Can one-pocket players play pool?

[runscott]

I think a lot of players want to play one pocket to cut down on their "work" load. In nine ball you play for hours get a few games/sets up and a someone starts getting the rolls and next thing you know you are back even. Personally I would rather play one pocket and try and beat them by out smarting them, just move balls play safe and wait for the easy runout. But if that dosen't work I'll break out the nine ball game and try and beat them that way. When someone plays nine ball you have to walk around the table like 45 miles by the end of the night whereas playing one pocket a lot of the shots and safeties just require you to walk around one end of the table. If you are playing someone who dosen't know one pocket you can beat them out of whatever they are going to lose in a couple of hours whereas if you play nine ball sets you could be there all night, especially playing someone that plays at you speed or anywhere around you speed.

Or it could be that they simply prefer 1-pocket over 9-ball or 8-ball, because it is more of a thinking game, or because they enjoy the strategy involved, just as some prefer chess to checkers. When I go to the pool room, it's to play pool for 3-4 hours, and I don't generally gamble. If I can spend a good chunk of that time playing 1-pocket, I'll take it.

 

[Egg McDogit]

go post a couple hundred and find out. you can find some action around here.

I've heard good nine-ball players say one pocket is for crotchey guys who can't hang. Is this true? I've had many guys approach me asking to play one-pocket, but won't play me in nine-ball. Could it be that one-pocket is the easiest game to play? Punt, Punt, Shoot, Punt, Punt, Punt. As long as you can bank balls and maneuver a little, you can beat most "one-pocket" players. Boring.

 

[ironman]

1 pocket vs 9-ball

I've always played 9-ball first and thought, also that 1 pocket was for those who had no confidence left in their shot making ability.
A couple of years ago I started playing 1 pocket because there really isn't a lot of 9-ball action where I live. Now I love the game and have inproved pretty quickly and have come to face the reality that before I started playing the game, I didn't know nearly as much about playing pool as I thought I did.
I now feel that playing all games well will greatly improve your game of choice.

 

[Mr. Wilson]

Hey, nit.....yeah, I still spend more than I make.

I also talk about the issues which I need to work out and don't feel the need to embelish my accomplishments with lies.

I also use my real name and post pictures of myself and kids, dogs and house.


The difference, I *can* do this without fear of being killed for being a nit.

You've obviously never been anything or meant anything to any one or you'd have something worth being proud about.

Not a soul here belives a word you have said about anything you've done.

Unless you're ready to tell us who you are and have *anyone* back you up, you're still as big a nothing today as you were yesterday and will be tomorrow.

 

[tom haney]

I've heard good nine-ball players say one pocket is for crotchey guys who can't hang. Is this true? I've had many guys approach me asking to play one-pocket, but won't play me in nine-ball. Could it be that one-pocket is the easiest game to play? Punt, Punt, Shoot, Punt, Punt, Punt. As long as you can bank balls and maneuver a little, you can beat most "one-pocket" players. Boring.

One pocket is the champagne of pool. BUT, I have
noticed that formerly strong 9 ball players will lose
a little something when they start playing a lot of
one hole. It's a different type of stroke & most
players can't make the adjustments that a Reyes
can do. I hate 9 ball but I'm a decent barbox 8 ball
player. I do like a different stick with 8 ball & 1 hole.
A little heavier for 8 ball.

 

[runscott]

I've always played 9-ball first and thought, also that 1 pocket was for those who had no confidence left in their shot making ability.
A couple of years ago I started playing 1 pocket because there really isn't a lot of 9-ball action where I live. Now I love the game and have inproved pretty quickly and have come to face the reality that before I started playing the game, I didn't know nearly as much about playing pool as I thought I did.
I now feel that playing all games well will greatly improve your game of choice.

Interesting perspective. When I first learned 1-pocket, the guy who taught me warned that it would actually hurt my 9-ball game at first, because I would play defensive at 9-ball. At the time I didn't understand, but it makes perfect sense now, given that 1-pocket is in fact a defensive game - you have to be thinking of the consequences of missing much more so than in 9-ball. Now it's no problem - the mind-set is just different for different games.

 

[uwate]

I grew up detesting one pocket. I too thought the game was for old farts who couldnt run out. I've come to the conclusion that I was completely ignorant of the truth.

