I'm curious if any of you guys ever ran into a table that was set up to trap outta town players? I've seen it twice, and both times it was the "#1" table, right by the check out area. The second one was last weekend, and I did'nt play on it, but the guy that did tipped me off to the difference in the 2 corner pockets by the rack end, niether of us were "locals" in the room.......thanx...Gerry
Trap Tables
- Thread starter 100andout
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NH Steve
Administrator
Every now and then I've run into a table that had one corner pocket that really sucked in the balls compared to the other corner. This could be because of one (or more!) of the following:100andout said:
- The table leans that way (which is why you want to check that out right away)
- One of the pockets is a shade wider at the opening
- One of the pocket shelves has been shaved so balls tip in more easily
- There are dead areas in the cushion or cushions opposite one of the pockets, directly in the banking lanes
I remember one that also seemed to have kinda polished felt at the approach to one of the pockets so the ball would glide the last few inches into that particular pocket.
Hopefully you picked up on the advantage early on and made sure you broke to the favored pocket on your own break, because tables like that turn the break in to a huge advantage!
Shorty
Verified Member
I am just glad I wasn't gambling on that table Gerry...I would of been one ticked off midget. It was off about 1/2 to 3/4 a BALL...really rolled funny on a bank. The other pocket played normal. I only got close to beating the guy when I had the "good" pocket. He still drilled me cause I am SOOOOO out of stroke playing one hole. A blind man could of spotted me 9-7 and I would have had a hard time getting there.
It was discouraging...but I don't think they did it on purpose...but makes you wonder. I have been in similar situations. First thing I always do is take two balls and compare the pocket sizes all the way around the table. He was telling me about one guy that triple shimmed just the top two pockets for playing straight pool and one hole. Now that would be a trap table and a half in my opinion.
The old diamond back in my home pool room had a little tweak to it too on one pocket as I recall. I guess some people need every advantage they can get eh?
Shorty
It was discouraging...but I don't think they did it on purpose...but makes you wonder. I have been in similar situations. First thing I always do is take two balls and compare the pocket sizes all the way around the table. He was telling me about one guy that triple shimmed just the top two pockets for playing straight pool and one hole. Now that would be a trap table and a half in my opinion.
The old diamond back in my home pool room had a little tweak to it too on one pocket as I recall. I guess some people need every advantage they can get eh?
Shorty
jrhendy
Verified Member
Trap Tables
In the 70's/early 80's I hung around a room called the Golden Cue in Rosemead, Ca, outside of Los Angeles. We played on Gold Crown I's, and the main action table had a bottom pocket that was cut a little funny and the balls would rattle & stay out. The owner, Indian Joe Monzingo, went in with me & we played just about anybody that came in looking for action. Grady came in and while we were trying to match up, he set up a proposition shot where you put the ball on the long rail below the side pocket and two rail it back into the corner. Normally I wouldn't fool with a proposition shot but he had set it up to make in the bad pocket, so I thought I had the nuts. We bet that he couldn't make it 6 out of 10. He made the first four in a row, missed one and then made the other two. I then took the heat and played him some one pocket 8 to six. I didn't like that either, so it goes to show you, trap tables don't always work.
In the 70's/early 80's I hung around a room called the Golden Cue in Rosemead, Ca, outside of Los Angeles. We played on Gold Crown I's, and the main action table had a bottom pocket that was cut a little funny and the balls would rattle & stay out. The owner, Indian Joe Monzingo, went in with me & we played just about anybody that came in looking for action. Grady came in and while we were trying to match up, he set up a proposition shot where you put the ball on the long rail below the side pocket and two rail it back into the corner. Normally I wouldn't fool with a proposition shot but he had set it up to make in the bad pocket, so I thought I had the nuts. We bet that he couldn't make it 6 out of 10. He made the first four in a row, missed one and then made the other two. I then took the heat and played him some one pocket 8 to six. I didn't like that either, so it goes to show you, trap tables don't always work.
hemicudas
Verified Member
There was a trick snooker table set up in Bill's Recreation Center, no relation, in Jackson, MS in the 60s and 70s. The table was mainly used for golf games. One of the side pockets was "Fixed" and as most of you know, the side pockets are everything in golf. On this table if you rolled the object down the rail, at just the right speed, it would roll off and into the side pocket.
