The scoreboard is a gaudy mess but I am looking forward to seeing the matches. It reminds me of a lot of impromptu games you make up with friends when you have had a few too many. Would have been nice to get some women involved. Surely there is enough talent in NYC alone for a team.
bonus ball is the real deal
- Thread starter lee brett
- Start date
Barry,
Welcome to the board!
What do you have against forums? This one in particular? There are many influential fans that frequent this forum. You just need to know how to navigate through all the trolls. And they are pretty easy to spot. If you don't know just ask someone you do know and trust.
I think everyone involved in pool wants to see a shot in the arm and hopefully that will be Bonus Ball. Biggest negative issue you have in my view with the existing fan base is lack of any quality communication on your part. And it seams that has led to a perception that you are not coordinating with the other promoters out in our small, cult community. So this is why there is a negative buzz. I for one am looking forward to being entertained by Bonus Ball and would like to own the Houston Team if it becomes successful. haha You may be doing a wonderful thing for the sport. But how would anyone know?
Any start up business needs a out going PR & BD effort in parallel with operations. Maybe your model is targeting away from the existing fan base of pool. Or maybe you are smarter than the average bear and your plan is being tightly held to the vest. Either way I hope the positive hype is true.
Very best regards,
Mark in Houston
Welcome to the board!
What do you have against forums? This one in particular? There are many influential fans that frequent this forum. You just need to know how to navigate through all the trolls. And they are pretty easy to spot. If you don't know just ask someone you do know and trust.
I think everyone involved in pool wants to see a shot in the arm and hopefully that will be Bonus Ball. Biggest negative issue you have in my view with the existing fan base is lack of any quality communication on your part. And it seams that has led to a perception that you are not coordinating with the other promoters out in our small, cult community. So this is why there is a negative buzz. I for one am looking forward to being entertained by Bonus Ball and would like to own the Houston Team if it becomes successful. haha You may be doing a wonderful thing for the sport. But how would anyone know?
Any start up business needs a out going PR & BD effort in parallel with operations. Maybe your model is targeting away from the existing fan base of pool. Or maybe you are smarter than the average bear and your plan is being tightly held to the vest. Either way I hope the positive hype is true.
Very best regards,
Mark in Houston
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lol. Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing how that works out for you. Maybe if I take up teaching this stuff again I can use it as a case study.
Lou Figueroa
So everyone may ask questions individually and you personally respond to each one in private? That is a model of efficiency and certainly the most effective way to get your word out. Best wishes.
~Razor
I am guessing he wants to put a quick stop to the "typical Lou F hate ranting" before it starts snowballing. In the last month, it was lee Brett, then the pool hall in Vegas, now bonus ball. When Lou takes a disliking to a person or a topic, his poison is relentless and some not so bright people on here even follow him like a cult leader lol :thumbup:
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I enjoy reading forums and could spend hours typing about this whole project but at this time, I'm far too swamped preparing for our next step. The next step is renovating our new venue in Las Vegas. If I'm not communicating it's because we have been trying to build a professional league and there are only two men doing this, Larry and Barry. The game is fine and plays excellent for all levels with a few different additions for each level to make it fun and competitive. I also enjoy all games and play all games.
Lee Brett, Roger and others are just voicing their own feelings about this game and I'm sure they are now more excited than I am about this project since I have had had several years of developing it. I agree with many that nobody should "support" Bonus Ball or the professional players unless we deliver you a product that interests you. I agree with many other comments about marketing and such. However, we have to keep following our path as we don't want to fade into the sunset like the IPT or any other failed venture. It costs millions of dollars to launch this professional league. We could do it with say ten ball but we feel (so do the professionals) this game is better suited to their skill levels. Bonus Ball is nothing really new other than it's well structured. It seems like it might be easy to pick the best of all the games and put them into one but with each step forward, we had to sometimes take a step back. We decided to make a new look to our game so not to look like 7 ball, 8 ball, 9 ball or 10 ball. No big deal really. I drive Fords that never look the same year after year. Other sports are constantly upgrade their logos and products. Why should pool not do the same.
I now have our venue and now have begun the next step of getting the correct permits and other legal documents. That is good business. Yes, we would like to start the professional league in November. It is not etched in stone so why announce that? The best we can say today, we are shooting for November.
We are not keeping any secrets, not doing things illegal and we certainly don't want to mislead our pool community. Rumors are just what you read or hear. You may address your questions directly to me at info@playbonusball.com That way you can have your questions directly answered from the source.
I do have one question for the forums...why did I go 0 for 10 in the BCA Nationals? :smile: It was my worse showing ever!
