Vern Elliot's Bank Shot

Tennesseejoe

Tennesseejoe

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have heard much about Vern's bank shot proposition, but have never seen it made. I will be at the AZ room on Jan 8 and 9. If anyone can do it--let me know. The shot is described on "Banking With The Beard", pasge 166 and 167.
 
They say Vernon was a heck of banker abd 1 pocket player

I saw him a few places around southern KY and Northern TN but I never saw him in "Action" this would have been mid late 80's

Post update: I just looked in the book to see what bank you are taking about and that cross side bank Freddy talks about is for sure makeable. I saw Larry York make it in Indianapolis, on the front table at Executive billiards in less than 10 tries (Very fast Gold Crown table). Vernon had been up there shortly before this time which would also have been in the late 80's

I thought you were talking about a different propisition shot which Larry said he could not make but Vernon could make. This shot involved a ball frozen on the end rail one diamond out and a ball mid table one diamond out 3 diamonds from the end rail. The Cue ball has midway between the object ball and the corner corner pocket and Vernon would make the ball straight back but he would contact the end rail outside of the object ball frozen on the end rail. Somehow he could across the ball and still make it turn backwards. I never saw it but that would be some sort of mojo for sure. Most any banker could make the straight back by stiffing ti but this shot would have been crazy.
 
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Those are some very, very tough banks. I'd like to see some one make the one that goes in the side pocket, it looks almost impossible in the book.
 
Oh i don't doubt that it can be made it just looks incredible difficult! If i remember rightly Freddie says in the book that Vern made it within 10 attempts, thats pretty amazing!
 
I can make the side pocket one in 10 tries on a 9 footer cant make it or havnt made it yet on a eight....
 
Could someone whip up the original shot in question?

elvicash said:
I thought you were talking about a different propisition shot which Larry said he could not make but Vernon could make. This shot involved a ball frozen on the end rail one diamond out and a ball mid table one diamond out 3 diamonds from the end rail. The Cue ball has midway between the object ball and the corner corner pocket and Vernon would make the ball straight back but he would contact the end rail outside of the object ball frozen on the end rail. Somehow he could across the ball and still make it turn backwards. I never saw it but that would be some sort of mojo for sure. Most any banker could make the straight back by stiffing ti but this shot would have been crazy.
Click to expand...
Is this the shot you are describing? I just want to make sure I understand the setup.

http://CueTable.com/P/?@4ANtj2PAah4UNtj1UbCc2kAah4kPhW4kSjl4kVMW@
 
This is one of the shots. I think he puts right English on it. It banks backward.

START(
%AY4Z8%BB8\1%CB3\0%DB9[5%EB8\1%FB3[8%GB1\3%HC0\1%IB4[4%JB2[0
%KA7[6%LB0\4%MA9[7%NB0\0%OB0\2%Pi0Z8%W[0C4%XY6Y9%YS7Y8%Zh0Z7
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Here are the shots that have been described. Mosconiac's is on top. Tennesseejoe's is on the bottom.
 

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Here is the shot I was talking about. It is another Vernon special but is not in the bank book. I did not see him make this but I was in a pool hall and they said he had been been betting on the shot when he was in there a couple of weeks prior

http://CueTable.com/P/?@4AOMF4BREi1QQsM1RJJK4UOMF4UNdi1UadS@:

Vernon would shoot using cue ball A, howeverI do not see how you could make that shot and get the object ball to turn backwards off the rail.

The natural effect from cue ball B would turn that way but that was not part of his propisition.

I cannot get the ball to even start turning using cue ball A

I guess that is why guy's like Vernon are special.

BTW How do I insert the pool table picts so they show up in line in my post rather than showing up as links?
 
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elvicash said:
BTW How do I insert the pool table picts so they show up in line in my post rather than showing up as links?
Click to expand...
I've not come up with a simple way, but you can make a snapshot (click the wrench icon and then the camera icon)-->paste it into any photo editor (just push ctrl-c since the copy portion is already done when you hit the camera icon)-->host it somewhere.
 
I personally do not believe this shot can be made on modern equipment with tight pockets.

Also, nobody has seen this shot in the last 20 years. SO I have to argue that it has been blown out of proportion over time...not the side bank so much but the cross corner shot in banking with the beard.

To be honest. I've played on old tables that were used during the golden era of pool quite a bit...I grew up playing on old 8' and 9' tables with bucket pockets and pool is a different game on that equipment.
 
elvicash said:
Here is the shot I was talking about. It is another Vernon special but is not in the bank book. I did not see him make this but I was in a pool hall and they said he had been been betting on the shot when he was in there a couple of weeks prior

http://CueTable.com/P/?@4AOMF4BREi1QQsM1RJJK4UOMF4UNdi1UadS@:

Vernon would shoot using cue ball A, howeverI do not see how you could make that shot and get the object ball to turn backwards off the rail.

The natural effect from cue ball B would turn that way but that was not part of his propisition.

I cannot get the ball to even start turning using cue ball A

I guess that is why guy's like Vernon are special.

BTW How do I insert the pool table picts so they show up in line in my post rather than showing up as links?
Click to expand...

A hell of a lot of right english might transfer enough left english onto the object ball to make it come towards the bottom rail despite going straight at the rail. It might work better on a dirtier ball but give it a shot! I'll try this out next time I'm out shooting if I remember. That's the only way I can think of to make this happen.
 
Tennesseejoe said:
I have heard much about Vern's bank shot proposition, but have never seen it made. I will be at the AZ room on Jan 8 and 9. If anyone can do it--let me know. The shot is described on "Banking With The Beard", pasge 166 and 167.
Click to expand...
I'm from the Louisville area and was fortunate to see Vernon make this shot on several occasions. I also asked Buddy Hall to try this shot a few years ago and he did after 7 or 8 tries. I tried the shot 20 or 30 times without success until approx. 8 months ago when my partner Mark Griffin was showing me what he referred to as backhand english where I tried the shot using this system and have made it 2 times within 30 tries. Mark witinessed my first success on a 9ft. Diamond Pro and I feel I can make it again. At least if I wasn't under too much pressure ha! Since I definitely don't have anything close to a super stroke I'm sure someone out there can make the shot!! Greg/Diamond
 
elvicash said:
Here is the shot I was talking about. It is another Vernon special but is not in the bank book. I did not see him make this but I was in a pool hall and they said he had been been betting on the shot when he was in there a couple of weeks prior

http://CueTable.com/P/?@4AOMF4BREi1QQsM1RJJK4UOMF4UNdi1UadS@:

Vernon would shoot using cue ball A, howeverI do not see how you could make that shot and get the object ball to turn backwards off the rail.
Click to expand...


This shot is a hanger compared to the ones Hal posted.
 
Quote:Buddy Hall

It was the guys who thought Vernon's shots were impossible that kept his family fed for years. To quote Cecil Buddy Hall, "Yeah, those shots are impossible, but if you bet Vernon cant do them you'll lose."

the Beard
 
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