazzling them a little with shots I’ve learned from a book by Freddy Bentivegna I downloaded from Kindle. Shots like the “Automatic Straight Back” with varying amounts of English, some really narrow “Automatic Cross Corner” shots, “2-Railers Up and Back”, and “2-Rail Cross Corner” shots. They either know all these shots and many more or they’ve seen them done a zillion times. But, it’s fun being able to “fit in” with these wonderful buddies and enjoy pool each weekday.
I’m in my late sixties, too, and it’s a blast playing pool in my retirement and sharing many fun-filled hours with good friends.
