Ronnie O'Sullivan, a Snooker Legend!

[BudaSooner]

Way, way back in the day, I used to hang out at the Puritan Billiard Parlor in Ark City, my hometown, and in the late 50s, (or at least in THIS pool hall) there was ONE pool table and 6 snooker tables. Also about 3 or 4 tables where players played dominoes or pitch (with pitch-rocks instead of cards). But snooker was THE game, and I played a lot of snooker and some pool.
I say all this to frame the following video: I was never a great pool or snooker player, but I loved playing pocket billiards, (I played billiards, too, but was terrible at that game).
I might've been slightly better than average at snooker, maybe... My best run in Snooker, though, was somewhere around 35-40 points, which is not an easy task, if you've never played the game.
I may be preaching to the choir, (probably most of you have played the game), but for those who have never played the game, a snooker table is typically maybe 20% larger than a pool table, the pockets are smaller, and easier to miss, IMO - - it's just a more difficult game!

Anyway, enough preface. Watch Ronnie O'Sullivan, a professional snooker player across the Pond, demonstrate an almost robotic game, the game of Snooker's "Perfect Game" in a record-setting 5 minutes and 20 seconds.



BTW, you'll notice that O'Sullivan doesn't make any really difficult shots, it is his consistency in hitting the center of the pocket and the incredible ability to play "shape" (the control of the cue ball that sets up nearly straight-in or easy shots).

[BudaSooner]

While O'Sullivan "only" makes 128 points on this Century Break, the speed with which he shoots and almost racing around the table, taking hardly ANY time to aim, just shoots, BANG! ... He was younger when this was shot, and not yet in his prime in terms of positional shooting, but remarkable, nonetheless!
Notice at the 4:07 mark when he is shooting the 2 (yellow), he casually switches hands and shoots it left handed!

[cushcreekmont]

I played snooker in HS and college (OU Student Union). Mostly, my crowd played "golf" rather than straight snooker.

The bigger table, smaller, rounded pockets makes the game much more difficult than pool. I just cannot imagine making 36 consecutive shots in such a game. I had never seen it done (even a video) until this.

The guy is amazing.

[BudaSooner]

THE NAME OF THE GAME IS SNOOKER!



In this collection of great O'Sullivan shots, there are a number of outstanding snooker shots, perhaps the best of which is at 14:14 and finally, a superlative "safe" shot at 14:49.

As I said, I truly appreciate greatness, no matter the sport, be it football, bowling, billiards or snooker. Ronnie O'Sullivan has the ability to play great (what my snooker crowd used to term) "shape", or cue ball positioning, plus shoot the spots off the balls!!!

[BudaSooner]

I played snooker in HS and college (OU Student Union). Mostly, my crowd played "golf" rather than straight snooker.

The bigger table, smaller, rounded pockets makes the game much more difficult than pool. I just cannot imagine making 36 consecutive shots in such a game. I had never seen it done (even a video) until this.

The guy is amazing.

Agreed, he is amazing. Running the table on a pool table is damn good. Running the table on a snooker table is astonishing. Running a snooker table with the maximum number of points (red ball, 7 ball, red ball, 7 ball, until you run out of red balls, then run the 2 through the 7 ball) PLUS doing it in slightly over 5 minutes is incredible, simply jaw-dropping.

Of course, there are LOTS of professionals that have achieved the 147 Century Break, but O'Sullivan has the most of all the professionals in the UK.

Mostly, my crowd played "golf" rather than straight snooker.

Yeah, back in my snooker-shooting days at the Puritan Billiard Parlor, we played lots of "golf". And for those who are unfamiliar with the game of golf on a snooker (or pool) table, each player has his own ball, we'll say mine is the 7 ball. The object is for a player to legally pocket his ball in each of the 6 pockets on the table in succession. The first to accomplish it is the winner, and also, not incidentally, pockets his winnings from the opponents, each of whom has likely accumulated numerous "hickeys" or fouls assessed when unable to legally perform a shot.
Yeah, it's gambling on a snooker table...

... I really have no idea why the game of snooker has languished on this side of the Pond since the days of my youth. It's a great game.

[BudaSooner]

This thread is basically about Snooker.
But while on the subject of what is loosely called "pocket billiards", which includes snooker and the various types of pool games, (as distinguished from the game of billiards), which is played on a billiard table which has no pockets and is also called "caroms", I'd like to talk a little about the pool game called 14 + 1, or Straight Pool, as played in the movie "The Hustler", starring one of my favorite movie stars, now alas, deceased, Paul Newman.

I like the occasional game of 8 ball or 9 ball on a pool table, but I always really enjoyed playing straight pool. Unfortunately, I was pretty average, but I enjoyed the greater challenge of it.

Anybody else a Newman fan? The Hustler and The Color of Money were two of my favorite Newman movies.

[OUBeliever56A]

Thanks for posting.

[BudaSooner]

Here is an interesting matchup between O'Sullivan and Earl Strickland, where 21 year old Ronnie crosses the Pond to take on the five-time 9 ball defending champion in the Mosconi Cup. Per the announcer, O'Sullivan had not played 9 ball before entering this tournament. Still, shooting pool or snooker is still just shooting, although there are different strategies for different games.
For those who might not want to watch the whole match, jump ahead to 43:25 to see Strickland muff a shot that ultimately leads to his defeat, although he rallies at 44:12 to make an outstanding shot! Excellent!
O'Sullivan, however, shoots very well to take the match.

[BudaSooner]

For those who enjoy a good game of 9 ball, this link is for you. Efren Reyes, rightly dubbed "The Magician", is playing a 9 ball tournament and is in the process of absolutely destroying his opponent. Especially note Reyes' outstanding snooker shot at 12:19 in Game 3 when he, after making a ball on the break, had really poor resulting shot position. As a result of the snooker, his opponent is left with a virtually impossible shot, which he fouls in his effort to hit the object ball. Reyes then finishes the table run.
(I haven't watched the entire YouTube contest yet, just had to post this tremendous bit of cue magic by Reyes).