Barry Bremner
World Wide Sport of Billiards
www.playbonusball.com
Lee Brett, Roger and others are just voicing their own feelings about this game and I'm sure they are now more excited than I am about this project since I have had had several years of developing it. I agree with many that nobody should "support" Bonus Ball or the professional players unless we deliver you a product that interests you. I agree with many other comments about marketing and such. However, we have to keep following our path as we don't want to fade into the sunset like the IPT or any other failed venture. It costs millions of dollars to launch this professional league. We could do it with say ten ball but we feel (so do the professionals) this game is better suited to their skill levels. Bonus Ball is nothing really new other than it's well structured. It seems like it might be easy to pick the best of all the games and put them into one but with each step forward, we had to sometimes take a step back. We decided to make a new look to our game so not to look like 7 ball, 8 ball, 9 ball or 10 ball. No big deal really. I drive Fords that never look the same year after year. Other sports are constantly upgrade their logos and products. Why should pool not do the same.
I now have our venue and now have begun the next step of getting the correct permits and other legal documents. That is good business. Yes, we would like to start the professional league in November. It is not etched in stone so why announce that? The best we can say today, we are shooting for November.
We are not keeping any secrets, not doing things illegal and we certainly don't want to mislead our pool community. Rumors are just what you read or hear. You may address your questions directly to me at info@playbonusball.com That way you can have your questions directly answered from the source.
I do have one question for the forums...why did I go 0 for 10 in the BCA Nationals? :smile: It was my worse showing ever!
Barry Bremner
World Wide Sport of Billiards
www.playbonusball.com
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Personally
I don't think it will go over unless Players see it as a game to gamble with.
If they like to gamble on it, then they will do anything to have an 'edge' over another player.
Use to be, if a player wanted to get over another player, he would suggest a game he was familiar with, but was new to the other player. That way, he could hustle the other player out of his money. For example, one player coaxing a player to get into a 'Golf' game on a snooker table.
I don't think it will go over unless Players see it as a game to gamble with.
If they like to gamble on it, then they will do anything to have an 'edge' over another player.
Use to be, if a player wanted to get over another player, he would suggest a game he was familiar with, but was new to the other player. That way, he could hustle the other player out of his money. For example, one player coaxing a player to get into a 'Golf' game on a snooker table.
Of course you can gamble in Bonus Ball! I do have one word of warning. If your not as talented as your opponent, your going down. The point structure of the game will make it a great gambling game. At least if you lose, you will have had many visits to the table! Takes the hurt out of it! At least you got some playing time!
See, getting off this board is not easy! Take care and looking forward to your emails!
Barry
See, getting off this board is not easy! Take care and looking forward to your emails!
Barry
Anyone recall Poker Pool?
I honestly do not see Bonus Ball as the game that is going to turn Pool into anything more than it is now, or could be in the next few years.
A few years back someone when nuts about Poker Pool, and it was going to be the thing that made Pool great, or better.
Several places in the Valley of the Sun started Poker Pool Leagues, and I think now the Poker Pool thing is about dead.
Below is what Poker Pool Ball Sets looked like--FYI
I honestly do not see Bonus Ball as the game that is going to turn Pool into anything more than it is now, or could be in the next few years.
A few years back someone when nuts about Poker Pool, and it was going to be the thing that made Pool great, or better.
Several places in the Valley of the Sun started Poker Pool Leagues, and I think now the Poker Pool thing is about dead.
Below is what Poker Pool Ball Sets looked like--FYI
I believe most folks here, including the skeptics, wish you well. However, for better or worse, some of the initial steps this endeavor has taken mimic those of past, failed efforts. Good luck.
Lou Figueroa
EDIT: please delete (redundant…)!
Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________
„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti
Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________
„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti
I love that you are posting here, and especially like that your posts are well written and professional. Don't get sucked into the drama or other BS on these boards, many will try to get you to slip up, just ask Lee how it went for him when he 1st came on here.
Good luck with bonus ball.
Good luck with bonus ball.
Maybe if they start making the bonus ball sets in China you can add them to your already ridiculously huge signature?
I honestly do not see Bonus Ball as the game that is going to turn Pool into anything more than it is now, or could be in the next few years.
A few years back someone when nuts about Poker Pool, and it was going to be the thing that made Pool great, or better.
Several places in the Valley of the Sun started Poker Pool Leagues, and I think now the Poker Pool thing is about dead.
Below is what Poker Pool Ball Sets looked like--FYI
Thanks Lou for your well wishes.
