DCC Review
- Thread starter jay helfert
- Start date
Great thoughts here.
I agree especially with avoiding subjecting the process to another layer of technology...aka: no to cell phone notice.
I agree especially with avoiding subjecting the process to another layer of technology...aka: no to cell phone notice.
Aaron_S said:
Yes, the two closest to the end rail. This way, there is never more than three balls within the head string. Cool rule, it works! No more endless games of One Pocket. You have to play now.
lfigueroa said:
A couple of very worthwhile ideas here. Definitely there should be at least one official working the upstairs area. And no one who is not in the tournament should be on the tourney tables until the matches are complete each day. That could and should be enforced. Frequent announcements to that effect would have a chilling influence on the abusers. It could be announced that anyone not in the tournament who is caught practicing on the tables, will be excused from the premises. Permanently!
jay helfert said:
I guess I really don't understand where the practicing on tables is a big deal? I mean if you have a match on the table go there and if someone is on it that is not supposed to be there then tell them to move.
Although I do agree that if you aren't in the tournament why the hell are you playing on the tables at all. You come to the biggest pool show on Earth and all you can do is steal table time? Pathetic.
Jay, really like the 4th ball rule.....sounds like it would go coupled well with someone elses idea of a 15 second shot clock after 2 hours...
Cue room - sounds great, when they take it, they should take a polaroid with of the persons DL.....that way, they have to show it when they pick up and can match up all info...
Rooms - I'm guessing they were $150....maybe set-up a ramping fee for those coming to the DCC.....as you said, $99 for 9 days....then maybe $119 for 4 days or more, and then regular room rate for shorter...something along those lines...
Calling matches - it would be great if they could stream the info to strategically located TV's across the the site.....sort of like a arriving flights board....not only have them listed, but make sure those that are called and are close should be blinking or something....
Match times - I don't know how possible this is, but hear me out. I don't understand why matches aren't scheduled. I have never been a fan of the "first available table". It would be better if matches were scheduled and then shot clocks used if over. Let's say 9-ball matches take an average of an hour in a race to 9. Well then you set up match times every hour and a half and have enough tables to actually plan out each event. Then it is MUCH easier for spectators and players alike. I've hung out at a tourney for hours, to find out I play first thing in the morning.....or I've also sat for two hours waiting, get called and play, sit for two hours waiting, get called and play, and then play matches for three hours straight. Again, I don't know if it is possible, but I think there are advantages.
Cue room - sounds great, when they take it, they should take a polaroid with of the persons DL.....that way, they have to show it when they pick up and can match up all info...
Rooms - I'm guessing they were $150....maybe set-up a ramping fee for those coming to the DCC.....as you said, $99 for 9 days....then maybe $119 for 4 days or more, and then regular room rate for shorter...something along those lines...
Calling matches - it would be great if they could stream the info to strategically located TV's across the the site.....sort of like a arriving flights board....not only have them listed, but make sure those that are called and are close should be blinking or something....
Match times - I don't know how possible this is, but hear me out. I don't understand why matches aren't scheduled. I have never been a fan of the "first available table". It would be better if matches were scheduled and then shot clocks used if over. Let's say 9-ball matches take an average of an hour in a race to 9. Well then you set up match times every hour and a half and have enough tables to actually plan out each event. Then it is MUCH easier for spectators and players alike. I've hung out at a tourney for hours, to find out I play first thing in the morning.....or I've also sat for two hours waiting, get called and play, sit for two hours waiting, get called and play, and then play matches for three hours straight. Again, I don't know if it is possible, but I think there are advantages.
?
Some of these things might have already been said but a lot of these post's were too long for me to read in the amount of time that I have. Wouldn't this " four ball " rule change the entire game of one pocket all togehter? I mean that is one of the main parts of the game I think. I am not a one pocket player but I have seen enough of it played to know the basis of the game. When new rules are made up soley to make things faster it seems kinda funny. The one pocket portion of the event would have ran on time if the matches were called when they were suppose to be. I dont remember this being a problem last year, but I could be wrong. I dont know the total number of people that played in the event but even if a couple matches took a couple hours to finish, if all of them were on the correct start time they would have still been finished in time. There is nothing wrong with new idea's but it would make the most sense to let the people playing decide what is best. If this becomes something that is going to go into effect, the players should be the ones to vote on it not a couple people that think it is best for everyone.
If the main goal is to get the one pocket over quickly then why not just do away with it and have a 3-ball tournament instead. I started a traveling 3-ball tournament a couple years back and have had huge sucess. It has taken place in many different countries and grows biger and bigger every year. It's a $6 entry fee single elimination with one $3 buy back. Last years was held in Beijing and we had 42,000 paid entries. The field is limited to the first 64,000 paid and usually last's five days. It is ran 24 hours a day with each match taking about 10 to 20 minutes and no computers are involved. You can check the board at anytime and see your name and when and who you will play next. With such a large turnout and small entry fee first normally pays $100,000. The tournament can be played on bar tables, 4x8s, 9 footer's and 5x10s and a lot of times all of them at once. Several qualifiers will be held during the year and the winner of each will gain free entry fee into the main tournament. I will post more details in the weeks to come.
