Story by: Nico Naidoo.
You know that feeling you get on a Friday afternoon, when you glance at the clock and realize you only have 5 minutes of work left. Yeah, that’s how I was feeling. Like most other Friday afternoons, I came home and called one of my friends, Jamie. After a few minutes of discussion we decided that tonight we would do something new, hit the local pub.
As we pulled into a parking space, we noticed a sign hanging from the window. On the sign was a black eight ball next to the word “ White Wash, Free Drinks”. Now as I am sure you know, a white wash occurs when a person wins a game of pool, without letting his opponent sink a ball. This is usually extremely difficult. I was not a avid pool player, but Jamie. Well, Jamie’s dad had grown Jamie up on playing pool. The guy was the best. No one could beat him. We were going to give it a shot.
We walked into the pub. There were a multitude of pool tables everywhere. I looked towards the bar area, and a sign hung stating “Mermaid Beach Pool Frenzy, Winners take all.” Below the sign was a huge jar, filled with money. I walked up to the bartender and asked “Is the competition full?”
“No, but there is a $100 entry fee a piece. That’s quite a bit kid, you got a partner? And do you have what it takes ?”
I looked at the jar again. There must easily have been over $800 dollars in there. Easy money. I looked over at Jamie, and we eyed the competition. 40 year old bikers, fairly drunk and slurring words. I looked at Jamie and winked. I got this.
“Yeah I do,” I replied, “Here’s the money, I’ll cover us both” I said as I handed him the cold hard cash.
Ring Ring Ring. The bartender waved his bell as signaled the first match. We would have 2 matches before we got into the final. The first match was easy. We didn’t white wash them, but we won nonetheless. The second match was a white wash. Free drinks for us. Now it came to the final.
The balls were set. The cues were ready. I broke the set. I sunk a striped blue 10. As I went for my second shot, I missed. The opposition took their turn. And boy, it was a hell of a turn. During this turn they sunk 6 balls. They had only 1 left before they could go for the black. Jamie took is turn and sunk 5 of our stripes, leaving us down to one more before black as well. The other team took their shot, sinking their last ball. As they went for black, by some godly intervention, they had accidently sunk our last stripe, giving us two extra turns. But there was a problem. I had to get the 8 ball in. It was all on me. I wasn’t even that good at pool. I lined the cue stick up, felt the wood slip on my fingers. Bang. The cue stick hit the cue ball. It seemed like it just floated and hit the 8 ball perfectly, sinking it into the last pocket. Thank god.
We walked away with free drinks and $1200 that day. Twas a good day.
Story by: Anon
I remember when I was in 14; I used to hang out at my best friends’ pool room. The place was just two blocks away from the place where I spent my high school years. And just like other starters, anyone who can at least run 3 balls was actually a pro for me.
Just like other kids, and having that childlike dream, I had also aspired of becoming a world-class pool player. So growing up with a best friend whose father owns a pool business would actually give me this sort-of “calling” to perfect the craft of playing pool.
Why did I even aspire to play pool? I often asked myself that question. Most of the reason would be my height, my focusing skills and the art of being really smart and tricky to make sure that I can pocket every time I get the opportunity to shoot the ball with a cue stick.
Playing pool is not really that difficult. Always keep in mind the following tips when playing pool: Learn the basic terms – even if it is not more of a requirement, learning the right terms would probably make you look like you know what you are doing. Choose a good cue stick – Choosing the right cue stick can make a distinction in playing pool, so better take some time in selecting a perfect stick for you. Remember to check if the cue stick is straight, the tip of the cue and most especially checking a cue stick that would make you feel comfortable when using it. Chalking the cue stick – the chalk is used to pick up the friction when hitting the ball and give you a better shot. Learn the proper stance – this would make a better shot by learning the right body posture. Gripping of the cue stick – although holding the cue stick would sometimes seem to be a minimal thing, knowing the right grip is very vital when playing pool. Learn how to do the bridge – this is the hand formation that guides the cue stick. It secures your cue stick position in order to minimize any movement. Aiming – this can only be successful when stance and stroking are correctly executed. And lastly, understand the rules of playing pool – you will go back to zero if you don’t even know the rules of the game.
My desire for playing pool lasted for years even until I reached second year in college. I would spend my free hours playing pool at the nearest pool area at our university. Sometimes, I would resort playing pool at the university recreation center if I do not have the money to spend for a private pool room.
My expertise in playing pool made me famous in our university. I joined several competitions and luckily, I would sometimes win a prize. The influence of playing pool has also changed the shows that I watch on TV. I often watch sports-oriented channels and TV shows which features pool competitions.
The time I stopped joining competitions and playing pool was the moment when I graduated from college; focusing on my career in the Business Process Outsourcing industry and totally forgot about the dream that used to have. I was not able to give much time in playing pool and it has been years since the last time I played. But now, writing this article is starting to give me the urge to hold a cue stick and make a shot. Truly, my teenage years were quite a great journey. And holding a cue stick made it complete.
