FARGO Game- thoughts on accuracy of skill ratings?

[nineballsafety8]

So, until friday evening, i had never heard of the game fargo, but ran across the video explanation on youtube. So i decided to give it a go over the weekend. I played 3 games total, and was quite frankly SHOCKED at the outcome. The first game I played I went in without a plan, and just played. Wanted to see what would happen. I shot a 163, much better than I anticipated. The second game I played, i thought a plan may benefit the outcome, so i planned on running the first 10 balls at random, then using the 11th ball to get shape on the 12th ball to run the last four. That resulted in a 174. My last game I was feeling pretty cocky so i tried to random run the first 8, using the 9th balll to give me shape on the last 6. That resulted in a 147.

My question is as follows... How accurate do you all feel that the chart that goes along with the game really relates to your skill level. According to the chart I would fall into A+ or AA-... and i feel that is WAY WAY WAY stronger than i actually play. I have always ranked myself as a B/B+ player at best.

Just curious if anyone else has come across this skill anomaly...?

 

[nineballsafety8]

I know there are some people out there that play fargo... how do you results equate to what you feel is your skill level?

 

[RobMan]

I think this is a good question and am interested in peoples' opinion about this or rating systems in general. My feel is ultimately how do you match up against other people in tournaments or whatever. Problem is, not everyone, including myself, play in many tourneys - even on the local level.

I also believe that most people would probably rank higher on solo playing ranking system. While there may be some pressure to beat your best, nothing equals the pressure of playing in a tourney or gambling for instance.

I have played a few rating games, but began documenting scores not too long ago.

FWIW - I have only shot two racks of Fargo - shot 119 and 127. I actually tried to run rotation too early in the first. These scores put me solidly in a "B" ranking. I love the game, and will be playing it much more. My guess is that I can consistently score in the in the "A" range by hitting 9-10 balls at random, then switching to rotation for the last 5-6.

I have played a dozen of bowliards and average 151 which is the lowest possible score for an "A" player.

After probably 25-20 sets of five games playing the GHOST 9 as described on Dr Dave's site, my average score is in the "C to C+ range". There always seems to be that one out of position or cluster that stops me in the run.

So what does this all mean? Pretty obvious to me that I have trouble with position play in rotation. I mean, I can consistently score higher on table games where I can shoot at choices of object balls.

Anyway, my two cents! Interested in others....

 

[dr_dave]

So, until friday evening, i had never heard of the game fargo, but ran across the video explanation on youtube. So i decided to give it a go over the weekend. I played 3 games total, and was quite frankly SHOCKED at the outcome. The first game I played I went in without a plan, and just played. Wanted to see what would happen. I shot a 163, much better than I anticipated. The second game I played, i thought a plan may benefit the outcome, so i planned on running the first 10 balls at random, then using the 11th ball to get shape on the 12th ball to run the last four. That resulted in a 174. My last game I was feeling pretty cocky so i tried to random run the first 8, using the 9th balll to give me shape on the last 6. That resulted in a 147.

My question is as follows... How accurate do you all feel that the chart that goes along with the game really relates to your skill level. According to the chart I would fall into A+ or AA-... and i feel that is WAY WAY WAY stronger than i actually play. I have always ranked myself as a B/B+ player at best.

Just curious if anyone else has come across this skill anomaly...?

There are several different player rating drills available here:

player rating resource page​

You might want to try others in addition to Fargo.

The letter-based rating systems are interpreted differently by different people. Definitions and comparisons of the different scales are also available on the resource page.

Regards,
Dave

 

[nineballsafety8]

There are several different player rating drills available here:

player rating resource page​

You might want to try others in addition to Fargo.

The letter-based rating systems are interpreted differently by different people. Definitions and comparisons of the different scales are also available on the resource page.

Regards,
Dave

Dave,
This is a perfect example of exactly what I mean. I have done the 10 ball, 10 rack ball count, and according to that I am consistently a B+ player. And after reading the "definitions" of the A-D rating scheme, i would have to agree with that assesment.
But i am still unsure why i scored so highly in Fargo... maybe my pocketing ability is just that much better than my position play. I am fairly confident that if i were to JUST run balls in Fargo, without ever switching to rotation, that I would see the end of the rack 9/10 times (in most cases). But in a 10ball rotation, the chances of me running out are more like 5/10 or 6/10.
The reason i am so interested in this discrepancy, is that i would like to ADDRESS the flaws in my game. I dont fell that I really play shape poorly in anyway, but i feel that when i am forced to play "tight" shape, that is when my shot making starts to suffer.

