The greatest game you ever played???

hhhhhmmmmm

I think that the only thing that REALLY sticks out in my mind, was during the superbilliardsexpo 2 years ago.
I've won my fair share of tournaments and money matches and they all have a certain "awesomeness/i played great/sentimental" value i place on them, but this will always stick out in my mind.

The annual Markley Billiards (10 minutes away from expo) Midnight Madnesses they have every year.
As usual, i got geared up for that long weekend like i always do, and right as it approached, i began to get sick.
I was SO ANGRY! Of all the times i could possibly get sick, it HAD to be that weekend. So i started to feel awful but said the heck with it. It only comes around 1 time a year right. But believe me when i tell you that all i wanted to do was curl up in bed and hibernate. So with phlem and snot flying out of my system, a high fever, and the chills/shakes, i managed to snap off not just one, but TWO of the 3 madnesses (Thursday and Saturday) that they had that weekend with strong star studded fields.
My body felt like a punching bag cause it ached so much. I was coughing and blowing my nose constantly (or i was holding it all in when my opponent was shooting which was even MORE brutal) and i was slightly dizzy from the fever. It was probably the worst i had felt all year, and definitely the worst i had EVER felt playing competitive pool.
There were a lot of circumstances that motivated me to hold it together, but i think it was by sheer willpower that i didn't allow myself to just flat out faint.
I still to this day, look back on that when i need to pump myself up to a higher level. If i could perform feeling that crappy, there were no limits to how good i could play, when i felt fantastic.
 
SUPERSTAR said:
My body felt like a punching bag cause it ached so much. I was coughing and blowing my nose constantly. It was probably the worst i had felt all year, and definitely the worst i had EVER felt playing competitive pool.
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You're not the first person I've heard of winning a tough tournament while being sick. I know a guy that was miserable sick a few months ago and he snapped off a Viking tour event. There's something to being sick and playing good pool... I don't know what it is yet, but there's something there.....
 
My greatest games:

Straight Pool

1. The time I beat Danny Barouty in the finals of the Corner Billiards Straight Pool League. Actually, I only had to make 100 before he made 200, and I beat him about 100-135, including 30 and out. What made it so special was that my parents came to watch me, both of them in their early seventies. It was and remains the only time my mother watched me shoot pool in competition. Danny Barouty, whose sportsmanship is as superb as his straight pool, said some nice really things about me to my parents after it was over, and it meant a lot to me.

2. The game in which I ran 77 against Jeanette Lee in front of a very large gallery on the front table at Amsterdam Billiard club, a gallery that included many of my friends.

Nine Ball

1. In a 1999 Tri State tour event in NYC, I had just won a match to be guaranteed fourth and trailed 4 - 1 in a race to seven. After running out for 4 - 2, I hit a break that I was truly proud of, making five balls and hanging the one. Seemed I was right back in the match, until my opponent mentioned that I had failed to break for the break box. Although I break from the box anyway, I was not aware that it was required, as it was my first Tri-State event of that year. I broke from the side only to avoid having to wait for somebody at an adjacent table. My opponent was awarded ball in hand, took about twenty seconds to run out off my perfect break, and then broke and ran for 6 - 2 lead. Rather than let it make me crazy, I kept fighting and played five perfect racks to win the match 7 -6. I then proceeded to win the losers brakcet final and then beat the fellow in the hot seat 7 - 2 and 7 - 1 to win the tournament.

2. In about 1998, I was at Amsterdam Billiard Club to watch Tony Robles play George "Ginky" SanSouci in an exhibition scheduled for 7:00 PM. Their match had to be postponed until 8:30, and in the idle time, I had the pleasure of playing a set of nine ball (in front of the gallery that was there to watch Tony and Ginky) against Ewa Mataya Laurance, who knew me well as a fan but had never seen me play. Playing well and beating her 11 - 10 was a very thrilling win for me, and she was a very good sport about it. Home court advantage may have gotten me over the top on that occasion!
 
