$2000 Bank Bend Challenge

from Bob Jewett and Dr. Dave Alciatore

The first person who can post a video showing a bank shot bending around a 1″ obstacle (less than 1/2 a ball width), in compliance with the challenge rules, will win $2000! And if nobody is able to beat the challenge, the person who is able to bend the ball the most (i.e., more than anybody else) will receive $200. The competition will remain open until the end of July, 2016.

SORRY, BUT THE CHALLENGE IS NO LONGER OPEN
(although, we’ll still post any new unofficial video entries that come it)

bank shot bend challenge

The Only Official Attempts Submitted Before the Deadline:

placeruler
measurement		namevideo
link
11 5/16″ = 1.31″ = 33.3 mmDr. Dave Alciatorevideo
21 3/8″ = 1.38″ = 34.9 mmDave Grossvideo

The smallest ruler measurement for a good shot in compliance with the challenge rules won $200. Nobody was able to achieve a ruler measurement of 1/8″ or less to win the $2000. Since Dr. Dave won the $200 prize, he decided to gift the money to “cleary” on AZB for teaching us how people might attempt to cheat video contests like this.

Here’s an animated GIF of the original bogus video entry “cleary” posted:

bogus bank bend

Here’s an excellent explanation and illustration on AZB of how “cleary” created the bogus videos, and here is visual evidence of the subterfuge (posted by Angel Rodriguez on Facebook):

Here’s another example of how to cheat from Bob Jewett: How to Cheat the $2000 Bank Bend Challenge (see the video description for details).

Detailed Rules and Regulations:

  1. The table must be setup and the video must be filmed according to all of the procedures in the instructions video above. Note – Both the CB and OB must be visible in the video during the entire shot (from when the CB is struck to when the OB enters the pocket). The video must also contain uninterrupted audio.
  2. You must post your video online for public viewing (e.g., on YouTube) by July 31, 2016, and you must e-mail the video link to Dr. Dave along with the following information: table size, brand, and model; cloth brand and condition (new/old, fast/slow, slick/sticky); ball condition (new/old, clean/polished/dirty); cushion nose height (measured with a ruler from the table surface to the center of the nose).
  3. Your video must be totally convincing, legitimate, and free from trickery.
  4. The table must be a 10′ or smaller pool table with standard 2 1/4″ balls, and the equipment must be reasonably close to tournament condition.
  5. The bend amounts will be rounded to the nearest 1/16″ (0.0625″ or 1.6 mm).
  6. There must be no sprays or treatments on the balls, cloth, or cushion.
  7. The balls must not be polished with anything other than a standard pool ball cleaner, and the balls should be in reasonably new condition.
  8. The table must be level and the object ball must be balanced (not weighted off center) and roll straight.
  9. If you don’t have a toilet-paper-roll tube handy, any cylindrical object 4″ or higher is fine.
  10. In the event of a tie, the prize goes to the person who submitted first.
  11. The cushion-nose height must be within spec (i.e., legal).

Purposes for the Bank Bend Challenge:

  1. To see how much bend is possible.
  2. To find out what types of shots and equipment are most suitable for bending.
  3. To assess the difficulty and practicality of using bank bend effectively in a game situation where both accuracy and consistency are required.

For some background and more information about bending a bank, see the bending a bank shot resource page.

If you want some help with filming and accessing slow-motion videos on an iPhone, the following video might be helpful:

NV H.1 – Elevated-Cue Pool and Billiards Shots … Are They Legal?