By Anon
Playing pool is a relatively easy game to learn, but hard to master. Although it’s hard to master, I have had some great times playing pool with friends and family. When I was a in middle school and high school we always used to visit our relatives in Southern California every year during the summer. We usually would relax and enjoy the company as well as play sports such as soccer and basketball.
I remember one particular year my uncle bought a brand new pool table. My brothers and I were amazed at how nice it was and of course we all wanted to play seeing that we hadn’t played before minus one or two times at bowling alleys. My uncle explained some basic tips and techniques how you want to try and hit a ball in and setup your next shot at the same time. Although this was all new to me, it was a blast.
We played pool the whole weekend and kept on one-upping each other. If I hit a ball in, my uncle would hit two in. If I put spin on the ball he would hop over balls. Learning the game and enjoying some friendly trash talking between families while playing indoors was amazing. Also, pool provides you with the ability to eat way too much food while still being considered an athlete, which is one of my personal favorites. Overall, playing pool is a great way to come together as a family and enjoy holidays together.
The Color of Money
Directed by:
Martin Scorsese
Starring:
Paul Newman as Eddie Felson
Tom Cruise as Vincent Lauria
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Carmen
The Color of Money is like the Rocky of pool movies. The immaculate Paul Newman reprises his role (and wins an Oscar) as “Fast” Eddie Felson from 1961’s The Hustler to teach a young version of his former self in Vincent (Tom Cruise) the way of the billiard cue. This time the camera is controlled by none other than Martin Scorsese, whose gritty film style falls perfectly in line with the makings of underworld pool hustling.
Vincent can’t seem to latch on to self-control either, much like his mentor and cross-country manager Felson, even in an updated take on a now-respectable world of professional billiards. While the teacher teaches the aimless but talented Vincent and steers around his girlfriend’s manipulation, the two sides experience a falling out en route to Eddie’s reemergence as a player in the circuit and ultimately, a showdown with his former protégé Vincent.
Newman’s clutch performance is once again indicative of the same kind of self-assured chops he put forth in the grafter classic, The Sting, not to mention Cruise’s own impeccable timing and bravado. Walter Tevis’ novel of the same name is only loosely covered as Scorsese takes us on a ride down memory lane while having his characters combat similar greedy demons en route to a final redemption.
We’ve all felt the drive to beat someone better than us, whether it be in a sporting arena or professional career setting, which is precisely why, despite Vincent’s lust for winning, we feel for his desire to knock off the top dog in Eddie. Although the finale is not as cut and dry as this idea takes us, the story’s romantic tensions and cut-throat competitive streak keep the spirit of happiness through the lens of pool alive and well within film lovers and players everywhere.
Story by Anon
One Saturday night many years ago, I found myself at a local strip club. This was a night that I wouldn’t soon forget. While watching a show at the tip rail, I struck up a conversation with the single blond girl next to me. Both of us were there out of boredom, and both of us were lonely. Seeing as that establishment is the epitome of loniless, the idea of two kindred spirits (of the opposite sex) finding each other and having a connection that was based around money was about a million to one. The more we talked, the louder it got, so upon her suggestion, we made our way to the back patio to talk more and play a game of pool.
The patio was crowded, but the pool table was open. Feeling like pushing my luck, I dared the girl to a game of stripes versus solids, and she accepted. I racked ‘em, she broke ‘em, and the war between her solids and my stripes began. While I attempted to sink my first ball, one of the dancers had sat down on the ledge of the table, placing her butt right on the side pocket. Right as she did this, I shot, and knocked the que ball into it’s target. That ball rocketed off the felt bumper and shot itself into the side pocket, right in between the girls cheeks.
Startled, she approached me with a wild look in her eye. She said “Think you can do that again?” I gulped, and nodded. “Sure” I said with as much confidence and bravado as I could muster. I looked at my opponent, and she was amused by the situation. I felt luck on my side, so I lined up for another shot. The dancer didn’t hesitate in taking the opportunity to psyche me out. She leaned up on the table, and place one leg over my pool stick. As I prepared my next shot, I looked to my right and saw that she was mere inches from me. Her silver bikini bottom was so close, I could see the stitching. I looked at her, with her one raised eyebrow and the look of “I dare you to do it” in her face. Harnessing all the focus in the universe, I shut all external thought out of my mind, and I slammed the pool stick into the cue ball. The ball impacted with it’s target, and launched the 2 ball into the side pocket.
The crowd, the girl, and the stripper all cheered.
I ended up losing the rest of the game to the girl, but I didn’t care. That moment, that one singular moment, defined one of the greatest experiences of my young adult life. And it proved that even in intense situations all you need is focus. Too bad things with the girl didn’t work out though. But hell, it’s still a great story.