30 Double Banks!

Dennis "Whitey" Young

Verified Member
Joined
Jul 8, 2017
Messages
3,922
From
Klamath Falls, Or.
I started off sweeping tables at Brighman's Pool Hall every once in awhile, and he would let me play a little pool. I'd come in and and first off I'd set up a double cross corner bank on the snooker table, just off the side rail @ 1/2 diamond, I do not recall ever missing it. I guess I've always had a propensity to bank.

In '69 @ 18, I bought Curly's Brighman's 5 x 10 Brunswick Sultana table. It was equipped w/ extremely fast A/E. Schmidt rails, they were so fast you could not simple cut a ball down the side rail and come across to the other side rail, you had to come across, back and then across. Well these lively rails made the already undersize pockets play very tough. This is when I really started hitting the balls. My everyday practice was 7 hrs., w/ 1 hr. of 14.1, 1hr of OP, 1hr of Banks, and 4 hrs. of 9-ball. The table banked so true, and in coming off the 2nd rail bank the ob never reversed, so in doing a double bank it was ever so easy as a single bank for me, hit the angle you are good. Also the diamond system ran so perfect. I eventually diagrammed & memorized & became proficient at every bank from 2 rails thru 7 rails, I worked a lot on them.

In '71 @ 20 yrs old and now playing banks everyday for two yrs, I found myself in the middle of my bank practice in which I said to myself; "this is simply boring banking one rails, from now on I am going to only do double banks or more". Looking back, that was strange because I never got bored before. A young neighbor kid was there watching, quiet as a mouse, Eddie Lipson.
Well I broke and ran a rack, and was well into running the 2nd rack and I was down on double back setting 1-1/2 diamonds off the head rail, I looked up off the shot at Eddie and said to myself; " he does not have a clue what he is watching". I was right, for a few years back I asked him about it, and he said; " I remember watching you play but do not remember that". Well I lowered my head and shot in the bank and had another four banks and that was it, 30 double banks.

Yes, I stopped and left it open ended for my hour practice was over. That is how little the ball count mattered to me, it honestly did not mean a thing for it was just practice. I never once told anyone, for actually at that time I completely never thought of it again. I did tell a guy a few yrs back because he is narcissistic and reverts every conversation back to how good he is at pool and what he has done. I told him, because I could not stand it anymore, and to let reality set in for him. I did confide in Frank, for we befriended each other at the MOT and I knew he was a great player and could relate, " should I post it"? and he replied; " that is amazing even if it was just practice, yes definitely post it".

Yes, for a small capsule of time I and my table were one, totally insink. I had the table capable of doing it, and it had me. What is it like doing something like this; I would characterize it as 'easy', much different than in dead stroke. But, your mind is nowhere, totally suspended and uniquely focused with no thought or care of making a bank or missing a bank, no thought of the count, no voices, the shape and english is there, no thought needed, just let it happen.

I was at the Palace one day and on the front table hitting some balls and a guy and his sidekick came in and asked me to play banks. Alright, that just does not happen. Will I gave him all he could handle and staying even forever, and then I game him a little more, it was Donnie Anderson. We played again but he would not play me on that table but the back center table, for it had softer rails, and it threw me off just enough, but I was young and naïve, and I let myself be hustled. He used a technique of slamming the balls a 100mph to bottom out the rails, no kidding, very spectacular. I got very upset with the loss and how I lost, so I then lost it, and offered him the 8 and lost, now Butch the owner was now very upset with me for letting him switch tables, and even more upset for giving him the 8. He said; "you just do not do that". Young and naïve.

But my most enjoyable match up that happened every once in a while was playing Fugi banks. He is a tremendous banker, so smooth, with so much finesse, and can so softly pocket a bank. He once showed me a bank I never could duplicate. Last I heard of him he hustled Efren playing some off game of carom/kiss shots at the US Open, green room. I believe it was in '08. That is so atypical of him to find an angle, pool was secondary for him compared to other hustles.

Well that is it, I thought I'd share even though it is not easy to share, for it is so implausible and most no one can really phantom that it is even remotely possible, especially since the preferred cushions of today are not conducive for double banks and making them a very rare occurrence. I hope members do not regard me any different than the member I have been, for that was a long time ago, and I am not that player, I rarely hit any banks at all nowadays. I know guys are lining up wanting to play me banks, lol!

I did not ask for this, nor wanted it, nor tried for it, it just happened. In practice I never once counted the banks I made in a row, for it was meaningless, for the focus was on each bank, which I had to make, to hustle. I never once ran a rack of single banks. I bring this all up to honor past family members in which looking back on it, they gave up a lot because of my obsession.

So when a guy runs an outlandish unwitnessed amount of balls, you now see I cannot be a naysayer, for when you have the propensity to do something and really put in the effort then freakish things can happen!
Happy Holidays, Whitey
 

Billy Jackets

Verified Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2011
Messages
2,735
I already told you before you are my guy for a last road trip, I will take all 372 dollars of my life savings out of the bank, and we will see how far we can get, before it runs out.
You said it happened bud, so as far as I am concerned , it happened. Great story.
 
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