Nice to be vindicated on 8-ball

Ghosst

Ghosst

Broom Handle Mafia
Silver Member
Watching John and Corey on the podcast, it's great to hear they share the sentiments a few of us have had that 8-ball is the way to go to reach people, and that there are just far too many games out there.

I don't have anything against the short-rack rotation games, they teach great position play, but for most of the market it's just too complicated. Snooker was always played the same way until just recently and it was great to see the whole audience appreciate the right shot, or a tough pot. They knew what ball came next, what the rules were.

Will anyone listen? That's the big question.

But 8-ball on 9' tables with tighter pockets (4.25" or 4.125") is the way to get people to understand. You can be anyone and get it, from a guy who drunk down at Bo's Tavern one Friday night to being the next Chang Jung Lin. It's the same game.

Please stop relegating 8-ball to barboxes. They're great for a pub, and so is mini-golf for the kids. But Tiger doesn't play on a mini-putt course and none of our pros should be on the little tables either. We all know Augusta is a harder course than our local. In pro pool, the table should be tighter (within reason) and the proper size.
 
Tap, tap, tap.

Pool life started with 8 ball and will probably one day end after a game of 8 ball. I always find that, for the most part, anyone I play can agree on that one particular game as far as rules and etiquette. The other games are nice for a change but we always end up back at 8.
 
mattb said:
Tap, tap, tap.

Pool life started with 8 ball and will probably one day end after a game of 8 ball. I always find that, for the most part, anyone I play can agree on that one particular game as far as rules and etiquette. The other games are nice for a change but we always end up back at 8.
Click to expand...

Interesting post considering that 8 Ball is probably the game with the most segmented, varying rule sets depending on geography, pool hall vs. bar, etc.

But I generally agree. The nice thing about 8 Ball is that while even the most casual player is familiar with it, the game also has nuance and strategy for the serious player.

When I started playing pool as a kid, once things got serious most of us graduated from 8 Ball to 14.1 and 9 Ball. Because of this we looked at 8 Ball as sort of a beginners game so never played it. I've since come to have a renewed appreciation for the game and its intricacies. And it's a far more interesting game to watch at the expert level than the obligatory 9 and 10 Ball events.
 
DogsPlayingPool said:
Interesting post considering that 8 Ball is probably the game with the most segmented, varying rule sets depending on geography, pool hall vs. bar, etc.

But I generally agree. The nice thing about 8 Ball is that while even the most casual player is familiar with it, the game also has nuance and strategy for the serious player.

When I started playing pool as a kid, once things got serious most of us graduated from 8 Ball to 14.1 and 9 Ball. Because of this we looked at 8 Ball as sort of a beginners game so never played it. I've since come to have a renewed appreciation for the game and its intricacies. And it's a far more interesting game to watch at the expert level than the obligatory 9 and 10 Ball events.
Click to expand...
The only downside to me is pros can make 8 ball look easier than 9 ball. I mean it can look down right silly if the balls open up. But thats one reason I picked 8 ball for one of the sets this weekend. I want to see what it looks like. If people like it and buy it you will certainly see a lot more of it.
 
I've always liked 8 ball, but for different reasons as I've grown older. When I was a beginner the basic concept was easy to learn and it's a game most people are familiar with. In fact most people probably don't even realize there are other pool games. As I got older I appreciated 8 ball more for its patterns and safety play possibilities.
 
Ghosst...The only problem is that 8 ball is played on barboxes 100x more frequently than on 9' tables, simply because there are far more small tables than big ones (for lots of reasons). Not quite sure of your point, as the pros play almost exclusively on 9' tables now, regardless of the game played. BTW Augusta National is no more difficult than any of the other top-rated PGA championship courses. It is, however, a LOT more exclusive, and difficult to get to play on.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Ghosst said:
Please stop relegating 8-ball to barboxes. They're great for a pub, and so is mini-golf for the kids. But Tiger doesn't play on a mini-putt course and none of our pros should be on the little tables either. We all know Augusta is a harder course than our local. In pro pool, the table should be tighter (within reason) and the proper size.
Click to expand...
 
Scott Lee said:
Ghosst...The only problem is that 8 ball is played on barboxes 100x more frequently than on 9' tables, simply because there are far more small tables than big ones (for lots of reasons). Not quite sure of your point, as the pros play almost exclusively on 9' tables now, regardless of the game played.
Click to expand...

My point is that every time we hear about, "Let's get some pros to play 8-ball" they always add the tagline, "...on a barbox". I don't want to see what Tiger can do at Lethbridge Country Club, I want to see Augusta. I don't want to see Corey or John in a pub playing for $10 with loaded guns under the rail either. Enough with the mini-pool.
 
Personally I think 8 ball is better then 9 and 10 ball especially on the bar table. I feel bar table 8 ball is a very tough game with all the congestion but on the 9 footer it is a pretty easy game. I do not think you need to be vindicated on this, the people who are not for 8 ball are usually guys who are rotation players. It is like having someone tell me that one pocket is the game and would be okay for TV, I almost die laughing because I love one pocket, its my favorite game but I know it is boring to most to watch including myself at times.
 
JCIN said:
The only downside to me is pros can make 8 ball look easier than 9 ball. I mean it can look down right silly if the balls open up. But thats one reason I picked 8 ball for one of the sets this weekend. I want to see what it looks like. If people like it and buy it you will certainly see a lot more of it.
Click to expand...

It's going to take more than 1 8-Ball outing to see though. I couldn't even get my local room operator to sign up for a free stream this weekend. If it was his last chance to get that opportunity he may never take one at all. It's the same thing, it will take a little time to get the word out on TAR and what it offers. Pool isn't as popular in Canada as it is in the US.
 
