Bonus ball professional league announced

The one thing that got me to watch the *whole* introductin match on the website was the shot clock. This again proves that every single professional tournaments that takes it self serious should have a mandatory shot clock.

I am not sure if this new bonus ball thing is better than the current games, but i rather watch bonus ball all my life then to see two professional players taking 25 minutes to clear a 5 ball table in 9 ball (it was painful to watch this at the so called "world" 9 ball championship).

If there is one thing that is killing pool to be on tv is the slow play. The shot clock def solves this and it does work.
 
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That is a must for enjoyable television or PPV viewing. When I play Bonus Ball with my friends, we don't use the shot clock but now automatically move it! We had a gentleman time clock rule the very first Bonus Ball amateur tournament and seldom did anyone go much past the 24 seconds.

When I did my last Bonus Ball tournament with the modern scoreboard, we had very few shot clock infractions. Why the hell would a top or professional player need to think for any longer than 24 seconds? I think it is a great thing for our league.

You will find that as the players get more familiar with our game, 24 seconds will not be used very often. We also had a rule in our amateur league play that stated if you were down and the buzzer sounded, you could complete your shot. It was great and nobody took advantage of it. Like other sports, present the rule and players will adhere to it. I love the shot clock!

In a game like Nine Ball, because the game can end so quickly, I can understand why players take so long to make their shot. You can't afford a miss! A game like Bonus Ball, you don't have the urgency to not miss because the game is so much more in-depth. Therefore, just make your shot, if you miss, you will likely get another visit!
 
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Does anybody know if Bonus Ball to date has a good payment record? I know these so-called pro players aren't hanging out in Las Vegas and playing these matches for free. :grin-square:

IOW, do they pay what is owed to those who have worked for them, whether as a player or as a support staff? That's my Question of the Day as it pertains to Bonus Ball. Inquiring minds wanna know!
 
Has there been any big money bonus ball games yet? How do you handicap it? Can you give someone a purple ball?
 
cleary said:
Has there been any big money bonus ball games yet? How do you handicap it? Can you give someone a purple ball?
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Bonus Ball is not about gambling, it is trying to be a legit sport without all the BS shady stuff that come along with pool gambling. I enjoy gambling and playing pool for money here and there but know its not a positive thing for the game. I believe the masses shy away from pool because of it and I know some will disagree and say it is what should be embraced and promoted.

Even if we had a reality show with pool gambling then we would have a small boom if it caught on like it did with The Hustler and TCOM and then it would fade out like it has. For pool to grow and thrive truly it needs to be respected and looked at as a sport, it needs to be cleaned up, dressed up and marketed. The youth need to be invited into it like other games have such as baseball, football and basketball so we can get fresh money over the long term. The players need to be making money and successful because mom and dad do not want little Jimmy to be a broke pool player.

I think those people like myself who like the gambling aspect are the minority or otherwise TAR would have blown up having tens of thousands watching the PPVs, we all love it and eat it up but the masses just do not get the appeal. Maybe if they were playing for a million or something because poker has made $20,000 pool matches look like a joke, tune in to ESPN and you see a $50,000 winner take all Challenge of Champions and then the winner of a poker tournament getting $5,000,000. Years ago that number would be respected by the masses but seeing people playing poker for millions has changed the money mindset I guess.

But since you asked about how to handicap the game, you can spot pockets, one person can play 6 pocket and another can play the pro 3 pocket version. Another way would be to spot points, one players goes to 30 and the other 15 or something to that affect.
 
Mr. Cleary,

Finally a some what intellectual post from you.

Yes there was one $30,000K tournament that was won by Francisco Bustamante which included some other names you may recognise: Shane Van Boening, Johnny Archer, Nick Varner, Corey Deuel etc. It was a huge success and all players were paid cash before leaving the building, there was no entry fee, (that's just plain stupid to ask the show to pay to play), they were treated to free rooms and limo rides. Yes we treated them with respect and like professionals.

In Canada, we hate handicaps. We prefer to have different divisions. Handicaps are despised by me but yes Lenny is correct, if I play a real low level player, letting them use all six pockets makes the game way more fun. Six pocket Bonus Ball plays some what like Eight Ball but a bit more difficult and with more strategy and of course we both would play to 21 points.

If I play Lenny, we man up and play straight up. No matter who wins or loses, we have a great time playing Bonus Ball because we both get many visits to the table in the 15 minutes. You need to grasp this Andrew and start playing this great games with your friends. It will make you a much better player too! When you bank and rail shoot as much as we do in Bonus Ball, you quickly improve your game. Not to mention how your mind and speed will pick up. www.playbonusball.com
 
Many trips to the table

I keep hearing how great it is everyone having many trips to the table. Having played the game just a few times, I believe the pros will be running this game just like others. Give them a little practice. Even if they don't run out it will not be many trips to the table. Remember these are the best players in the world.
 
