what do you think of bonus ball?

What do I think of Bonus Ball?

Good post, Petroboy.
Well, first off, if I were a professional player I would NOT sign up for this BB ride. SVB did well by not getting involved with this one.

Second, changing the game is NOT the way to go if we are trying to recruit the masses. WTF? The IPT had it correct: play 8-ball. You have to match what the amateurs are playing. New ball sets? Shot clock? New arena? My hats go off to these innovators but I predict BB will be a passing fad. Just watch, the pro players who signed contracts will be licking their chops to get out of this "league." You're gonna see a whole line change of new players who replace the "pioneers." My other prediction is with the sunk costs, this new arena will first turn into a pool room and then nothing more than an office building.

Where oh where is the IPT? I REALLY thought that could have been THE turning point for pool games!!!

I agree 8-ball is the way to go. BB = bull$#!%ball, just my opinion.

I've asked some casual friends who are not that into pool and the general feeling was wtf who would waste their time watching something they never played. Then a few asked why isn't pool(8-ball) on tv? Wish I had an answer.

I think it's easy enough to follow, but yes, as I have said since RSB days, 8-Ball is the only game to showcase if you want viewers. The pro-league is a good idea, especially if it could be put on Spike or something similar it would probably work very well.

I don't "hate" Bonus Ball although some of the snide remarks that came from their camp last month gave me a good indication they dislike the rest of the pool and billiards world. I just think a new game is both unneeded and unwanted.

I'm sure it's fun for some and if I had to play it I would choose the pro rules (3 pockets/team) over the standard. But I have a hard enough time getting younger players to compete at One-Pocket already because it's, "too hard". People are out to have fun, not be baffled and confused. They also have short attention spans and learning isn't something they want to do over beer.



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I watched some on YouTube since I hadn't heard of it, and it comes off as a novelty

Here is my honest opinion:

Good stuff:

They have been great to the players, paying them now even though they got construction delays. Ever seen that happen in pool? So thats a testament to the heart of the promoters.

The arena they built is a permanent structure, not a conference room with portable bleachers/seating. Ever see that in pool?? They are there to stay.


Problem stuff:

The game is difficult to understand, I have watched the videos a couple times and it took me a bit of time to "get it". I been playing pool for alomst 30 years and can play a little and it still took me longer than i'd like to understand it. Once I did its a good game, lots of 2 way shots, and other moves that "John Q Public" will NEVER EVER understand. And if people dont understand it, i fear they wont watch it.


I really hope that it works, for the players, fans, promoters, pool in general. If it does work we ALL win in one way or another, so there is ZERO chance i will knock it. But I wish the "Game" had simple intituve rules like one hole(your hole, my hole) rotation (1,2,3,4,5,6 etc) or the most complex game that most people understand 8 ball. All of which are very simple rules. Hard to play but easy to understand for beginners.

best
eric

I have to say as I was reading the rules I was confused, but after I watched it for a couple minutes I liked it and thought it was pretty easy to follow. Purple orange then black in ascending numerical value. Black respots. Shoot at either the gray or gold star pockets. Play to 30. Also you definitely don't need a new ball set to play it. It works just fine with stripes and solids.

There was some snotty comments made toward a couple of other people that are involved in the billiards industry. Didn't care for that much.

I watched it a bit and got to understand it better.

I know there has been a lot of money and hard work invested and I wish the people involved all the best. I hope they are able to pull it off.

If there are a few free vids to watch at some point, I will probably watch but there is absolutely nothing about it so far that I have seen that will entice me into paying for a live stream or buying a membership to watch.

I agree with some of the other comments re 8 Ball. If it were team 8 Ball, I would be more apt to pay for a live stream. There is just nothing about this new game or format that blows my non existent hair back in the wind enuff for me to get overly excited about it. I doubt that will change.

StraightPoolIU said:

I have to say as I was reading the rules I was confused, but after I watched it for a couple minutes I liked it and thought it was pretty easy to follow. Purple orange then black in ascending numerical value. Black respots. Shoot at either the gray or gold star pockets. Play to 30. Also you definitely don't need a new ball set to play it. It works just fine with stripes and solids.

Click to expand...

Duh. It ain't hard to figure out.

In 2 minutes into watching the video, I knew you had to make a 1 point then a 2, then a black 3 pointer. And which pockets you shot for. 2 minutes further in I saw many of the nuances/strategy.

Wow. A new game to learn. Ewww.

KK9 <-- has a 92 IQ

my problem is.....

What it's taking so long to get the thing going. I'm trying to hold of on the negative until i see a real match. if i had all the money invested in this thing i would have had it going 2 months ago.

I think the best thing they could have done is have traveling matches. What good does it do to have teams from our home city if we will never get a chance to go to a match. I'm from Chicago and Rodney Morris is one of my favorite players and he's on the Chicago team but he may as well be on team Alaska.

I don't want to see it fail but it seams to have very little going for it. Excerpt some deep pockets,,,,, for now.

My favorite part is the girls who spot the balls.

I live in an area, where there are 6 pool halls, all within 10 mile radius. When I ask people, who play leagues everynite and local tournys, what they think of the new bonus ball game. I seem to get the same response,which is, what is bonus ball? Even the room owners have never heard of it.
This is the main problem the game will face.

The other night, Tommy Kennedy and I were practicing Bonus Ball in Bull Shooters while the APA had an in-house league going on. After the APA finished their play, one of the girls came over and watched for a while, and then she asked if she might be able to try it. We told her, sure. She played one game of the pro version against Tommy, and although she didn't win, she already had the general rules figured out and was able to make some great shots to score points.

The game is not that tough to learn. Once you try it, you find out that it's addictive just like all other good pool games.

Roger

I like the game much more than I thought I would. I wish it success.

On a side note... Does anyone else have any problems with the downloadable scoreboard?

(((Satori))) said:

I like the game much more than I thought I would. I wish it success.

On a side note... Does anyone else have any problems with the downloadable scoreboard?

Click to expand...

I like it too. We have some balls on the way from good old Manitoba, eh.

I did have problems downloading the scoreboard software. It freezes on the page before the download happens. The software for the scoreboard also comes with the balls, so I hope that when they arrive we won't need the malfunctioning download page.

I'll wait to see how it plays out. But they can't get any real traction until they get the product on the market.

I agree it will be more difficult introducing a brand new game rather than going with 8 Ball. I suspect part of the reason for this is they're looking for additional ways to make money off from it besides gate, revenues from sale of team apparel/merchandise, stream/television revenue and perhaps sales of professional team franchises. They are probably projecting sales of ball sets and and operating an amateur league. Don't know about sales of ball sets because as I see it you can play the game with a standard set of balls. And in the best case a viable amateur league would be quite a ways off into the future.

One more thought, to really create interest in the core business - the professional league with teams representing cities - I think they are going to have to get out of Vegas and actually compete in their home towns, traveling like other professional leagues do - home and away games. That takes money.

One thing is for sure though, we are talking about it.

Hardly nobody still plays Nine Ball in our area but everyone plays Eight Ball. It is great for amateurs, and perfect for bar players. Get any top player to play Eight Ball and they make it look like Tiger Woods playing Par Three's all day! That is the reason that Larry started working on a game more suited to highly skilled players.

This game showcases the skills of these players and challenges them. So much so they get to break and then simply start off playing. (Break and shoot)

Shane has made his decision and is always welcome to get back in. That almost happened but Ralf Souquet grabbed it before Shane. It would have been nice seeing him representing his own area. Shane is one of the players that can live off his winnings so we wish him the best of luck.

As FAT BOY said, Larry has been good to the professionals and they do love playing this challenging game. The on going construction delays are the county and the contractor errors, so there is nothing Larry can do but let it finish when it get's finish. He deals fairly with everyone else, so he expected to be dealt with fairly too. Construction does not always work that way.

I watched the Mosconi Cup on several occasions and I loved the team concept. It is much more exciting, period. Enough to keep me interested despite watching so many run-outs and safeties. Building 12 new arena's was not an option for a start up, so one arena is nearing completion in Las Vegas. I expect more venues to come in the future and hopefully one in each city someday.

I don't really have a clue how to actually play football, that includes many others that don't play, but we do watch it. I don't believe the actual game matters as much as entertaining the fans! Pool fans should want to watch Appleton, Strickland, Archer and all the other top stars that believe in Larry's concept. Let's not forget that Nathan is by far the most progressive producer in the field right now. Larry Chiborak has taken his best shot at succeeding here. If these teams don't entertain then it will fail. It's pretty simple. Nothing to do with the game. If you are entertained by the teams, you will very quickly know the game.

I saw the exhibition training camp and wow, this will be entertaining. Give it a look before deciding one way or another. Actually, grab any balls and watch the free videos at www.wpbl.tv and give the game a try. Seldom have I ever heard the words too hard or too complicated from any player at any level. What I usually hear is oh yes, this really is a fun game! Really challenging for sure, but fun!