Game That Teaches The Most Skills?

9 Ball Fan

Darth Maximus
Silver Member
9 ball.

The secret to this game is Whitey. 9ball teaches HAVING to play shape on the next ball no matter WHERE it is. You have no option. Imho, no other game ( discounting the other rotation games ) teaches this massively important mind-set.

Others will pounce on this. Regardless, those pounces will be their opinion. This one is mine.

10 Ball; because it's called shots, and one more ball to run than 9 Ball. I'd rather play 9 Ball, or 10 Ball than 8 Ball. But then again, I like 8 Ball too. I find 8 Ball to be easier for me, but 9 Ball to be better practice for me.
 

peppersauce

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Widest variety of skills-one pocket. But I think straight pool translates better to most all games. If I had to pick only one game to play for the rest of my life...one pocket, with 10-ball coming in second.

I have a ton of respect for 14.1, I just don’t enjoy it nearly as much as other games.
 
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realkingcobra

Well-known member
Silver Member
10 Ball; because it's called shots, and one more ball to run than 9 Ball. I'd rather play 9 Ball, or 10 Ball than 8 Ball. But then again, I like 8 Ball too. I find 8 Ball to be easier for me, but 9 Ball to be better practice for me.

But.....10b provides no help skill wise for playing 14.1 either.
 

Michael Andros

tiny balls, GIANT pockets
Silver Member
10 Ball; because it's called shots, and one more ball to run than 9 Ball. I'd rather play 9 Ball, or 10 Ball than 8 Ball. But then again, I like 8 Ball too. I find 8 Ball to be easier for me, but 9 Ball to be better practice for me.

10 ball is only "call shot" because someone somewhere said "call the shot". 9ball could just as well be call shot. That said, I've played 10ball countless times going back 35 years and I've NEVER played "call shot". Not once. Nor would I. No reason to.
 

realkingcobra

Well-known member
Silver Member
Widest variety of skills-one pocket. But I think straight pool translates better to most all games. If I had to pick only one game to play for the rest of my life...one pocket, with 10-ball coming in second.

I have a ton of respect for 14.1, I just don’t enjoy it nearly as much as other games.

But....read the OP's request again, which single game teaches the most about playing pool in all games.
 

realkingcobra

Well-known member
Silver Member
Which is why I said no one game does, because the skill set needed to play from one game to another varies to much.
 

mr3cushion

Regestered User
Silver Member
AND....1P teaches patients like no other game does, Damnit, I'm finally going to have to agree with you on something:thumbup: I must be getting old!

Patients! If watching an opponent run 150 & out doesn't help develop patients, what would! Except watching a guy run 33 playing 3 cushion!
 

JazzyJeff87

AzB Plutonium Member
Silver Member
Why did the doctor start playing 1 pocket?

He didn’t have enough patients!



Patience...how come I can’t make it smaller? The font
 

Patrick Johnson

Fish of the Day
Silver Member
The single biggest draw back to 1P that hurts all other games, is that 1P will hold back a players ability to get in the "zone" of a faster paced game, like ALL other games of pool....LOL
14.1 has a similar effect for me - I notice that after a bunch of it I'm a little less confident about longer/harder shots.

My choice would be what I already practice a lot - 15 ball rotation. It challenges most skills, the big exception being thinking (maybe why I suck so bad at 1 pocket).

I agree (of course) that 1 pocket is the most unique.

pj
chgo
 

peppersauce

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
But....read the OP's request again, which single game teaches the most about playing pool in all games.

Ehhh, that’s tough. It’s definitely between 14.1 and 1p, but I feel like you learn different, but very important, skills from each. Screw it...I’m just going to say 1p.😬 Like Danny D says, “One pocket IS straight pool once you get a shot.”
 

realkingcobra

Well-known member
Silver Member
14.1 Dont translate to rotation at all imo in terms of helping you play better rotation games

That's because 10b is only played with 10 balls, and then you hit the reset button, and do it again, and again. You can breath between games, 14.1....depending on whom you're playing, you might just be to scared to miss, regardless of how many balls you've ran, you're subject to lose on ANY missed ball.
 

JohnnyOzone

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Playing all the 14.1 i have over the last 2 yrs didnt help me play 8/9ball better

Playing 1 pocket dont help em either

Straight rail dont help 3c and vice versa

They are all different and all require different strategy anf shot making

If playing a lot of straight pool isn't helping your 8 ball game, then you aren't playing straight pool the right way or aren't learning what you should be. Straight pool is absolutely the best game to use to get better at 8 ball. In fact, you are the first person I've ever heard that said that. You should be learning better patterns, and how to break up clusters, if nothing else.
One pocket helps your defensive game no matter what you want to apply it to (not to mention getting out of safeties as well)
 

Texas Carom Club

9ball did to billiards what hiphop did to america
Silver Member
If playing a lot of straight pool isn't helping your 8 ball game, then you aren't playing straight pool the right way or aren't learning what you should be. Straight pool is absolutely the best game to use to get better at 8 ball. In fact, you are the first person I've ever heard that said that. You should be learning better patterns, and how to break up clusters, if nothing else.
One pocket helps your defensive game no matter what you want to apply it to (not to mention getting out of safeties as well)



thats very possible, but im aware of clusters and breaking them out,
i mean i watch bar box players make fine breakouts and they dont play 14.1

i dont know patterns that would no doubt help me improve 14.1
but i can run out 8ball with an decently open table without knowing patterns
possibly from my 14.1 exp lol

i think defense in 1pk is much easier than 8ball, any lapse in speed control and you can give it away, 1pkt,i can just kiss off a ball and send him up table

thats just my level of exp though, not too good lol
 
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