Help w/ Strategy Playing Joe/Mark's American Rotation

KoolKat9Lives

KoolKat9Lives

Taught 'em all I know
Silver Member
I practiced it my 1st time yesterday, w/ a 1st timer also, after receiving a rules sheet :eek:. Played for @ 1.5 hours. It has some nuances, but is mostly a straight up 15 ball rotation game. I can play a little rotation...

I am trying to decide whether to join the league. Week 3 has started, so I'd have some make-up matches against monsters with some experience. One of our 8 dropped out due to blah, blah... so I'm being asked to step in by the owner of Gate City Billiards, who's been nothing but nice and helpful. Thanks Don! And thanks to AZ's EZ Money for throwing me in the shark infested waters! ;)

The first rack rules are a bit funky. Safety play is huge. Alternate break, BIH after.

Just wondering if someone has some startegic advice for someone trying to learn this new game.

And if you are one of the 256 players (or Joe!), any input is appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

Matt in Greensboro
 
shoot straight and dont make mistakes, thats the best advice i can give you:grin-square:
 
Fatboy said:
shoot straight and dont make mistakes, thats the best advice i can give you:grin-square:
Click to expand...

You are nothing short of a rocket scientist Eric! Due to your infinite wisdom, I am now surely the favorite to pocket the big cheese. :grin-square:
 
KoolKat9Lives said:
I practiced it my 1st time yesterday, w/ a 1st timer also, after receiving a rules sheet :eek:. Played for @ 1.5 hours. It has some nuances, but is mostly a straight up 15 ball rotation game. I can play a little rotation...

I am trying to decide whether to join the league. Week 3 has started, so I'd have some make-up matches against monsters with some experience. One of our 8 dropped out due to blah, blah... so I'm being asked to step in by the owner of Gate City Billiards, who's been nothing but nice and helpful. Thanks Don! And thanks to AZ's EZ Money for throwing me in the shark infested waters! ;)

The first rack rules are a bit funky. Safety play is huge. Alternate break, BIH after.

Just wondering if someone has some startegic advice for someone trying to learn this new game.

And if you are one of the 256 players (or Joe!), any input is appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

Matt in Greensboro
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join the fun buddy. hope to see your name on the schedule soon.
 
Early game safeties are huge and if you can, try to shoot the object ball into clusters to break them up while hiding the cue ball. That should put you should be in pretty good shape for your next turn at the table.
 
KoolKat9Lives said:
Thanks Lou. Are you loving the game/league so far? I'm on the fence and owe Don an answer tomorrow. Give me some of your thoughts if you will!
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I love the game. I played rotation waaaaaaaaaay back in HS and wish ,more players would play it rather than the usual games.The scoring is simplified with the scoresheets and with bih on the breaks the game moves quickly.
 
KoolKat9Lives said:
Thanks Lou. Are you loving the game/league so far? I'm on the fence and owe Don an answer tomorrow. Give me some of your thoughts if you will!
Click to expand...

The dues are $25/week, IIRC, roughly double APA or TAP. If it were close to my house, I'd gladly pay double for tough matchups every week, even knowing that I'm 90%+ to lose vs. the shortstops. I think it would have to make you better.
 
victorl said:
Early game safeties are huge and if you can, try to shoot the object ball into clusters to break them up while hiding the cue ball. That should put you should be in pretty good shape for your next turn at the table.
Click to expand...

I started to pick up on that pretty quick. Not sure how much I can stand putting the safe on, but this ain't no APA... It might be a major nuance to success in this game.

Trying to learn a new game... Look at the pros trying to learn BB and just how many mistakes have been made.

Thanks Vic! Where are you playing out of?
 
I'm playing out of Japan;)...
Actually, I picked up the game a few months ago and got a few locals into it, so we switch between playing 10-ball and American Rotation regularly.

I wish I could be a part of the league that Mark and Joe are putting together though, sounds like a good challenge with all the great players around. If you have the chance to play, I would take it!
 
Cory in DC said:
The dues are $25/week, IIRC, roughly double APA or TAP. If it were close to my house, I'd gladly pay double for tough matchups every week, even knowing that I'm 90%+ to lose vs. the shortstops. I think it would have to make you better.
Click to expand...

$25/wk, 7 weeks. Then the top half goes to regionals. Top 8 get some $$. The top 2 into the Nationals at Virgina Beach on the front or back half of The Open in Oct. Guaranteed $1000 for adavancing to finals,
1st is $7500.

I'm in tall cotton. ;)
 
Bump. 32 clubs with 8 players each on the east coast are in Joe Tucker and Mark Griffin's Inaugural American Rotation League. This is an Open field, there's some players here.
 
Sorry for the late reply kool, that vegas trip took me offline, laptop wouldn’t work well upstairs and I couldn’t get much done while down stairs?

Thanks for jumping in the box, Don and local crew at Gate City are one of the best

As for the strategy part, I can’t think of anything other than play your best, yes safeties when needed but we all know you can’t hide forever. From what I’m seeing I think mental focus till the end is where extra effort should be applied. I’m seeing the game kind of wear on people as the matches’ progress so keep that in mind and you may be able to swing momentum your way in the second half of the match.
This may help;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4jU-s9LH_s
 
Joe T said:
Sorry for the late reply kool, that vegas trip took me offline, laptop wouldn’t work well upstairs and I couldn’t get much done while down stairs?

Thanks for jumping in the box, Don and local crew at Gate City are one of the best

As for the strategy part, I can’t think of anything other than play your best, yes safeties when needed but we all know you can’t hide forever. From what I’m seeing I think mental focus till the end is where extra effort should be applied. I’m seeing the game kind of wear on people as the matches’ progress so keep that in mind and you may be able to swing momentum your way in the second half of the match.
This may help;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4jU-s9LH_s
Click to expand...

Thanks Joe. This advice helped me in my first match. My first competitive match in months (poolplayers always have excuses!). I played Jerry Hilton. Sonnofagun, whom I've known for years as humble - he can play - and claims he recently took down 3 NC BIG names. He was ridculously hot the 1st half of our match. I was way down.

We go to 100 points as you know, 20 points per rack playing basically 15 call-ball rotation. Second rack he puts a 20 on me :(. I fought back, made it close, but dropped a few points when it was over.

It's a great game and brings a lot of elements of other games into play. Looking forward to the rest of the season!
 
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