Looking Back on Billiards - Was the $1,000,000 Challenge Pro Pool's BIG Chance???

I may stop by CK's on Skillman.

Txstang1 said:
the billiard den carries the rackem and i picked up a copy this past weekend at rustys in Arlington. fyi
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Thanks for the "steer" my friend....hope you're doing well, I haven't been in Dallas to see you guys in awhile.

Let me know when you want to take me up on some training, you were "pre occupied" last time we talked. I'll be in Dallas this coming weekend for few hours, I may stop by CK's on Skillman.

Enjoy Your Christmas and I'll Cya soon
 
I believe the "players" you're labeling are "rappers" which are "players"

grover said:
hey cj
pro pool is what it is, if anything wrong with it, it's this.
the american mens pro pool player
liar's
thieves
dumpers
felons
drunks
junkies
no integrity
no honor
no character
no class
rap sheets a mile long
what sponsor gonna get behind them?
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I believe the "players" you're labeling are "rappers" which are "players" and they do have "sponsors" that give them "millions".
 
grover said:
hey cj
pro pool is what it is, if anything wrong with it, it's this.
the american mens pro pool player
liar's
thieves
dumpers
felons
drunks
junkies
no integrity
no honor
no character
no class
rap sheets a mile long
what sponsor gonna get behind them?
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Have you heard the story about the time Anderson Silva was close to blasting Cordeiro?

There was a time not too long ago when a poor Anderson Silva was capable of doing some very bad things. Anderson one time had an argument with his coach about wether he could continue to make a living teaching at another school. Rafael Cordeiro, famous coach of Chute Boxe academy, was the one argueing with Silva and during the argument he slapped Silva across the face. A high tempered Silva left, got his friends, got a shotgun, and waited outside of Cordeiro's home so that he could get his revenge. In case you are wondering if this story is true... Anderson has told the story himself and has expressed how he is glad that Rafael never made it there until Anderson was found and talked out of doing the damage. For what it's worth Anderson seems to have changed since then however the fight game is still a dirty business with some shady characters.


liar's
thieves
dumpers
felons
drunks
junkies
no integrity
no honor
no character
no class
rap sheets a mile long

These are traits that can not only be found in some of the fighters getting sponsored but a lot of times they can be found in the promoters and or managers forming the relationship with the sponsors. It's all about the $$$$$'s.

Don't get me wrong, there are some great people in the game and many people have changed their lives because of lessons learned but I think you get my point.
 
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The thing is racks don't have memories, like tossing a coin and not expecting to get
10 heads in a row because the coin should remember and even the score with some tails!
 
(money may temporality give them "relief," but never balance)

(((Satori))) said:
These are traits that can not only be found in some of the fighters getting sponsored but a lot of times they can be found in the promoters and or managers forming the relationship with the sponsors. It's all about the $$$$$'s.

Don't get me wrong, there are some great people in the game and many people have changed their lives because of lessons learned but I think you get my point.
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The mentality of those that truly had to "fight" their way down life's path always need balance (money may temporality give them "relief," but never balance). Some get it, and some, unfortunately do not. 'The Game is the Teacher'
 
klockdoc said:
I wonder what the odds would be today for someone to run 11 racks of 9 ball?

Would it still be 7.8 million to 1 odds? It has it changed due to table conditions and people's expanded knowledge of the game?
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I must ask, what expanded knowledge of the game has there been to make the odds of running 11 racks better today?
 
Earl Strickland knows more about running racks than any living human.

flyvirginiaguy said:
I must ask, what expanded knowledge of the game has there been to make the odds of running 11 racks better today?
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After interviewing Earl for two hours there's no question in my mind that he knows more about running racks than any living human. He practiced and experimented 8 hours a day for a month solid to figure out every conceivable way to increase his chances of running 10 racks in a row.

He ran over 5 racks in a row every day after he "figured the last details out about debris and it's effect on the table"........he explains this process in the Million Dollar Documentary.
 
CJ Wiley said:
He ran over 5 racks in a row every day after he "figured the last details out about debris and it's effect on the table"........he explains this process in the Million Dollar Documentary.
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Are you saying Earl was responsible for teaching Johnny Archer how to "pick lint"? I was wondering who taught him that secret. :)

Aloha.
 
CJ Wiley said:
Yes, indeed, it took over 17 years and many "bumps in the road" before this documentary could be released.......if someone doesn't believe in "miracles" or "fate," they may have a difficult time explaining the year of 1996 in pool.

We were riding the wave of 'The Color of Money' back in the late 80s and early 90s, and anything we did was going to go well.....and that's when the Pros made their epic mistake.

They allowed the rules to be changed to 'One Foul' and did away (slowly but surely) with 'Two Show Shoot Out'.....this is the equivalent of Poker suddenly wanting to change the TV format so you CAN'T see the "hole card".......in both examples it would be devastating to the Game. Only in the case of Pocket Billiards, it really happened and when the "wave" of popularity naturally came down in 1999, so did the entire Game.....and we never thought to change the rules back to how they originally were......the way that created the greatest Game.

Hindsight is always 20/20 and there's no way anyone could have seen this coming....except for {maybe} the 9Ball Game it's self ;) 'The Game is the Teacher'
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CJ, they changed to "One Foul" over ten years before that in the early 1980's. You can thank your fellow Texans (the Texas Express Group) for that rule change. By the way that change was essential for getting ESPN to cover pool tournaments. It sped up the matches and allowed then to fit most of a match into a one hour time slot. All the Caesars and Atlantic City tournaments during the 80's were played with Texas Express rules, as was the finals of the Los Angeles Open in 1992 when you played Earl!
 
