Bonus ball professional league announced

Correct you? Hell no! That was fabulous! I love answering questions about this game. It proves that we are well educated and organized business men that have thought over and over what the hell we are doing here. We have brought structure to a fantastic game called billiards. We are not some health food mega millionaire flashing sugar and spice at the billiard world! Our team are students of the game, both Larry and I are real pool players that can stick with the best of them at times. We love this game and have decided to try and make it a sport
Larry has developed a fantastic financial team to support this and I believe that we have taken all the right steps to maybe, succeed where everyone else has failed. We have changed the game as everyone knows it, added some nifty scoreboards and wicked computer software that the world of sport has not seen. Will this be enough to push professional billiards off the ground!? Hell I don't know but like I told Dave before, come on down, we are going to Vegas and let's give it a shot. People like this and buy it, we look like geniuses, we fail, well at least we got off the couch and went for it. If we don't entertain people we lose. The bottom line with me, it's all about entertainment. No fans, no money. Simple as that. If we need to adjust the rules, so be it. The fans will tell us, if they like it or they don't!

Will I fade away into the sunset like many others before me...hell no this game is just too entertaining. I will continue on and on! Why, I love this game of billiards! God bless America and the ability to rise above the rest! I believe in moving forward and picking up where others left off. Change is great and strategic and fast sports rock! I can fill 5000 seats to watch an amateur stock car race, surely to hell American pool fans will fill 100 seats, in Las Vegas to watch a professional pool match! I love my Mom, Johnny Archer, Earl Strickland, Dale Earnhardt Sr., Mark Martin and everything that is Canadian and American...Bonus Ball is ours! Hi Tommy Kennedy! Good luck to the Phoenix Flames this year!
 
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I absolutely loved it. The shotclock and match timer makes it seem way way less boring than regular pool.

I noticed that predicting the shot goes out the window with so many pockets to play the next ball. Could be good or bad for commentating.
 
I take that back. The patterns were often obvious. Must have been a calculated decision not to predict the shot too often.

Might be good to replace the shot predictions with interesting stories about the player at the table. Especially when you can see they will be running balls for a while.
 
the two girls are unnecessary, one referee is enough. I'm not gay (lol) but the two girls there make me think of one of those cheap programs aired on regional channels where they use scantily dressed women to attract viewers. lol
The team jerseys need to go. Maybe polo shirts are better.
I also think moving to a 5x10 could be a good move.
 
I like it. Agree with getting rid of the hockey jerseys, replace with customized polo's! Well produced, and get rid of two out of the three "refs'". I have never had anything against Michela Tabb in snooker, and don't care if the ref is male or female. On ref is good enough for the tv crowd. Keep up the good work.
 
krychekrowe said:
I like it. Agree with getting rid of the hockey jerseys, replace with customized polo's! Well produced, and get rid of two out of the three "refs'". I have never had anything against Michela Tabb in snooker, and don't care if the ref is male or female. On ref is good enough for the tv crowd. Keep up the good work.
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There was only one referee, me. they was there just to spot the bonus ball on there side of the table. Was hard to referee with them there, i was distracted :wink:
 
The ladies were there to add some Las Vegas to the show! I envisioned them in a Vegas style outfit when Larry first mentioned it. Still, they were well dressed and very professional. Will they be part of the league? Probably not.

The team jerseys stay. Some graphic design company has made up some logos. They will change and develop as all team logos do. You will like some, not like some, but in the end, it does not matter. I just want to watch these pros and follow the stats for six months. I want to watch them battle for the championship! Will Archer or Scott Frost win the scoring title or will Johnny Morra from Toronto's franchise win it all? Which teams will fail to make post season? It's really just entertainment!
 
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I wanted to like this game.

I watched with an open mind, watched a 2nd time, watched it again and I just see too much sizzle and not enough steak. God bless all involved but it's not for me. Too many rules, shot clock, 10ft table, scoring pattern and a host of other things that make it impossible for the average player to play at home or a local hall. Lets face it, I don't see anyone putting 5 large on bonus ball match any time soon.
It just seems to me that the creators of this concept were just trying to figure out a way to not get a job like the rest of us. I hope it works for all involved but I don't see myself ever watching this for free let alone paying for it on the web or t.v.
I cant imagine a none pool player ever watching this because they would never ever be able to figure out the rules. They are selling this thing like it's going to be good for pool but realistically do you see this game attracting any new players? I do wish them the best of luck.
 
Wait and see....

