What is the name of the pool shark in 'A Game of Pool'?

The pool shark in “A Game of Pool” is Fats Brown. His full name is James Howard “Fats” Brown, the legendary player whose reputation haunts the younger Jesse Cardiff.

In the 1961 episode, Jesse stays after hours at Lister’s Pool Room in Chicago, convinced that beating Fats is the only thing separating him from greatness. Jesse challenges the dead champion, who mysteriously returns to play one final game of straight pool. The wager is extraordinary: victory would make Jesse the greatest player ever, while defeat would cost him his life.

The story’s central twist is that Fats is not merely an opponent. He represents the danger of sacrificing an entire life to one talent or ambition. Fats explains that, unlike Jesse, he enjoyed life beyond the pool table. Jesse wins, but the victory binds him to an endless afterlife of defending his title against challengers.

A common mix-up is confusing Fats Brown with Jesse Cardiff. Jesse is the living pool shark who issues the challenge; Fats is the celebrated champion from the past.