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"One Foul" turned out to be bad for the game in general.....not much strategy

jay helfert said:
CJ, they changed to "One Foul" over ten years before that in the early 1980's. You can thank your fellow Texans (the Texas Express Group) for that rule change. By the way that change was essential for getting ESPN to cover pool tournaments. It sped up the matches and allowed then to fit most of a match into a one hour time slot. All the Caesars and Atlantic City tournaments during the 80's were played with Texas Express rules, as was the finals of the Los Angeles Open in 1992 when you played Earl!
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The ESPN matches were taped so they could "fit" the match into an hour no matter what rules were used. I'm not sure when they started actually using "Texas Express Rules" instead of simply "One Foul" but it turned out to be bad for the game in general. I thought Texas Express came about in the late 80s, although "One Foul" was around back in the late 70s/early 80s.....I guess Robin Adair would know for sure.

One Foul is great for speeding up the game and evening out the field, but it diluted it into a shell of it's former game. You have to agree that 'Two Shot Shoot Out' was much better than "One Foul"......I could write an entire book on "Two Shot" and I couldn't write more than a couple of paragraphs about "One Foul"......One Foul just doesn't have any strategy, you either try to run out, kick or duck.....that's really about it.
 
CJ Wiley said:
After interviewing Earl for two hours there's no question in my mind that he knows more about running racks than any living human. He practiced and experimented 8 hours a day for a month solid to figure out every conceivable way to increase his chances of running 10 racks in a row.

He ran over 5 racks in a row every day after he "figured the last details out about debris and it's effect on the table"........he explains this process in the Million Dollar Documentary.
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The original post I quoted was not talking about Earl directly. It was talking about the expanded knowledge of players today as compared to Earl when he did it. Which is hogwash. Players of today are not superior to those of the past. If they were, they would be running 11 racks for millions like it was as easy as eating a snack.
 
Ipt $250,000

I think the debacle was Sigel playing Lori Jon instead of Allison Fisher, who at that time was at the top of her game. I heard the WPBA board would Not allow Allie to compete, due to such and such a rule. :banghead: Does Billy Jean King/Bobby Riggs come to mind? Womens tennis completely changed after that debacle.
 
OK....you got me....a quick history lesson. I had been using various forms of rules over the years trying to finalize a set that was easy to understand. One foul had been played in numerous ways, like ball behind the line on the break if a foul occured, balls made on fouls spotted up, etc. What I settled on was BIH anywhere after any foul, and only the 9 spots.

The first major event I used these rules was the Texas Open in 1983. 'Showboat Joe' Cromleigh became indisposed and I was recruited to run the event at Breakers in Austin. I wrote the rules on the wall and with only some minor grumbling from the players, it was accepted wholeheartedly and spread across the planet like wildfire.

It was over a decade later that me and RandyG and John McChesney formed the Southwest Tour which soon turned into the McDermott Tour then morphed into the National 9 ball Tour.
 
I'm still having a really hard time swalling this 7.8 million to 1 odds. Does a pro player really only have a 1 in 4.889 chance of pocketting the 9-ball after they break?
 
Happy New Year Robin

Rockin' Robin said:
OK....you got me....a quick history lesson. I had been using various forms of rules over the years trying to finalize a set that was easy to understand. One foul had been played in numerous ways, like ball behind the line on the break if a foul occured, balls made on fouls spotted up, etc. What I settled on was BIH anywhere after any foul, and only the 9 spots.

The first major event I used these rules was the Texas Open in 1983. 'Showboat Joe' Cromleigh became indisposed and I was recruited to run the event at Breakers in Austin. I wrote the rules on the wall and with only some minor grumbling from the players, it was accepted wholeheartedly and spread across the planet like wildfire.

It was over a decade later that me and RandyG and John McChesney formed the Southwest Tour which soon turned into the McDermott Tour then morphed into the National 9 ball Tour.
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I was only aware of the Texas Express form of 9 Ball after you guys started the McDermott Tour. They were already playing "one foul" as you mentioned, but you guys did revolutionize that particular game. I believe it achieved your purpose and it's a great way to speed up play and even out the playing fields to maximize participation.

On the other hand it takes a LOT of vital skill out of the game for professionals. I know you were never targeting professionals so this really had nothing to do with the Texas Express Group.

I, for one, think we MUST bring back 'Two Shot Shoot Out' to maximize the BEST components of the game again....this is strategy, shot making and "2 way shots"...without these qualities the game is suffering (of course these qualities exist, just in a bare minimum in one foul rules).

Thanks, Robin, I can't wait for you to see the Documentary, it will bring back a LOT of great memories. Happy New Year.
 
How to speed up rollout 9 Ball

This way you don't Have to play ten ball.

I'd like to see someone try 1st shot after the break must be a roll out, plus each player gets one roll out per rack. Also player can only use their jump cue once or twice a match. All other rules same.

And of course Single Elimination set play.
 
.they took out the "DARE" situation and pool has never been the same since.

Island Drive said:
This way you don't Have to play ten ball.

I'd like to see someone try 1st shot after the break must be a roll out, plus each player gets one roll out per rack. Also player can only use their jump cue once or twice a match. All other rules same.

And of course Single Elimination set play.
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If you play 'Two Shot Shoot Out' with a mandatory "roll out" it's even OK to play 6 Ball. This is a much more strategic game than 9 Ball OR 10 Ball. The two shot roll out rules bring a level of strategy to the game that one foul can't possibly generate.

There would be action too....no one ever wanted to gamble their money playing "one foul"......in the 70s/80s/ and early 90s there was a TON of action due to the rules being "Two Shot" instead of one shot.......they took out the "Dare/Challenge" situation and pool has not been the same since.....poker took over because it does have these vital elements. 'The Game is the Teacher'
 
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