Yeah, it is in transition to a Hospice !!!!!!
Pool is Not Dead.....Just Transitioning
- Thread starter BasementDweller
- Start date
Yeah, it is in transition to a Hospice !!!!!!
but its still dieing.
There is no new blood in pool to replace the guys who are retireing due to age, health, or better $$$.
I agree the internet streams is a great place to sweat matches, but it doesent create new players. It just exposes whats out there(in america)
But here is the fatal problem here: if we just watch on-line pool matches, where are the new players going to come from? Pool rooms are dropping like flys and less and less young people (in America) are playing pool. I'm 44 I started playing a year before the COM in 86-after than movie the pool rooms filled up, it was great guys a year younger than me were all soft action, that rush lasted for a few years and today there are still players who wouldnt have became players if they didnt go see that movie. When I go to the pool room 75-85% of the people there that can play are my age or older. I hardly see anyone in their teens, 20's,30's playing seriously. I see bangers of all ages, who have zero interest in improving-they are just there playing pool like its a toy, which is ok. But until its competitive there is no assurance they will come back and become a regular. Bangers are great for pool rooms to help pay the bills, but it would be better if some bangers got into playing. I dont see them care if they win or lose. They dont come back until they want to bang again, like miniture gold its just a toy to them.
We are not generating any new players, they are in China, most all of Asia. Except North Korea(who knows whats up there). Europe is generating new players. There is no access to pool in America for lots of people or interest which is the biggest problem. online poker, video games, smart phones with face book; are all taking up kids time and interest. Pool is hard and is lots of work, video games are easier and more gratifying.
With no new players, were gonna be watching senior citizens online for years to come.
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i spent lots of time in Germany and your spot on. the flip side is here in America there are very few young people who play pool, some do because the realized they have lots of talent and actually use it, but thats rare now. pool in america is quickly becomming a senior citizens game,
I was looking around at the rail this past week during some action, in 10 years 40% of those guys are not going to be there. they wont all die but wont be fit enough to come to the pool room, the rest of the room was empty. So who is gonna fill those seats up on the rail? nobody. The players we watch now came up in the 80's, 90's and a few since 2000. in the 80's and most of the earily 90's pool rooms had customers. Now they are gone or empty. so in 20 years when i'm 64. Pool will be over and finished in America, there are not enough people under 45 to support the few rooms that are left now. Unless there is a movie or some compelling reason for kids to play its over. and there will still be a gap if pool does start to attract teen's now. There just are very few players between 35-45, i'm not talking about champions, i'm talking about B+ or stronger. Look around I see it plane as day-and I dont like it
exactly they dont give a rats ass if they win or lose.
I have a few pinball machines, i'm a solid B player in pinball(i seen the champions WOW). When I was 12 I played everyday until I was about 17. I would get mad as hell when the ball would go down the drain. I woudnt ever let a ball go. To me it was $$$, It was 5 balls for 25 cents on most machines so a nickle a ball. I played hard would "pop" a pile of games and sell them off to weaker players. Thats how it was for me.
At my house I'm with this 13 years old kid, when he lost the ball he didnt care. He didnt care about the score, popping games, he would just walk away from the machine while the ball was bouncing around in play to get a drink of his soda pop. He had no fight in him at all. Man I still dont ever let the ball go down like that. If i'm playing and the phone rings-too bad I have a ball in-play I aint picking up any phone call.
it aint the $$$ its the principal, when a ball is in play, you keep it in play. thats how I roll and thats how we all were back then. That silver ball was $$ to me as a kid. Now the kids dont give a shit what tthe score is, who got the best score. I guess its wrong to beat someone or something. so lets not have scores on pinball machines. thats the current trend and that is a death sentence for pool.
that bangers mentality pisses me off, walking away from the machine with a ball in play, and not caring what your score is. What ever. I have a friend who has a machine like on of mine, we were playing for $500/game a few years ago, he is 4 years younger than me, I win $2000 that day. good action.
Different Perspective
If I may offer a slightly different perspective on the state of pool these days, please bear with me.
I have been a recreational pool player for over 20 years. I never had any interest in tournaments, tours, or anything other than enjoying the game. I have spent alot of my money in the local pool rooms, and that is where I think the problem is. Pool halls are closing up and shutting down left and right while it seems that all of the attention is being spent on big name players and big money tournaments.
