1936 World Straight Pool Championship

Results

Place	Player	Prize
1	Jimmy Caras
2	Erwin Rudolph

Recap

Published April 13, 2026

The 1936 World Straight Pool Championship saw Jimmy Caras, 27, from Scranton, Pennsylvania, successfully defend his 1935 title by defeating Erwin Rudolph, a former world champion.

Caras defeated Rudolph in a matchup between two accomplished competitors. Both players brought extensive championship experience to the match. The victory marked a transition in professional pool, with Caras establishing himself as a leading straight pool player while Rudolph represented an earlier generation of champions.

The 1936 victory was Caras's second of five World Straight Pool Championship titles won between 1935 and 1949. The win solidified his position among the sport's elite players during the era when straight pool dominated professional competition. In 14.1 continuous play, competitors must call their shots while managing position play. Caras became known for his methodical approach to the game.

The championship took place during a period when straight pool was the primary competitive format in professional pool. Caras was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame in 1977. At age 58, he won the BCA U.S. Open Straight Pool Championship in 1967 following a 12-year absence from competitive play, demonstrating his skill and knowledge of the game across multiple decades.

Sources: Jimmy Caras – Wikipedia, World Straight Pool Championship – Wikipedia, Category:Straight pool world champions – Wikipedia

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