Earl is using a normal playing cue and not a Pyramid cue too.
Is that correct?
I agree, it is nice to see Earl joking and having fun.
Is that correct?
I agree, it is nice to see Earl joking and having fun.
Earl playing Russian Pyramid billiards
- Thread starter Magyar19
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That game looks stupid. Other than the ultra tight pockets I see nothing about it that is appealing. You can choose to use any ball as the cue ball and shoot any other ball at any time. Caroming a ball in is a point, making a ball is a point, scratching behind a ball is two points.
Obviously there is some skill needed but not much in the way of strategy. Although I could see some safety battles happening.
And Earl......wearing a sweater with the bowtie around his bare neck????
If Earl had had the javelin then it would have been all over for the Russian kid
At one point Earl runs 9 points and he celebrates like he just won the World Championships. He signals "9" to the opponent and the opponent is like "great......." and then jumps up and runs 7 from the break.
It is great to see Earl making some great shots on that table though. I can see how this game would produce some really great shot makers.
I play both games, and WOW! Just WOW! I guess this is what I would sound like talking about cue case construction. But, then again, I know very little about case construction, that is why I do not talk about it...
Nah, they just have very long winters so they needed something to pass the time.
pretty cool find. i didn't know he played over there at all.
Exactly that's why I used the word SEEMS which indicates INEXEPERIENCE with something.
In all my travels I have never yet played on a Russian Pyramid table nor played the game. But I have played many many others and I find all games fascinating. This one however can't hold my attention for long as it's obvious to me that it's mostly a shot making contest with little regard for strategy and position.
It seems to me that it would be next to impossible to leave your opponent nothing on purpose and I don't know the rules to know what is a foul or not. Are there fouls in this game? Do you have to even hit another ball?
So for you I will AMEND my description, I find the game, what I know of it from YouTube, to be stupid but HARD. Ok? Feel better now.
yes they have,I heard.In new york where there is concentration of Russian immigrants.
I would be one of those
Technically dragged along at the age of 8 with the parents to Brooklyn in 1980.
Never played this game, but fun getting links to a russian broadcast.
Duckbill Platypus. God, Scissors, Liter of Vodka.
I think most tax systems were thought up over a keg.
I agree too
Somebody a few months ago posted an early-80s match in which Earl beat Mizerak for the tourney title and he seemed so happy. If only he could have maintained that type of mentality. Still one of the greatest players of all-time though
I was actually wondering why they kept doing close ups of the balls in those holders? What's the point of showing a pocketed ball in a close up?
And why are there numbers on the balls if each ball is worth one point? Do they play other games where the numbers mean something like nine ball or rotation?
I have actually played on a table in Italy that was very similar to this one except that it had drawers in the pockets to collect the balls. The pockets were chisel cut (thanks Sean) and as tight if I remember right. The Italians however played a game on it with pins in the center of the table and you got points for making balls, scratching, and knocking over pins. I don't remember the rules but it was fun to mess around with it.
Any of these games are fun for a pool player to try something new. If I had to compete in them I don't think I'd like them as much as I like the pool games. One pocket especially has all the caroms, kicks, and hold-your-nuts-heart-stopping ball pocketing you could ever want - especially if the bet is high enough.
To the OP - thanks for the vid - was really fun to watch! I am ready to ship Earl back there with his new javelin and see how he does.
I'm guessing he showed up for the tournament not realizing there was a dress code, hence the tie.
The table is a 6x12, even though there might be more options than a game with only one cue ball, those pockets look brutal. The return system seems like it holds the balls to be counted after each inning. At one point you see the ref trip a release lever.
Chuck
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The table is a 6x12, even though there might be more options than a game with only one cue ball, those pockets look brutal. The return system seems like it holds the balls to be counted after each inning. At one point you see the ref trip a release lever.
Chuck
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
There's some over in a couple of Armenian places in Glendale area of L.A. area.
People here do tend to call stupid what they do not understand. I just never pegged you for one of them, and was surprised. That said, I do not care what you say or how you say it (especially, if it sounds as a favor that I do not ask for) -- freedom of speech, you know... Please do not change your ways for me.
But, there are different games that are played on that table. Games with 1 Q ball (that yellow rock), or a game where you can use any ball as a Q ball, like this one. Like on the pool table, you know: 8 ball, 9 ball, one hole, etc. There is even a carom game played on it, which was also pretty popular in Italy at one time. Love that game, but it is pretty long for TV. The game you see is a TV game -- like 9 ball. It is fast and does not tolerate mistakes. There are different strategies for each game. Even in this game called (Dynamic Pyramid) you can leave nothing for the opponent, because, unlike the 4 - 5" pockets with a 2.5" ball, not everything goes in. Problem with Earl -- he just does not know what goes and what does not, that is why he does not play safe effectively and gets his ass handed to him. One possible reason you are bored is that Earl plays like a drunk amateur from Brooklyn. I am sure if he practices, then, he would be on the par with a decent Pyramid player in a few years. You do not get to be called the greatest pool player for nothing. But this display is pitiful, which is expected. You can not play this game with a 17 ounce cuetec. Simple physics...
To answer your next post -- the balls are numbered because there are games played on that table, where, depending on the numbers, those balls have different point values.
By the way, runs of 7 balls and up cannot be accomplished without playing position ( and the high runs are 19 +). Now think about it for a second -- it is a 68mm ball and the pocket is between 70 mm (what I play on) and 73mm (tournament table Earl is playing on). Do you still think it is a much easier game that only requires shot-making ability?
That he is. If Earl really never played the game, he is doing amazing. He makes shots most pyramid players, including Stalev, would not even attempt due to high risk of error... Stalev is the best, but not due to shot-making ability (which is exceptional) but for his understanding of the game.
if you like this game, watch this match with Stalev http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTrqPPbIu7Y&feature=related
You could be right that this particular video clouded my assessment of the game.
However just by analyzing this video I disagree that runs of 7+ can't be achieved without playing position. I think that as in pool there can be cosmo layouts where all the balls lay pretty easy for in-offs or pocketing. (a cosmo is a layout where position is simply a stop shot on each shot)
Do I think that this game is easier than pool? Yes I do. I think that in pool it's easier to pocket balls but much tougher to consistently play position as you only have one cue ball to work with. It's the same reason that 8 ball is easier than 9 ball, more options. I certainly think that this game puts the majority of emphasis on shot making with some elementary position play.
However I do think that if a person cannot aim well or has stroke errors then they will never be good at this game. Whereas in pool a person can not be the best pocketer but can still have success in pool by knowing how to manage the game.
Do you think that this game is harder than pool? I don't know. Stalev was supposed to be the best at it and I don't think anyone wanted to bet all their rubles on him against Bustamante or Efren at pool. And don't get me wrong Stalev can play jam up but he didn't exactly dominate when he was here. He did however make some ridiculous shots in his matches with seeming indifference.
So I sincerely take it back. This game is not stupid. It's just not something I like from the one short video I have seen.
Cole Dickson would have kicked their collective asses on these tight pockets.
in the carom department.
I agree with this. I think that it's not finesse necessarily but just being able to pick the in-off angles. With pockets that tight a players ability to spot those angles would become incredibly accurate and on a pool table it would be a joke for them.
Give Efren a week or so to practice and retrain his brain to see angles backwards then I don't think Stalev has to like it. Not that he would automatically lose but I bet Effy could hold his own on a pool table well enough.