Just came to this topic from the straight pool thread...

So I'll tell about my match against Charlie Fox...

Back in Salem in the 70's we had a double round robin league in progress. Play was every Tue...two matches...8 players and everyone ends up playing every other player twice.

Half the players came in from other towns and the rest were locals. One of the locals was Johnny Marco. Seems that when John was matched against me (proprietor, by the way) he wouldn't show up...and arrived Wed morning first thing. He would proceed to whip me good and later brag about the way to beat Mike is to get him early in the morning.

Charlie Fox thought he'd give it a try...and showed up one Wed am for his scheduled Tue match against me. Charlie was an older player and a good friend but he just didn't have Marco's touch. Charlie lost the toss...played an illegal break to go to -2 on the scoreboard...broke again...I ran 65 balls and played safe...Charlie played a bad safety...and I ran 60 and out...final score 125 to -2.

I didn't see Charlie for a few months after that game...
 
I once ran 8 in a row playing 8 ball on a bar box. I have had a few good strings playing nine ball 7 range. I ran 86 playing straight, but I have only played maybe two dozen times ever. But recently in a set to five playing one pocket where I was giving a guy 9-6 I ran nine and out twice, eight and out once, and the other two were seven and four.
 
My best happened one night

Nov 8th, 1996

Game-38

122 points 1 inning

Game-9 ball

8 B&Rs 1 inning

Game-8 ball

7 B&Rs 1 inning

Game-Striaght pool

161 run

10+ continious hours of practice that day

I've yet to exceed those person numbers of that day, but I'm still trying. :o
 
I once ran a race to 17 in nine ball in four innings. Won the flip, ran 7, push out, he missed and I ran three more, then he won one game, empty break, I ran 4, no balls on the break, he didn't run out and I ran the remaining balls + 2 & out.
(this was in very small money game)

In tournament, once I was in the losers side, race to 5, trailing 4-0, he missed and I ran the set out.

National Championship (B), first round trailing 7-1 in a race to 9, single elim. No balls on his break, ran 4, safety and out (never played near that good before). I was almost out and I ended up making the finals for the first time in my life.

Tom -> waiting for the "worst game ever thread" ;)
 
In 1965, I walked into Cochran's Billiards in San Francisco for the first time. I got a table, started bangin' em around, lovin' the table; a guy in a funny-looking hat comes over and asks if I want to play some cheap 9Ball, $1 on the 5 and $2 on the 9. Sure. I win the first break and run 5 racks and miss an impossible cut on the 7 or if woulda been 6. The guy looks at me, says: "Next game ya wanna play $5 and $10? I'll give ya the 8". I grin and nod. As I'm leaving, scowling and shaking my head, dead busted, I ask one of the railbirds who that guy was. Turns out it was Ronnie Allen. I played 5 of the best racks I've ever played in my life, and all it got me was trapped. Every time I got in dead stroke and started getting cocky, a champion (Mike Massey, Keith "Squirrel", Rod the Surfer, Flyboy, etc) would put me in my place. No matter how good you think you're playing, the real top players will put a humbling experience on you. They call 'em champions for a reason.
 
I was playing in the Sandusky 8-ball team tournament and we were down by 18 balls with 3 games left. We needed a runout in a bad way as the team we were playing was running out from everywhere. After my opponent broke he left a cluttered table. After breakingout two clusters I was left with this shot which I made and then ran the rest of them out.

START(
%AP2P6%BE7T8%CH8E5%DL7N1%EX9N5%FY9K2%GI4P2%H[8O7%JX2J6%MJ2F7
%NP8S7%PJ3D3%Qf5O9%UC9Z4%VD8U1%We6O5%XO8C6%YD0P8%ZI9G2%]D4S9
%^C1Q9%_N7D2%`J5F1%aJ3E0
)END

Unfortunantly the very last game our opponent ranout giving them the victory. They were gracious opponents as everyone of them congradulated me on my runout.
 
