John Schmidt 434 Straight Pool High Run

On December 3, 2018, John Schmidt broke his all time record and joins the Top 5 14.1 Straight Pool high runs of all time. In this video, John uses a Predator P3 Red and a 12.4mm REVO shaft. Congratulations John!

[@0Caracalla]

This is like answering a 430 multiple choice question test 100% correct. Please stop with the pocket size bs, enjoy the run because this ain’t easy.

[@enjoypool4052]

If pocket size was the deciding factor somebody will be posting (or not) a 1000 ball run any day now.

[@neonjoe529]

I hadn’t realized that I’ve been playing this game all my life. I think my record is 6.

[@shanepoleshuck932]

Lol thats most of us lmao

[@dennisdandrea6050]

Really cool that John honors 14.1. Incredible accomplishment to run that high. One of the greatest at 14.1 . Go for 500 brother!

[@MIRAGEDEALER]

John has a run of over 300 on a really tight pocket table. And he said that was one of his best runs. But there is always some troll who can spell pool going to find something to belittle some ones accomplishment . That is my main complaint about the internet. There are lots of keyboard warriors who can't walk the walk.

[@sfincione2000]

Some credit goes to Miles Davis for this run =) Nice music to play straight pool to.

[@dfl4771]

That’s the OG music

[@arneyoga1204]

The rack break after 434, the cue ball mysteriously rolled into a little circle and scratched in the corner pocket. That was caused by the ghost of Willie Mosconi stopping his run. ;^) Congrats on 626, John!

[@kaiv.weymarn1351]

Real tremendous! This tough guy never sucks! And he did it with the revo!

[@RemotheRealtor]

Congrats! I think my record is 3 in a row! Can't believe 434! insane job.

[@JayBates]

Although John plays pretty fast remember that you can watch it faster if you're pressed for time. If watching on a computer you can press the left and right arrows on the keyboard to skip 5 seconds in either direction and press J and L to skip 10 seconds in either direction. K pauses and plays. Sometimes you have to click the video to pause and click to play to activate those keyboard shortcuts. But regardless, you can quickly and easily get the most out of your pool video watching on KZbin this way. If viewing on a phone you can also double tap the side of the video to go forward and back 10 seconds. That said, awesome run John. I'm hoping you get the record soon.

[@judsonhunter78]

Wow. Nvr seen a scratch like that. Incredible run, takes a great player to make it look so easy.

[@AndrewT]

Oh my god that ending wtf!

[@tomaszhoekstra7357]

Great job John! Amazing!

[@chemmii]

What a shame... Terrible way to have the run stopped😢 Keep at it John, I believe soon you will break 500!!!

[@MaxEberle]

Great shooting John! Fun to watch 👍

[@fasteddie774]

That was Willie’s hand guiding it in at the end!

[@marshalcraft]

no so much side it hit rail lightly and spun itself into the pocket. @Team No Sleep

[@leoandsan]

Lol people. Point out the pocket size, which in fact is generous, but they won't be able to run 50 balls on the same table. Run over 100 balls let alone on any table is a good accomplishment do over 400 and it takes serious skill regardless of pocket size.

[@leoandsan]

@Morten Sembach oops I hurt your feelings. Only uneducated people respond with profanity. What exactly are you crying about

[@AngrierGorilla]

@Morten Sembach yes, regardless of pocket size. 434 balls is insane.

[@colomblanco]

People who complain about pocket size have a weak understanding of the game.

[@JeffKernsTheArtist]

You are so right! Keeping your cue ball out of trouble for 434 shots is absolutely amazing!!!

[@marshalcraft]

Yes and those people don't realize how much set up comes into it. Because "Americans" play on larger pockets there is a lot more set up variety. Nobody really is running 400s on a diamond or super tight Brunswick. He may be playing on a larger pocketed table, but he is also controlling the cue ball and stopping on literally a dime, it's a lot of feel for that and more then just pocketing balls and pure accuracy. @@JeffKernsTheArtist

[@RichardsWorld]

When Willie Mosconi did his 526, it was actually on a small 4x8 table. The corner pockets were a very large 5-1/4".

