handicapping one pocket?

i like player bs end of it

especially if both players are pretty good shooters

it is hard to give 9 to 7 to a guy who shoots your level
unless the b player has no good pool sense

measureman said:

player A & B are the same skill level.
player A is a better one pocket player.
the game is 9-5.
1st game player A wins 9-4
2nd game player B wins 5-5 running all 5 balls first open shot he gets.
3rd game player B wins 5-5
4th game player B wins 5-4
Game is adjusted to 9-6
5th game player A wins 9-to minus 1.
Is 9-6 the fair game?

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Having played only one game 9-6 its kinda hard to tell. If A routs B again at 9-6 then some sort of adjustment, maybe the break, may be needed.

At that shooting skill level
I think player B will still have the best of it at 9-6
Player ,A has to play almost mistake free
Because player B should be able to get 6
9/7 or 10/7 probably is right
Imho
Icbw

The 9- minus 1 game is an aberration based on the prior games
If that really is how they play then player A could win at 9-3
Just sayin :grin:

with straight pool talent like this
unless one player is a scott frost type of expert
i would expect the 9-6 to favor the b player

if a good player of one pocket who was not such a great shooter
the good shooter with basic skills you describe would win with no spot

pool is still pool
shot balls in and play safe

it is not an iq test

i have beat dozens of great players with big spots like 9 to 5

guys who could give me the 5 through and the break

a spot of 4 balls is a lot

havind said that
Cliff gave me 9 to 4 and the break,I actually picked my 4 spotted balls

A great player could give me 18 to 4


back to the case you mention
i would bet on player b with 8 to 6,9 to 6,
8to 7 and the break,10 to 7


i would be very careful to bet on player a at 9 to 7

but i would really need more info to know for sure

simply not enough games played to set a true line.

all you can do is get a feel for how he plays according to your ability at the game and go from there.

generally in most situations the person ahead has the best of it.

I like player-B for the long haul.
...as he learns more about one-pocket, that spot will keep shrinking.

measureman said:

player A & B are the same skill level.
player A is a better one pocket player.
the game is 9-5.
1st game player A wins 9-4
2nd game player B wins 5-5 running all 5 balls first open shot he gets.
3rd game player B wins 5-5
4th game player B wins 5-4
Game is adjusted to 9-6
5th game player A wins 9-to minus 1.
Is 9-6 the fair game?

Click to expand...

"Fair".... hard to say, really not enough info, yet. But, if I was on the rail, I would take the horse going to 6.
One Pocket is my main game, play it about 90% of the time. I rarely like to play for a short count (meaning the ball count equals less than 16), I prefer a natural (equals 16) or long (equals over 16). If they are equal shooters in other games, but one player is better at One Pocket, I would start with a three or four game set at 9-7 and see how it goes and adjust one ball one way or the other, or one player takes breaks. They say the break is worth 1-1/2, 2 balls to a high level player, that being said in this game player "b" break would be worth 1/2 a ball and player "a" around 1 ball.
That's the beautiful thing about One Pocket, you can adjust until it's a good game both ways.
Hope this helps, I will also attach OnePocket.org handicap sheet.
It has already been stated by another post, the spot will change depending on how quickly "b" picks up the game.

http://www.onepocket.org/one-pocket-handicaps/

deanoc said:

with straight pool talent like this
unless one player is a scott frost type of expert
i would expect the 9-6 to favor the b player

if a good player of one pocket who was not such a great shooter
the good shooter with basic skills you describe would win with no spot

pool is still pool
shot balls in and play safe

it is not an iq test

i have beat dozens of great players with big spots like 9 to 5

guys who could give me the 5 through and the break

a spot of 4 balls is a lot

havind said that
Cliff gave me 9 to 4 and the break,I actually picked my 4 spotted balls

A great player could give me 18 to 4


back to the case you mention
i would bet on player b with 8 to 6,9 to 6,
8to 7 and the break,10 to 7


i would be very careful to bet on player a at 9 to 7

but i would really need more info to know for sure

Click to expand...

Wow Deano you are slipping! For years you claim you couldn't beat anybody:frown:

measureman said:

Both players can run multiple racks of 9-10-8 ball and 50 ball runners in straight pool.

Click to expand...