I say that the local recreational players are the bread and butter of the industry, and once the "big guys" (BCA, APA, etc) realize this and start throwing their money at marketing towards filling the local pool rooms instead of the big tournaments they just might turn this around.
People new to the sport are not inspired to pick up a cue by whoever the world champion 10 ball player is - they are usually turned on to pool by friends who play. Leagues are not formed by advertising, they are formed by word of mouth. I do not feel that the BCA or APA are doing their part to help the industry overall. Once our pool rooms are overflowing again with hobbyist shooters I am quite sure that quite a few new competition players will emerge from these masses and filter up to the top.
Look - we can either hold our collective breaths and hope for a new "Hustler" or "Color of Money" to be born and save our industry or we can petition the guys (and girls) with the big money to start an all-out advertising blitz (picture billboards, radio spots, TV advertising) geared towards recruiting new players to our favorite sport!
If I may offer a slightly different perspective on the state of pool these days, please bear with me.
I have been a recreational pool player for over 20 years. I never had any interest in tournaments, tours, or anything other than enjoying the game. I have spent alot of my money in the local pool rooms, and that is where I think the problem is. Pool halls are closing up and shutting down left and right while it seems that all of the attention is being spent on big name players and big money tournaments.
I say that the local recreational players are the bread and butter of the industry, and once the "big guys" (BCA, APA, etc) realize this and start throwing their money at marketing towards filling the local pool rooms instead of the big tournaments they just might turn this around.
People new to the sport are not inspired to pick up a cue by whoever the world champion 10 ball player is - they are usually turned on to pool by friends who play. Leagues are not formed by advertising, they are formed by word of mouth. I do not feel that the BCA or APA are doing their part to help the industry overall. Once our pool rooms are overflowing again with hobbyist shooters I am quite sure that quite a few new competition players will emerge from these masses and filter up to the top.
Look - we can either hold our collective breaths and hope for a new "Hustler" or "Color of Money" to be born and save our industry or we can petition the guys (and girls) with the big money to start an all-out advertising blitz (picture billboards, radio spots, TV advertising) geared towards recruiting new players to our favorite sport!
well here in my hometown is disaster. I play in a pool room with 30+ 9ft tables. Some year ago you had to book a table to play in the afternoon especially during the weekend. I played 3 days ago during the morning ( 11,30 am, the pool room opens at 11 ) and i left at 13 and in this period of time only 4 people entered in the room, me, and 3 other guys.Also
years ago play in saturday was impossible, now you find only 9-10 tables opened.
years ago play in saturday was impossible, now you find only 9-10 tables opened.
If I were you I'd stake him against Fatboy. You'll make some money and Fatboy will finally have someone to give his money to.
It's hard to argue with you here. I will say, one of the great things about this game is you can go 10+ years without seeing many new pros. The fact that this sport can be played at a very high level up into your 50's (and even older for some) means you don't need to a lot of new faces to keep the game going. I will agree it would be more exciting and more marketable if there were more.
As far as getting more kids and even adults to play something does need to give there. We have all mentioned all the competition pool has for the attention of our youth. How much more plugged in can kids get? I'm hoping we have a reached a saturation level with this? More importantly, at this point room owners need to embrace some of this stuff. If you own a room and you don't have a facebook page you are making a huge mistake. You should be doing friend requests right when people check in to your hall. It's free advertising and a very quick way to interact with your visitors. I'm only saying this because I have seen recently how a local room is using this to their advantage.
I don't know, maybe this is all wishful thinking on my part. One thing is for sure - if the economy ever gets really rolling again the halls that are left standing are going to be giving all the new ones the 7 and the breaks.
I love this.
I can hear Tom Cruise's voice right now narrating this. This is the opening scene of the next pool movie. The camera then pans over to Vincent playing pinball, having given up on pool because there was no money it. Of course everybody makes fun of his decision to switch to pinball. But in the end it turns out to be one big hustle. Vincent figures out a way to get a hot shot poker player to try him some pinball. Vincent loses. Then they switch to playing one-pocket with Vincent giving up 18-4. Unfortunately, Vincent loses at this too. Credits roll.
:grin:
The model of the game is definitely transitioning. There is really no organization of the game or sport in the US. There isn't a goal for younger players to achieve. Want to be a pro player? What does that even mean? There isn't even an organized tour. The game is alive but the sport is dying.