[@michaeltrumph121]

A smaller table means it's easier to make balls, but it also has it's downside, in the sense that u have a smaller area for maneuvering the cueball and you have to be more precise.

[@LeonFleisherFan]

I agree: I don't find it easier to run a lot of balls on the smaller tables, in particular, the "behind the rack" area tends to get crowded - balls blocking each others' way to the corner pockets, fewer insurance ball scenarios opening those clusters up etc.

[@RichardsWorld]

@@michaeltrumph121 I never tried straight pool on an 8 foot table, but playing 8 ball on a bar table always seems easier to me.

[@michaeltrumph121]

@@RichardsWorld 8 ball is easier cause the balls are not crowded in the same small area. 9 ball is even easier cause there are less balls on the table and as you know making balls is a lot easier.

[@AngrierGorilla]

but Mosconi did not have a Predator Revo! ;-)

[@MIRAGEDEALER]

How sick was that scratch. Reminds me of Efren's scratch in the MIH One Pocket match where the cue hit a piece of chalk droppings on the table and did a U-turn and scratched. But that ball just took the spin. What a shame.

[@SamiKorhonen]

Congratz!

[@azbdizzy4176]

Great run - I've never seen a ball to that on the scratch. Almost like a masse'.

[@ericmulder8577]

seriously, it was headed toward the first diamond before it began to curve.

[@ChasingChinster]

21:28: the 7 ball moves while John is bridging to shoot the 8

[@Pozzaa90]

Eagle eye!

[@Airik2112]

I think this invalidates the run. If you did this in a match, your turn would be over and you'd owe a ball. Let the pockets be whatever size he wants - but breaking the rules (even though the 7 moved back in place) makes the run invalid.

[@tone-yo7192]

Foul!

[@vincentsimone6525]

Yup

[@Salesman]

Yeah but I think in this case it is perfectly fine to let it slide. It's not as if the ball got moved to the other side of the table. He nudged so lightly it didn't even move out of the position it was in beforehand. That's just me though and can see why people want it to be invalidated.

[@MrADVANCEDTEK]

Greatest run with that "infamous" distinction now. I've been playing 20+ years I've only seen that on a Masse shot. That's going to be the shot known around the world long after we're gone. True he does take the record later but this will have some hold over it because of the epic ending . Either way he deserves the title as both having the record and the infamous shot to his credit. The shot could have happened at any time so when it did I was shocked. I'll always wonder about that shot now. Almost paranormal like a mysterious "Christine" or "Grassy Knoll" cue ball out there but we all have multiple cue ball stories. Not like that though at least not me as of yet. I'll have to find out what tip he used cause he didn't chalk up to many times on the first rack granted I know he just was going through the motions but I'm curious.

[@enjoypool4052]

With everybody locked up at home this video should have a million views

[@luv1pocket]

Will you get him to do commentary over it?

[@MonacoMike]

John, what was your previous high run?

[@zpupster]

19:54??? great job!! John, looking forward to watching 500+ run by you or somebody. Also, thank you I learned a couple of things that should improve my game.

[@hansschmidt3742]

also at 1:29:00 there is a definite break in the video, a splice was made !

[@hansschmidt3742]

at 21:29 he touched the 7 ball so the run is invalid.

[@douglasschroeder5398]

Amazing feat, for an accurate comparison no smaller white ball and no Simonis cloth.

[@stevelingelbach8003]

Nice job Big dog

[@szabolcsjobbagy30]

Hi! Do you have any information about when will John Schmidt's 626 video be on any facebook page or on KZbin? Thanks a lot!

[@predatorcues]

No, he is currently working on getting it out to the public the best way possible.

[@tomaszhoekstra7357]

He spoke about showing it for a while charging people to see it, as there is no payday for such an achievement. (Unfortunately) Years ago it might have made sense to put it on dvd, but people will just upload it now. Its a shame not more sponsors stepped up for John, he is a true ambassador of the game and a superb spokesperson for the sport. Maybe in 2021 matchroom/predator can arrange a cinema viewing in the days during a big event in vegas. Players and fans are already there so it makes sense.

[@NewScooters4Less]

Congrats John!