Best moments

8-ball

My most rewarding moment in pool was my team getting to the APA 8-ball National Finals in Vegas last year. I played in match four of the Final winning 5-0 with flawless play. I was able to make up for the bitter memory of the previous year when at hill-hill in the hill-hill match of the Final, I ran the table only to be told I didn't mark the pocket for the 8, and so the other team went to Vegas instead.

9-ball

My BCA team winning the Amsterdam Team 9-ball in Summer 2005 at the first attempt. We lost our first four matches 0-4, 0-4, 1-3, 0-4 and were in the last place after four weeks. At the Tri-State Invitational in July, commenting on our 1-15 start, TD John Leyman remarks "Tim, what is up with your team!!??". But we bounced back to win our last eight matches to sneak into the playoffs, and then won all four playoff matches to get to Vegas. Both me and a teammate of mine won our final eight matches, and my closest match was a 7-3 win.

My best 9-ball result was beating Danny Barouty 9-3 in the Labor Day Open tournament at Amsterdam Billiards. It was the middle of my streak (above) of 26 straight League match wins. (11 BCA, 15 APA) and I was not missing at all. I ended up losing 8-9 to Ginky in this event.

Straight Pool

I'm still learning this game but my 92 almost unanswered points against SJM on Friday night was pretty good :)
 
My best game ever, was no run out.

I joined a BCA in house league 2 sessions ago. I had the 8-ball game of my life, that I will never forget.

I never played against this guy and my team mate said he was one of the best in the league. He never gets rattled, hardly ever talks, and runs out a lot. So I figured when he broke and didn't make a ball, this was going to be my only trip to the table.

I was hooked on the 8-ball and pinned down on the side cushion. I made a tough bank into the rail and snapped off a kick to make my first ball. Then I had a tough 87-89 degree cut. After every shot I made (there was no chance for playing shape, because of how hard each shot was to pocket) I had little to no leave on the next ball.

So, after a couple of crazy kick shots, a needle threading bank, and a couple more massive cuts, I find myself facing a 91 to 92 degree cut on the last ball before the 8 to win. I hit the rail first with massive spin and spun the cue ball into the object ball and it slow rolls down the rail hanging and then falls. As soon as I looked up, the cue ball kisses off one of his and scratches. All I did is look up at him smile and shrug my shoulders in a "oh well" manner.

He took ball in hand and got down to hit a dead simple straight on shot in the corner and stops and looks up at me in complete disbelief. He looked back down, shot, and missed it. He left me a tap in 8-ball. The people watching from his team were standing there with there mouths still open from my shots, gaping at him, and my team was going crazy. I shook his hand and said thanks for the game. All he said was, 'uh yeah." Then to one of my team mates as I was walking away he asks, "where did you find that guy?"

BTW, it was fun writing about this, since I hadn't thought about doing that before. Thanks for the great thread.
 
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Donovan said:
I joined a BCA in house league 2 sessions ago. I had the 8-ball game of my life, that I will never forget.

I never played against this guy and my team mate said he was one of the best in the league. He never gets rattled, hardly ever talks, and runs out a lot. So I figured when he broke and didn't make a ball, this was going to be my only trip to the table.

I was hooked on the 8-ball and pinned down on the side cushion. I made a tough bank into the rail and snapped off a kick to make my first ball. Then I had a tough 87-89 degree cut. After every shot I made (there was no chance for playing shape, because of how hard each shot was to pocket) I had little to no leave on the next ball.

So, after a couple of crazy kick shots, a needle threading bank, and a couple more massive cuts, I find myself facing a 91 to 92 degree cut on the last ball before the 8 to win. I hit the rail first with massive spin and spun the cue ball into the object ball and it slow rolls down the rail hanging and then falls. As soon as I looked up, the cue ball kisses off one of his and scratches. All I did is look up at him smile and shrug my shoulders in a "oh well" manner.

