The greatest game you ever played???

[jnav447]

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

I was working on a post for another thread when I discovered Frank Taberski's AMAZING feat of 307 continuous match victories at 14.1, ending in 1921. This is listed as the all-time record in the Encyclopedia of Billiards. Just thinking I'm gonnal start a thread of greatest pool accomplishments and enter this as my candidate. Johnnyt: that had to be deflating, open with an 89, sit down feeling good, and don't get to shoot again. Ain't pool grand?

 

[cuetechasaurus]

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.

You may be exaggerating a little on the degree of the cuts you made. If I'm not mistaken, the most you can cut a ball is something like 85 degrees, maybe a little less. 90 degrees or more is impossible.

 

[Johnnyt]

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?

Your right sjm. It can’t be him (Taberski). I got my Billiard Digest yesterday and saw his name in it. I said to myself “That’s the guy I had my big run against.” Sorry I can’t think of the guys name I played. I know it started with a T and sounds like his. He was a big name in NY in the 40’s--50’s. Johnnyt.

 

[satman]

My best match

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.....

I had been in bed sick for 2 days and could hardly move. Saturday morning I get up, shower and I'm getting dressed when my wife comes in and says "what are you doing?" I drove 2 hours to a tournament and won the flip the first set. Race to 7 - 9ball. I ran out the set. Got 2nd in the tournament to George Breedlove.
I have always played really well when I had the flu. You just don't have the energy to mess around or think about all the distractions.

 

[Donovan]

You may be exaggerating a little on the degree of the cuts you made. If I'm not mistaken, the most you can cut a ball is something like 85 degrees, maybe a little less. 90 degrees or more is impossible.

Actually that is not true. If you hit the rail first with inside spin, you can cut a ball even beyond 90 degrees. It is not easy but I can even do it from one end of the table to the other...although it takes me a quite a few attempts to make it...when the balls are close it is even easier. I suppose you might call it a kick then, but it does cut it down the rail. Also keep in mind if the object ball is off the rail with the smidgen of space it gives you a bigger pocket to shoot at too.

LOL, I will take a wager on the 91 or 92 degree cut. I was like you until Bert Kinister shot it and proved to me it can be done. Of course he did it on his third try. (makes me sick) Then after more time than I should have spent practicing it, I could finally do it a couple of times. Some people use it as a betting shot. One out of like 30 attemps is a good shot at it.

 

[cuetechasaurus]

Actually that is not true. If you hit the rail first with inside spin, you can cut a ball even beyond 90 degrees. It is not easy but I can even do it from one end of the table to the other...although it takes me a quite a few attempts to make it...when the balls are close it is even easier. I suppose you might call it a kick then, but it does cut it down the rail. Also keep in mind if the object ball is off the rail with the smidgen of space it gives you a bigger pocket to shoot at too.

LOL, I will take a wager on the 91 or 92 degree cut. I was like you until Bert Kinister shot it and proved to me it can be done. Of course he did it on his third try. (makes me sick) Then after more time than I should have spent practicing it, I could finally do it a couple of times. Some people use it as a betting shot. One out of like 30 attemps is a good shot at it.

Yes I know those shots, I used to do proposition shots like that. In actuality you are not cutting the ball over 90 degrees, because the cueball hits the object ball on the way out of the cushion, and the english makes it hug the rail. It's physically impossible to cut an object ball 90 or more degrees.

 

[Cardinal2B]

You may be exaggerating a little on the degree of the cuts you made. If I'm not mistaken, the most you can cut a ball is something like 85 degrees, maybe a little less. 90 degrees or more is impossible.

I've also had this shot (>90 degrees) performed against me. I set up what I thought was a devastating stiff in 9ball, and was expecting a kick attempt, but Joe Cocchia just curved the CB around the 9, pocketed the 8, and got easy shape on the 9 to boot.
I packed up my cue and went home.

CueTable Help

 

[Donovan]

Yes I know those shots, I used to do proposition shots like that. In actuality you are not cutting the ball over 90 degrees, because the cueball hits the object ball on the way out of the cushion, and the english makes it hug the rail. It's physically impossible to cut an object ball 90 or more degrees.

OK so they are kicks technically, I guess I just never thought of them in that manner. I even believe the ones that are just under 90 degrees, if I was being technical would be double kisses as they graze the ball the cue hit the rail and then hits the object ball again. Or would that be a timing shot. Hey I don't know. I know I had one that had to be hit rail first and one was like that double kiss deal.

In all honesty, I was so caught in the moment that maybe some of the others were more like 80 to 85 degrees, but I just remember I would normally never really play the shots under any other condition except in a league match where there really isn't anything to gain from taking them. In retrospect, it is the one game that I refused to give up the table in my mind, and I would have gotten much more mileage out of playing safe. But just the thought of letting this guy look at me like I was going to be an easy match made me relentless. I can also say I have never tried to repeat this kind of shooting since, and don't plan on doing it again.

This league tracks the number of balls you make, so i just wanted to make as many as I could. LOL I'm still young. I've got a lot more mistakes to make in the future, but I do try to learn from them! Thanks brother cuetechasaurus! BTW, just from writing about this, I have tried a few of those "cuts" a couple of times during 14.1 and now remember why I am not supposed to take those shots....again.

 

[Donovan]

I've also had this shot (>90 degrees) performed against me. I set up what I thought was a devastating stiff in 9ball, and was expecting a kick attempt, but Joe Cocchia just curved the CB around the 9, pocketed the 8, and got easy shape on the 9 to boot.
I packed up my cue and went home.

Well, I didn't play any semi-masse shots to cut a ball that day, but with the right touch I can really see a theme there. If you can't cut 90 degree, fix the angle...LOL

 

[Jaden]

Last april before the Reno open.

I had been planning to go to the Reno open last June before I found out I had to go to Cuba and had been practicing. It had to be like the day before finding out about Cuba that I decided to play ten games trying my best to see whether or not I was really ready.

I broke and ran out 8 of the ten games, and I played perfect games on the other two. I had to safety after the break on one and the other had two sets of tied up balls. I safetied with a break out on the first set and and then broke out the other one off of a shot on three with perfect shape on the four in the side.

That's the best ten games I've played I've had plaenty of six packs before and beaten the ghost more times than I can count but that's the best breaking and shooting that I've done.

The best I've played in competition with extremly good competitors would have to be my recent matchup with Phil Farretti in the Swanee memorial. I played perfect safeties when I needed to and ran out when I needed to and all this on 4.25 inch pockets.... I ended up winning 8-5.

I just wish I hadn't dogged it when I played Santos in the next round. It seems recently that I have trouble keeping my game going past the first round. It's like I get into a different mode of play after winning or something oh well, I guess I'll have to work on that before Reno in June.....LOL