Glad you have seen the light:wink:

maha said:

simply not enough games played to set a true line.

all you can do is get a feel for how he plays according to your ability at the game and go from there.

generally in most situations the person ahead has the best of it.

Click to expand...

I agree. I played with a slightly better player last weekend, even. 10 years ago he'd give me 9-6. Now he can't give me anything. We played a very long session, around 30 games. In the first 3 hours I felt like I had a slight advantage, had him down 5 games. But after the last 3 hours I was down 5 games and felt like maybe he had the advantage.

I had wanted to play $50 a game, but he suggested we keep it more friendly at $20/game. I'm glad we did. Keeping it friendly kept him from thinking about asking for a spot in those first ten games or do when he screwed up a few moves and I ran out two or three times. My point is that if the first few games was to be the determining factor for readjusting the game, I'd have had to spot him 9-7 probably, and it wouldn't have been good for me because 6 hours later he had me stuck 5 games. He's a great player, but I don't think a spot is in order. Of course, more money might make a difference. But the first 5 or 6 games was no good indicator of how we matched up..

Jon Manning said:

"Fair".... hard to say, really not enough info, yet. But, if I was on the rail, I would take the horse going to 6.
One Pocket is my main game, play it about 90% of the time. I rarely like to play for a short count (meaning the ball count equals less than 16), I prefer a natural (equals 16) or long (equals over 16). If they are equal shooters in other games, but one player is better at One Pocket, I would start with a three or four game set at 9-7 and see how it goes and adjust one ball one way or the other, or one player takes breaks. They say the break is worth 1-1/2, 2 balls to a high level player, that being said in this game player "b" break would be worth 1/2 a ball and player "a" around 1 ball.
That's the beautiful thing about One Pocket, you can adjust until it's a good game both ways.
Hope this helps, I will also attach OnePocket.org handicap sheet.
It has already been stated by another post, the spot will change depending on how quickly "b" picks up the game.

http://www.onepocket.org/one-pocket-handicaps/

Click to expand...

Its amazing how making the lesser player make one more(7 vs.6) ball can have such a large effect on the game. 8-6 and 9-7 may sound the same(2 balls,right?) but they are completely different animals.

garczar said:

Its amazing how making the lesser player make one more(7 vs.6) ball can have such a large effect on the game. 8-6 and 9-7 may sound the same(2 balls,right?) but they are completely different animals.

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Absolutely agree, it can be huge! I've found that making nine balls instead of eight is extremely difficult spot. That's why I have that handicap sheet printed and it sits in my bag so I have a quick reference when trying to make a game.
One of the many reasons I love the game, learning the subtle nuances, can be the difference of Chicken or Feathers.

you guys arev right on the money

i have seen many weak players prefer 9-7 over 8-6
they think the more balls the good player needs the better it will be for the weak

they never seem to win and usually adjust to 10-8 and it
just gets worse

the rule for the guy getting spotted is
take the break and make as few balls as necessary

my experience is that a weak player must take the break

it is nearly impossible to turn the game around on a better player

in the case of the two players we started with

if both players can run 50 balls of 14.1 and racks of 9 ball

it would take a very seasoned one pocket player to spot an accomplished player 8 to 6

not saying it can not be done

if i were a financial partner with the weaker one hole player,i would get the break

lets put our friend on the defense where he belongs

i would prefer 8 to 7 and the break to 8to 6 for players of this ability

i might also share about 5 basics with the new player

Iwould explain how position is more important than a ball,or 2

the break is worth 2 balls,or so thestory goes

if that is right and you come up to a shot with an easy ball but you don't know where snow is going

it might be better to knock a ball or more away from your opponent instead of making that hanger and finding balls in front of your friends hole


this is prelude to misery,and girl of go off

a few basics can really wake up a smart player

if your player says I prefer such and such instead of the good advice
then i might bet on the other side

Holding a guy to 6 (5actually...coz when he hits 6, he will expect to get paid) if he is a 50+ ball runner is brutal. Especially if the spotter is of similar runout ability.

If I were the spotter, I'd be looking to make the guy go to 7+, even if I have to give all the breaks too.

i am always the guy playing better players
usually much better

actually not so much any more as very few players go on the road
but when they do ,i like to play

I have heard "6, My grandma doesnt get to go to 6" many times.
The better player has to be STRONG to give good players that 6 and under spot.