type of game they played
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — The Hustler
Royalroland656 — 17 years ago(November 20, 2008 08:03 PM)
ok so what type of pool or billiards or whatever do they play? Are they playing 8 ball? or some version of it i saw the movie a long time ago and i remember eddie saying I play "straight pool". Straight pool is 8 ball?
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mgbphd — 17 years ago(November 21, 2008 07:08 AM)
Haven't seen it in some time, but I'd guess they played straight pool. Besides some technical rules regarding break and minor foul shots, the game is played by pocketing as many balls as possible during each round or inning. Shots are called and the numbered balls serve only as identifiers, that ball in that pocket. Winner is the one who reaches the agreed upon number of balls pocketed.
This game requires the most skill for playing position, ( where the cue ball ends up after the shot). First you have to make the shot, but then there's the amount of 'influence' used in hitting the cue ball, called English, that will make the cue ball move around in a very controlled fashion, if you're good. Making the shots is easy control of the cue ball after the shot that's most important which defines the skill of the player.
Eight Ball is very popular in bar rooms for it is a fast game, (which makes money for the bar owner $.50- .$75 a game. In this game, players shoot at
1-7 or 9-15 balls, usually calling pockets with the eight ball being the last to pocket, in a called pocket.
Nine ball is played with nine balls but they are shot in ascending order with nine last, (you could shoot the nine ball with a combination shot, eg one ball hitting and pocketing the nine which would be a win. This is a very popular money game. It's fast and requires more skill than eight ball, plus, there's a lot of various side bets that make this a quick money changing game.
When a man assumes a public trust, he should consider himself as public property - Thomas Jefferson -
kag2-1 — 16 years ago(September 05, 2009 06:12 AM)
Eddie and Fats shoot straight pool, while the guys in the bar that beat him up are shooting nine ball.
Straight Pool: players try to run the table with the cue ball ending up in position to break up a new rack of 14 balls (14.1) via the cue ball's deflection, thus allowing the player to keep shooting. In straight pool, the player can sink the balls in any order, but must indicate (call) where each ball will fall just before he shoots. For example, he might say "3-ball in the side pocket", or "11 in the corner." Expert players can sink over 100 balls in a row - champ Willie Moscone ("Willie" in this movie) once sank over 500 straight. In straight pool they usually play to 150 per game. The ability to make the cue ball go where you want is challenging and vital.
In Nine ball, players try to sink all nine balls (1-9) in numerical order, although sinking the nine on the break wins the game. In recent years this game has become more popular. -
bmodica — 16 years ago(December 13, 2009 05:24 AM)
I have played pool for 40+ years. In the '60s, straight pool was the main game. When pool started to show up on TV, 9-ball became dominant. As much as I love the game, watching a straight pool match is like watching paint dry. 9-ball now dominates because it is visually much nore interesting.
Billy the Kid -
marcjacobspants — 12 years ago(January 07, 2014 12:32 AM)
In Kentucky they played Carom Billiards. If you recall Eddie took off the cover and said "this isn't a pool table", Findlay said "I don't play pool, I play billiards". He took out a sack and dumped 3 balls - 2 white and one black (or red, couldn't tell in a B&W movie). They played a game that looked like Carom or Carmbole Billiards, which I had never seen before the film. I had to look it up. From the shot that they showed in the film, Eddie bounced the first white ball against the second white ball and they both bounced off 2 sides before one of them hit the black ball. That is the essence of Carom billiards - you are supposed to bounce the 2 white balls off 2 walls before touching the black ball and if you do you score a point. You don't have to sink the ball (in fact I don't even think there were pockets in that table), you just have to bounce twice and to touch once. Very difficult game and very different from anything I'd seen I had to look it up after seeing the shot to find out why he "won" without sinking the ball, and why there were 2 white balls.
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bmodica — 12 years ago(January 07, 2014 04:44 PM)
Carom billiards is, I suppose, just Billiards. As you said, it's played on a pocketless table with 3 balls. Usually they are white, red, and another which could be white with a dot, yellow, or some other off-white color. You have one white, your opponent has the other non-red ball. There are various games, but "3-cushion" is the most widespread and is VERY difficult. Pros have high runs of 3 and 4. The object is to use your ball to hit another, then go 3 or more cushions to hit the third. Or, you can send your ball 3 or more cushions and then hit both balls. There is NO WAY a pool player can defeat a good billiards player. It takes years to learn billiards; a far more difficult game than any pool game. I have almost 50 years of pool experience, love the game, and have been to a pro billiards match. I think I'd rather have root canal before I see another match.