We really have never launched Bonus Ball yet, so it hard to say we did it wrong. Yes, we showed professionals our game and told them we had a concept totally different from today's billiard world. They enjoyed our game and agreed that they would indeed play this game. The reason they would stand behind the game was because it is definitely a well structured game that stands on it's own two feet. In the case of Poker Pool, any game that pulls from the popularity of other games has never been anything more than a fad. If I want to play poker, I will play poker. The reason Eight Ball and other mainstream games are still popular is simply because they are real games that are specifically real billiard games.
Bonus Ball is for real. No gimmicks. You can play it with a time clock or without. I can score it with pennies as I do with 10 Ball. I could score it with a chalk board as Snooker players do. I could use the original set of balls that are found in pool halls today but it is the same as playing Snooker with the traditional set of balls. It is confusing to say the least. We are not in the game set business. Our goals have been to introduce a game more suited to the better players. In doing so we also found a game that is more suitable to new players by adding a time clock. If your a beginner, you have 15 minutes to end your game. If the score is 5-4, your game is done. The next player is up. This ends the marathon games that I have witnessed in other league games. I like to play a couple of hours, not until midnight on a work day.
If your an accomplished player, playing Advanced Bonus Ball will make your games a lot more exciting. The strategies are endless when playing the three pockets, sharing the same colored balls with your own opponent, not to mention the exciting type of shots the game forces one to make. Give it a try before making judgment about the silliness of playing a billiard game that does not look the same as the traditional games. It's the substance that I look for in a game. This game has substance. Have a great day and enjoy playing what ever game is your favorite.
Barry Bremner
World Wide Sport of Billiards
We really have never launched Bonus Ball yet, so it hard to say we did it wrong. Yes, we showed professionals our game and told them we had a concept totally different from today's billiard world. They enjoyed our game and agreed that they would indeed play this game. The reason they would stand behind the game was because it is definitely a well structured game that stands on it's own two feet. In the case of Poker Pool, any game that pulls from the popularity of other games has never been anything more than a fad. If I want to play poker, I will play poker. The reason Eight Ball and other mainstream games are still popular is simply because they are real games that are specifically real billiard games.
Bonus Ball is for real. No gimmicks. You can play it with a time clock or without. I can score it with pennies as I do with 10 Ball. I could score it with a chalk board as Snooker players do. I could use the original set of balls that are found in pool halls today but it is the same as playing Snooker with the traditional set of balls. It is confusing to say the least. We are not in the game set business. Our goals have been to introduce a game more suited to the better players. In doing so we also found a game that is more suitable to new players by adding a time clock. If your a beginner, you have 15 minutes to end your game. If the score is 5-4, your game is done. The next player is up. This ends the marathon games that I have witnessed in other league games. I like to play a couple of hours, not until midnight on a work day.
If your an accomplished player, playing Advanced Bonus Ball will make your games a lot more exciting. The strategies are endless when playing the three pockets, sharing the same colored balls with your own opponent, not to mention the exciting type of shots the game forces one to make. Give it a try before making judgment about the silliness of playing a billiard game that does not look the same as the traditional games. It's the substance that I look for in a game. This game has substance. Have a great day and enjoy playing what ever game is your favorite.
Barry Bremner
World Wide Sport of Billiards
Well said Barry, you and Larry are sincere and really good guys trying to do something new, fresh and different, its what pool needs. I was skeptical as I said before, once I saw the game played at a top level and especially when I played it myself I was hooked, its fun playing a new game and challenging too.
TheThaiger
Banned
That's just untrue, and a fall-out from aiming threads. Lee Brett - a scouser! - had a sense of humour failure, and Lou's not had a go at bonus ball, as such, either.
I can't say there is a pool player that I have ever dis-liked! Many are high on the horse, hard to reason with, stuck in their ways but all have one thing in common with me, they love pool!!! To date, I have not received one email about the stupidity of this game.
I have had pros say we should do this and do that and I'm always all ears but I'm also very careful to weight the pros and cons of adding or subtracting rules. Players are always going to look after themselves. It's the nature of the beast. I have learned to say no, fans are more important! I am totally focused on making the game play well for television and the net. I have always been focused on the entertainment factor without the wrestling factor. There is nothing better than the look of a fans face when they see a professional perform in ways they have never dreamed. That's probably why so many non-pool fans will watch trick shooting and not regular pool. It is beyond anything they could ever do.
Now Bonus Ball does not have crazy shot after crazy shot either. It has a nice blend of both great shot making and great positional play! A little defense and a lot of strategy. This game is fun to play!
I have had pros say we should do this and do that and I'm always all ears but I'm also very careful to weight the pros and cons of adding or subtracting rules. Players are always going to look after themselves. It's the nature of the beast. I have learned to say no, fans are more important! I am totally focused on making the game play well for television and the net. I have always been focused on the entertainment factor without the wrestling factor. There is nothing better than the look of a fans face when they see a professional perform in ways they have never dreamed. That's probably why so many non-pool fans will watch trick shooting and not regular pool. It is beyond anything they could ever do.
