The greatest pool trick ever

[WildWing]

Maybe someone can help me unravel the mystery of the greatest pool trick I ever saw, and I saw it done on several occasions. The man who did this trick was Jimmy Moore, one of the all time great pool players. Interestingly enough this trick did not requite using a cue or shooting any balls. He did it with his hands!

Jimmy would put all the balls in the ball box where the balls came down on a ball return table. He would reach into the box with both hands, all the time looking up at his audience or even the ceiling, and rummage them around to mix them up. Then he would grab three balls in each hand and quickly throw them out onto the table, rolling them rapidly toward the other end. At the same moment as the balls hit the table and started rolling Jimmy would shout out a number, like 48 or 52.

Here is the amazing part - that number would be exactly what the six balls would add up to each and every time he did it! He never missed either. It seemed like he could instantly add up all six numbers the moment they hit the table. My question is, how did he do it? To this day I've never been able to figure this one out. I've even asked his son Jimmy Jr. how his dad did that trick and he just smiled and said his dad knew how to do it.

I suspect there may be some old timers like me who actually saw Jimmy "throw the balls" as he liked to call it. Anybody have any ideas how he did it? I'm still stumped.

P.S. I think he actually did it with more than six balls sometimes as well.

Glad I checked out this thread. The more well known instance Jimmy doing this was the first Lengends of Pocket Billiards in January 1982, at Harrah's hotel and casino, Atlantic City. This was the only of three Lengends tournaments where they did trick shots. I was in the audience. Mosconi won the tournament, and the trick shots were a pain the ass, as they took a lot of time to set up.

Jimmy's trick shot was, as you say, counting balls. He mixed the balls randomly, threw out different numbers of balls, and spoke the combined additive number before the balls hit the opposite cushion. A lot of theories, he was very quick at counting the numbers, maybe colors, who knows. But he mixed randomly, and threw out increasing numbers of balls.

As a side note, Joe Balsis, the "Meatman," did a couple shots, one of which he called Boiled Ham. Mosconi did some of his normal shots, including the "Drunkard," where he hits a ball through a spreading bunch of balls to the side pocket. Mosconi also did the short masse two ball shot. Luther Lassiter did the railroad shot with the three cues wedged in one pocket. Irving Crane did one of many four ball shots where you make all four.

Now and then you'll catch these tournaments on ESPN Classic, or something like that. Some of the actual matches are on YouTube, but I haven't seen the 1982 trick shots there. There were two more Legends tournaments. 1983 was the Claridge Hotel in Atlantic City, won by Lassiter, and 1984 was Lake Kiameisha, New York, won by Moore. Brings back memories.

All the best,
WW

 

[Low500]

Fats saved all the pool players and even got their money back with the eloquent speech he made on their behalf in the courtroom. Basically he told the judge that EVERYONE is hustler and gave all the reasons why and the judge bought it. :thumbup:

Did you see this courtroom scene?

 

[poolandpokerman]

Jay, I think the Showbar structure is still, it seems to me I saw it while driving on Interstate 24 several years ago, but I could be wrong. I went there when Harold Worst was the Man that year, maybe 65 or 66. I think there were several buildings on the property, so don't really know which one is still standing.
Tom

 

[jay helfert]

Did you see this courtroom scene?

I wasn't there that year (1972 I think). It was the last year for Johnston City. George Jansco had passed away and his brother Paulie was not as adept at running an event like this (maybe that's why they got raided as well. George had "juice" with the local constabulary).

I heard about it first hand from several of the players who were in the courtroom and on trial, along with Fats. He was their defacto spokesman. Fats could have charmed the pants off the Supreme Court if he had to. He could convince you water wasn't wet. There will never be another human being like Fats. He was the real Pied Piper! Along with Ralph Greenleaf, Fats was the most well known pool player who ever lived. He was literally an international celebrity, drawing huge crowds wherever he went.

 

[Low500]

I wasn't there that year (1972 I think). It was the last year for Johnston City. George Jansco had passed away and his brother Paulie was not as adept at running an event like this (maybe that's why they got raided as well. George had "juice" with the local constabulary).
I heard about it first hand from several of the players who were in the courtroom and on trial, along with Fats. He was their defacto spokesman. Fats could have charmed the pants off the Supreme Court if he had to. He could convince you water wasn't wet. There will never be another human being like Fats. He was the real Pied Piper! Along with Ralph Greenleaf, Fats was the most well known pool player who ever lived. He was literally an international celebrity, drawing huge crowds wherever he went.

A few comments and I'm going to let this one go.
1. I was there with Joe Cosgrove, Don Watson, and John Carmichael.
2. Much of pool history(?) is best forgotten or exaggerated.
3. Thank goodness for your line about "there will never be another human being like Fats". In my opinion, that will be a blessing for the game of pool.
4. People should've gotten out of the way at that Atlantic City thing and let Danny Diliberto just go ahead and slap that blowhard, lying, Fats cockeyed and got it over with.
And that's the name of that tune.
Life goes on........:shrug:

 

[JoeyInCali]

The greatest trick Jimmy Moore pulled is convincing everyone he didn't exist.
Barabeem!

 

[jay helfert]

A few comments and I'm going to let this one go.
1. I was there with Joe Cosgrove, Don Watson, and John Carmichael.
2. Much of pool history(?) is best forgotten or exaggerated.
3. Thank goodness for your line about "there will never be another human being like Fats". In my opinion, that will be a blessing for the game of pool.
4. People should've gotten out of the way at that Atlantic City thing and let Danny Diliberto just go ahead and slap that blowhard, lying, Fats cockeyed and got it over with.
And that's the name of that tune.
Life goes on........:shrug:

I love Danny and a few of the other players of his generation who constantly knocked Fats by saying he wasn't as good as he claimed to be. There were a couple of things going on that may have escaped some people who witnessed this. First of all Fats was making far more money than any legitimate pool player back then, maybe by ten or twenty times. That may have spurred some jealousy. Secondly, they just didn't get that Fats was more of an entertainer than a pool player. Talking about pool and all the money he had won and players he had beat was part of his schtick (sp).

I will only add this. Fat's was good for Pool. He brought a lot of attention to the game and made himself famous in the process. And by the way, he could play - damn good! He was no faker like Bruce Christopher who couldn't play a lick and claimed to be a great player who would play for millions. Fat's out hustled many of the top players of his era, including Mosconi. Even as an older man he got the best of several good players like Richie Florence at One Pocket, Danny Jones at Banks and Eddie Robin at Billiards. When he visited Johnston City most of the older players (and some very good ones) enjoyed listening to Fats make his spiel and even talk about them. He was funny and they knew he was still dangerous to gamble with. Fat's speed - maybe a ball under the best One Pocket players. If they gave him weight he could and did beat many of them. Bank Pool - His second best game. He didn't play like Taylor, Cannonball or Youngblood but no one else did either. Three Cushions - that was his undercover game. It took a top level pro to beat him even. Fats ran nine and out on Robin for $1,000 (500 each) in 1963.

For all his talk he would still get up on the table and bet with both hands! :yes: