If you are a casual player, you might not know the name Hugo Patiño, but in the world of professional 3-cushion billiards, the guy is a giant. He is a multi-time US National Champion and a dominant force in the Pan-American circuit.
But the reason we are writing this today is to look back at one specific moment that Professor Q-Ball Magazine covered years ago: The time Hugo ran 31.
See the Master at Work
While the original footage of the 31-point run is lost to history, this video of Hugo running 22 points at the Carom Cafe gives you a glimpse of the absolute mastery he brings to the table. Watch how he controls the speed of the cue ball, he never forces it.
The Game: Why 31 is Insane
To understand why this is a big deal, you have to understand the game. 3-Cushion isn’t like 8-ball. There are no pockets. You have to drive your cue ball into three separate rail cushions before it hits the second object ball.
Above: Notice the lack of pockets. The game is purely about geometry and angles.
For a professional, averaging 1.5 points per inning is world-class. A “high run” of 15 or 20 is something you might see once a tournament. Stringing together 31 consecutive points without a miss? That is nearly unheard of. It requires a trancelike level of focus where you can’t make a single mistake for half an hour straight. 5 points per inning is world-class. A “high run” of 15 or 20 is something you might see once a tournament.
You Can’t Do It With Bad Gear
Runs like that don’t happen on bar boxes with dead rails. In 3-cushion, the equipment is everything.
If you are playing on a table where the slate isn’t perfectly flat, the ball drifts. If the cloth is old, the spin dies before it hits the third rail. Hugo Patiño plays on heated tables with immaculate cloth.
Get your table playing right
While we can’t promise you’ll run 31, we can get you the equipment you need to improve your own high run.
- Need new cloth? We can recover your table with the best fabric in the business, like the Simonis cloth used by pros.
- Table not level? We use machinist levels to get it dead on.
Preserving the History We wanted to keep this story alive because it was a key part of the Professor Q-Ball archives. Even though the magazine has retired, the history of players like Hugo Patiño deserves to be remembered.
If you are looking to set your own high run—whether it’s in straight pool, 8-ball, or 3-cushion—contact us today. We’ll make sure your table is ready for it.