That's the bad news. But the good news is that it is still a great game. I will never be able to play in the Super Bowl or in the World Series but I can win a pool tournament! And know what? It feels good :smile: Another great point about the game/sport is that you can play somewhat competitively until the day you die. Just last week a 75 year old man just snapped off a local 8 ball tournament against a strong local field of 40 players beating 1 of the top players in the city/state (most will know him) in the finals!
So while many of half glass empty types moan about the state of the game/sport, I say it still is alive just needs some cpr. The first step is to have an actual tour. It doesn't have to be big just realistic and organized. It would be nice to see the industry help support it. Then down the line maybe an outside sponsor will step up such as Denny's has done with bowling and there will be decent prize money and possibly TV. For right now, streaming is a good thing, IMO. What's the old saying? Any publicity is good publicity.
I think you've made an interesting point about internet streaming. I'm not sure where it's headed, though.
If we look back at the early days of cable TV: We were told that because we would be paying subscription rates that it would eliminate all commercials. That was true in the beginning, but it didn't last long. Then came the premium channels where we were charged extra. Nowadays, the average household is spending upwards of $150/ month just to watch TV.
Pat Fleming just invested a small fortune to upgrade his equipment to high def., yet for awhile at least, he will still have to compete with those streaming with a single camera on a tripod with a mike that picks up every sound around, and most people won't care about the difference, as long as they can see the players, the balls and the table.
I don't know yet where it's all going to wind up --- if the end result will be good or bad.
This is a great post. Real players should seriously consider moving to Asia. The food is very healthy, pool is growing like you would not believe (we are talking cities that has 2 pool tables 15 years ago are now chock full of pool tables), the women are beyond beautiful and not as -- let's use the euphemism unapproachable.
I don't think a young US player nowadays can even comprehend what is going on. 25 years ago if you go down the list of top US players it reads like an all time all star hall of fame.... i mean it was mind boggling. Now players like O. Dominguez are getting mentioned for top US players. He's one of my favorite players in terms of attitude and presentability, but the mindblowing talent just isn't there, i'm sorry but it's not, and i've played him. We have SVB. Wow, ok. Note: I like Dechaine's game potential as well-- but that's it!
I guess I agree with you guys that there isn't a lot of truly great young American players, but I believe that could change just about overnight. It doesn't take much for someone to get hooked on this game. Once addicted it only takes a couple years for a phenomenal player to become great.
Everyone keeps talking about the way the video games are distracting the young kids (myself included). However, were the kids that would rather sit in their mom's basement in their underwear, eating cheetos, and playing video games ever REALLY potential pool players? I'm not so sure. Most of the people I know that are interested in playing serious pool are the kids that were interested in competition. They usually had some background in team sports, at least at an early age. Has anyone seen a pool hall recently that rented out there hall (or part of it) to a baseball, football, or basketball team to celebrate their season? These are the guys/gals that should be targeted. Last time I checked these sports were still doing just fine. At least where I live. Let’s just leave the video game addicted kids in their basements, then at least we wouldn’t have to try to socialize with them.
I was going to post something similar to this.
Look we don't have THAT guy in this sport. There's no star that we can point to and say "that's the face of the new generation"... except we do, SVB
Yet we don't promote him, or better said - the leagues, the sponsors, the "organizers" don't put him out on the map. The average joe still doesn't have a clue who he is which is just wrong when this guy is traveling all over the frigging world snapping off tourneys, getting into finals, getting in big action etc. etc.
I think simply getting him on ESPN would be enough believe it or not... doing that? Good luck, no one seems to listen anymore.
Its sad that the best pool players here in the US can't get on ESPN after winning a big tournament (or any other player for that matter). Just a couple of days ago, ESPN had a 3 minute segment on a Beard Growing competition...WTF is that! What no 15 seconds of fame for the best pool players? Its been like this since I can remember (past 22 years around pool). Unless some organization outside of pool (example "the camel tour") can put together some US tour with ample prize money with execllent player and tour promos, US mens pro pool will CONTINUE to be the same as it ever was....
Look at pool players in general though here in the US. You can understand why no one would want to sponsor it.
SVB is an extremely rare breed. The majority of pool players aren't much different from hood rats.
