Bar Box Players vs 9-Footers!

[vivalaraza]

Anyone who thinks that Alex can not play on the small track is uninformed. Alex gave Mcready the 7 or 8ball playing ten ball on the bar box at Derby city a couple of years ago and steam rolled him. Alex may be the most talented player ever. I have seen him play all games at a world class level while never practicing. He played the best American straight pool player even to 300 and took down the cash. If Alex prepared for a few weeks to play Jesse a 20 ahead set on the bar box for 100k I like Alex.

Huck

i don't think alex would need a couple of weeks to prepare. i think he could get out of bed and be ready. don't get me wrong, jesse is a machine on the little tables but i just don't see him beating alex. and if he can't beat alex then wouldn't that make alex the best bar box player in the world?.......

 

[dogginda9]

Slightly off topic with this one. I heard that Mark Tadd played Alex some on the bar table. I don't know if this was recent or old news, but I was told that Mark gave him some weight and won. No one ever seems to mention Marks' name in bar table arguements. Just curious if this was true.

 

[Gregg]

A big difference not mentioned between bar tables and and 9 footers are that the side pockets are very small. This changes the way that you shoot and play position for.

Also, it seems that a much larger percentage of shots require the use of a rail bridge, since you are shooting off the rail so often.

 

[vivalaraza]

Slightly off topic with this one. I heard that Mark Tadd played Alex some on the bar table. I don't know if this was recent or old news, but I was told that Mark gave him some weight and won. No one ever seems to mention Marks' name in bar table arguements. Just curious if this was true.

i haven't heard about that but i wouldn't doubt it being true. the thing about giving weight really doesn't mean anything with those guys. they are pretty much playing the ghost anyways. when alex gave keith the 7, he might as well have been giving him the 3-out. all the spot does is look good to the railbirds. these guys beat the ghost on big tables for a living.

mark tadd would definitely be in that upper-class of players. he is one of those guys that doesn't get much airtime. i put CJ wiley in that category too. back when he was playing regularly, there wasn't a very long line to play him for the cash.

 

[uwate]

It's not more challenging to play on a bar box. It's easier! That's how it's different. The difference between 9' ers and 7' ers is the things that are most important.

On 7' ers it's speed control that's most important, on 9' ers it's aiming and accurate shot control that's most important. Shot making accuracy is no where near as necesary on seven footers. The pockets are monstrous.

I can fudge the pockets on a bar box so much it isn't even funny. I don't play on bar boxes because it will throw off my game on nine footers. The bar box favors the lesser player so long as they have good speed control.

Because it's soo easy to fudge pockets and make balls on bar boxes, when you get back on a ninefooter, you can't get away with being that far off on the accuracy of the aim. So, IMNSHO, bar boxers cannot adjust to nine footers while nine foot players with good speed control can easily adjust to seven footers.

What you said only really applies to amateur level bar pool. At the pro level, the bar box game requires all the skill sets you gloss over as irrelevant.

 

[jsp]

so the money is up and they had the cue ball but it got stuck in the table. the air just came out of the room. you could feel it. it was like someone missing a game-winning free throw with no time remaining (like that kid from memphis last year against louisville). they decided to play the game with the regular cue ball and alex won a 10 ahead, or maybe 12 ahead, in about 45 minutes! it wasn't even close. alex is SUPERB on the bar boxes!

Interesting story viva. Question though. Do you think the outcome would have been different if they played with the heavy CB?

 

[vivalaraza]

Interesting story viva. Question though. Do you think the outcome would have been different if they played with the heavy CB?

i don't know; maybe. it had to be relevant or they wouldn't have stipulated it beforehand. i guess maybe they thought alex would not be able to get proper english or whatever. i can't imagine alex playing at a lower level. maybe it was more on keith's end. maybe he was much more used to the heavy cb. with those guys it really just comes down to who gets the first open shot.