Billy the Kid -
tjk1911 — 10 years ago(June 29, 2015 09:41 PM)
From "The Music Man":
Well, either you're closing your eyes
To a situation you do now wish to acknowledge
Or you are not aware of the caliber of disaster indicated
By the presence of a
pool table
in your community.
Ya got trouble, my friend, right here,
I say, trouble right here in River City.
Why sure I'm a billiard player,
Certainly mighty proud I say
I'm always mighty proud to say it.
I consider that the hours I spend
With a cue in my hand are golden.
Help you cultivate horse sense
And a cool head and a keen eye.
Never take and try to give
An iron-clad leave to yourself
From a three-rail billiard shot?
But just as I say,
It takes judgement, brains, and maturity to score
In a baulk line game,
I say that any boob kin take
And shove a ball in a pocket.
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stevielanding — 10 years ago(November 09, 2015 10:29 PM)
The Willie record you speak of is much more impressive. It was an exhibition. He sank 526, and he did not miss on the 527th. The exhibition was over. There was no point in going on. Willie was paid to show up and play, and when the time was up, he left.
Mairzy doats and dozy doats, but liddle lamzi nothing. -
bmodica — 9 years ago(December 29, 2016 08:08 PM)
Mosconi was a sour, dour man. He never gave instructions for fear he'd be giving away some big secret which may come back to bite him. I read his autobiography, and it made me want to wash my hands later. If he really did just walk away from this exhibition, on an 8' table not 9', it wouldn't surprise me.
Billy the Kid -
mp390a15 — 12 years ago(May 04, 2013 10:06 PM)
They were playing "Straight Pool".AKA "14.1 Continuous". It's the granddaddy and greatest game in pocket billiards in many's opinion.
"The problem with Socialism is eventually you run out of other people's money"..Margaret Thatcher -
jrl0726 — 10 years ago(July 04, 2015 08:58 AM)
Straight pool is considered the ultimate test of pocket billiards. Its played by the best players. Games like 8 & 9 ball are fast and more conducive to lesser players and 9 ball because of it's short length of play is perfect for TV.
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FilioScotia — 10 years ago(July 26, 2015 02:23 PM)
Like Eddie I once thought I was a pretty good pool player until I ran into a guy who wanted to play 3-cushion billiards for ten dollars a game. Five games later I had lost 50 dollars and I was out the door heading for home. Never again. Billiards demands the highest level of skill, and takes years to master.
Like someone else here said, no pocket billiards player can beat a skilled cushion billiards player. Ain't gonna happen, not in real life anyway. That's why I could never believe pocket pool-shark Eddie picking up 3-cushion billiards so fast he could beat an experienced expert player like Findley. It was the only false note in an otherwise great movie, IMO.
God's Holy Trousers!! -
lmdave — 10 years ago(August 05, 2015 01:14 PM)
What they said.except Straight Pool is usually played to 125. That's what they played in this movie.
You don't want to break, because it's random and leaves the next player with many open shots. That's why Eddie barely taps the corner ball on the break and makes it come back to the rack.
Like they said, you leave the last ball and cue in a position to where you can make the shot and break the next rack. My Dad (RIP) was a big fan of this movie and taught me all the rules and we'd play Straight pool in my house when I was growing up, but we'd play to a smaller number.
Then when color of money came out we all switched to 9 ball just like everyone else. -
stevielanding — 10 years ago(November 09, 2015 10:43 PM)
Pretty good.
On the break, tap the corner ball, have two balls hit the cushion and then come back into the rack which will hopefully means your opponent has no shot.
The runs as you point out occur when somebody gets an open shot and they continue when the shot on the last ball is used to break up the new rack. They usually end when the randomness of the breaks puts you behind the proverbial 8 ball.
Amateurs think they are good when they can sink the ball they are shooting at. Pros can call where the cue ball will end up.
Mairzy doats and dozy doats, but liddle lamzi nothing.