Colin, I certainly respect the contributions you've made to pool in general.. But let me ask, what you are trying to accomplish here?..Do we really need more rule modifications, to further confuse potential new viewers ?..Wouldn't our (or your) time, be better spent sophisticating the rules to the most popular pool game in the world, that everyone already knows how to play?..Yes, I'm refering to 8ball!..And yes, I am going to keep hammering away, at the "single game theory"!
Every sport, or game in the world, has undergone the process of 'fine tuning' rules, but name one, that isn't still instantly recognizable, as the game it started out to be..But more importantly..It is still only 'ONE GAME'!..Pool may be the only game in the universe, that has dozens of completely different rule sets, played on many different size tables, with new games added almost monthly!
I see this as something pool may never overcome, if at some point steps aren't taken to eliminate the confusion the game has been beset with, for the last 100 years!..It will almost certainly never be accepted as an Olympic sport!..An entity that welcomes such exciting games/sports, as "Curling" and "Long Jumping"???..And I welcome anyone to show me where my thinking is flawed, in that regard!
Dick
Hi Dick,
Sorry for the slow reply. I didn't catch this earlier.
I agree with you that a single game or at lest, less versions would be better to build the sport upon, and 8 ball is probably the strongest foundation upon which to build.
I think you'd agree that in current forms, the game of 8 ball has problems.
One of the reasons I present new ideas for dealing with approaches to breaking, sending player back in etc, is to trial ways that can improve what I believe to be problems with current games. Be they right or wrong, it's trialing such things that might lead to improvements.
For me, the problem with 8 ball, at the highest levels, is that the outcome of the break shot plays too large a role in the game outcome. Even on the tight Chinese 8-ball tables. If one player has 5 fortunate breaks and the other 5 unfortunate breaks, then the game is a whitewash.
Also notice that in Chinese 8 ball, there is very little CB movement... that's a part of the art of billiards being lost.
I have experimented with a version of 8-ball which reduces breaking influence and compels the player to use more CB patterns. In this version, for a player to continue a visit after pocketing a nominated ball, he must collide with 2 rails or another nominated ball.
It's my belief we need game versions that challenge the players through having to do more with the CB (and sometimes the OB via more combinations and banks), instead of trying to increase table lengths and decrease pocket sizes, both of which discourage beginners.
In golf we have backmarks and frontmarks, narrower fairways and higher rough for the pros. In racing, amateurs start with smaller, slower cars and advance with experience. In the same way, 8-ballers could progress from something like the present game, to an advanced game.
Part of the evolution of English Billiards, during it's most popular days, was adding levels of difficulty with requirements of crossing the baulk line, limiting consecutive pots and cannons and so on, to challenge the all round skills of the players.
My apologies if I waffled exceedingly
Colin
