BB Tournaments Will Bring Back Gambling

Johnnyt

Johnnyt

Burn all jump cues
Silver Member
I bet more and more of these top player high entry/ high purse Bar Box tournaments will get the rail betting back, as it's more like gambling. I love it. I knew these BB tournaments had to happen, but it looks like it has just happened. Johnnyt

PS: W/O the BB we've had around for 65 years, pool would be in (MAYBE) one (1) pool room, every 50 miles.

PPS: These high entry tournaments will also bring back some stake horses and also get some new ones involved.
 
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There isn't any rail issues up this way, not sure how FL is doing.


Johnnyt said:
I bet more and more of these top player high entry/ high purse Bar Box tournaments will get the rail betting back, as it's more like gambling. I love it. I knew these BB tournaments had to happen, but it looks like it has just happened. Johnnyt

PS: W/O the BB we've had around for 65 years, pool would be in (MAYBE) one (1) pool room, every 50 miles.
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u12armresl said:
There isn't any rail issues up this way, not sure how FL is doing.
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I'm happy for you and Indy, but all you have to do is look in the action forum to see how many are betting on pool to see those bets are way down. But with everyone wanting the nuts in today's pool world, maybe the 7' table will scare more away, as they don't want anything close to EVEN. Johnnyt
 
What sport has ever gotten better by making it easier. I can think of none. Golf courses keep getting longer and they keep paying more money. The bar box being looked upon as a savior is the true indication that pool is indeed dead.
 
dnschmidt said:
What sport has ever gotten better by making it easier. I can think of none. Golf courses keep getting longer and they keep paying more money. The bar box being looked upon as a savior is the true indication that pool is indeed dead.
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It is funny you say that because the answer is pool. Back in the 50's and 60's they were making pool tables with bigger pockets then they had previously. They also made the 4 1/2 x 9 the standard down from the 5 x 10.

The whole intent was to make the game easier for the masses to play the game. The home table market was expanding and they added the 4 x 8 and 3 1/2 x 7 tables so it was easier for home players to have room for a table.

All this had a lot to do with the growth the sport experienced in those years.
 
If pool wants to save itself it needs to clarify its nomenclature.

BB should not mean both Bar Box and Bonus Ball!!! :yikes::yikes::yikes::yikes:
 
Johnnyt said:
I bet more and more of these top player high entry/ high purse Bar Box tournaments will get the rail betting back, as it's more like gambling. I love it. I knew these BB tournaments had to happen, but it looks like it has just happened. Johnnyt

PS: W/O the BB we've had around for 65 years, pool would be in (MAYBE) one (1) pool room, every 50 miles.
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I'm with ya Johnny........ I'd rather watch BB matches any day . It brings out aggressive shot making and pin point position play. I watched the Smokin Aces this weekend and it was amazing. Big packages,jumps and masse's . What more could one ask for?
 
dnschmidt said:
What sport has ever gotten better by making it easier. I can think of none.
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We can start with baseball and football.

In baseball, the pitcher's mound was always up to 20" above the level of the field. In 1968, hitters struggled so mightily that baseball decided to lower the mound to make it easier for hitters.

In football, it seems every rule change is to make it easier for the offense. Many tackles that used to be legal now bring penalties, the rules by which defensive backs can cover receivers make catching passes easier than in the past.

In each case, the game, though easier, became more entertaining.
 
sjm said:
We can start with baseball and football.

In baseball, the pitcher's mound was always up to 20" above the level of the field. In 1968, hitters struggled so mightily that baseball decided to lower the mound to make it easier for hitters.

In football, it seems every rule change is to make it easier for the offense. Many tackles that used to be legal now bring penalties, the rules by which defensive backs can cover receivers make catching passes easier than in the past.

In each case, the game, though easier, became more entertaining.
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However, in each of those cases it made the games easier for the offense of each team and more difficult for the defense. Both games are more entertaining as a result, but as far as the overall easiness of the gameplay itself there is some trade off.

The rise of far superior equipment and better agronomy in golf over the last 20 to 30 years has made the game easier overall at every level for every player. I believe that a slightly more apropos example. Also, more tee boxes are being built on golf courses for amateur players and players are being encouraged to play from a variety of distances that are neither "the tips" or "the ladies tees".
 
What sports have changed to make them easier? That's simple. ALL OF THEM! To use past examples...baseball equipment is far different than when the game started...from gloves and bats to the balls themselves...those advancements made the game easier. Playing football with hard shell helmets, shoulder pads, neck braces, etc...again the ball itself...all make the game easier to play than how it started. Tennis rackets...tennis balls...golf clubs...golf balls...they've all changed to overcome deficiencies in skill.

I agree with Johnnyt...gambling will probably experience at least a little uptick with more bar table tournaments. It will definitely bring more people to the game. I know some people just hate that but the game is bigger than any one.
 
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If 9 footers go away and all we have is bar boxes it'll be a sad sad day, for me anyway. I get much more satisfaction getting shape on the larger table. The 7 foot diamonds play to an unbelievably soft game because of their speed. The 9 foot Diamonds, even though fast, still require harder hits and softer shots. When was the last time you let your stroke out on a bar box? Drawing the length of the table on a bar box isn't the same as drawing the table on a 9 footer any way you slice it. I guess if bar boxes are going to save the game then the game is in worse shape than I thought. I do realize not everyone is fortunate enough to have 9 footers available but they are worth traveling for. Just my opinion.
 
philly said:
If 9 footers go away and all we have is bar boxes it'll be a sad sad day, for me anyway. I get much more satisfaction getting shape on the larger table. The 7 foot diamonds play to an unbelievably soft game because of their speed. The 9 foot Diamonds, even though fast, still require harder hits and softer shots. When was the last time you let your stroke out on a bar box? Drawing the length of the table on a bar box isn't the same as drawing the table on a 9 footer any way you slice it. I guess if bar boxes are going to save the game then the game is in worse shape than I thought. I do realize not everyone is fortunate enough to have 9 footers available but they are worth traveling for. Just my opinion.
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I totally agree with loving the 9 foot tables. I play leagues that mainly play 7 foot tables only because I have to in order to stay into league pool. I hate the 7 foot tables but that's the way it is.