He took ball in hand and got down to hit a dead simple straight on shot in the corner and stops and looks up at me in complete disbelief. He looked back down, shot, and missed it. He left me a tap in 8-ball. The people watching from his team were standing there with there mouths still open from my shots, gaping at him, and my team was going crazy. I shook his hand and said thanks for the game. All he said was, 'uh yeah." Then to one of my team mates as I was walking away he asks, "where did you find that guy?"

BTW, it was fun writing about this, since I hadn't thought about doing that before. Thanks for the great thread.
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Lots of action high roller....another 10 C notes in your wallet .......:D
 
hobokenapa said:
8-ball

Straight Pool

I'm still learning this game but my 92 almost unanswered points against SJM on Friday night was pretty good :)
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You can see why I didn't select this one as my greatest!

Your 92 - 7 stretch should serve as a constant reminder to you of how good a player you really can be. Of course, you got me so fired up, I opened the next game with a 43 ball run on my very first inning. Let sleeping dogs lie, my friend.

Looking forward to our next matchup.
 
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Every time I got in dead stroke and started getting cocky, a champion (Mike Massey, Keith "Squirrel", Rod the Surfer, Flyboy, etc) would put me in my place. No matter how good you think you're playing, the real top players will put a humbling experience on you. They call 'em champions for a reason.[/QUOTE]

Last time I was in Texas I was practicing nine ball at Erics' in Austin and broke and ran 3 racks. Pretty good for me, I'm not even close to a shortstop in nineball but can play pretty decent sometimes.

Gilbert Martinez was eating a sandwich 10' away and half-watching me. He looked up, asked "Want to play some, as much as you'd like to play for?"

Christ, who the hell is this guy, I wondered. I was considering just playing him cheap when some young guy came over and made a game with him.

First thing Gilbert does is put his cue together and break and run 3 racks his first chance at the table. Full table draws with side spin, etc...

Quick reality check.
 
Timberly said:
You're not the first person I've heard of winning a tough tournament while being sick. I know a guy that was miserable sick a few months ago and he snapped off a Viking tour event. There's something to being sick and playing good pool... I don't know what it is yet, but there's something there.....
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I wasn't exactly sick, but I won a small local 9 ball tournament one time after I had two wisdom teeth removed earlier that day. They had to be broken up and pulled out in pieces, I was awake for it, long ordeal. Side of my mouth was packed with gauze, I was walking around the table with a paper cup spitting blood in it between shots.

Kelly
 
Kelly_Guy said:
I wasn't exactly sick, but I won a small local 9 ball tournament one time after I had two wisdom teeth removed earlier that day. They had to be broken up and pulled out in pieces, I was awake for it, long ordeal. Side of my mouth was packed with gauze, I was walking around the table with a paper cup spitting blood in it between shots.

Kelly
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KG,
I think you need to re-post your experience on the "pet peeves" thread. I think I would be a little put off by an opponent spitting blood into a cup every 30 seconds.

Hey, mthornto should have tried that ploy in the celebrity scotch doubles tournament at DCC - just pried out a couple of molars, THEN see if Efren can still maintain his focus while watching mthornto prance around dribbling blood from his pie-hole....well, MT it would be worth a try if you want to be a real pool player).
 
1 - Snapped a break and run for 2500.00 tough run, I kept making tougher.

1a- I was 16, playing a female friend for umm uhh.. "the nuts".. and hit a 3 rail kick for the 8-ball. Can you say money shot.. :D "I knew that you could"

Joe
 
The game I remember most was me running 89 balls on Frank Taberski. Unfortunatly he ran 125 and out. That was in NY in 1966. Johnnyt
 
Johnnyt said:
The game I remember most was me running 89 balls on Frank Taberski. Unfortunatly he ran 125 and out. That was in NY in 1966. Johnnyt
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Wasn't Taberski in his prime during World War I? He must have been about 80 in the mid 1960's. Did he really run 125 and out at that age?
 
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