[@cristianmunteanu8765]

How the hell did that qball turn so much? Did it catch a chalk flake on the table, combined with the spin? That was sick. Awesome run, John! Congrats!

[@queequeg00]

Dr. Dave did a video showing possibilities. Just search his and Johns name for more info

[@marshalcraft]

If you play pool a lot you see all sorts of unfortunate phenomena… @@queequeg00

[@MegaMilez]

2:06:35 - What I say every time I scratch hahaha. Impressive run. I say it's safe to assume he uses predator victory tips?

[@markgargan5793]

JS: 'Am going to break Mosconi's record today' Mosconi's ghost: 'Hold my ghost beer...'

[@harleybrunelle4519]

Wheres is his 626 run?? When will that be released

[@jackbauer3605]

@ChasingChinster is correct that ol’ boy did move the 7, but it was at 21:30 not 21:28. This is only a 100 ball run with touching ball foul, -1. A more appropriate video title would be a 99 ball run then a touching ball foul, then 333 more balls are ran.

[@elijahkim4872]

holy wtf! seriously i'm the first person to post about that shot at 43:12 ?!

[@Kenganhkl]

I still can´t believe he figured out that ball could actually be potted like that

[@mikelaos2077]

@@Kenganhkl The 11 ball was frozen to the 5 ball and lined up perfectly to the hole when kissing off of the 5. It was only necessary to contact the 11 ball on the upper hemisphere of the ball as we look at it. IOW, it didn't require extreme accuracy. It was a nice shot, but not as amazing as it appeared. It was almost unmissable provided he hit the correct half of the ball.

[@FXBilliards]

@@mikelaos2077 I came to the comments to say exactly what you said Mike. The TLine on that shot made it a layup. The only issue was shape after making the shot. I would have gone in even if he was and inch off. Not such an amazing shot but he IS AN AMAZING PLAYER. .

[@austinpriest9830]

I thought if you sink a ball on the break it doesn't count because it wasn't called? I'm talking about the break at 2:00:33 theres a ball that goes in in the bottom right pocket.

[@Daviebhoy25cfc]

I'm Scottish, we have different rules so, I'm wondering, what is the meaning of Schmidt getting a free ball, which is also located right next to a full Traingĺe (Rack in USA), breaks the pack by hiitting the free ball into pocket and cue ball spins into smash open the pack? Is it just to have a better spread of the pack balls and/or for cue ball positioning or something else?

[@crissixstrings]

This game is 14.1 Continuous, commonly called straight pool. 14 balls are pocketed, then the last ball is left as a "break ball," to break the re-racked 14 balls, to continue the run. The object of the game is to reach an agreed-upon score before an opponent. Each ball is worth one point. In practice, players run as many as possible as a measure of skill. John is trying to beat Mosconi's official high-run of 526. He has also mentioned beating Arthur Cranfield's unofficial high-run of 768.

[@AngrierGorilla]

It's just how the game works. And it's one of the oldest game. Just watch it and you will understand, rules are pretty simple.

[@marshalcraft]

Standard 14.1, a single turn, don't know wtf you are talking about. @@AngrierGorilla

[@AngrierGorilla]

@@marshalcraft ???

[@OTLB]

Id take the cloth off and check the grinding of the slate as it appears it walked in the grain, Ive rejected many NEW tables with slate like this...

[@RandomJoole]

Great run and what a joke of an ending...

[@howdy2496]

If this run is in the top 5 what are the top 4 runs?

[@sports9664]

wow

[@VeritasForYou]

he did 626 so he broke the record... I am looking for the video

[@euphoriacaffe9416]

It's coming. Has to be (and was) validated.

[@user-cz9yq9cx8q]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/bZWcl4anhbOLhpY

[@alexs.2592]

Revo 12,4 or 12,9 tip?

[@predatorcues]

12.4

[@alydar21]

Nice soundtrack! Maybe it helps with focus and rhythm.

[@marshalcraft]

You can see when he realizes run is good candidate and get's serious.

[@petermeszaros3849]

Love his explanation of the scratch is getting more and more exaggerated. LOL. Crazy scratch tho

[@lewisplayspool]

Very impressive feat indeed. May I ask why he got ball-in-hand during his break shots in the middle of the game (e.g. 59:49)? I thought players could only re-break the 14-ball cluster from the last position of the cue ball?

