2006 AZ Straight Pool Challenge
- Thread starter TheOne
- Start date
Ok. Didn't improve much my score, but the circumstances were a little bit different. This weekend had Finnish Team Championships and our team didn't do really well, but I managed to break my tournament high run. First match yesterday and the match went something like this (race to 75):
I broke, scratched in the kitchen corner pocket, my opponent ran 20-something, missed and didn't leave me really anything, except a super-difficult backward thin cut in the middle which I missed. Then he ran another 20-something and left me a couple of open balls, I ran 2 and tried to cheat the middle pocket with a hard shot and the pocket spat out the ball. I had another difficult spot and the my opponent made a mistake by trying to force an angle on a straight-in shot and missed. The scoreboard stood 53-1 in favour to my opponent. Then I ran 74-out
Textbook run, didn't have any difficult shots there.
So my new entry for the list is
74 (-out, unfinished tournament run from 1-53), Apr 8th.
I left it unfinished, because I played the cueball safe on the last shot. Didn't want continue the run, because after such a feat I feel the motivation is gone after the tournament match tension disappears. Could've broken the century there, but thought to leave it for the future matches...
New chart:
2006 AZ Straight Pool Challenge High Run Top 50!
138 (Danny Harriman, Jan DCC)
113 (Blackjack, Feb)
101 (pooladdict, 4th feb)
98 (meganite, Mar)
94 (Cameron Smith, 18th Mar)
74 (mjantti, 8th Apr tournament match, unfinished, from 1-53
)
73 (Gerry, 12th Jan)
72 (Tom, March)
60 (bud green 4th Feb)
53 (TheOne, 4th Jan)
52 (Bob Jewett, 14th Mar)
48 (SJM, 2nd Jan)
46 (dmgwalsh, 6th Jan)
45 (kjehle, Jan)
44 (Williebetmore, Sometime this year!)
44 (Rodney, 8th Apr)
41 (Samiel, 2 March)
41 (HobokenAPA 3rd Feb)
34 (mikepage)
edit: Rodney added
I broke, scratched in the kitchen corner pocket, my opponent ran 20-something, missed and didn't leave me really anything, except a super-difficult backward thin cut in the middle which I missed. Then he ran another 20-something and left me a couple of open balls, I ran 2 and tried to cheat the middle pocket with a hard shot and the pocket spat out the ball. I had another difficult spot and the my opponent made a mistake by trying to force an angle on a straight-in shot and missed. The scoreboard stood 53-1 in favour to my opponent. Then I ran 74-out
Textbook run, didn't have any difficult shots there.So my new entry for the list is
74 (-out, unfinished tournament run from 1-53), Apr 8th.
I left it unfinished, because I played the cueball safe on the last shot. Didn't want continue the run, because after such a feat I feel the motivation is gone after the tournament match tension disappears. Could've broken the century there, but thought to leave it for the future matches...
New chart:
2006 AZ Straight Pool Challenge High Run Top 50!
138 (Danny Harriman, Jan DCC)
113 (Blackjack, Feb)
101 (pooladdict, 4th feb)
98 (meganite, Mar)
94 (Cameron Smith, 18th Mar)
74 (mjantti, 8th Apr tournament match, unfinished, from 1-53
)73 (Gerry, 12th Jan)
72 (Tom, March)
60 (bud green 4th Feb)
53 (TheOne, 4th Jan)
52 (Bob Jewett, 14th Mar)
48 (SJM, 2nd Jan)
46 (dmgwalsh, 6th Jan)
45 (kjehle, Jan)
44 (Williebetmore, Sometime this year!)
44 (Rodney, 8th Apr)
41 (Samiel, 2 March)
41 (HobokenAPA 3rd Feb)
34 (mikepage)
edit: Rodney added
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JrPlayer01
Registered
My highest run is 32 and im 15 <<<< If that counts for something!
