Is there such a thing as a cooperative game of pool?

mattkenefick

mattkenefick

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Similar to video games in the way that there's adversarial and cooperative. You can play against an opponent or you can play with someone.

Pool generally appears to be adversarial, but a lot of it is really single player from a mental standpoint. For me, when I mess up position or a bank... I've already lost the game in my head. It's not about actually winning, it's about winning the way I wanted to win.

So then beyond that, you're just waiting for your turn again (sometimes). Who cares what the other guy does, I want to start playing my game again.

Made me wonder if there are any types of cooperative games that exist. I'm not sure what the goal would be... but maybe like a scotch doubles where you earn a certain amount of points based on your partner making a shot. Or something... I'm not sure exactly what I'm thinking of.

Regular pool, opponent vs opponent, is great but this was just a thought I had. There's single player training, there's opponent matches, but what would a cooperative game look like?
 
victorl

victorl

Where'd my stroke go?
Silver Member
I sometimes play scotch doubles against the ghost with some of my league mates when I'm teaching them. I think it's a good way to teach patterns and discuss strategies in an actual game situation.
 
C

commswatch

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
For my serious answer, Scotch doubles can be a great game with the right partner....I prefer to play it silent (no verbal coaching or talking out the patterns), but it's a good game either way.

I dont have a not serious answer...too tired....I spose 3 man King of the Hill, where your in cahoots against 1...or 3 ball with some friends in cahoots
 
Donny Lutz

Donny Lutz

Ferrule Cat
Silver Member
team play?

mattkenefick said:
Similar to video games in the way that there's adversarial and cooperative. You can play against an opponent or you can play with someone.

Pool generally appears to be adversarial, but a lot of it is really single player from a mental standpoint. For me, when I mess up position or a bank... I've already lost the game in my head. It's not about actually winning, it's about winning the way I wanted to win.

So then beyond that, you're just waiting for your turn again (sometimes). Who cares what the other guy does, I want to start playing my game again.

Made me wonder if there are any types of cooperative games that exist. I'm not sure what the goal would be... but maybe like a scotch doubles where you earn a certain amount of points based on your partner making a shot. Or something... I'm not sure exactly what I'm thinking of.

Regular pool, opponent vs opponent, is great but this was just a thought I had. There's single player training, there's opponent matches, but what would a cooperative game look like?
Click to expand...

All successful team play requires cooperation. Team play has been around for a very long time.
 
bad_hit

bad_hit

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Scotch Doubles against the ghost. I think you should talk the whole time though, I play this game regularly and love it. Pool is so silent, it's fun to chat about all the shots while shooting.
 
mattkenefick

mattkenefick

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
bad_hit said:
Scotch Doubles against the ghost. I think you should talk the whole time though, I play this game regularly and love it. Pool is so silent, it's fun to chat about all the shots while shooting.
Click to expand...

I am actually a huge fan of talking while I'm shooting. It's rare to find others that do, but sometimes you can. About literally anything... your favorite way to cook steak and potatoes, motorcycle repair, blah blah. And each person is respectful where if someone is concentrating and not responding, then you stop saying things until they speak back up.

But yeah... I agree that pool is too quiet. You shouldn't have to play in a library.
 
grindz

grindz

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
2 friends playing each other....

and both helping the other to get to the next level with what they see, and
what they know.

td
 
Tramp Steamer

Tramp Steamer

One Pocket enthusiast.
Silver Member
We play team One Pocket where cooperation between team members is essential, although you never know who your team-mate will be until after the coin toss. This can be problematic since we have a cross-section of jerks, assholes, and good guys.
After the coin toss it's like a cat that wakes up in the morning. It's a new day every day. :smile:
 
A

app4dstn

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
bad_hit said:
Scotch Doubles against the ghost. I think you should talk the whole time though, I play this game regularly and love it. Pool is so silent, it's fun to chat about all the shots while shooting.
Click to expand...

Last summer i met and became friends with another guy in my local league, and after getting together to play a couple of times privately, i knew i wanted to enter a Scotch tournament with him.

At the time, i had about 12 months playing experience, always asking for help/hints/insight from all the players i encountered. and i was fascinated by the concept of Scotch after watching the pro's confer over a shot in the Mosconi cup.

that fall we entered a local tourney's Scotch event, and for about 3 weeks, we played Scotch against whomever we could or the ghost. and it was soooooo enlightening for me. he is by far a superior shotmaker and i, as we discovered, was way ahead of him in analyzing and plotting a winning rack.

this presented a dynamic and an opportunity for me to experience something so positive that i couldn't have ever received playing solo:

-to collectively own the joy or misery of the outcome. my persona is such that it stings me 10x more to let down a teammate than to disappoint myself. and when we eventually went down in the tournament, that was my chance to show what i head learned all my life playing team sports (my partner is half my age) and heal the hurt and give assurances that we did good and will do more good in the future.

-to borrow from another's talent box. and to give back what i could provide. we had racks that i could NEVER have done on my own. i could leverage my partner's banking and extreme-cut proficiency to plot a run that i wouldn't have taken on my own. and we had some defense/safety battles against other human's that he couldn't have experienced on his own.

when we played against other folks, we'd describe our situation and goals and that we wanted to be talking 100% of the time throughout, as this was a training exercise and not the typical friendsie's matchup. and a lot of people were amused.

it's not all swimmingly wonderful and copacetic. we had issues but we always managed to come to an agreement. takes compromise and faith/optimism to relinquish what you firmly believe should happen on the table, but i wanted what the partnership brought more than i wanted any recognition or validation.

i've balked at doing team competition the last 3 APA sessions, but have always asked if they will bring back the Scotch doubles division. love love love doubles. i used to play a lot of 2 man volleyball in a previous life, and it's the exact same dynamic.

now as an adult, i've stopped doing team sports, and now with kids, i stopped playing golf. pool is my main thing now, and learning/advancing can go so much faster (and enjoyably) if you can share a brain and body with a better/different player, but share the same goal.
 
hang-the-9

hang-the-9

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Doubles is the only way I know where you can play with someone instead of against someone. I mean in more or less regular rules. You can always make up some game to play as a team against no-one.

3 Ball maybe also since once a guy gets a low score, you are hoping for someone to tie that so you can carry over the pot instead of win, although that's a bit different situation.

One thing I don't like is shoot till you miss doubles, you may as well play two different singles matches then. Doubles should be alternate shots.

Talking during doubles depends, if players are equal, probably won't be much talking, if one is better there may be. When I play with my son, we hardly talk aside from if I see him about to shoot a dumb shot, when I play with a random D player during a charity event we may be chatting with each other and the other team at the same time LOL.
 
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