Some of these things might have already been said but a lot of these post's were too long for me to read in the amount of time that I have. Wouldn't this " four ball " rule change the entire game of one pocket all togehter? I mean that is one of the main parts of the game I think. I am not a one pocket player but I have seen enough of it played to know the basis of the game. When new rules are made up soley to make things faster it seems kinda funny. The one pocket portion of the event would have ran on time if the matches were called when they were suppose to be. I dont remember this being a problem last year, but I could be wrong. I dont know the total number of people that played in the event but even if a couple matches took a couple hours to finish, if all of them were on the correct start time they would have still been finished in time. There is nothing wrong with new idea's but it would make the most sense to let the people playing decide what is best. If this becomes something that is going to go into effect, the players should be the ones to vote on it not a couple people that think it is best for everyone.
If the main goal is to get the one pocket over quickly then why not just do away with it and have a 3-ball tournament instead. I started a traveling 3-ball tournament a couple years back and have had huge sucess. It has taken place in many different countries and grows biger and bigger every year. It's a $6 entry fee single elimination with one $3 buy back. Last years was held in Beijing and we had 42,000 paid entries. The field is limited to the first 64,000 paid and usually last's five days. It is ran 24 hours a day with each match taking about 10 to 20 minutes and no computers are involved. You can check the board at anytime and see your name and when and who you will play next. With such a large turnout and small entry fee first normally pays $100,000. The tournament can be played on bar tables, 4x8s, 9 footer's and 5x10s and a lot of times all of them at once. Several qualifiers will be held during the year and the winner of each will gain free entry fee into the main tournament. I will post more details in the weeks to come.
Thanks for all the great responses. I remember when Richie dramatically changed the rules of 9-Ball for the Caesar's Tahoe tournament in 1983. It was done for the purposes of television coverage, to shorten the matches. I was the TD and very upset about the decision to make these changes to something then called Texas Express rules.
You know, "ball in hand" on any foul, all balls stay down after a foul, etc. etc. Here it is 25 years later and these "rules" have become the standard for 9-Ball tourneys worldwide. Interesting to me is that the best players still win. And I suspect (and have seen evidence) that the "four ball" rule in One Pocket won't change the outcome, only how long it takes to achieve it. Once again, the best players will still win.
It's true the strategy is different in some respects. The old "send 'em all down the table" style of play won't work anymore. This defensive tactic was designed to make the offensive minded player suffer until he went for a low percentage shot. And it often worked. So I guess you could say that this strategy will be eliminated. So be it as far as I'm concerned. It made for the most boring (and long) One Pocket games imaginable.
By the way, if all the matches ended within two hours it wouldn't be a problem. It was all the three hour (and longer) matches that caused the roadblock.
You know, "ball in hand" on any foul, all balls stay down after a foul, etc. etc. Here it is 25 years later and these "rules" have become the standard for 9-Ball tourneys worldwide. Interesting to me is that the best players still win. And I suspect (and have seen evidence) that the "four ball" rule in One Pocket won't change the outcome, only how long it takes to achieve it. Once again, the best players will still win.
It's true the strategy is different in some respects. The old "send 'em all down the table" style of play won't work anymore. This defensive tactic was designed to make the offensive minded player suffer until he went for a low percentage shot. And it often worked. So I guess you could say that this strategy will be eliminated. So be it as far as I'm concerned. It made for the most boring (and long) One Pocket games imaginable.
By the way, if all the matches ended within two hours it wouldn't be a problem. It was all the three hour (and longer) matches that caused the roadblock.
jay helfert said:
I watched my hopes for Darren Appleton to do well in the 1P, get squeezed to death by a player who should not have beat him regardless.
Darren is still quite new to 1P, and I don't think he's ever faced those kinds of grueling delay tactics before.
They only played 4 games (DA lost 3-1) and the match lasted almost 5 stinking hours. The 3rd game alone was 1 hr. 40 mins. long. I learned very early on how to take a habitual squeezer out of his comfort zone, and I felt so bad for DA, with all his talent, not having that knowledge.
I have mixed emotions about the rule changes, but in a large tournament environment it may become a necessity.
And I agree with Jay the best player should still prevail.
We'll get 'em next year (or sooner) Darren.
Dick
jay helfert said:
Hi Jay -
The four ball rule worked very well at Hard Times. Only we spotted the closest to the line and any more than four are spotted. The strategy changes only slightly and this rule allows tournaments to run much more smoothly. I got the four balls in the kitchen dea from something Grady once told me about how hard it is to have 1-pocket tourneys. PM me if youy have any questions.
Ken
T said:
Well, if one person is way ahead of the other, and only needs one ball, it can be a good strategy to try to send all or most of the balls uptable so that only one ball is in play at a particular time, the way to do this is to pot one ball that spots up, and force the other player to go after that one ball. If there are 6 balls uptable above the headstring spotting three of them could change the dynamic of a game tremendously. Having several balls downtable makes it way easier for the one who is behind to catch up quickly.
Flex