OK, I'm almost game, since I have my table. I am still trying to figure out how to start. If you are playing alone, do you start with a safety break, and keep playing safe against yourself until one of your alter egos messes up?
Or can you just start with a break ball and go from there?
Or can you just start with a break ball and go from there?
rackmsuckr said:OK, I'm almost game, since I have my table. I am still trying to figure out how to start. If you are playing alone, do you start with a safety break, and keep playing safe against yourself until one of your alter egos messes up?
Or can you just start with a break ball and go from there?
There are two ways you can go about it I think. The most common method people use is to set up their favorite break ball and then go from there. Something that I do from time to time is scatter all fifteen balls over one half of the table and pretend as though my opponent just missed leaving me with an open table and then I go from there.
But for the purposes of this challenge I think setting up a break ball is the best way to go. Scattering the fifteen balls is almost in effect giving yourself a fifteen point start.
My top three are as follows.
1. 68 in Canton Ohio on a shimmed Diamond
2. 63 in playing the local straight pool guru $5 a ball going to 100 it was the first time I ever beat him we always finished around 10 balls within each other at a buck a ball. I was 16 or 17 at the time and I won in 3 innings 10,27, and 63 and out I was so excited I did not continue the run. The final score was 100-15. It was my first score over $200.
3. 52 that was special to me because it occured on a brunswick that my grandfather had run over 200 balls on. Contrary to popular belief his high runs in practice often reached 300 plus, and according to him he hardly practiced straight pool because more action at the other games.
1. 68 in Canton Ohio on a shimmed Diamond
2. 63 in playing the local straight pool guru $5 a ball going to 100 it was the first time I ever beat him we always finished around 10 balls within each other at a buck a ball. I was 16 or 17 at the time and I won in 3 innings 10,27, and 63 and out I was so excited I did not continue the run. The final score was 100-15. It was my first score over $200.
3. 52 that was special to me because it occured on a brunswick that my grandfather had run over 200 balls on. Contrary to popular belief his high runs in practice often reached 300 plus, and according to him he hardly practiced straight pool because more action at the other games.
Cameron Smith said:
I don't like to start a break with an open table, unless I missed on my previous shot. I prefer setting up different break balls and starting the runs in practice play like that. Especially those break shots you're not comfortable with: shooting the break ball in the middle bag, thin cuts with break ball near the rack etc.
mjantti said:
It depends on what I'm practicing. If I want to practice a break ball then I'll set it up. However somedays I want to make myself work for that break ball. Besides its kinda fun to pretend your playing Willie Mosconi in the finals and he just left you an open table, and now you have to run 50-100 balls to win the world title
.
OK, we have REALLY SLOOOOOOW cloth and things just aren't separating well on the break.
Mike told me something like if the break ball is below the middle ball, use follow and above the middle ball in the pack, use draw, which flies in the face of reason, IMHO, since it won't get as full an impact as possible with the rack, i.e spread.
However, using my bull-headed techniques, I kept smacking the pack full and freezing it in the pack. This is frustrating, as it stops the run.
I ran out my first rack and had an ideal break ball for the 2nd rack and bam, I'm frozen in the center of the middle ball and all the rest of the balls are on the other side of it.
I did the same thing again when I re-racked and started over, so I went back to 8 ball.
Getting a high run of 14 twice is not what I want to post on here! 
Would that really be 28? LOL
I know there are some straight pool experts here who could help me not freeze on the stack. If the cloth was speedier, the balls would spread better and it would probably be hard to freeze against anything. Our cloth is like peanut butter.
Mike told me something like if the break ball is below the middle ball, use follow and above the middle ball in the pack, use draw, which flies in the face of reason, IMHO, since it won't get as full an impact as possible with the rack, i.e spread.
However, using my bull-headed techniques, I kept smacking the pack full and freezing it in the pack. This is frustrating, as it stops the run.
I ran out my first rack and had an ideal break ball for the 2nd rack and bam, I'm frozen in the center of the middle ball and all the rest of the balls are on the other side of it.