 

[dr_dave]

Dave,
This is a perfect example of exactly what I mean. I have done the 10 ball, 10 rack ball count, and according to that I am consistently a B+ player. And after reading the "definitions" of the A-D rating scheme, i would have to agree with that assesment.
But i am still unsure why i scored so highly in Fargo... maybe my pocketing ability is just that much better than my position play.

Sounds reasonable to me.

I am fairly confident that if i were to JUST run balls in Fargo, without ever switching to rotation, that I would see the end of the rack 9/10 times (in most cases). But in a 10ball rotation, the chances of me running out are more like 5/10 or 6/10.
The reason i am so interested in this discrepancy, is that i would like to ADDRESS the flaws in my game. I dont fell that I really play shape poorly in anyway, but i feel that when i am forced to play "tight" shape, that is when my shot making starts to suffer.

The discrepancy might be partly explained by "flaws" or strengths in your game, but it could also just be in how the ratings are assigned with the different drills. Maybe others who have experience with both drills can share their observations to see if the discrepancy is consistent among various players.

Regards,
Dave

 

[Not Dead Ted]

One problem with these "rating" games is BIH after the break and the fact that balls pocketed on the break stay down.

Take these two things away, and score-inflation would drop considerably.

With 15 balls and a 7' table, it is not that unusual to have the cue ball completely locked up after the break. Without BIH, this could be a frame of zero, a real average-killer. Also BIH is like a get out of jail free card for an evil cluster or problem ball.

Try it without ball in hand, and spot balls on the break, and the score may be more realistic.

 

[RobMan]

One problem with these "rating" games is BIH after the break and the fact that balls pocketed on the break stay down.

Take these two things away, and score-inflation would drop considerably.

With 15 balls and a 7' table, it is not that unusual to have the cue ball completely locked up after the break. Without BIH, this could be a frame of zero, a real average-killer. Also BIH is like a get out of jail free card for an evil cluster or problem ball.

Try it without ball in hand, and spot balls on the break, and the score may be more realistic.

This is a good point; although Fargo calls for the spotting of all balls made on the break, but you do get BIH.

Also I play on nine footers; so the initial part of Fargo or bowlliards for example where you hit anything, is easier - less clusters. However, as stated, my 9 ball ghost rating is much lower. I bet if i ran the ghost on a 7ft, my score would increase for that game.

Good stuff though!

 

[nineballsafety8]

One problem with these "rating" games is BIH after the break and the fact that balls pocketed on the break stay down.

Take these two things away, and score-inflation would drop considerably.

With 15 balls and a 7' table, it is not that unusual to have the cue ball completely locked up after the break. Without BIH, this could be a frame of zero, a real average-killer. Also BIH is like a get out of jail free card for an evil cluster or problem ball.

Try it without ball in hand, and spot balls on the break, and the score may be more realistic.

I actually considered this before i started playing... all 3 of my scores were with balls spotted after the break, AND playing the cueball as i lies...

If anyone may be wondering, my table is an 8 foot Fischer Elayna, with 860HR.

I'm thinking I may start FORCING myself to only get 5 "free" shots before switching to rotation, and see what that does to the score.

 

[Not Dead Ted]

I actually considered this before i started playing... all 3 of my scores were with balls spotted after the break, AND playing the cueball as i lies...

If anyone may be wondering, my table is an 8 foot Fischer Elayna, with 860HR.

I'm thinking I may start FORCING myself to only get 5 "free" shots before switching to rotation, and see what that does to the score.

I have to think that someone who consistently over 150 w/o BIH is going to have a lot of break and runs playing eight ball and is probably an "A" player.

 

[nineballsafety8]

Actually... there is something to be said for that...

But then why does my game fall to pieces when i play tournaments... just cant handle the pressure maybe?

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