Clarification on 'playing the ghost' ratings

B

bulldogpool

Registered
Lately I've been looking into self-evaluation tools as a mean to check my skill level and progression.

For 8-ball, I like to use the FARGO evaluation system which has the following ratings:

Code: 
D: Below 60
C: 60 - 100
B: 100 - 130
A: 130 - 160
AA: 160 - 220
Pro: Above 220

I hear this system is pretty accurate and the ratings make sense to me. You have the standard A-D system, then Master, then Open/Pro level. Up in here in Canada is the same as far as I understand.

When it comes to 9/10-ball evaluation however, I found things to be a little more confusing and/or contradictory. There are two tests that are supposed to be pretty accurate predictors of one's 9-ball (or pool in general) offensive capabilities:

  • Playing the ghost (9-ball)
  • Joe Tucker's 10 ball drill

The two drills are virtually the same, with the only differences being that the 9 counts as 2 points in the former, and there is an additional ball in the latter. I think the 10 is spotted in Joe's drill, while the 9 is not in playing the ghost. But for all intents and purposes, a player should achieve virtually the same score in these two games. If anything, a player would get a lower score in Joe's game due to the spotting of the 10-ball upon early pocketing and extra ball required.

This is the rating for Joe's 10 ball test:

Code: 
D+: 30-35
C:   36-40
C+: 41-45
B:   46-50
B+: 51-55
A:   56-60
A+: 61-65
A++: 66-70
Pro: Above 71-up

The rankings are slightly different from the FARGO test, but can pretty much made consistent with the Fargo ratings (A-D, Master, Pro).

Code: 
D: Below 36
C: 36 - 45
B: 46 - 55
A: 56 - 65
AA: 66 - 70
Pro: Above 71

However, this is the rating for playing the ghost (9-ball):

Code: 
D: Below 39
C: 40 - 62
B: 63 - 78
A: 79 - 100

Here is where things get wonky. If I score 56 I'm a C player according to play the ghost and an A player according to Joe's test. That's a massive difference. I have seen C and A players play and they aren't anything alike.

I think the problem is within the definition of the rating for playing the ghost (9-ball). There is an A-D rating, but it's more of a school rating than a traditional tournament rating. For example, a player who gets a 100 score is the perfect player (from an offensive standpoint) and would obviously be a Pro not an "A" player in the traditional sense.

So, what I'd like to see is a A-D, Master, Pro rating for the 9-ball version of playing the ghost. Can I just use the rating/score from the 10-ball version or does it have to be adjusted differently?

Can I assume that the following holds true for playing the ghost (9-ball)?

Code: 
D: Below 36
C: 36 - 45
B: 46 - 55
A: 56 - 65
AA: 66 - 70
Pro: Above 71
 
Last edited:
What do these numbers mean? 36 what? 65 what? What is the unit of measurment? Also, how do I perform this test?
 
Good questions, but the tests are also only testing offense. Safety play and defense are a big part of the game. In my city, it is common to see a less skilled shooter have a higher HC because they win matches with their defense.
 
ronscuba said:
Good questions, but the tests are also only testing offense. Safety play and defense are a big part of the game. In my city, it is common to see a less skilled shooter have a higher HC because they win matches with their defense.
Click to expand...

Absolutely. My question is definitely within the acknowledged scope and limits of the test. I like to think of them as, "You have the offensive skills of a, say, B player". Rather than, "you're a B player".
 
ronscuba said:
Good questions, but the tests are also only testing offense. Safety play and defense are a big part of the game. In my city, it is common to see a less skilled shooter have a higher HC because they win matches with their defense.
Click to expand...

I agree that when you try to correlate offensive skill tests to game winning, you're missing an important defensive component.

I would say, though, that FARGO has some of what's usually missing built in.

There are two aspects to the missing defensive component

(1) the judgment/decision of when to go for the out vs when to play safe.
(2) the quality of the actual defensive move

Although (2) is very important, I think most people actually fall down on (1). Their poor judgment is related to a lack of self awareness: what is their actual likelihood of getting out from here?

In every frame of FARGO, the player is faced with a similar decision to the "go for the out vs duck" decision in a game situation. The player must decide when to switch to rotation. It requires the same self awareness to make this decision as it does in a game situation. If you make this decision poorly in FARGO, then your score suffers.
 
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