I did the same thing again when I re-racked and started over, so I went back to 8 ball.
Getting a high run of 14 twice is not what I want to post on here! Would that really be 28? LOLI know there are some straight pool experts here who could help me not freeze on the stack. If the cloth was speedier, the balls would spread better and it would probably be hard to freeze against anything. Our cloth is like peanut butter.
You might have to either slug the break shot to spread them, or maybe play position for break shots that allow you to hit the last couple of balls in the rack instead of a middle ball. The cue ball can plow through three or four balls a lot easier than trying to bull its way through the whole stack with top spin (ala Steve Mizerak). Otherwise, you might have to punch the shot, hard, with mostly center ball to have the cueball bounce off a little bit.
Jim Rempe is one player who tries to pick off balls and re-nudge the stack a few times as opposed to a Sigel who likes to open the balls with a good pop. Rempe's style requires great postition play though- you only have a few balls open to work with.
Phil Capelles book is good on explaining break shots. I tend to stick in the stack mostly when I have break shots below the stack. If you hit the middle ball instead of the end balls, you have a great chance of being in trouble.
Some good instructionals:
Pat Flemings Creative Edge: basic guidelines for what english to use on what break shots is covered.
Rempe has two instructional videos out and also has a player review tape out through accu-stats of him playing Ginky. His commentary is excellent and his style of 14.1 is low-risk.
Sigel put some tapes out years ago and two of them are 14.1. He goes over breaks shots on them.
Accu-Stats latest catalog show them about to put out a series of 14.1 tapes that include bad rolls, bad luck on breaks. They call it Pools' Cruelest Game and I have to agree.
ps- I'm no 14.1 expert by any means (Hi run only 60) but I've collected about 30-40 tapes of straight pool and tried to learn from all the commentators.
Jim Rempe is one player who tries to pick off balls and re-nudge the stack a few times as opposed to a Sigel who likes to open the balls with a good pop. Rempe's style requires great postition play though- you only have a few balls open to work with.
Phil Capelles book is good on explaining break shots. I tend to stick in the stack mostly when I have break shots below the stack. If you hit the middle ball instead of the end balls, you have a great chance of being in trouble.
Some good instructionals:
Pat Flemings Creative Edge: basic guidelines for what english to use on what break shots is covered.
Rempe has two instructional videos out and also has a player review tape out through accu-stats of him playing Ginky. His commentary is excellent and his style of 14.1 is low-risk.
Sigel put some tapes out years ago and two of them are 14.1. He goes over breaks shots on them.
Accu-Stats latest catalog show them about to put out a series of 14.1 tapes that include bad rolls, bad luck on breaks. They call it Pools' Cruelest Game and I have to agree.
ps- I'm no 14.1 expert by any means (Hi run only 60) but I've collected about 30-40 tapes of straight pool and tried to learn from all the commentators.
Wow aghh too many new posts hehe, thanks mj
Im currently in Italy but will update the list soon. I finally got the chance to play for a couple of hours in Ljubjana (Slovenia, thanks Tom for supplying the address not a bad place) last night. The tables where very tight but I ran 42 4 times but messed up break shot each time.
I just played again in Italy today and I ran 42 (rattled break shot),46 (dodgy scratch), then 48...so frustrating only missed twice in a run of 136, getting closer!
Im currently in Italy but will update the list soon. I finally got the chance to play for a couple of hours in Ljubjana (Slovenia, thanks Tom for supplying the address not a bad place) last night. The tables where very tight but I ran 42 4 times but messed up break shot each time.
I just played again in Italy today and I ran 42 (rattled break shot),46 (dodgy scratch), then 48...so frustrating only missed twice in a run of 136, getting closer!
rackmsuckr said:OK, we have REALLY SLOOOOOOW cloth and things just aren't separating well on the break.