[@JamesStreck0312]

The cueball came to rest within the rack area after shooting the last ball in the previous rack, so he gets to shoot from the kitchen on the next break shot. This is a common strategy for when it's difficult to get good break position from the last ball in the previous rack.

[@neonjoe529]

@@JamesStreck0312 What would happen if one of the other balls was in the rack area?

[@5153flash]

What happened at 58:55? He raked the cue ball and continued shooting??

[@thesandstertx]

5153flash The cue ball would have been in the way of the rack therefore it is placed behind the line for the break. Look up “special racking situations” in the rules for 14.1

[@5153flash]

@@thesandstertx I have never heard of this rule? Can this happen many times during a run? Seems like trying to put cue ball in that box is a advantage at times. I have been doing this wrong,,it was a ending shot for me if cue ball in box!!

[@Seeka1337]

cue ball rolling towards 1st diamond and curving into pocket almost from rail ?? try to repeat that lol once in a lifetime, and it couldnt happen on a worse occasion. great great run!

[@bripi244]

What do you get for breaking Masconi's record?

[@anapkasplat]

you win a spelling lesson

[@mickenzie5863]

Respect. It's the holy grail of pool.

[@RichardsWorld]

Masconi doesn't have my respect. Mosconi does though.😃

[@wombra8314]

a bowl of mascaroni

[@philmann3476]

Premature rerackulation at 25:23

[@wombra8314]

😳🤣😂🤣

[@jackbauer5239]

21:30 John nudges the 7 ball.

[@ronaldhollis6044]

After break @ rack 31, takes off glove, leaves, the rack man picks up cue ball, what was the issue? He makes comment about not wanting to be accused of something? Also brought up topic of security camera, what is that about?

[@mickenzie5863]

They needed more memory or battery for the camera they were recording with, they were running out and needed to shut off camera to change it. John wanted to make the change with a table full of balls to make it harder to reproduce, to prove he didn't cheat during the time camera is off. He also realized there was a black and white security camera recording the room as well, if he needed additional proof. He wanted to make sure that if he beat Mosconi's run there'd be no room for people to accuse him of shenanigans. The cueball just needed to be cleaned as it had been used for many racks without cleaning. Bits of chalk embedded into the cueball can cause skid and cause a shot to miss that otherwise would have went with a clean ball. It's good policy to clean the cueball as often as possible. On a long run like this there are few opportunities to handle the cueball, so it needed to be marked (with the cube of chalk), cleaned, and replaced.

[@MIRAGEDEALER]

He put a chalk on the table and cleaned the cue ball. Watch snooker they are constantly having the referee clean the cue.

[@MIRAGEDEALER]

He was worried about the video card on the camera getting full and having to change the card. And some dick head could say ",Hey there was a pause and you edited the tape." And he was saying that here was a security camera that would show that they changed the card in the camera and then continued with the filming. Duh!!

[@imnotabotrlyimnot]

@@mickenzie5863 Just wondering, has he accepted the 434 or has he acknowledged the foul? Has anyone of significance acknowledged the foul?

[@marshalcraft]

In today's day and age video footage is in no way irrefutable evidence. Not saying in this case I think it was doctored but just in general, it's too easy to doctor video footage (analog harder probably) but digital pool footage, just too easy. Heck the table is practically a green screen. @@imnotabotrlyimnot

[@Prob2Prob]

The guy racking is giving back racks!

[@colomblanco]

What are back racks?

[@marshalcraft]

assuming tight back part of rack. @@colomblanco

[@colomblanco]

Sounds racist

[@dennisdandrea6050]

Mr. 400 strikes again!

[@jnegijnewirgjnbi]

99.8% shot accracy

[@gavinotoole2094]

Came here from Dr. Dave.

[@juhoteittinen5914]

Same

[@queequeg00]

rack 18 though.....whhhhhew

[@tone-yo7192]

Nice 101 ball run. Idk why he kept shooting after the foul.

[@midwestmotionInc]

The better question is how you get 21:30 into this video without noticing he's not playing 8-ball.

