This is based on my experience of many people telling me that they "just don't have the patience for one pocket". There's no reason you can't play one pocket at the same pace you play any other game other than the fact that there is usually more to consider. Most non-1P players I know associate progress in a pool game with balls dropping in pockets.[/SIZE][/B]
What people think "if balls aren't dropping in pockets, nothing is going on"? - that makes no sense, everyone knows something's going on when the balls are moving.
Yes, it is true. The average person wants to see balls going in the pockets because they are impatient and have trouble understanding the intricacies of safety battles. I'm sorry I didn't specify that I was lumping in 1-foul with Texas Express, but I figured you would understand what I was talking about. 9-ball is where it is today because it is faster and potentially marketable to non-players. I don't even feel like your were arguing with me beyond the point where you said "this isn't true at all", so maybe I missed something."and also led to the rise of Texas Express rules over 2 fouls 9-ball" - This isn't true at all, Texas Express came several years after 'Two Shot Shoot Out' 9 Ball was discontinued {only in tournaments, gambling matches were virtually ALL Two Shot Shoot Out}and it was because of the promoter Richie Florence and the Jasco Brothers tournaments......it had nothing at all to do with which rules were better, it was to speed up play, thus speeding up tournaments, and potential TV Shows.
I don't understand your point here. On one hand, you're touting 2-foul 9-ball over one pocket based on the percentage of offensive shots taken, and here you're criticizing Texas Express rules. Is there or is there not a higher percentage of offensive shots in Texas Express 9-ball than 2-foul? That's the line of reasoning I was talking about."If you continue down this path of reasoning, you're going to end up being a spokesperson for Texas Express rules"......One of my original partners in the pool room business, JOHN McCHESNEY invented Texas Express rules with Randy G. and Robin A. - again, it was to speed up tournaments, not because the rules were better, on the contrary they KNEW the rules "leveled the playing field" and gave the best players less of an advantage.
'The Facts are the Teacher'
In any case, I agree that 2-foul 9-ball is a better test of skill than Texas Express, and it's not that hard a sell. Everyone in this discussion would probably agree. What I don't understand is how you can classify 9-ball as more difficult than one pocket when the two games are so dissimilar and nobody has beaten either game, just their opponents.
For an example of a game that has been beat, take tic tac toe for example. Played correctly, the player that goes first in tic tac toe cannot lose, and there are plenty of people capable of doing that. I guess the pool equivalent would be something like shooting a ball sitting in the jaws of a pocket with ball in hand. That game would not be worth playing. I think that one pocket and 9-ball (2-foul and even the more luck-based Texas Express 9 ball) are games worth playing.