Why Do Promoters & Players Dislike 15 ball rotation?

[Johnnyt]

Why has 15 ball rotation never even tried in a tournament here in the states, except American Rotation? Most say it takes too long. One hole don't? Just start out with short races of 3-5 and see how it goes. A clock might be needed if not all are at least 2nd tier pros.

I'd also like to see a few tournament using the old 9 ball pushout. Johnnyt

 

[spliced]

Been playing 15 ball rotation on my 9ft at home for practice. I agree. The table doesnt get as overly cluttered as some might assume. The outs can be a little bit trickier and it forces more creative position play, but i think those are all positives, especially for pro pool. I would like to see 15 balls used, same rules as 10 ball. 15 ball is the money ball.

 

[West Point 1987]

It's an awesome game, and tests a player in more areas than just about any game. I think observers have trouble following the score and are just too unfamiliar with it; American Rotation was a nice offering that was easier to keep track of for the railbirds, and I think something like that will catch on in the pro ranks...or some form of 15 ball game played under 10 ball rules...

 

[336Robin]

The value of railbirds

It's an awesome game, and tests a player in more areas than just about any game. I think observers have trouble following the score and are just too unfamiliar with it; American Rotation was a nice offering that was easier to keep track of for the railbirds, and I think something like that will catch on in the pro ranks...or some form of 15 ball game played under 10 ball rules...

I like the game if you are using the app on your phone to keep score, its pretty easy that way, but I haven't used a score sheet designed for it. I would think that the score might be hard for railbirds to keep up with, whereas in 14.1 you're using beads. I'm not sure why the game hasn't taken off like wildfire. You would think it would have. That's above my pay grade.

 

[CreeDo]

It's a great game in some respects. But like a lot of games it has fallen into the trap of
focusing on "fair" at the expense of "fun". It's not that fun to watch or play.

The pace is slower than 9 or 10-ball. No instant win or loss rules. No golden breaks. No packages.
No explosive breaks (well, there might be but you shoot automatically whether a ball goes or not).
Little luck, or mostly bad luck.... a guy kicking in a ball usually isn't an exciting reversal of fortune,
it's a penalty and the guy returns to his chair muttering.

Definite incentive to play safe with so much traffic... which 1-pocket shares I guess,
but 1-pockets safeties are much more complex than rotations,
and are balanced out by some spectacular flyers, banks, etc.

You can't easily promote a game nobody except a handful of people has heard of,
joe B-player might try a 9b tournament and feel like he has a chance... nobody feels that way about AmRo.

 

[Mrdodd72]

I believe the aversion may be attached the score-keeping. Keeping track of the balls made, adding the score and maintaining a board, or sheet, seems to irritate most American players/promoters.

 

[TwinkleToes]

Just because pool in general, has so much luck involved (even 8 ball), American Rotation is by far, my favorite game. I wish I knew the answer of why it hasn't caught on?

Could be that it'll need good promotion for a number of years for that to happen.

Great game though...for anybody who is sick of all the luck involved in pool!

 

[Corwyn_8]

I believe the aversion may be attached the score-keeping. Keeping track of the balls made, adding the score and maintaining a board, or sheet, seems to irritate most American players/promoters.

Doesn't seem to hurt football.

How drastically are we underestimating the ability of people to look at a scoreboard and understand who is winning, and what they have to do?

Thank you kindly.

 

[336Robin]

Scoreboard

Doesn't seem to hurt football.

How drastically are we underestimating the ability of people to look at a scoreboard and understand who is winning, and what they have to do?

Thank you kindly.

You make a very large point there actually. I know of one promoter that used to bring his own score boxes to put on the light so you could see the score from across the room. This seemed to make me want to look at several tables to see who was winning certain matches because I found that interesting. That seems to be a key component in success of any event. People want at least a little drama and suspense.

 

[DogsPlayingPool]

Doesn't seem to hurt football.

How drastically are we underestimating the ability of people to look at a scoreboard and understand who is winning, and what they have to do?

Thank you kindly.

Except that every table at the tournament would have to have a big ass scoreboard readable from everywhere. Not sure how long the average game takes but there may also be the problem of time, which in the case of American Rotation could only be offset by shorter races, maybe much shorter.

 

[Tennesseejoe]

Try playing rotation by shooting the 15 ball first and the rest in descending order. That way the hardest shots get the most points.

 

[Corwyn_8]

Except that every table at the tournament would have to have a big ass scoreboard readable from everywhere. Not sure how long the average game takes but there may also be the problem of time, which in the case of American Rotation could only be offset by shorter races, maybe much shorter.

Rubik's cube events have one for every competitor. They tend to run about $100. Shouldn't be too hard.

Thank you kindly.