[@tone-yo7192]

Well, whoever did has plenty to learn from pocket billiards.

[@MrPoolplayer76]

make it available to download please

[@creedolala6918]

if you use firefox, there's a plugin that can do it called easy youtube video downloader express.

[@MrPoolplayer76]

wont work

[@AngrierGorilla]

@@MrPoolplayer76 just google youtube downloader, there's plenty.

[@5153flash]

My high run of 40,,so Im watching to figure out why I cant further,,and I notice he shot allot of balls in a order I would have done different. Average of about 4 balls each rack,,lol But when he gets into a little trouble,,he makes some hard / miss-able shots to get out.

[@5153flash]

The game seems sooo easy,,,but as soon as the camera comes out it gets tough !!! Camera dont lie,,lol Mis one ball it is over!!

[@marshalcraft]

just got to play and develop, watching to learn I think can hurt your playing or do nothing. @@5153flash

[@tmoney248200Upgrade]

Some of those breakout shots not just break shots would be really really hard for even Shane V... these pockets are HUGE.

[@johnprice8201]

I know the pockets are a little generous but if I was going to play on a gaff table to run balls that would not be it.

[@phantomius]

is this a legal High Run ? look at 21:28 in the video. Schmidt touch a ball when he is aiming the 8 ball in the corner. For me, that is a foul, and the run had to stop here

[@myblacklab7]

2:06:36 Spectator says "Excellent break shot - you're good, you're good," and it's a scratch. This is why you should avoid complimenting a player on his or her shot before all the balls stop rolling.

[@bripi244]

Imagine playing this in a Chinese table

[@billenright2788]

Would be no fun. 14.1 requires cheating the pocket a lot. Might run half this many on a Chin. 8b table.

[@TallBob1962]

Generous pockets and the cloth isn't too fast (cue ball more easily controllable). Regardless, 434 is still super impressive. No shame in that scratch, that was bizarre. 10 times better than ending on a miss. 500+ is possible on this table. Remarkable.

[@peterparker609]

19:54 sec check the video.

[@hansschmidt3742]

also at 1:29:00 there is a definite splice in the video !

[@hansschmidt3742]

at 21:29 he moved the 7 ball, so the run is invalid.

[@crissixstrings]

I would love to see the 'big pockets' cry-babies control the cue-ball well enough to pocket, gain position, break up clusters, manufacture break-balls, and make the break shots while controlling the white, even half as well as John. Let's see how many they can run into 5-inch pockets.

[@sacramentoskip]

It’s like watching a ballet.

[@330devans]

Comment sections. If only the rail birds were more concerned about showing what they are capable of rather than just talk shit. Most of you picking apart pockets wouldn’t even get through a rack. Let alone picking a key ball to get to a break ball. Couldn’t even leave a proper break ball.

[@acedrumminman]

Johns knowledge of the game is inarguable...his patterns to the break ball, creating one when he has to, taking care of the trouble balls on the table first...he can shoot himself out of trouble when he needs it...has that solid punchy stroke that helps long runs....anyone that can concentrate that long, to run that many...well pocket size is irrelevant...and i watched the whole run, he put the majority of the balls solid to the back of the pocket. Even if they were shimmed, he still would have run well over 300.

[@JeffKernsTheArtist]

Amen there were very few balls that rattled the pocket.

[@albiidrizi9745]

21:29 I’m pretty sure that was a foul

[@wombra8314]

ha absolutely. not dissin the run but technically it ended there lol :(

[@jbideastoo]

not a foul, the ball was not moved during the forward stroke.

[@albiidrizi9745]

@@jbideastoo Well thank you for telling me that.I’m two years in as a pool player (not pro, or amateur, just playing for fun) I didn’t know that wasn’t a foul,I need to learn a lot more about pool so thank you again.

[@TheJohnCooper]

“Well, You’re gonna do it again” Typical annoying shortsighted comment from a girlfriend!

[@Arnie.Y]

2:00:13 how did she know LOL

[@rraammyy92]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/g6Ozo4WshbSIoaM This link isfor 366 balls run on tight pockets!