One pocket actually takes more pool skills than any other game. There is no other game where you have to know how to shoot, bank, kick and play position on the object ball and the cue ball as much. One pocket is deceptive though, to the novice player it looks very slow and there seems to be alot of useless boring bunts. In reality, the bunting in many cases requires that you play position with whitey, watch the movement of the pack, open up your banking lanes, create safe zones where you can leave your opponent safe, etc.

The only aspect of your statement that has some merit is that because one pocket is so demanding on so many facets of your pool game, shooting straight is not as important as it is in nineball. Nineball players whose games revolve around being able to fire in a ball from nine feet away give too much credence to the value of this one skill and not enough to other facets like the ability to slow roll a kick shot up and down the table and hence they view the one pocket player as inferior.

 

[uwate]

One more thing. One pocket has improved my nineball game in many ways. I will give you two quick specific examples.

1) My short rail banking skills are much better because you are forced to shoot so many of these shots at different speeds. When I played nineball exclusively, probably 98%+ of my bank shots were fired in at warp speed because I was much more comfortable with judging angles with a bank hit hard.

2) My ability to play safe has gotten alot better. In particular, I play alot more safeties now where you have to stun the cueball and move it 4-6 inches to the side and snuggle up next to a cluster. Watching nineball players, alot of them do not feel comfortable with these shots but if they played more one pocket they would execute these shots with confidence.

These are just two example off the top of my head but I can say with confidence that the list of improvements one pocket has offered to my nineball game is way more than two.

 

[OldHasBeen]

I think One Pocket players CAN play pool.

I played 9 ball for over 40 years (quite well) and now only enjoy playing One Pocket.
Maybe it is because I'm getting older, slower, wiser OR SMARTER.

One thing I am sure of;
They don't see THE TRAIN COMING quite as fast - & I like that!

 

[satman]

Yes, some players take up one pocket to offset their declining 9-ball games

I played 9 ball for over 40 years (quite well) and now only enjoy playing One Pocket.
Maybe it is because I'm getting older, slower, wiser OR SMARTER.

One thing I am sure of;
They don't see THE TRAIN COMING quite as fast - & I like that!

But some players play the game for other reasons too. I had to start playing to learn some patience. I wanted to run out on 8-ball or 9-ball every time I got to the table, no matter how tough the layout. My shot making ability was very strong and my position weaker than most. But if I could see, I could probably make it. As I learned to play better position, my shot making declined some. Every player should take the time to learn Banks, one pocket, 8-ball and 9-ball. It will help you in all aspects of pool. As far as the old crtchety guys, Tell Cliff joyner and Efren, Jose Parica, and Buddy Hall, they can't play 9-ball anymore because they play one pocket. While we're at tell Nick Varner and Dave Matlock too. Just my honest opinion, Sam

 

[wayne]

I've heard good nine-ball players say one pocket is for crotchey guys who can't hang. Is this true? I've had many guys approach me asking to play one-pocket, but won't play me in nine-ball. Could it be that one-pocket is the easiest game to play? Punt, Punt, Shoot, Punt, Punt, Punt. As long as you can bank balls and maneuver a little, you can beat most "one-pocket" players. Boring.

You seem to like to tell fairy tales (are you a fairy?). Most one pocket players would own you if you can only "maneuver a little." Although I have won a couple of hundred 9 ball tournaments in the 10 years I've been playing you will never catch me gambling in 9 ball, for action it is almost always 1 pocket just because I found after 2 sets of 9 ball I have no more interest in playing even if I could make a lot of money. For me 1 pocket is very entertaining and I can play for very long stretches and enjoy it the whole time.

Wayne

 

[bruin70]

I've heard good nine-ball players say one pocket is for crotchey guys who can't hang. Is this true? I've had many guys approach me asking to play one-pocket, but won't play me in nine-ball. Could it be that one-pocket is the easiest game to play? Punt, Punt, Shoot, Punt, Punt, Punt. As long as you can bank balls and maneuver a little, you can beat most "one-pocket" players. Boring.

and 9ball is for the brainless......

i think one pocket is a good gambler's game because you can hide your speed.

 

[Celtic]

Roll-Off = Troll.

Seriously guys, he threw a hook in the water and he caught a ton of you fishes. With Hal being banned it is a shock Roll-Off is still here, but given that he is it would be best to simply ignore a thread like this that is obviously just trolling for responses and let it fall from the first page. Fishing is only fun when you catch something. Dont be his fish.

 

[ironman]

Old Has Been

I played 9 ball for over 40 years (quite well) and now only enjoy playing One Pocket.
Maybe it is because I'm getting older, slower, wiser OR SMARTER.