Absolutely they will run-out the table but nowhere near as much as the other pool games. We saw one break and run in Las Vegas and there were many pro players playing that week. Everyone enjoys seeing that because running out in Bonus Ball is quite a feat!
 
cleary said:
...How do you handicap it? Can you give someone a purple ball?
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Since it's a points based game I would think giving weight would be easy, just a simple point spread thing - points on the wire like in straight pool or one hole. Your opponent wants 6 points, you offer 4, and you settle on 5.
 
I see the first BB "season" will run about 6 months. How much time will a BB pro be required to spend in Las Vegas during that 6-month period?
 
Whatever you do, please don't allow Charlie Williams to weasel his way into a position where he could make any decisions whatsoever.
 
AtLarge said:
I see the first BB "season" will run about 6 months. How much time will a BB pro be required to spend in Las Vegas during that 6-month period?
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As far as I know last I heard the matches will be taking place Thursday-Sunday with one match Thursday and Friday and two matches Saturday and Sunday..... so each team will be playing one match per week... so technically One day per week is all the would be required..... but don't quote me on any of this 100 %.
 
Hard to put this puzzle together. Which cities/states/terriotires/countries have a team and who is on them? Unless I'm looking in the wrong place, I don't see this information on the WPBL website.

I noticed that Canada has a city represented with Jason Klatt being a member of the Toronto team. Are some of the cities represented in the WPBL, a name that certainly implies worldwide composition and participation, in Europe and Asia?

Looking forward to Bonus Ball, but not knowing whether my city/state/territory/country will have a team and, if it does, who's on it is a source of confusion here.
 
sjm said:
Hard to put this puzzle together. Which cities/states/terriotires/countries have a team and who is on them? Unless I'm looking in the wrong place, I don't see this information on the WPBL website.

I noticed that Canada has a city represented with Jason Klatt being a member of the Toronto team. Are some of the cities represented in the WPBL, a name that certainly implies worldwide composition and participation, in Europe and Asia?

Looking forward to Bonus Ball, but not knowing whether my city/state/territory/country will have a team and, if it does, who's on it is a source of confusion here.
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Well your info says you are in NYC so you will be happy to know that your city will be represented.... the word is that the captain of your team is a very recognizable and entertaining figure. :wink:

The entire team lists and player lists will be announced soon.... but if you read through this thread and the other bonus ball threads from the past week you can probably start to put somethings together on your own....

Sorry I can't tell you more.
 
The cities are as follows:
Northern Division: Toronto, New York, Boston, Philadephia, Chicago And Pittsburgh

Southern Division: Miami, Houston, Atlanta, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

We had penciled in year one with a Manchester franchise but that fell apart.

The nick names of the teams are not a secret but can not be made available until Monday morning. Legal stuff. There is the Atlanta Scorpions and The Toronto Blue Sharks and the Phoenix Flames. The rest will be released Monday. The players have verbally agreed to play and they are to have the agreements faxed to my office by Sunday at mid-night. We can then release them Monday morning along with the Team Canada vs Team USA battle. This is another FREE Preview that will be released!

The formation of the league has been picking of 12 captains. Jason Klatt and Johnny Archer are two of them. Rodney Morris and Corey Deuel are to be two more that verbally agreed. Again, Monday they will all be named.

These 12 captains then choose 24 other players and 24 alternates if necessary to play! Not all the world's best could play but they all wanted to. It is a definite commitment on everyone's part so we understand many of the foreign players could not commit.

I would expect a draft system for year two and hopefully 12 owners. I would like to see a Northern division Studio for next season. Eventually, 12 Bonus Ball Studios in each city is the final goal. Expansion and minor leagues. It is a big undertaking but American and Canadian businesses will get behind well run and produced sports in a big way!

To answer the question Dave answered, the opening weekend, all team players will play one match. After that, each team will almost always play every second week. They can make their home in Las Vegas, which is what I would do and fly out if they desire to go see family or play in another tournament. We won't hold any of them back from playing any other premier event on their weeks off. We are for the industry and not against it! We just are doing the professional deal right now. I might throw together a house league in Vegas if I get time.
 
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vpbb123 said:
The cities are as follows:
Northern Division: Toronto, New York, Boston, Philadephia, Chicago And Pittsburgh

Southern Division: Miami, Houston, Atlanta, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

We had penciled in year one with a Manchester franchise but that fell apart.

The nick names of the teams are not a secret but can not be made available until Monday morning. Legal stuff. There is the Atlanta Scorpions and The Toronto Blue Sharks and the Phoenix Flames. The rest will be released Monday. The players have verbally agreed to play and they are to have the agreements faxed to my office by Sunday at mid-night. We can then release them Monday morning along with the Team Canada vs Team USA battle. This is another FREE Preview that will be released!

The formation of the league has been picking of 12 captains. Jason Klatt and Johnny Archer are two of them. Rodney Morris and Corey Deuel are to be two more that verbally agreed. Again, Monday they will all be named.

These 12 captains then choose 24 other players and 24 alternates if necessary to play! Not all the world's best could play but they all wanted to. It is a definite commitment on everyone's part so we understand many of the foreign players could not commit.
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Thanks for this info, and good luck to all the teams.
 
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