Fierce, beautifully written advocacy of Straight Pool as THE quintessential pool game

I'm always saddened when I hear people talk negatively about straight pool. What do those idiots know? The greatest game, the best way to separate two players by skill, a game with depths which 9 and 10 ball can't even begin to approach. A game which teaches you something new every time you play it. Once you run the first 3 balls in 9 ball, a monkey could run out. It's an insult to pool that this abomination of a game has been nominated as THE game. It's a bit like snooker, sure it's skillful, but the depths of knowledge really aren't there. Most advanced knowledge in 9 ball comes from Billiards, and not the game itself. It's a mindless potfest, with occational billiard kicks. It's a wonder this game can keep anyones attention.

Straight pool is probably the most addictive pool game ever created. When you're on a big run it's one of the greatest feelings one can have in sports, and it can last for as long as you can keep your composure. It keeps me coming back for more and studying and reading to get any edge in order to get back there again. Some people can never even get past the second rack, yet they run out in 9 ball..They don't know how to play patterns, how to break up clusters with control and insurance, how to pot balls at the right speed, and they fail over and over as a result. But the info and the skills are all there, for those who look and try. The wonders of a straight pool rack, the reading of which makes the so called "rack reading" of rotation games look like a preschoolers first book, can be applied to 8 ball and one pocket and will bring you endless joy when you knock one in from out of the blue.

I love that straight pool is a gentle game with very rare power shots, I like that there are no specialty cues needed. I like that it's a traditional,classy game with a great past and not some hillbilly carnie game with ever changing ball colours and constant gimmicks added. I like that you don't need a lot of power, that women and children can play it well with no special handicap as a result of physical stature and strength. I like that there are very few luck shots, and that games rarely hinge upon those few luck shots, like in 9 ball, where a perfect break can be spoiled through now fault on the shooters part.

I like that my skill wins or loses my matches and that I rarely have to accept defeat from a clearly inferior player, and that likewise, I rarely win through luck against players superior to me. I like that when I lose, I usually learn something by watching the other player, that the greater player inspire you to be better at strategy as well as technically. I love this game and I hate that I have to play the others for purposes of being ranked and qualifying for various tournaments. To me, the others are sideshows to the real game.

The article reminds me of all those things that make the current pro-;level games boring::
a) alternate breaks--if you have not missed, it should still be your shot
b) 4-balls have to hit a rail or 1 go in-- straight pool openings are fascinating to watch for 5--8 minutes not 3 seconds !
c) no time clock
d) no jumping
e) no high power shots--just enough to break up a cluster.

It displays who has the skill much better than who is shooting well tonight.
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Ive seen straight played by OGs, and the artistry in the game is their decision making on which ball they make and they way they maneuver a ball an inch over to get just the right angle for the next shot or a shot 6 balls later, when a game is played right be it straight, rotation, 8 ball, 9 ball, 10 ball, one pocket, banks, carom, its beautiful to watch. and yes, the hustler and CoM are my one and two favorite movies obvioulsly but they didn't show the actual poetry of the game. theyre good movies with pool in the background. I used to play at Carom café and billiards in flushing, Im worthless at the game, truly, but ive seen cuelamns, samih saygener, blahmdal, jaspers and a bunch of others and usually the game bores me to death but watching these guys, they leave you in awe. same goes for straight, if you watch a guy that was around during the days when staright was still the game of choice play, you can see the difference in knowledge and what the game can be. john Schmidt for example couldn't hold their cue, his way of playing is just like the article says, you just shoot whatever until you miss. good article

There’s no doubt straight pool is a great game but I still think 1P is better. That being said 3C is the most beautiful game ever, I wish I could play it.

Straight pool allows for greater creativity in shots because any ball and any pocket is legal.

The ability to use combos, caroms is greater in straight pool because any ball and any pocket is legal.

Overlooked is safety battles. Because any ball and any pocket is legal, safety play is critical and harder.

A truly amazing thing to watch is someone picking open a rack a ball at a time.

14.1 requires greater skill to master.

If you play 14.1 a lot, going to a game where the game has the rack broken open, seeing all the balls spread out will seem like a gift. You have all this room to work with.

If you can master 14.1, the other games will become simpler to play.

14.1 is the ultimate test and most accurate measure of any player’s pool skills.
It embodies everything pool is about in terms of skills, knowledge and strategy.
There is nothing, no other single venue, that tests and reveals what you can do.
People who shy away from straight pool are all too often intimidated to compete.

If you run 6-7 balls in a 9 ball game, you obviously have your opponent’s attention.
If that is all you are able to do in 14.1, you’re really at the bottom rung of competition.
As long as you compete with players with your skill level, the game is still enjoyable.
But get on a 9’ table with a better player that runs out whenever you miss, it changes.
Ergo, most players don’t like competing where they don’t stand a chance of winning.

Straight pool requires the most complete array of pool skills to become very good at it.
There is both offensive & defensive aspects and the game requires skillful position play.
I am not a strong straight pool player. My high run is only 38 balls. Running the table (14)
balls and leaving a breakout shot is a whole lot harder than running it in 8, 9, or 10 ball.
1 pocket is a entirely different proposition but 14.1 renders the other games pretty easy.

And there isn’t any slop. In 14.1........ it has the lowest lucky factor.....it is a game of skill.

Indeed, beautifully written. Thanks for posting.

Thanks for that article! I remember back in 1964 as an 11 year old in my basement- my friends and I would play "straight pool" one rack - first guy to pocket 8 balls won! We never even worried about rack # 2 - but we loved every minute of it! To this day I can play 14.1 for 3 to 4 hours at a clip alone and never be bored for a second - without 14.1 I would have given up this game years ago. I will take running three racks in 14.1 over three racks of 9 ball or 8 ball any day of the week - much more difficult! Also, like someone else said- I could see myself falling in love with 3 cushion, just never had enough exposure to it when younger.

1. Pinoy rotation
2. Last pocket saratoga
3. 10 Ball
4. Straight pool
5. 8 ball
6. 9 ball
In that order