One thing I am sure of;
They don't see THE TRAIN COMING quite as fast - & I like that!

My attitide is much like yours. I played 9-ball pretty well for many years too. Now since I'm over 50, my attitude has slown a lot. I like one pocket and never thought the day would come that I would choose one pocket over 9-ball.
I like having options and actual stategy vs just trying to stay on the right side of the ball. 9-ball is still a great game and I love it, but I guess that after 30+ years of it, I just needed a change of pace.
You have heard the old joke about the old bull and the young bull standing on a hill looking down at the herd of cattle. Theyoung bull says,"lets run down there and take one those cows?" The old bull replies," Lets walk down there and take them all!"

 

[1 Pocket Ghost]

I've heard good nine-ball players say one pocket is for crotchey guys who can't hang. Is this true? I've had many guys approach me asking to play one-pocket, but won't play me in nine-ball. Could it be that one-pocket is the easiest game to play? Punt, Punt, Shoot, Punt, Punt, Punt. As long as you can bank balls and maneuver a little, you can beat most "one-pocket" players. Boring.

Yep, you're right, 1 Pocket is just for old crotchety guys.....Since after Efren at number 1, the best 1 Pocket players in the world are a bunch of old, crooked shooting, crotchety guys named, Cliff Joyner, Scott Frost, Gabe Owen, Larry Nevel, Corey Deuel, Jeremy Jones - Then following right behind them you have old man Tony Chohan, old man Jerry Slivka, old man Sylver Ochoa, old man Lil' Jon, old man Shawn Putnam, old man Marco Marquez, etc. etc. etc....Case Closed.

 

[Roll-Off]

Yep, you're right, 1 Pocket is just for old crotchety guys.....Since after Efren at number 1, the best 1 Pocket players in the world are a bunch of old, crooked shooting, crotchety guys named, Cliff Joyner, Scott Frost, Gabe Owen, Larry Nevel, Corey Deuel, Jeremy Jones - Then following right behind them you have old man Tony Chohan, old man Jerry Slivka, old man Sylver Ochoa, old man Marco Marquez, etc. etc. etc....Case Closed.

I never said "old". I said crotchety. Read the post. Ok folks, I'm not talking about the best players in the world. I'm talking about local hacks who play one-pocket because they don't have to be a good shot-maker. They think they have some "secret skill" that is far superior to a nine-ball player. Give me a fookin' break.

 

[sjm]

One pocket is a game of creativity, finesse, very precise speed control, and loads and loads of patience.

A couple of nineballers who supplemented their pure power in nineball with these skills, which they developed, at least in part, through one pocket recently won back-to-back US Opens.... that would be Jeremy Jones and Gabe Owen.

Package the raw power of the nineball player with the finesse and attention to detail of the one pocket player and what you've got is one hell of a pool player.

 

[1 Pocket Ghost]

I never said "old". I said crotchety. Read the post. Ok folks, I'm not talking about the best players in the world. I'm talking about local hacks who play one-pocket because they don't have to be a good shot-maker. They think they have some "secret skill" that is far superior to a nine-ball player. Give me a fookin' break.

I did read the post...Crotchety infers old - there is no such thing as a crotchety young man.

 

[cscott67]

My two cents......

Comparing the two games is kinda useless. A good 1P player would never shoot the shots a good 9B player will. So, that's why it's paramount to learn to play ALL the games. The problem is there is not enough TIME!!!!!!! ;o)

 

[ironman]

JJ and Gabe

One pocket is a game of creativity, finesse, very precise speed control, and loads and loads of patience.

A couple of nineballers who supplemented their pure power in nineball with these skills, which they developed, at least in part, through one pocket recently won back-to-back US Opens.... that would be Jeremy Jones and Gabe Owen.

Package the raw power of the nineball player with the finesse and attention to detail of the one pocket player and what you've got is one hell of a pool player.

Jeremy and Gabe are very food one pocket players and both had pretty good teachers.
Jeremy is very quick to point out tha Jersey Red took him under his wing taught him a huge % of what he knows about the game. At a recent tournament in Houston I watched closely and had forgotten just how well he plays the game.
Gabe is another who had a good teacher by the name of Bobby Baldwin, a very cagey player out of Tulsa. Gabe though really loves the game and I feel like Gabe thinks of himself as a one-packet player 1st and not a 9-ball player.
Myself, I think both games have helped them to get where they are.