Billiards Digest — Pooldawg Stroke of Genius, Pool Videos

Player: Steve Mizerak
Event: Rak’m Up Classic V
Date: Jan. 18, 1992

AT THIS point in the losers-bracket match at the 1992 Rak’m Up Classic, Steve Mizerak wasn’t exactly in prime shape. For starters, he came to the table with the cue ball nearly frozen to the 9 ball, just inches off the short rail. He’d also quickly lost control of the losers-bracket match at the 1992 Rak’m Up Classic against Kim Davenport. Up 7-2 in the race to 13, Mizerak watched Davenport collect seven racks in a row to grab a 9-7 lead.

Finally out of his chair, the Miz desperately needed to catch a break — or create one of his own.

Thanks to the cue ball being tucked behind the 9, Mizerak had no real option other than sending the cue ball to the bottom rail first. With a firm stroke, he bounced the cue ball off the short rail, just a few inches away. The cue ball caught a little air on its way around the 3 ball. It then rattled around two rails near the top, right corner pocket before hitting the 2 ball as full as possible. As the 2 ball headed back down-table, the cue ball stopped dead on the head rail. The 2 barely missed the 4, then gently came to a stop on the end rail.

While the crowd applauded Mizerak’s miraculous escape, Davenport was faced with a table-length attempt on a 2 ball that was frozen to the bottom rail. He attempted to play safe, but left the 2 in the middle of the table.

Mizerak easily cleared the table to inch within a game of Davenport. Mizerak’s miraculous escape, though, was the key to reversing the momentum of the match. From that point on, the Miz took back control of the match, closing it out by a score of 13-11.

(Video clip provided by Accu-Stats Video Productions.)

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