14.1 And Tight Pockets?

[Johnnyt]

I dunno who's saying that johnny... but really it sounds like one guy's opinion and not 'common knowlege' or the 'general concensus'.

Something I hear all the time is that many serious 9b/10b players favor tight pockets.

That's probably because those games favor pure shotmaking ability. They are not thinking games. They are pure execution.

So any guy who is in love with his own shotmaking skill... he chooses rotation games that show off that skill. How's he gonna do Corey's super monkey draw shot, playing 14.1? There's no opportunity to show that off. So the shotmaker plays rotation games. And he says stuff like "yeah I can't stand regulation pockets. Makes the game too easy. I fall asleep shooting into those buckets." Which, to be blunt, is horseshít macho posturing. Just my opinion, no offense intended

Guys who love the other aspects of pool, like careful planning or tactical decisions, don't feel the need to turn it into a straight shooting contest by shrinking the pockets. So it's not that 14.1 players insist on 'big' pockets. They just don't feel a burning urge to play their game on nonstandard equipment.

Rotation games can be very tactical. The safety play in 10 and 15 ball by the upper skill level player w/o use of jump cues can win matches. IMO the tighter the pockets in rotation and no jump cues bring out more of the defense in the game. The top rotation players that play 14.1 once or twice a year play the game horribly but still get into the semis and finals anyway against players that play the game 100's or 1000's of times a year. Johnnyt

 

[alphadog]

Help me out here to understand this logic. Everytime someone wants to see 14.1 played on a tight pocket table (less than 4 1/2") the 14.1 players say you can't play 14.1 on pockets that tight...we need to be able to cheat the pocket for postion. You don't need to cheat the pocket for position in rotation games? In 14.1 you almost always have more than 1 ball to get position on...sometimes 10 or more to shoot. In 9, 10, and 15-ball you have one ball to get position on. Even if its at the other end of the table and there is 7 or more balls to miss going for it.

Johnny, you old hustler,as you are well aware gaff tables probably have
had more to do with tight pockets then anything.14.1 is not known as a
gambling game so its stands to reason gaff sized pockets aren't welcome!
!4.1 is a purest game and it does not like change.
Despite the non gambling tag-there are many wagers that can be made-
by the game/by the rack/high run/individual breakshots/runouts without
moving another ball/etc....

P.S. Good post!

 

[alstl]

I don't enjoy watching the best players in the world look inept at 14.1 on a ridiculously tight table.

But that's just me, others will disagree.

 

[Johnnyt]

Thanks all for the interesting feedback on this. Johnnyt

 

[Fenwick]

Ridiculously tight and improperly cut pockets make the game boring. No fun playing 5 hours to finish one game. Tight pockets set up correctly are fine. Big pockets set up wrong, you can adjust but still no fun. Just M.O.

 

[CreeDo]

Rotation games can be very tactical. The safety play in 10 and 15 ball by the upper skill level player w/o use of jump cues can win matches. IMO the tighter the pockets in rotation and no jump cues bring out more of the defense in the game. The top rotation players that play 14.1 once or twice a year play the game horribly but still get into the semis and finals anyway against players that play the game 100's or 1000's of times a year. Johnnyt

That's an interesting point about the top rotation players being able to play 14.1 at a high level even if they hardly practice it. I've noticed the same thing (though I can't honestly say I know exactly how much they play it, maybe it's more than I think).

Seeing guys like Mike D run that hundred will remind anyone, sometimes just shooting very straight can get you there. Maybe all that stuff about playing 14.1 the "Correct" way and knowing the patterns is overrated.

I think it was Joe Tucker who said this, or maybe many have said it before. The conventional wisdom is that if you play 14.1 you will be better at everything else... but maybe it's the other way around. Maybe playing good 9 ball gives you the skills to move the cue ball all over if necessary and come with a great shot in a tough situation. With those skills, 14.1 will feel like a bit of a relief bunting in all those 3 foot shots.

I still feel like thinking pretty much goes away in rotation, except maybe for those kicking battles you occasionally see. That's when a player has to turn on his brain. But once he's actually running out, he can shut it off again. Whereas in 14.1 you have to be thinking and planning during both the offensive and defensive situations.

 

[Vahmurka]

post #9 of this thread (by DogsPlayingPool) is just one of the best explanations why tight pockets alone (without consideration) are not an issue. And tightening the pockets way too much (past the point of normal play allowed) is killing the game actually rather than making it appealing.