[@mikemartin8495]

You could fit woman’s basket ball in those pockets. Not try to undermine his run. Regardless of those huge pockets, that’s an incredible run. Great job.

[@SlashoMighty]

Thats always what people bring up, but give others six inch wide pockets and ninety eight percent of players couldn't run half as many balls. Great run John, i can see that record breaking in the near future.

[@mikemartin8495]

SlashoMighty true. I also have to point out at the end the way the ball fell into the pocket like it was going into a draining sink which means if you hit the ball slow enough, it’ll gravitate towards the pocket which is exactly the type of speed that straight pool shooters use. But like I said 434 is 434. It’s still ridiculously high.

[@uucay9565]

martin is "mosconimike" from azb. You are an idiot. 434 is incredible.

[@mikemartin8495]

UU Cay it’s you who is the idiot ‘cause at the end, I described the run as “incredible”. You either did not read my comment in its entirety or you have a short attention span. Bozo!!

[@uucay9565]

@@mikemartin8495sorry, you put a bow on a turd. It is still a turd. I said sorry

[@frankterroni7327]

Cries just like everybody else plays the game except its sounds more pathetic coming from a guy just ran over 400 balls

[@johnschmidt4150]

Jeez Frank now your crying lol.

[@hustlr23]

does not count because he was doing it from the wrong end of the table...lol

[@petermeszaros3849]

Most impressive part is that he did with that awful music in the background

[@millsbobster]

Miles Davis "Kind of Blue" is considered by most experts the greatest jazz album of all time, and one of the greatest musical achievements regardless of genre..

[@myblacklab7]

"Awful music" is subjective, but I think that one of the skills any serious pool player must acquire is the ability to play pool in areas where they play music that one hates. I actually like this music for pool, but I hate most of what gets played during pool tournaments, in bars, etc.

[@TheSnookerGym]

There is no benefit to putting all that English on the ball when breaking the pack. Energy simply goes into rotating the ball rather than ball speed - and potting accurately becomes more difficult. You can get away with this on unmissable pockets, but not on a snooker table.

[@LeonFleisherFan]

Comparisons are odious: the ball size and pockets form the very basis of a number of entertaining pool games, the rotational ones in particular, but also banks, One Pocket and Straight Pool, that no one in their right mind would WANT to play on a Snooker table. Snooker with tight pockets is fine since the pattern (and hence position) play is Worlds apart easier than in pool, given every second shot is onto a color that's being put back onto its spot. To play, say, Rotation, 9-Ball or 10-Ball on a Snooker table, now that would be a serious problem. People would get bored - imagine how much Snooker would be slowed down if that the colors weren't being re-spotted on the spots used today, but on a rail/under a cushion. People want to play and watch games that are difficult for the amateur as well as the pro, but surely not impossible for the latter.

[@johnschmidt4150]

Lol wrong.there is a reason to spin cueball.by the way I've ran 146 on a 6x12 at snooker so in that game I agree. In pool there is a reason to spin it

[@330devans]

These comments about pocket size and snooker this or that are just ignorant! If you rail birds think it’s so easy to run balls into the hundreds playing 14.1 then be my guest and try it! None will cause it’s easy enough to just chirp on the internet and downplay great runs from pros. So roll your cue ball up to a red and touch it to call that a safe or fluke a red or color ball in any pocket and it counts! Yea get outta here with that talk!

[@AccordionJoe1]

Great, John, but no one plays straight pool any more. Stick to nine ball or ten ball.

[@robertcarey3383]

I stopped watching 49:45l. I have never played on a table where a ball missed that bad goes in. To bad a standard sized pockets aren't used.

[@desjobster]

You must be fun at parties

[@audrichvuneo181]

Robert Carey found the diamond table snob

[@141poolplayer]

I'd like to see you try to run 434 balls on that exact same table.

[@pugsnhogz]

I mean, he's not wrong. That was a bad miss. This reduces the accomplishment significantly, though it's still quite a remarkable feat

[@sfincione2000]

I see what you mean. That really shows that the corner pockets are quite wide and maybe shallow too. But still, you have to admit, he plays a pretty tight game. It was also at sort-of pocket speed so some tables will accept an over-cut ball like that if played soft.