One of the top players in Memphis at the time was a black guy they called Black Danny. He played all games well. Not top speed but well. Danny comes into Bill's asking to play anyone any thing. The top golf player in town, not me, told him he would play him some golf and pointed to the trick table. Danny agreed and the game was afoot. It didn't take long for our guy to get dry docked on the trick side pocket. Our guy's ball was frozen on the side rail so he slow rolled it, as to lag for the side, and it rolls about a quarter inch past the side pocket then, like a real golf putt, rolls back around the lip and falls in the pocket on the side near which it came.
Danny jumped up in the air, landed and screamed, "What it did?!!!"
Danny figures he has been trapped but refuses to quit. He thinks now that he knows the trick pocket that he can do the same thing. Wrong. The shot had to be rolled down the rail at an exact speed to fall off into the pocket and every time Danny tried it, no luck. He either hit it too hard and ended on the other side or never hit it far enough to work.
Danny stayed in town about a week practicing rolling balls toward that trick side pocket. When he thought he had it down he tried our guy again. Didn't like it then either.
One of the top players in Memphis at the time was a black guy they called Black Danny. He played all games well. Not top speed but well. Danny comes into Bill's asking to play anyone any thing. The top golf player in town, not me, told him he would play him some golf and pointed to the trick table. Danny agreed and the game was afoot. It didn't take long for our guy to get dry docked on the trick side pocket. Our guy's ball was frozen on the side rail so he slow rolled it, as to lag for the side, and it rolls about a quarter inch past the side pocket then, like a real golf putt, rolls back around the lip and falls in the pocket on the side near which it came.
Danny jumped up in the air, landed and screamed, "What it did?!!!"
Danny figures he has been trapped but refuses to quit. He thinks now that he knows the trick pocket that he can do the same thing. Wrong. The shot had to be rolled down the rail at an exact speed to fall off into the pocket and every time Danny tried it, no luck. He either hit it too hard and ended on the other side or never hit it far enough to work.
Danny stayed in town about a week practicing rolling balls toward that trick side pocket. When he thought he had it down he tried our guy again. Didn't like it then either.
I don't think the guys have the table rigged where I was playing, but it just reminded of a comment Grady or Johnny Ervolino made on an Accu-stats tape about playing on a table in New York they called the "Rebel trap" I think they called it?
Gerry
Gerry
gulfportdoc
Verified Member
I don't know about the "Rebel trap", but there was a table at Ames poolroom in NYC which had a trick pocket-- either the left side pocket or left kitchen corner pocket. I believe it was the table that "Fast Eddie" used to warm up on at Ames in the movie (at least that was its position in the room). You had to roll the ball in slow; otherwise it would kick back out on you. In the Summer of 1961 the cook at the joint got into my shorts pretty good playing $2 rotation. I never could make a ball in that pocket. I was too young to figure it out...100andout said:
Doc
gulfportdoc said:
Damn Doc!........you got to play at Ames!....you should have gotten your picture taken infront of the place. I've talked to my wife about traveling around to all the great pool rooms in the country, and getting some cool pictures.........Gerry
gulfportdoc
Verified Member
Well, you'd better get on the road! The joints may be closed tomorrow.100andout said:
Who but a 17 year old would not have realized that rooms never last? Since I believed Ames to be the Mecca of pooldom, it never occurred to me that it would ever close down. Same thing with McGirr's (sp) and scores of other great old rooms. Today the hook is glitz, sex, beer, and bulls**t. It used to be just pool.Doc
Voodoo Daddy
Verified Member
100andout said:
If its the room I think it was Gerry, that front table is one of "THE" Gaff table of Floriduh. The guy that owns that room is an old traveling partner and close friend of mine. The farther you travel south the goofier the tables get, I mean one worse than the other...even on my home room!!! Good luck up there and tell Tom Brown "Big Steve" sends his regards!!