J-Flo said:
I watched with an open mind, watched a 2nd time, watched it again and I just see too much sizzle and not enough steak. God bless all involved but it's not for me. Too many rules, shot clock, 10ft table, scoring pattern and a host of other things that make it impossible for the average player to play at home or a local hall. Lets face it, I don't see anyone putting 5 large on bonus ball match any time soon.
It just seems to me that the creators of this concept were just trying to figure out a way to not get a job like the rest of us. I hope it works for all involved but I don't see myself ever watching this for free let alone paying for it on the web or t.v.
I cant imagine a none pool player ever watching this because they would never ever be able to figure out the rules. They are selling this thing like it's going to be good for pool but realistically do you see this game attracting any new players? I do wish them the best of luck.
Click to expand...

I have a pretty good feeling you will be following and cheering for the Chicago Rockets by the end of the season.... They probably have the most entertaining and star packed team in the league. Well maybe not the most entertaining... wait until you see who the captain of New York is :wink:
 
meximan2469 said:
I have a pretty good feeling you will be following and cheering for the Chicago Rockets by the end of the season.... They probably have the most entertaining and star packed team in the league. Well maybe not the most entertaining... wait until you see who the captain of New York is :wink:
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Seriously, no disrespect intended, but do you really think that most/many people here will base their decision on whether they will become loyal, dedicated, fan (customer) of Bonus Ball based mainly on who the captain is, or what city "team" they are on? Sure, they may be additional reasons for many to participate, but I doubt that will be the primary. The primary reason will be the game itself, one that they can either immediately identify with or one they will find so compelling that they will want to immediately begin playing and enjoying....this comes first, nothing else. I may like the way Roger Federer plays tennis, but if he starts his own tour with his own variation of tennis, chances are that I'll still be watching Wimbledon and the US Open.

Unfortunately, at it's best, pool is still a fringe sport with a limited market. Until high schools and colleges are having team rally's for pool in their auditoriums, it will probably remain so.

My sincere best wishes, good luck.

J
 
The steak is the game actually. The players really do like the challenge of the three pocket game and the fact that if you don't notice, they get several trips to the table.

However, nobody needs to watch it if they don't want. Just like the days when bar box tables arrived on the scene, they were looked down upon and sneered at by established players. Times have changed. People have changed. Cars have changed. It's not a bad thing to change. It takes way more guts to look outside the box than sit inside the box.

First time I watched a football game I sat there dumbfounded. I finally now understand the game. (still don't know the rules) I don't buy that this game is too hard or too many rules. That just means it's a more structured game. Try looking into a NASCAR rule book! There a 100,000 plus fans at most every race. They just enjoy the sport. If you don't enjoy watching these top players and the strategic and difficulty of Bonus Ball, yep don't watch it!

I like it when Larry said this to me..."Imagine Tiger Woods playing Par 3's all day long! He would never be seen as he is today! He is today what he is because he's one of the best ever at the highest level of golf. We just took the game of billiards and structured it to challenge the skills of better players. Bonus Ball is Par 5!
 
jimmyg said:
Seriously, no disrespect intended, but do you really think that most/many people here will base their decision on whether they will become loyal, dedicated, fan (customer) of Bonus Ball based mainly on who the captain is, or what city "team" they are on? Sure, they may be additional reasons for many to participate, but I doubt that will be the primary. The primary reason will be the game itself, one that they can either immediately identify with or one they will find so compelling that they will want to immediately begin playing and enjoying....this comes first, nothing else. I may like the way Roger Federer plays tennis, but if he starts his own tour with his own variation of tennis, chances are that I'll still be watching Wimbledon and the US Open.

Unfortunately, at it's best, pool is still a fringe sport with a limited market. Until high schools and colleges are having team rally's for pool in their auditoriums, it will probably remain so.

My sincere best wishes, good luck.

J
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I will agree with you on this point, pools biggest problem is not grooming youth. I know they have little junior tournaments and whatnot but there are no big nationwide programs. Pool is relying on the same old money instead of getting fresh new money, this game hopefully will bring new people into it and get them hooked on pool.

I do hope that one day there is a nationwide program for billiards, a real program and not just a regional thing that gets pool tables in schools and the top players be true ambassadors for the game. I do not know why people do not understand how important that is because other countries are doing it, I guess a big problem is we have all the big sports and other countries do not.
 
Direct APPEAL to the WPBL - Bonus Ball Project

Pardon me for being pretty straightforward, but ... :wink:

From what it seems you did take a lot of effort to make this Project look very professional and well prepared.
I really mean it; the attempt is, by all means, on the positive side, regardless of the future outcome.