Mike told me something like if the break ball is below the middle ball, use follow and above the middle ball in the pack, use draw, which flies in the face of reason, IMHO, since it won't get as full an impact as possible with the rack, i.e spread.
However, using my bull-headed techniques, I kept smacking the pack full and freezing it in the pack. This is frustrating, as it stops the run.
I ran out my first rack and had an ideal break ball for the 2nd rack and bam, I'm frozen in the center of the middle ball and all the rest of the balls are on the other side of it.
I did the same thing again when I re-racked and started over, so I went back to 8 ball.
I know there are some straight pool experts here who could help me not freeze on the stack. If the cloth was speedier, the balls would spread better and it would probably be hard to freeze against anything. Our cloth is like peanut butter.
Hi Linda,
3 months ago, I could have easily written the same post as you have above. Then I watched Joe Tucker's DVD about breaking. At the end he talks about straight pool breaks.
What Mike tells you about using follow when below the middle ball and draw when above is only a good guideline for a beginner player. You will still stick to the pack even when slamming it and even on a fast cloth table. The bottom line as Joe explains it is that if you hit a ball in the stack straight on with more than 2 or 3 balls behind it, you are likely to stick.
Try this: Put your break ball about 4 inches from the stack. This makes the cue ball path very "readable". It should travel right on the tangent line. Then look at the contact point on the stack ball. If it's going to hit straight on, then use draw to get out. If you are going to hit a little below center on the contact point of a particular ball, then follow can help. If it's a little above straight into the stack ball, then try draw although it can shoot up table and end up a long way from a shot. I just hit that one softer.
I think the above info from Joe Tucker may have some of my interpretation and you should watch the DVD for yourself. I definitely don't stick to the stack much anymore. If the break ball is more than about 6 inches from the stack, there's some judgement about the contact points that I still read incorrectly causing the dreaded stick.
I think for us players in the 25-50 highball run range the key focus is NOT getting the best spread but to make sure we don't stick. At least that way we can shoot. I get the feeling that those great rack spreads are more advanced and that is what gets your runs up towards 100.
Good luck!
Andy
TheOne said:Wow aghh too many new posts hehe, thanks mj
Im currently in Italy but will update the list soon. I finally got the chance to play for a couple of hours in Ljubjana (Slovenia, thanks Tom for supplying the address not a bad place) last night. The tables where very tight but I ran 42 4 times but messed up break shot each time.
I just played again in Italy today and I ran 42 (rattled break shot),46 (dodgy scratch), then 48...so frustrating only missed twice in a run of 136, getting closer!
Hey Craig ! I hope you have a good time in Slovenia, heard it's beautiful there... scenery, girls
I know you're feeling, I've been there. A couple of times I was about to run a 150 but missed at 7. Another opportunity wasted...
Better get up there the One, your name is slipping down on the list
mjantti said:Hey Craig ! I hope you have a good time in Slovenia, heard it's beautiful there... scenery, girls
I know you're feeling, I've been there. A couple of times I was about to run a 150 but missed at 7. Another opportunity wasted...
haha, yeah wont be long though hehe
As for slovenia, yes lovely country, wouldnt no anything about the girls!
Euro tour started won ym first Match this morning 9-2 got hohman next!
TheOne said:haha, yeah wont be long though hehe
As for slovenia, yes lovely country, wouldnt no anything about the girls!
Euro tour started won ym first Match this morning 9-2 got hohman next!
Hehey, have a good time in Italy and may you have many many rolls (except against Finns of course
) We have a big tourney this weekend here in Finland, winner takes a few thousand so that's why there aren't many Finns at the Eurotour event. Keep us informed how your matches went (and maybe start a new thread for it, this is purely for 14.1 talks only )edit: Hohmann ? Whomann ? Seen that name somewhere... oh yeah, that was the guy I beat in my latest Eurotour a few years ago
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It only bumps me up a couple of places in the standings but I ran 44 tonight (Apr 14th)