Voodoo Daddy said:
Steve, I know the table your talking about at Browns, quad shimmed I think?!
but this one was at another local room....I talked to Tom for a while one day, and it turns out we know alot of the same people from the North East , like Jose Garcia, Don Polo, Allen Hopkins......etc.....Tom's a real nice guy, and I like his room for practicing......Later....Gerry
NH Steve
Administrator
Tom Brown -- that's not 'Tommy the Crab' is it???Voodoo Daddy said:
titanic jerry
Verified Member
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- Jun 26, 2004
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Un-trapping The Trappers
Un-trapping The Trappers
I Was Never Concerned About Anything In One Pocket Because I Just Refused To Play Anyone Anywhere That Would Not Rotate The Pockets Each And Every Game. It Made It Even Steven And There Was No Advantage.
Was With New York Rex Once In The Bay Area And He Matched Up With A Guy To Play 3 Cushion . Rex Won The Lag, Shot The Opening Shot, Missed It And Took His Money Off The Light And Told The Guy "no Thanks Pal". He Then Showed Me The Table Was Pie Shaped Like A Deck Of Cards. If You Did Not Know How To Play On It You Would Get Busted Before You Ever Figured It Out.
Un-trapping The Trappers
I Was Never Concerned About Anything In One Pocket Because I Just Refused To Play Anyone Anywhere That Would Not Rotate The Pockets Each And Every Game. It Made It Even Steven And There Was No Advantage.
Was With New York Rex Once In The Bay Area And He Matched Up With A Guy To Play 3 Cushion . Rex Won The Lag, Shot The Opening Shot, Missed It And Took His Money Off The Light And Told The Guy "no Thanks Pal". He Then Showed Me The Table Was Pie Shaped Like A Deck Of Cards. If You Did Not Know How To Play On It You Would Get Busted Before You Ever Figured It Out.
Cowboy Dennis
Verified Member
Trap Tables
I wouldn't call it exactly a 'trap' table but it's close. At a poolroom called 'Cue Corners' in Romulus, Mich. there was a 4 1/2 x 9 that was the first pool table that you saw when you entered. It had pockets that would reject well hit balls the way that Diamond tables do today. Many road players and other top players refused to play on it.
But the greatest thing about it was that it had two removable ashtrays in diagonal corners of the table. When you were playing someone 9-ball and were shooting the 9 in one of those corners, if you were shooting almost straight in, you put a little extra speed on the 9 and when it hit the pocket the ashtray would jump up in the air. It would shark the hell out of players that did not know about it.
The side pockets were also not straight across from each other. I noticed this while in the chair one day.
This was a 24 hour club and this was the table that Red and I played on the second time we played. The table, naturally, did not bother Red at all and I doubt if he even noticed anything wrong with it.
I'm still bored, looking at old threads.
I wouldn't call it exactly a 'trap' table but it's close. At a poolroom called 'Cue Corners' in Romulus, Mich. there was a 4 1/2 x 9 that was the first pool table that you saw when you entered. It had pockets that would reject well hit balls the way that Diamond tables do today. Many road players and other top players refused to play on it.
But the greatest thing about it was that it had two removable ashtrays in diagonal corners of the table. When you were playing someone 9-ball and were shooting the 9 in one of those corners, if you were shooting almost straight in, you put a little extra speed on the 9 and when it hit the pocket the ashtray would jump up in the air. It would shark the hell out of players that did not know about it.
The side pockets were also not straight across from each other. I noticed this while in the chair one day.
This was a 24 hour club and this was the table that Red and I played on the second time we played. The table, naturally, did not bother Red at all and I doubt if he even noticed anything wrong with it.
I'm still bored, looking at old threads.
100andout said:
I've heard a lot of stories about the "Rebel Trap". They say if you looked down the rail you couldn't see the pocket...just green. It wasn't rigged just extremely tight. Ervolino once told me that Mizerak once practiced all day on it and couldn't run 50 balls.
androd
Verified Member
Rebel Trap
Rebel Trap
I've Jersey Red mention the "Rebel trap" it was the 5x10's they didn't have many down south. Red said it didn't bother Eddie Taylor.
Rebel Trap
100andout said:
I've Jersey Red mention the "Rebel trap" it was the 5x10's they didn't have many down south. Red said it didn't bother Eddie Taylor.