All the set up is generally nice: good quality video, specially designed balls, the venue looks very nice and so the ball’s re-spotting ladies... (however, that is purely a matter of a personal taste)

My question is (e.g. 10 min. 15 sec. of the video):

Has the Referee forgotten to put the gloves on or... is he having an official doctor’s prescription that, for health reasons, he can not wear them.

On the occasion, just a remainder: the Ref might need a ball marker...

No offence :sorry:, just: “EVERY LITTLE COUNTS”

Regards
 
supplement: Direct APPEAL to the WPBL - Bonus Ball Project

Just another thought on the subject (and I can assure you I am not trying to be a smart a.. here)

Since the ladies, in the course of their duties, are in a physical contact with balls (they touch them and hold them), should they not be also equipped with customary white gloves ???

Regards
 
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vpbb123 said:
When we put on our first professional event it was a huge success! We sold sponsorship to many huge corporations but none of them where billiards related. We did not take an entry fee and we paid the players cash before they left the building and treated them like pros! We need and intend to proceed this way! Besides the odd fool that rips everything good on forums, it's all been positive. Criticism is positive if it is warranted. We can't announce the players until they have signed our agreements and that is just smart business sense on everyone's part. I can tell you, we have a hundred players wanting in if one says no! Watching any top player playing Bonus Ball is entertaining, even if the play Advanced league or not! The shots that this game forces out of you is the difference between this game and that game!

The balls could be the old traditional one's and you can use them if you wish. Matters not to us! What matters is that this game shows the billiard world that uniforms and teams and STATISTICS are important to be look at as professionals. These are just mute points. It's the way the league is going.

Having cities to promote to is common sense but building 12 state of the art venues is not feasible. That is why we chose Las Vegas as the center of the WPBL. Each team will have a name such as the Chicago Rockets, Atlanta Scorpions, Phoenix Flames etc. and uniforms and each team will have a schedule. Just like other professional sports. Relax everybody. Nothing unique here. Bonus Ball is not unique either. The game is the mixture of all other games and not one thing is really new. It's just better structured for top players and this includes anyone that desires to play strategic pool without boring an audience to death! LOL

I love all games and I play all games. I don't want to hurt the other games, I just want a piece of the untapped market of players that leave the game after mastering eight ball to the higher levels. It can't be argued that the top level leagues are always the small numbers. I believe, such as my case, they don't want to play the same thing over and over forever. This game will challenge them for sure! It also makes you a way better player!

Keep all the good or bad reviews coming in, Cleary, Im still waiting for you to say something intelligent! :wink:

Barry Bremner
Vice-president of Bonus Ball
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Well......I have to say that I was not initially excited about another new game.

But after watching the full game I have to say I like it. It really does combine all the games and so it's not a gaff game. As far as I can see it this is a real tester of a game because it forces the player to think and perform.

Pool is ever evolving. I think people forget that each game we know now was invented by someone and many or most of them in the past 100 years. In the BCA rule book there are rules to dozens of games. I have written here before that pool doesn't need any new games to succeed and maybe I am wrong. Maybe a new game with a new look and high quality production will revitalize general interest in knocking balls into holes.

I also like that you don't really need to buy a set of special balls to play it. Just substitute the stripes and solids for the purple and orange and play. That way it's more accessible to anyone with existing equipment.

My little bit of advice: Please get rid of the applause on the scoreboard software you distribute. What a great idea to make the scorebaord and give it away for free but the applause sound clip every time the score is changed is really annoying.

Good luck with your venture. Will be very interesting to see what develops.
 
vpbb123 said:
When I first decided to help Larry develop this game, it was because I was looking for a game of billiards, just the way Bonus Ball played. I loved the strategy and the tough shots. Here is what I said to myself, if I show 100 people this game and if they tell me they really like it, that will tell me what my market share could be.

At all levels, the answer was nearly 100%. Not 50% which would have made me happy, not 25% which would have been exciting too...

Asking 100 players who never played the game, it dropped to about 10%.

What's my point? Once I have someone take the time to play the game, they are sold on it! Not everyone, but a insanely high percentage of pool players love the game. In marketing lingo, this concept is a winner. It will capture it's own market, it will capture new players and it will be fun to watch these new teams battle for the championship.

I had a nice chat with TAR's Justin and we do agree that we have two different products to film and that hopefully we can co-exist. Since we are practically next door neighbors in Las Vegas, it seems to be a good deal. We both love pool, we both enjoy watching it and we both are leaning heavily on filming it. We both want to present it in the best possible and professional way.

