A new type of game

[mattkenefick]

Sorry, it's a bit long... but give it a read and see what you think.


Points / Shotmaker

Quick Rundown:

1. 1.) Game of points determined by type of shot made (bank/kick/etc)
2. 2.) Run out balls while earning more points than your opponent.
3. 3.) Straight shots are worthless + loss of turn.
4. 4.) Come behind victories facilitated by better shotmaking
   (almost like how the river card in Poker can turn the tables)

Gameplay:

• - Rack 15 balls standard with 8 ball in the middle.
• - Type of shot determines amount of points earned:
• - Winner is person with most points once all balls are down.

[10 points] Successful snooker behind 8 ball followed by unsuccessful contact by opponent
[4 points] Bank shots and kick shots
[2 points] Carom shots and combo shots
[0 points] Straight shot (+ loss of turn)


Reasoning:

I like safety play, shotmaking, and come-from-behind victories.
A lot of the current games played are often predictable after a
certain point. When the balls are laid out in 9-ball, many people
know they're out. It's nice to watch, but eventually feels like a
routine.

This game allows for suspenseful endings and turnaround victories,
similar to in Poker. In Poker, you can have a 90% / 10% change by
the drop of a card. In this game, you can come from behind at the
end with a few bank shots in a row and/or an 8-ball snooker.

I think pool is missing out on not using point values. Football has
fieldgoals, 2-pt conversions, safeties, touchdowns, etc. Basketball
has foul shots, 2 pointers, 3 pointers. They add another dynamic to
the game where you really feel like someone can come back at any
time.

It also can be a quick game. It's one rack, but will also likely be
difficult.


Strategy:

There's a new thought process you'd have to apply. You can earn a few
points by doing combos or caroms, but you're missing out on bigger
points by not shooting banks/kicks. Eventually you're going to run out
of balls, so you have to manage your options vs what you think your
opponent can shoot.

The reason for snooker behind 8 ball (10 pts) is because you're less likely
to pull that off until later in the game when there are less balls available.

( example: https://pad.chalkysticks.com/image/59beb )

This gives you reasoning to shoot the 8 ball down early (so your opponent
cannot use it against you) but you also might want to save it for later
in case you're behind in points (which could give you a major swing).

Straight shots are discouraged because it results in loss of turn and no
points, however, it's not ball in hand. If you're ahead in points, you can
use straight shots to remove balls from the table and attempt to give
your opponent a difficult shot.

( example: https://pad.chalkysticks.com/image/8a342 )



Anywho, it was an idea I had and wanted to get feedback on. I love shotmaking
games, but exploring new types of play. Especially for when casual people are
watching pool, it can be hard to hold their attention on long races and since
"all the shots are straight in." It's been a long time since I've seen pool
aired on TV like ESPN; and that might be because of the games played, how long
they take, and the inability for people to understand the complexity of position
play.

I noticed how Poker made a huge splash lately and watch it myself once in a
while. It's really exciting to see the cards turn and how one player is hoping
for a spade to draw a flush, then BAM! A spade! That's really exciting and fun
to watch. Pool doesn't really have that.

Thoughts?

 

[torqiet]

I would play this with a few modifications:

-10 ball instead of 15 balls, everyone shoots from 1 first to 10 last, as per 10 ball.
- for continuation of turn, the next numbered ball must be hit and
(a) the object ball hits at least 1 rail first before it goes into the pocket, or
(b) the cue ball hits at least 1 rail first before hitting the object ball and the object ball goes in, or
(c) cue ball/object ball hits another ball in (if its cue ball, it must hit the correct numbered ball first)

-0 point and loss of turn - straight shot
-1 point - foul by opponent, regardless of snooker
-2 points - bank shots and kick shots
-3 points - carom shots and combo shots
-5 points - hits 10 ball in

The idea is to encourage tougher shots. I personally think carom/combo shots are tougher (and tougher to come by) than bank/kick shots. If that is not possible, play safe and try to earn at least a point. The last ball should be awarded significant points too.


Note: it might be tricky to define kick shot/bank shot. for shots that go down the rail, would those shots where the cue ball/object ball hits rail first before being potted count as kick/bank shots respectively?

But i think the general idea is interesting, and would love to see what comes of it!

 

[mattkenefick]

I would play this with a few modifications:

-10 ball instead of 15 balls, everyone shoots from 1 first to 10 last, as per 10 ball.
- for continuation of turn, the next numbered ball must be hit and
(a) the object ball hits at least 1 rail first before it goes into the pocket, or
(b) the cue ball hits at least 1 rail first before hitting the object ball and the object ball goes in, or
(c) cue ball/object ball hits another ball in (if its cue ball, it must hit the correct numbered ball first)

-0 point and loss of turn - straight shot
-1 point - foul by opponent, regardless of snooker
-2 points - bank shots and kick shots
-3 points - carom shots and combo shots
-5 points - hits 10 ball in

The idea is to encourage tougher shots. I personally think carom/combo shots are tougher (and tougher to come by) than bank/kick shots. If that is not possible, play safe and try to earn at least a point. The last ball should be awarded significant points too.


Note: it might be tricky to define kick shot/bank shot. for shots that go down the rail, would those shots where the cue ball/object ball hits rail first before being potted count as kick/bank shots respectively?

But i think the general idea is interesting, and would love to see what comes of it!

You could be on to something by diversifying the game within common rules (like points per shot, etc)... Maybe that's the 10 ball version of it and mine is the straight version, but they both share similar rules.

I think the definition of kick/bank would be that either the cue ball or the object ball must contact at least one opposite rail from the pocket. Meaning you can't do a kick shot like this: https://pad.chalkysticks.com/image/294c3

At the end of the day, I like the idea of rewarding difficult shots with points. If you're down in the game, you could pull back-to-back-to-back banks to get ahead. Not only do you get the lead, but how exciting would that be to watch?

IMO, the caroms/combos are easier. You can have dead-on caroms and dead-on frozen combos... but no bank / kick is really a gimmie. Some are much easier than others, but any bank is lower percentage than a frozen straight in combo.