Two-Year-Old Billiards Prodigy Keith O'Dell Jr.

Call him Mini-sota Fats. An upstate New York two-year-old is being dubbed a billiards prodigy by dazzling crowds across the country with his pool playing prowess. Keith O'Dell Jr. of Johnstown was invited to perform at the American Pool Association's championship competition in Las Vegas last month, and he's booked to show his skills on the Rachael Ray show in July. The wiz kid learned the game on a child size table, but recently switched to regulation size. He reaches the balls by standing on a chair. It all started a few weeks before Christmas when the boy's parents, Keith Sr. and Courtney O'Dell, were in a discount store and saw a miniature pool table. Keith Sr., an avid player, thought his son was too young to enjoy it, but bought the table anyway. Keith Jr. opened it Christmas morning and surprised his parents when he started shooting on his own. The O'Dells have no explanation for their son's success, but say he learned by watching his dad shoot 200 racks every night. His parents say the boy's learning hasn't been limited to billiard games - pool is also teaching their son colors and how to count. Outside the cue sports industry, pocket billiards is almost exclusively referred to as "pool", due to a perhaps unfortunate association with the "poolrooms" where gamblers "pooled" their money to bet remotely ("off-track") on horse races. Because these venues often provided billiard tables, the term "pool" became synonymous with billiards. Though the original "pool" game was played on a pocketless table, the name stuck to pocket billiards as it gained in popularity. Though the traditional view of billiards as a refined and noble pastime did not blend well with the low-class connotations of gambling, the billiards industry's attempts to distance itself from the term "pool" beginning in the late 19th century were largely unsuccessful. There are hundreds of pocket billiards games. Some of the more well known include eight-ball, nine-ball, straight pool, and one-pocket. The game of snooker is played on a table with pockets but is considered to be its own cue sport and is governed internationally by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association/World Snooker Association (professional) and International Billiards and Snooker Federation (amateur). There are also hybrid games combining aspects of both pocket and carom billiards, such as English billiards, American four-ball billiards, cowboy pool and bottle pool. Pocket billiards is more popular than carom billiards in most countries of the world.[citation needed] Carom billiard games thrive in Asia, Europe and Latin America, but pool (especially in the form of nine-ball and eight-ball) and snooker are gradually taking over as the most widely played cue games.[citation needed]
As a competitive sport, pocket billiards is governed internationally by the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA), which has national affiliates such as the US Billiard Congress of America (BCA), and which represents pocket billiards in the World Confederation of Billiard Sports, which in turn represents all forms of cue sports in the International Olympic Committee. By her early twenties, Rachael developed a hankering for city life and moved to New York where she landed at Macy's, working first at the candy counter and then as manager of the Fresh Foods Department. She credits her two years there for giving her an education in gourmet foods. After Macy's, Rachael helped open Agata & Valentina, the prestigious New York gourmet marketplace, where she was the store manager and buyer.

Despite the exciting lifestyle in the foodie circles of New York City, Rachael decided to move back to upstate New York and start managing pubs and restaurants at the famed Sagamore Resort on Lake George. From there, she was recruited by Cowan & Lobel, a large gourmet market in Albany, to be their food buyer and eventually their "chef."

As a way to increase grocery sales during the holidays, Rachael created a series of cooking classes, including a course promising to teach 30-Minute Mediterranean Meals, which exploded in popularity. The CBS station in Albany-Schenectady, WRGBTV, discovered Rachael and signed her on to do a weekly 30-Minute Meals segment for the evening news. Nominated for two regional Emmys in its first year, the segment was a major success; a companion cookbook sold 10,000 copies locally during the holidays. With that, a franchise was born!

Rachael's television work grew to include a series of lifestyle and travel segments as well as a long-term relationship with the Food Network, hosting shows such as Rachael's Vacations, Tasty Travels, $40 A Day, Inside Dish and 30-Minute Meals, the latter of which earned Rachael a 2006 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Service Show and a nomination for Outstanding Service Show Host.

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[littlesniper07]

Thats out baby boy!!!!

[voc370]

Yes, Your Boy...

Is Totally Amazing, My Father Is a Career Pool Shooter From Albany...

Managed Several Pool Halls In The Area !

Clifton Park, Troy NY

Wow, Very Special, Special Indeed...

[kevycanavan]

"you wanna chalk daddy's stick?"

[ItsMrMatfin]

FAKE!!! The baby is really a dragon

[x3TaeYeon9]

@twoface005 i'd like to see you even holding a cue stick at the age of 3 :) let alone 2

[runeguldberg]

This is a hoax by the parents. They gonna cash in. Photo with the new born child tells all.

[twoface005]

Ok dad, if your kid is so special...post a real pool shot, not one close to the pocket or anything and I bet the kid misses 8 out of 10. Put the object ball in the center of the table and the cue ball close to one of the shorter rails and lets see this kid made a corner shot just 2 out of 10 times. Run the camera continuously and lets see. Don't fool yourself, this kid aint anything special.

[goose19888]

terrible

[AngelaMariie]

That is so amazing!

[HuskerFishing]

@littlesniper07 his form really is amazing.

[littlesniper07]

@ElliottsFather Sorry you hate America so much. You should do some research on this boy before you make comments. He is now 3 years old and holds 2 world records and has 5 sponsors. He can Jump a full ball and do 3 and 4 rail kick shots.

[ElliottsFather]

I had a feeling this was going to be an American family before I pressed "play". Only in America would anyone give this rubbish any credence.

[JayBrew391]

@littlesniper07 your kid rocks. go APA/CPA!