Now Bonus Ball does not have crazy shot after crazy shot either. It has a nice blend of both great shot making and great positional play! A little defense and a lot of strategy. This game is fun to play!
I've played it and think it is an awesome game...
With that being said, I think it is a mistake to not show people how it can be played with regular balls. I understand that you are trying to market your ball set and your ball set makes it much easier to keep track, but it is completely playable with a standard ball set, and I think you would generate a lot more interest if you told people (at least while you are still trying to get the game off the ground) how to use a standard ball set to try out the game.
Cheers,
Jaden.
With that being said, I think it is a mistake to not show people how it can be played with regular balls. I understand that you are trying to market your ball set and your ball set makes it much easier to keep track, but it is completely playable with a standard ball set, and I think you would generate a lot more interest if you told people (at least while you are still trying to get the game off the ground) how to use a standard ball set to try out the game.
Cheers,
Jaden.
Interestingly enough I have always felt that pool needs a game that focuses on mostly offense. Players spend thousands of hours learning to do amazing things and at the highest levels the better they play, the less they have to do. In Golf for instance it doesn't matter who the player is they are in sand traps, trees, hit spectators knock it in the water and always having to play amazing recovery shots. Those are the only thing, along with maybe a long putt or chip in that makes the sports news highlights.
That is why so many people see pool as a completed bore to watch and that includes players. We used to play a game years ago called "One Shot Harrigan". There was no defense and you only got one shot per turn at the table to win and often 6 or more players would be playing. It is amazing what players can do if they are forced to have to do it. As long as players can duck and hide they will put people to sleep.
It doesn't necessarily need to be a new game, there are plenty of games now that can be modified for pros to make the games more exciting. You can easily play say 9-ball by modified rules that will bring out more from the players and make the game more exciting. Heck, watch a small group of average players playing a dumb game like 3-ball in a bar and spectators can be on the edge of their seats watching.
All you need is few things really, a game that is easy to understand and forces players to have to preform so you don't put people to sleep. The next thing is, you have to have an answer to why would people watch or even care? Money gets attention, interest in the players, regional loyalties such as exists in team sports plus spectators themselves play the game. All very hard to overcome.
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Well said Jade. It was never a secret that you can use the tradition set of cue balls. How hard is that to figure out? Four solids and four stripes and the Eight Ball work. When you watch the professionals playing Bonus Ball, most will want their own set too.
To me, it is like saying "hey football players, try your game with a basketball!" It will work but it won't feel right. Once players play Bonus Ball, they honestly don't want to play it with solids and stripes. This game is new and we want it to look new. We have given you the option of purchasing an Aramith Bonus Ball game set. You can just down load a free version of the scoreboard if you want to or you can mark the score on a chalk board as Snooker players do. A lot of times I simply play it with pennies but I never like playing it with solid and stripes. Just looks wrong to me.
I just spent over 2k to upgrade my race car with new parts and to have a new look. I do that every year. Pool players need not order our game set. If someone wants to play a game that will bring out skills they never knew they had, I don't really care what balls they use. I do care that they play the game properly and that they have fun. The video of Bonus Ball being played by professionals is being produced. It is way easier to learn watching a game than reading rules. Hang on, Nathan is in the cutting room developing the video as we speak. Nobody is robbing us by starting off playing Bonus Ball with solids and stripes. It's your money and you can spend it or keep it. I certainly won't mind either way. Enjoy!
To me, it is like saying "hey football players, try your game with a basketball!" It will work but it won't feel right. Once players play Bonus Ball, they honestly don't want to play it with solids and stripes. This game is new and we want it to look new. We have given you the option of purchasing an Aramith Bonus Ball game set. You can just down load a free version of the scoreboard if you want to or you can mark the score on a chalk board as Snooker players do. A lot of times I simply play it with pennies but I never like playing it with solid and stripes. Just looks wrong to me.
I just spent over 2k to upgrade my race car with new parts and to have a new look. I do that every year. Pool players need not order our game set. If someone wants to play a game that will bring out skills they never knew they had, I don't really care what balls they use. I do care that they play the game properly and that they have fun. The video of Bonus Ball being played by professionals is being produced. It is way easier to learn watching a game than reading rules. Hang on, Nathan is in the cutting room developing the video as we speak. Nobody is robbing us by starting off playing Bonus Ball with solids and stripes. It's your money and you can spend it or keep it. I certainly won't mind either way. Enjoy!