Bonus Ball is simply pool. Instead of ball elimination it is a scoring game. I don't need to teach anything but the rules and away they go! I play in the pool halls without a scoreboard, referee or attractive ladies spotting balls. I don't need Lee Brett to referee. There are no fancy light system need to be set up. I score with pennies and simply enjoy playing the game. I can't stand playing it with solid and stripes though, it just does not seem right. Yes, I had to send some money to Aramith to play with these ball sets but I like driving new vehicles and I like the look of the new ball set. My preference and I could careless if I saw some playing the game with some cheap Walmart ball sets or playing with the same set as the WPBL uses. I really don't care!

My main goal has always been to see players playing a modern game, in my opinion, it just makes more sense in the year 2012! Everything else in this world has progressed so why should pool remain in the 1900's? I just don't get that? Will people buy a PPV of the Johnny Archer's Atlanta Scorpions playing Scott Frost's Phoenix Flames??? Some of you probably won't but many pool fans and new fans will! I also think that the majority of our viewership will be from Atlanta and Phoenix on that night. A typical team match will take a few hours just like any other sport and that's really as long as I want to watch any sporting event.

Our FREE PPV is found at www.playbonusball.com. Check it out and I hope you like it. If not, maybe the band wagon will still have room for you by the play-offs. Go Toronto Blue Sharks!:smile:
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I have a question then. Will you be willing to allow anyone to make and sell bonus ball sets for free just like anyone can make and sell regular pool ball sets? Wouldn't it make more sense to expand the reach of the game to allow any and all distributors to make their own sets according to your guidelines like Google has done with their Android operating system for phones?

Google gives away Android but asks the phone makers to adhere to a standard so that the experience for all users on any phone is about the same. The result has been that there are more android users than any other phone operating system. My thought is that doing something similar would open up Bonus Ball to a much wider audience.

Imagine if all the distributors started making Bonus Ball sets and because it's free to them to make the sets and they don't have to pay you anything they spend the money promoting the game instead. Woudn't that be great if suddenly because of the availability of cheap sets Bonus Ball started spreading throughout the country and maybe the world?

I say give away the right the make the balls and retain the rights to the logo and all the merchandising.

(p.s. I happen to live in China and have some experience with making specialty sets of balls)

John Barton
www.jbcases.com
 
That is something I'd like to see John, with a small royalty since spending millions it should come back in some way! LOL Send me an email barry@playbonusball.com

CJ Wiley gave us a great idea for ball sets. I love it but Larry Chiborak loves this set that is used now but CJ's idea is really cool. Yellow and Blue for the colours and red for the Bonus Ball. That makes a lot of sense. Yellow is know as 1 point, Blue as the deuce and Red is three points, which is the value of the Bonus Ball.

Larry Chiborak is the president and he makes all the decisions. I can influence him but he makes the final say. I really felt CJ's idea is great. I believe ball sales was Larry's first thought many years ago but has turned his attention way past that now. It never meant a dam thing to me! I just want to watch a professional league with a schedule and play-offs. I have reached that dream now! I am going to sit back and watch it play out! I have no idea which team will win it all but being in Las Vegas, I'm sure the bookies will be placing odds!
 
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If bonus ball is pat 5......

vpbb123 said:
The steak is the game actually. The players really do like the challenge of the three pocket game and the fact that if you don't notice, they get several trips to the table.

However, nobody needs to watch it if they don't want. Just like the days when bar box tables arrived on the scene, they were looked down upon and sneered at by established players. Times have changed. People have changed. Cars have changed. It's not a bad thing to change. It takes way more guts to look outside the box than sit inside the box.

First time I watched a football game I sat there dumbfounded. I finally now understand the game. (still don't know the rules) I don't buy that this game is too hard or too many rules. That just means it's a more structured game. Try looking into a NASCAR rule book! There a 100,000 plus fans at most every race. They just enjoy the sport. If you don't enjoy watching these top players and the strategic and difficulty of Bonus Ball, yep don't watch it!

I like it when Larry said this to me..."Imagine Tiger Woods playing Par 3's all day long! He would never be seen as he is today! He is today what he is because he's one of the best ever at the highest level of golf. We just took the game of billiards and structured it to challenge the skills of better players. Bonus Ball is Par 5!
Click to expand...

If bonus ball is par 5 than what is next, a big spinning windmill in front of every pocket and a water hazard in the middle of the table. How about a clown with balloons for everyone?

Your correct that change is the only thing that stays the same, but change for the sake of change is just like trying to push rope, no matter how hard you try it just dosent go forward.
 
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