Kevin
 
The thing I find most interesting concerning BB's, (not Bonus Ball) is the fact that most of

our upper echelon of pro's started out on one. That includes the #1 player from the US,

Shane VB...so the argument of the game going down hill because of them is superficial.

They have in fact been crucial in the development of the great players we all enjoy

watching today. I myself do not enjoy playing on one but am grateful that so many people

are introduced to the game by playing on them.
 
sjm said:
We can start with baseball and football.

In baseball, the pitcher's mound was always up to 20" above the level of the field. In 1968, hitters struggled so mightily that baseball decided to lower the mound to make it easier for hitters.

In football, it seems every rule change is to make it easier for the offense. Many tackles that used to be legal now bring penalties, the rules by which defensive backs can cover receivers make catching passes easier than in the past.

In each case, the game, though easier, became more entertaining.
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I agree.

Another point to be made is that the two examples you cited--baseball and football--are, like pool, interactive games, i.e., games with an offense and a defense.

Golf, cited by someone else, is not an interactive game.

The whole equipment question is completely different for these two types of games. This is a point that many seem to be missing.

Equipment in basketball has effectively gotten easier as players have gotten bigger, stronger, faster, and more skilled. But it doesn't really matter so much because the defensive players have also gotten bigger, stronger, faster, and more skilled.

You can make a soccer goal either wider or narrower and the game would stay pretty much as good. The strategy will just change to compensate.

If we find that with the equipment and rules defense loses importance (like bar box 9-ball), then that can be fixed by tweaking the rules a little bit. Whether the equipment is easier or harder isn't the whole story. Do you have a game on the equipment that provides a rich mix of offense and defense for high-level players. THAT is not hard to come by.
 
philly said:
If 9 footers go away and all we have is bar boxes it'll be a sad sad day, for me anyway. I get much more satisfaction getting shape on the larger table. The 7 foot diamonds play to an unbelievably soft game because of their speed. The 9 foot Diamonds, even though fast, still require harder hits and softer shots. When was the last time you let your stroke out on a bar box? Drawing the length of the table on a bar box isn't the same as drawing the table on a 9 footer any way you slice it. I guess if bar boxes are going to save the game then the game is in worse shape than I thought. I do realize not everyone is fortunate enough to have 9 footers available but they are worth traveling for. Just my opinion.
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Simple fix...put slower cloth on them. Way too fast anyhow. When you just have Simonis on every Diamond that comes out of the factory and put on for tournaments on Diamond tables, doesn't make it the best cloth to play on. Johnnyt
 
dnschmidt said:
What sport has ever gotten better by making it easier. I can think of none. Golf courses keep getting longer and they keep paying more money. The bar box being looked upon as a savior is the true indication that pool is indeed dead.
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Using jump cues has made pool a lot easier. Get out of position...just get the jumper out. Get hidden...just get the jumper out.

Then of course there is BIH.
Shoot/hide, shoot hide. What fun to watch. Johnnyt
 
Instead of BB it should be called TT - Tiny Table. :grin:

Leave BB for Bonus Ball.

Always glad to assist the American pool world in bringing order out of its chaos.

Stephen Hendry started out on a six foot snooker table his parents gave him for Christmas when was 12.
Then he grew up and graduated to a big table. :grin:

Interesting comment on what playing on a small table (10 ft.) for small money does to your earning potential.:grin:
http://www.inside-snooker.com/snooker/2015/4/13/igor-could-do-with-a-break
there seems little doubt that under different circumstances, right from an early baptism on different tables, Figuereido could and should have been able to carve out a decent living from snooker with his talent.

It would seem that many American pool players should join Gamblers Anonymous instead of claiming their addiction is the sole method of improving their play and powering the popularity of pool.
.
 
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Scaramouche said:
Instead of BB it should be called TTT - Tiny Table Tournament. :grin:

Leave BB for Bonus Ball.

Always glad to assist the American pool world in bringing order out of its chaos.

Stephen Hendry started out on a six foot snooker table his parents gave him for Christmas when was 12.
Then he grew up and graduated to a big table. :grin:

Interesting comment on what playing on a small table (10 ft.) for small money does to your earning potential.:grin:
http://www.inside-snooker.com/snooker/2015/4/13/igor-could-do-with-a-break
there seems little doubt that under different circumstances, right from an early baptism on different tables, Figuereido could and should have been able to carve out a decent living from snooker with his talent.
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What's Snooker? Oh you mean that boring game that would not be around if there was NO legal gambling on it. :thumbup:. Johnnyt
 
sjm said:
We can start with baseball and football.

In baseball, the pitcher's mound was always up to 20" above the level of the field. In 1968, hitters struggled so mightily that baseball decided to lower the mound to make it easier for hitters.

In football, it seems every rule change is to make it easier for the offense. Many tackles that used to be legal now bring penalties, the rules by which defensive backs can cover receivers make catching passes easier than in the past.

In each case, the game, though easier, became more entertaining.
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I'm afraid I don't quite agree with your football analogy.

First off, rule changes aren't comparable. Now had you said, "Remember how much more entertaining football became when the NFL went from 100 yard fields down to 50?" That would have been a more apt analogy. Of course, we know that never happened (unless you want to bring up arena football).

Secondly, the rule changes weren't put in place to make the game easier for the offense, but to reduce the amount of injuries.
 
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