Why No 15-Ball Rotation?

Johnnyt

Johnnyt

Burn all jump cues
Silver Member
Myself and others have asked on AZ many times why don't the pros try 15-ball rotation in a few tournaments a year? We never really get a good answer why not. If you can put on 1 pocket tournaments then 15-ball rotation would take no longer than that. Johnnyt
 
Johnnyt said:
Myself and others have asked on AZ many times why don't the pros try 15-ball rotation in a few tournaments a year? We never really get a good answer why not. If you can put on 1 pocket tournaments then 15-ball rotation would take no longer than that. Johnnyt
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It needs to be promoted and put on...nobody's putting them out there. I agree, we should see pros take this game on. It's a serious game that really tests shotmaking and cueball control like no other. The game basically died here in the U.S. back in the '50s or so, but somehow survived in the Philipines (thanks to the U.S. Navy!). If only................
 
I don't care for score keeping games. Maybe that's how most people feel(?) I don't consider 14.1 as a score keeping game. You're just counting balls.

If you want a harder rotation game for the pros, they could play 10-ball using all 15 balls. The extra balls are just blockers. You can pocket one of the extra balls (combos or billiards) and keep shooting if it was a called shot. Or you can use them to carom off of, hide behind, and so on. I didn't invent the game, but it sounds like a good challenge. And it wouldn't take that much longer to play a rack. Races to 7 or 9 might be in order.

Who ever invented this game (someone on AZ I think) should come up with a name for it.
 
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Here's Why

Because 15 ball rotation is basically the same animal as 9 or 10 ball. Why would anyone want to see a longer,more drawn-out version?
As if a 2/3hr 10 ball match isn't long enough already, it'd probably take a week to conclude just one tourament. (add another 4 more days if Mike Wong enters and does well)
ack2.gif


On the other hand,1 Pocket, 14.1 or 8 ball, are totally different animals altogether and the viewers understand differences of each dicpline so they know what to expect.

Can you imagine someone trying to promote the idea of an extended version of one pocket?! :boring2:
 
seven_7days said:
Because 15 ball rotation is basically the same animal as 9 or 10 ball. Why would anyone want to see a longer,more drawn-out version?
As if a 2/3hr 10 ball match isn't long enough already, it'd probably take a week to conclude just one tourament. (add another 4 more days if Mike Wong enters and does well)
ack2.gif


On the other hand,1 Pocket, 14.1 or 8 ball, are totally different animals altogether and the viewers understand differences of each dicpline so they know what to expect.

Can you imagine someone trying to promote the idea of an extended version of one pocket?! :boring2:
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Haven't played much if any 15 ball...huh? Johnnyt
 
Johnnyt said:
Myself and others have asked on AZ many times why don't the pros try 15-ball rotation in a few tournaments a year?
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Ya know, Johnny, I'm one of the "others" that has asked this very same question on this forum and I too have gotten very little response from the question.

If it's because "score" has to be kept, I say "so what"! Straight pool has to have score kept, Bonus Ball too. How hard is it to keep score anyways (well, okay, I guess there are SOME poolplayers that can't count past ten :embarrassed2:)?

IMO, 9-ball in 2012 is the same as 7-ball was ten years ago. With the plethora of good poolplayers nowadays, the game is just too fast and easy. The only thing that may possibly make it worth playing would be to play 9-ball as a "call-shot, call-safety" game. Then, why not just play 10-ball?

Fifteen ball rotation (61 points) at least is a game that most racks won't end in a matter of seconds. More blocking balls, more strategy, more exciting comination shots (caroms, etc.). All-in-all a game where more thought has to be put into every shot (you'd have to be careful where you leave the high-numbered balls).

I'm ready to kick professional 9-ball to the curb and bring on 15-ball rotation!!! I just wish SOMEONE would do this ONE time and see how it flies.

Maniac
 
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"61" or whatever folks want to call Straight Rotation these days is faster than "full rack 10 Ball" would be. You get 61 points and you're done...no need to clear all balls. Shortcut on the 15 only gets you 15 points; if there's more than enough for someone to get to 61 points left on the table, game continues. The objective is a little different than 9 or 10 ball, as there's no set case ball. Plus the roll outs and spot shots make safety play really interesting. IMHO, it's the "one pocket of rotation games".:wink:
 
Rotation, yes!

West Point 1987 said:
"61" or whatever folks want to call Straight Rotation these days is faster than "full rack 10 Ball" would be. You get 61 points and you're done...no need to clear all balls. Shortcut on the 15 only gets you 15 points; if there's more than enough for someone to get to 61 points left on the table, game continues. The objective is a little different than 9 or 10 ball, as there's no set case ball. Plus the roll outs and spot shots make safety play really interesting. IMHO, it's the "one pocket of rotation games".:wink:
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I agree with Johnny and West Point. Rotation (the 61-point version) is a great game.
One of my first thrills as a youngster was when a guy asked me to play a game of Rotation for a quarter a point (a serious bet for a kid back then!). I won the flip, and ran to 61 from the break. When I began to sit down, the guy says, "Hold it, the game's not over till all the balls are gone! Keep shootin'". I knew better, but didn't argue, and proceeded to run the rest of the rack for 121 quarters! He put up his cue without getting near the table.

Donny L
PBIA/ACS Instructor
 
Think it boils down to... the current batch of popular games aren't broken, so nobody's looking to fix them.

Like playing fast'n'loose? You got 9 ball. Want a little more discipline and challenge? 10 ball. Like drawn out strategic safety battles? 1 pocket. Do-or-die runouts? You got 8 ball.

The existing games out there already fill the players needs. They're not gonna shop around for a new game when there are a half dozen tried'n'true favorites available.
 
Great idea but, how would you score it--there would be a tremendous 61 points and out from the break--it's a lot easier to make balls on the break in rotation than it is in ten ball--would you only win on the 15 or would you use the 61 points a the rule for winning. We used to play a game called ways you got payed on most balls played ,along with most points and also paid on the 5 ball 10 ball and 15 ball.
 
Here's 2 cents;

Probably for the same reasons we don't see professional chess matches on TV.
 
I'm convinced

That Rotational 8 ball (I call it Dakota 8 ball) is the next game that should be played, especially by the pros. It is a more difficult game than 8 ball, and the possibilities for play would be very interesting.
 
Snapshot9 said:
That Rotational 8 ball (I call it Dakota 8 ball) is the next game that should be played, especially by the pros. It is a more difficult game than 8 ball, and the possibilities for play would be very interesting.
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We usually play three games of 15 ball (one point per ball, ball in hand on any foul) to 50 points every weekday and have a lot of fun. To my friend and I it is a very challenging game. Of course after the first few balls some one runs out (similar to ten ball) if the table is open. We find that racking 1,2,3 in the corners and 4 in the middle allows for some early runs. It is usually difficult to run the whole table in one inning but it happens on occassion.

I think it would make an excellent professional game with ten ball rules and one point per ball. When playing to 50 points one player can get 15 - 20 points ahead and this creates much pressure on the other player to play smart.


We will have to try Dakota 8-Ball. Could be even more challenging. Locking up one or more of his balls could be interesting.
 
QUOTE=Johnnyt;3797758]Yeah, don't want to mess with all the pool on TV now:smile:. Johnnyt[/QUOTE]

JT thank god they use clocks :banghead:[
 
rotation is a great game and it would be a treat to watch top pros play it a few times a year. i know the filipinos still play this game at least to practice for 10 ball and they still play it for money, but i think some of the top americans could compete if they actually practiced.
 
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