Over the years, I’ve spoken to a number of household names from the pool world (including some Hall-of-Fame’rs) and a ton of business owners (mostly pool rooms) about the condition of the industry. There are (at least) a handful of reasons why the sport has suffered since its heyday (assuming there truly ever was one). Some of them are self-inflicted wounds (stemming from the culture of pool) and others are byproducts of changing business dynamics – and, more specifically, the failure of the industry to adapt to them.
I’ll address the culture first:
When a person, who has been a casual player (defined as having averaged once a month in a pool room/bar), decides to take the sport more seriously and play more often, they self-proclaim themselves a pool player. With that proclamation, they’ve entered (willingly) a culture that all too often celebrates (almost mandates) an attitude that has been counter-productive to the sport since the very beginning. The things we admire about great pool players are, all too often, the things that have helped bring about the sorry state we’re witnessing now. For instance, the road player who is most adept at sizing up another player and, therefore, more likely to be a great gambler, is heralded for that aptitude. We actually admire the player as much for his gambling acumen as for his playing skill. And, we’ve essentially created a situation that makes going pro counterproductive, because loss of “anonymity” for a great player is detrimental to earnings. I don’t know that there’s another sport where this phenomenon exists. Only after a highly successful road player has exhausted the prospects for continued anonymity, does it make “sense” to declare themselves “pro”.
I’ve heard (and read) many suggest that we need another “The Color of Money” type movie to re-invigorate the sport. But, what did it actually do for it? It glamorized the seediest elements of the pool room (and road) experience. How the hell does THAT help mainstream pool? Tony Palma has been trying to produce “9 Ball the Movie” for years now to little avail. He cast Jeanette and Jennifer for “sizzle”, but still can’t get off the ground. I suspect part of his problems deal with a storyline that’s boring, but let’s face it: pool isn’t a telegenic sport even with lovely ladies in the mix. It just isn’t. So, to make a movie about it, producers are going to celebrate the aspects of the sport that continue to make it less digestible to a larger swath of the nation. In short, the last thing we need is another “pool movie”.
Many have said that we need a PGA type organization to finally get pool moving in the right direction- one that will cause a larger participation rate in the general public. How many organizations have already tried and failed? Is there an individual “out there” with the business and personal skills necessary to finally make it happen? Perhaps. But they’d better be as good of a psychologist as they are an entrepreneur. Far too many (and I mean FAR too many) players who call themselves pros think and plan for the short term only. To complicate matters, those thoughts focus entirely on self-promotion. Since the “pie” is small in the pool world, self-interest is tantamount to survival. Getting professional pool players to promote the “sport” collectively means taking “dollars off of their table”- at least in their minds. I fear this attitude won’t change until the “bottom” has been reached- wherever that is. No investor is going to risk capital promoting an industry when the “ambassadors” of it will not invest time and energy doing the same. If there is a person out there that can pull it off, they’d be wise, unfortunately, to wait until there is nothing left but ashes to be swept up before starting the rebuilding process.
The Business:
Brevity being the soul of wit, let’s say it as simply as possible: we need business people, not pool players, running the businesses we rely on to support the sport (note: the two aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive, but the former is what matters most). How many times I’ve heard a room owner complain about “bangers” coming in to their room , drinking and partying it up instead of honoring the game by being serous about it, I can’ t say. But, it’s been far too many- that I know. Do we have a tradition to secure? Sure. But, do we have an industry that’s dying? Hell yes!
We’ve all seen pool rooms dropping like flies. Yet, we also all know of rooms that are thriving. What is the difference? From my experience, the latter has figured out (whether by trial and error or just common sense) that the model that had worked for decades no longer does. A pool room can’t survive in this age unless they expand the product line and services to a larger audience. In order to create pool enthusiasts, we first need people to pick up a cue. And that’s not going to happen if the pool room is oppressively intimidating to a novice. A good friend owns a number of pool rooms (he’ll remain nameless here). Over the past decade (or so), he transitioned his “pool room” into an Applebee’s-type restaurant/sports bar with pool tables as part of the mix. He monitors road players closely to insure that they’re not hustling the average customer. He welcomes those new to the sport and will often spend an hour with them showing them the basics of it. In short, he gets it. He understands that he’s running a business that has pool as part of his product mix, not a pool hall that has food and drink as part of that mix. Like it or not, the traditional pool hall is a dying on the vine.