JCIN said:
The only downside to me is pros can make 8 ball look easier than 9 ball. I mean it can look down right silly if the balls open up. But thats one reason I picked 8 ball for one of the sets this weekend. I want to see what it looks like. If people like it and buy it you will certainly see a lot more of it.
Click to expand...

I agree that it can be a run out game at times when played at the expert level. Even still, I find it more interesting than 9 or 10 Ball because there is no road map. With 8 Ball there is more of a "This is how I'd try to get out, I wonder what he's going to do" interest factor that is missing in the other games. Most every rack of 9 Ball for example, you already know what the guy is going to do the vast majority of the time.
 
Last edited:
Scott Lee said:
BTW Augusta National is no more difficult than any of the other top-rated PGA championship courses. It is, however, a LOT more exclusive, and difficult to get to play on.
Click to expand...

YES, to using 8 ball to reach more people.

(They make Augusta much more difficult during the Masters than it normally is)
 
It's also fairly easy to make 8 ball more demanding without changing the equipment. Play 1-15 8 ball or last pocket. We even played rotation 8 ball when I was in college. :cool:
 
Ghosst said:
It's going to take more than 1 8-Ball outing to see though. I couldn't even get my local room operator to sign up for a free stream this weekend. If it was his last chance to get that opportunity he may never take one at all. It's the same thing, it will take a little time to get the word out on TAR and what it offers. Pool isn't as popular in Canada as it is in the US.
Click to expand...

Those room owners out there just do not get it, the internet is here and booming. Room owners need to take advantage of it, have a website, Facebook, get on AZ Billiards, have a live feed from the room. This stuff is not that expensive and the rewards/benefits are pretty good, really good exposure. If you cannot do this yourself there are plenty of tech savvy people in your pool room that probably can help out. :smile:
 
Scott Lee said:
BTW Augusta National is no more difficult than any of the other top-rated PGA championship courses. It is, however, a LOT more exclusive, and difficult to get to play on.
Click to expand...

That is simply not true. When set up for the Masters the only comparable tournament as far as difficulty goes is the US Open courses. In those two events par is actually a very good score. How you could even say that when people win the Masters by barely getting below par and other PGA events are won with scores of -30 or so makes one wonder.

The pros can play on tight larger tables, the general public is not completely oblivious to tough conditions. They know that the top end PGA courses that are tough are just that, tough. They know that the snooker tables the professional snooker players are not like the snooker table at their local pool hall, and they will know if the pool world gets tight 10 foot tables with 4 1/8th inch pockets as the standard that those are not the normal table and that the pros are doing something special.

On rare occasion every gets to try something actually tough and at pro level and it is at those times that the respect for what those pros are doing really resonates. If the professionals pick a tough standard to play the game on then there will be the odd pool hall here and there that WILL get one of those tables because people will want to try it and see what the pro game is really like. It will take time, but the people WILL understand that the pro tables are not the same as their 7 foot diamond box with 4.5 inch pockets.
 
Fast Lenny said:
Those room owners out there just do not get it, the internet is here and booming. Room owners need to take advantage of it, have a website, Facebook, get on AZ Billiards, have a live feed from the room. This stuff is not that expensive and the rewards/benefits are pretty good, really good exposure. If you cannot do this yourself there are plenty of tech savvy people in your pool room that probably can help out. :smile:
Click to expand...


I agree...

It's just silly NOT to have it.

No one can tell me the bar-poolroom wouldn't profit from players sitting around watching pool matches.

You have most of the major tournaments streamed already. Not counting all the local streams happening.

Cost is absolute minimal, for tons and tons of pool matches.
 
does anyone have stats as far as whether there's more 8 ball played at bars vs. pool halls? I know there are more bars than pool halls, but there are also more tables and people will probably play more racks at a pool hall.

I agree we need to have pros playing more 8 ball, disagree it's a "joke game" for players at their level.

Watching the john vs. corey match, there haven't been that many runouts after 15 racks, and there have been some stumper situations where the players must do something tactical and not just take a flyer at the tough shot. Some of the outs have been twice as much work as anything I've seen in 9/10 ball.

We don't need to make it bar box 8 ball either, that's an entirely different game, part of pool's problem is it looks too easy. We don't need to make every shot look even easier. You don't put tiger woods on the minigolf course even if more people are playing that.
 
Pre-Flag Master said:
What's 1-15 8 ball? thanks
Click to expand...

He might be referring to rotation 8 Ball but more than likely he's talking about a version where each player must make their 1 and 15 ball in designated side pockets.

Aside from maybe last pocket 8 Ball, I'm not big on some of these other versions. At my home in the desert the men at the club play 1 & 15 in the side. To me it's just a way for the lesser player to compete because it gives him chances to catch up. You play a bank to your side pocket with good speed so if it doesn't go in, it is near your hole then the opponent just knocks one of his balls into it to get it out of there and send it to the end rail.

-----------

Well, TAR 28 set 1 is in the books and imho the 8 Ball leg was a rousing success. Rack 19 was an epic grind by both players.:thumbup2:
 
Last edited:
JCIN said:
The only downside to me is pros can make 8 ball look easier than 9 ball. I mean it can look down right silly if the balls open up. But thats one reason I picked 8 ball for one of the sets this weekend. I want to see what it looks like. If people like it and buy it you will certainly see a lot more of it.
Click to expand...

I thank you very much for having 8 ball, it was what got me to buy this weekend.

I don't see how 8 ball can look any sillier than 9 ball where most pros can make 3-4 balls on the snap and run 10 racks in a row. Nobody is going to run 10 racks of 8 ball with the 15 balls of traffic.

To me 8 ball has a lot more strategy than rotation games.

Thanks again for some 8 ball :clapping:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top