Retail outlets are also struggling these days. Largely, this is because of the problem addressed above. Aside from high end tables that are simply pieces of furniture for the well-healed, retailers fate is tied to the success of on-premise pool related bars/rooms. Yet, neither of them has figured out that they’re symbiotic business wise. They too have to expand their product mix to survive. There’s a retailer in Texas that I know who actually started selling snow ski equipment (in TX for heaven’s sake) along with his pool/dart products. And, he does pretty well with it. He’s a businessman before a pool player and that is the key.
Summary:
I liken pool to an addict who’s inching ever closer to the “bottom”. He’s not yet ready to admit that he has a problem, but it’s become clearer and clearer to the independent observer that the bottom is near. There are fundamental problems that have strangled pool for decades. Until the advent of technology (which tends to occupy expendable time and income), we could overcome our pathologies enough to survive. However, times have changed and our outmoded ways and attitudes must change too.
It’s time for the power brokers in the industry (Rob Johnson, Mike Serra, et al) to shake things up. The focus needs to be on increasing amateur participation at the retail level- not on creating a professional tour. There are too many bones in that grave yard to justify the trade association to sacrifice another soul in a futile endeavor. Let another entrepreneur figure out how to herd (selfish) cats. The sport needs to be built at the grass roots level. Once that’s accomplished, perhaps there’ll be fan base to justify a PGA for pool.
(Note: The above is obviously opinion (not fact) based largely on anecdotal evidence. I also understand that there are generalizations abound and, of course, there are exceptions, but the majority often creates generalizations with their consistent behavior. If you've managed to read this far, please disregard all of the typo's- I didn't have time to proof read.)
I’ll address the culture first:
When a person, who has been a casual player (defined as having averaged once a month in a pool room/bar), decides to take the sport more seriously and play more often, they self-proclaim themselves a pool player. With that proclamation, they’ve entered (willingly) a culture that all too often celebrates (almost mandates) an attitude that has been counter-productive to the sport since the very beginning. The things we admire about great pool players are, all too often, the things that have helped bring about the sorry state we’re witnessing now. For instance, the road player who is most adept at sizing up another player and, therefore, more likely to be a great gambler, is heralded for that aptitude. We actually admire the player as much for his gambling acumen as for his playing skill. And, we’ve essentially created a situation that makes going pro counterproductive, because loss of “anonymity” for a great player is detrimental to earnings. I don’t know that there’s another sport where this phenomenon exists. Only after a highly successful road player has exhausted the prospects for continued anonymity, does it make “sense” to declare themselves “pro”.
I’ve heard (and read) many suggest that we need another “The Color of Money” type movie to re-invigorate the sport. But, what did it actually do for it? It glamorized the seediest elements of the pool room (and road) experience. How the hell does THAT help mainstream pool? Tony Palma has been trying to produce “9 Ball the Movie” for years now to little avail. He cast Jeanette and Jennifer for “sizzle”, but still can’t get off the ground. I suspect part of his problems deal with a storyline that’s boring, but let’s face it: pool isn’t a telegenic sport even with lovely ladies in the mix. It just isn’t. So, to make a movie about it, producers are going to celebrate the aspects of the sport that continue to make it less digestible to a larger swath of the nation. In short, the last thing we need is another “pool movie”.
Many have said that we need a PGA type organization to finally get pool moving in the right direction- one that will cause a larger participation rate in the general public. How many organizations have already tried and failed? Is there an individual “out there” with the business and personal skills necessary to finally make it happen? Perhaps. But they’d better be as good of a psychologist as they are an entrepreneur. Far too many (and I mean FAR too many) players who call themselves pros think and plan for the short term only. To complicate matters, those thoughts focus entirely on self-promotion. Since the “pie” is small in the pool world, self-interest is tantamount to survival. Getting professional pool players to promote the “sport” collectively means taking “dollars off of their table”- at least in their minds. I fear this attitude won’t change until the “bottom” has been reached- wherever that is. No investor is going to risk capital promoting an industry when the “ambassadors” of it will not invest time and energy doing the same. If there is a person out there that can pull it off, they’d be wise, unfortunately, to wait until there is nothing left but ashes to be swept up before starting the rebuilding process.
The Business:
Brevity being the soul of wit, let’s say it as simply as possible: we need business people, not pool players, running the businesses we rely on to support the sport (note: the two aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive, but the former is what matters most). How many times I’ve heard a room owner complain about “bangers” coming in to their room , drinking and partying it up instead of honoring the game by being serous about it, I can’ t say. But, it’s been far too many- that I know. Do we have a tradition to secure? Sure. But, do we have an industry that’s dying? Hell yes!
We’ve all seen pool rooms dropping like flies. Yet, we also all know of rooms that are thriving. What is the difference? From my experience, the latter has figured out (whether by trial and error or just common sense) that the model that had worked for decades no longer does. A pool room can’t survive in this age unless they expand the product line and services to a larger audience. In order to create pool enthusiasts, we first need people to pick up a cue. And that’s not going to happen if the pool room is oppressively intimidating to a novice. A good friend owns a number of pool rooms (he’ll remain nameless here). Over the past decade (or so), he transitioned his “pool room” into an Applebee’s-type restaurant/sports bar with pool tables as part of the mix. He monitors road players closely to insure that they’re not hustling the average customer. He welcomes those new to the sport and will often spend an hour with them showing them the basics of it. In short, he gets it. He understands that he’s running a business that has pool as part of his product mix, not a pool hall that has food and drink as part of that mix. Like it or not, the traditional pool hall is a dying on the vine.
Retail outlets are also struggling these days. Largely, this is because of the problem addressed above. Aside from high end tables that are simply pieces of furniture for the well-healed, retailers fate is tied to the success of on-premise pool related bars/rooms. Yet, neither of them has figured out that they’re symbiotic business wise. They too have to expand their product mix to survive. There’s a retailer in Texas that I know who actually started selling snow ski equipment (in TX for heaven’s sake) along with his pool/dart products. And, he does pretty well with it. He’s a businessman before a pool player and that is the key.
Summary:
I liken pool to an addict who’s inching ever closer to the “bottom”. He’s not yet ready to admit that he has a problem, but it’s become clearer and clearer to the independent observer that the bottom is near. There are fundamental problems that have strangled pool for decades. Until the advent of technology (which tends to occupy expendable time and income), we could overcome our pathologies enough to survive. However, times have changed and our outmoded ways and attitudes must change too.
It’s time for the power brokers in the industry (Rob Johnson, Mike Serra, et al) to shake things up. The focus needs to be on increasing amateur participation at the retail level- not on creating a professional tour. There are too many bones in that grave yard to justify the trade association to sacrifice another soul in a futile endeavor. Let another entrepreneur figure out how to herd (selfish) cats. The sport needs to be built at the grass roots level. Once that’s accomplished, perhaps there’ll be fan base to justify a PGA for pool.
(Note: The above is obviously opinion (not fact) based largely on anecdotal evidence. I also understand that there are generalizations abound and, of course, there are exceptions, but the majority often creates generalizations with their consistent behavior. If you've managed to read this far, please disregard all of the typo's- I didn't have time to proof read.)
Casual Observer -
I think your post should be nominated for post of the year!
At a minimun you should be promoted to Formal Observer.
I think your post should be nominated for post of the year!
At a minimun you should be promoted to Formal Observer.
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I think it really just comes down to the fact that pool is boring. It's repetitive and it's boring. I enjoy the cathartic nature of the game, but it's not really something that the general public is going to get excited about ever again in the states.
You aren't going to have people from the office talking about going out on Monday night to the bar to watch a pool match. Again, it's slow, it's repepetitive and it's boring to watch. I love the game, can't sit and watch match after match for 3 days while the Pro's have a tournament.
On a Sunday I can watch 15 football games (Thank you DirecTV) and I can gamble on them and the excitement is THROUGH THE ROOF in my household on Sunday. People are over, there's yelling, and screaming, hooting and hollering. I would honestly much rather put my gamble on that, then a slow, boring game of "roll the balls around", which is what most people see when they watch this game.
It's just not that exciting. Interesting, yes, exciting, no.
You aren't going to have people from the office talking about going out on Monday night to the bar to watch a pool match. Again, it's slow, it's repepetitive and it's boring to watch. I love the game, can't sit and watch match after match for 3 days while the Pro's have a tournament.
On a Sunday I can watch 15 football games (Thank you DirecTV) and I can gamble on them and the excitement is THROUGH THE ROOF in my household on Sunday. People are over, there's yelling, and screaming, hooting and hollering. I would honestly much rather put my gamble on that, then a slow, boring game of "roll the balls around", which is what most people see when they watch this game.
It's just not that exciting. Interesting, yes, exciting, no.
You haven't been in the right room then pretty much.