Well, I just had a C player offer to spot me the last two and a few on the wire, so I must be a D player, right?
How many balls (14.1)should an a,b, and c player run?
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Well, I just had a C player offer to spot me the last two and a few on the wire, so I must be a D player, right?
Well lets just put it this way. Lets see you (or anyone) run 10 racks vs 2. And see if there is a difference :smile: Lets say 10 racks of straight pool vs 2 of them.
Just curious Steve -- what size table were the respective 119 and the recent 5x 80s run on? Were they all on the table shown in your video?
Arnaldo
You can't use the term average when talking straight pool. At best you can say what may be a players high run be in say a 100 or 125 point game on average.
If you play 4 or 5 games with someone you will certainly run some balls at some point. It may be 30 it may be 60. but you will get an idea of what you can run in a real game.
Also, straight pool is a game of know how. If you know how to run balls and get to break shots running balls is fairly simple. It is surprising though how hard it may be for even a good player to run 50 if he has no idea how to do it no matter how well he plays 9 ball.
Clearing a table of 14 balls is easy and if you get a break shot you may even clear most of the next rack. So pretty much anyone should be able to run say 25 even a D player at times with a little luck. Getting through 4 or 5 break shots or more requires more then luck, you have to know how to play the game.
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I dont want to know where you play if the D players are able to run 25 balls. I think in most parts of the country a D player is someone who gets odds playing the 3 ball ghost.
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It just requires them getting off the remainder of a rack and getting through a break shot. Not a very high bar. Even a D player should be capable of that occasionally.
I tend to agree with you. I was watching an old TAR all-around match some time ago with Danny and John. Shawn Putnam was doing commentary and mentioned he's not a straight pool player and doesn't get too far past 50 and has never broke 100. I know some short stop level players from areas of the country where people just don't play 14.1 who have a hard time breaking 40. Doesn't mean they are B players.
14.1 is really hard for me due to lack of knowledge. I don't play it often, but when I do I would imagine good players would be shaking their heads and face palming if they were looking at my patterns, lol.
This is a true story it happened at a tournament that Grady put on. It was an all around tournament. In the final for the all around it was Rempe and David Howard. Rempe had won the straight pool and Howard the 9 ball to get to the final.
Grady had them toss a coin to see what game they would play first. Rempe won and picked straight pool. They played like 5 racks before Howard conceded. He didn't look like he knew how to run two racks, it was embarrassing for him. so he quit.
I am sorry David if you read this forum but I was there.
Straight pool is not at all hard if you know how to play it. It however, it is deceptive if you don't know how, it is not as easy as it looks. A good player will murder you.
My high run is 30. I'm a high C to low B player by "gambling ratings". I practiced 6 months solid straight pool last year and 30 was the best I could do.
It's funny, when I was a D player 15-20 yrs ago when I first started playing, straight pool was my main game. I think my high run was about 25. This was in an actual game. A wide open table, running out, then breaking and running that rack.
Fast forward all these years (playing 9 ball and one pocket) and last year I took up straight pool again and practiced it every day. I'm maybe the 5 ball better than I was years ago. And I can honestly say I have no idea knowing what I know now how in the world I ran 25 as a D.
Fast forward all these years (playing 9 ball and one pocket) and last year I took up straight pool again and practiced it every day. I'm maybe the 5 ball better than I was years ago. And I can honestly say I have no idea knowing what I know now how in the world I ran 25 as a D.
in areas where straight pool is not popular anymore you will find good players that cant run 20 balls. i know some of these that run quite often 2 to 3, occasionnaly up to 6 racks in 9 ball but cant get past 20 balls, simply because they are shotmakers with typical rotation strategy.
Im not a big fan of this rating systems, what counts are the matches, and there are more factors to the outcome of a match than a players A-performance
Im not a big fan of this rating systems, what counts are the matches, and there are more factors to the outcome of a match than a players A-performance
So, this is an intersting question to me. I am what I would consider a solid B player, that can catch a gear and play B++/A-- speed at times. I don't really play straight pool, but at one point in my love for the game I decided to focus on nothing but straight pool for a solid month.
My high run was 122, my next highest run was 78, and my third highest run was 63.
Granted this was many years ago, and I still don't really play straight pool, but now on a whim I can set up a break shot and run 40-50 pretty consistently... but have never topped those 3 high runs when it was my focus.
I don't know if this helps with your question, but to me there are way to many factors to actually give a solid answer.
My high run was 122, my next highest run was 78, and my third highest run was 63.
Granted this was many years ago, and I still don't really play straight pool, but now on a whim I can set up a break shot and run 40-50 pretty consistently... but have never topped those 3 high runs when it was my focus.
I don't know if this helps with your question, but to me there are way to many factors to actually give a solid answer.
It is likely you were also around some players who played the game. When I was a kid if someone said "Want to play a game" they meant straight pool. It is all we ever played. Beginners played 8 ball but better players played straight pool. We did play pill pool and ring 9 ball games but most two handed games was straight pool.
When everybody is playing the game and there are good players around you just pick it up almost by osmosis. I used to practice with Danny DiLiberto all the time. When you are around players like that it is almost impossible not to learn the game. Like I said, if nothing else just by osmosis.
If you went to NY in the 1960's and 70's there was a guy on every corner who could run a 100 balls. Exposure to the game is probably the biggest factor. It is played a lot in Europe and when you go there you will see it being played and they have the players to prove it.
In the US if you walk in a pool room you will never see two guys playing straight pool.
well the 119, i cannot go back to the room to measure the pockets since they are closed. they were standard GCIII's.
the room in the video is also closed and i agree, they were buckets.
the next time i go to the room where i have the recent runs i will measure the pockets and take a few photos as well. i will say that the Rails were repaired with brand new rubber, so speed off the rails is extra crucial.
-Steve
The table is always a factor. I used to play in a bowling alley with old Gold Crowns with big pockets. I would run balls like crazy. You could fire balls down the rail for break shots that may not go on other tables extending a run that should be over.
When ever anybody would ask my high run I always refer to a run of 96 on a table with 4 1/4" pockets. The run was perfect. I was never out of line and didn't miss. I had no shot after a good break shot. A ball just rolled up on the cue ball and I had to play safe.
yes i totally understand that. but super tight pockets arent always good when having to play a certain side of a pocket to get a certain angle.
i know that the pockets that i play on now, 2 balls just fit in with maybe an 1/8 of an inch on each side of the 2 balls sitting in the pocket.
like i said, i will measure when i go there next. is the measure point measured at the edge of the pocket opening ?
-Steve
See this is interesting. I easily a b player in 9 ball but I would be a d player in 14.1. I just don't play it enough I guess. I know I should. I love the game.
Oh no, please don't misunderstand me. I am not saying a run is invalid because the table is easy, just commenting it is a factor. I am also not advocating tight pockets. In straight pool pockets that are too tight restrict you from doing certain things and can become unfair.
If I cut a ball down the rail and go into the rack, I don't want to see the ball spit out of the pocket if it was hit good because the pocket is unfair. That is taking away my tools to play the game. I expect the table to be fair.
I just mentioned the run on the tight table because I am proud of it. I also played a guy straight pool on a 10 foot snooker table and had a run of 41 using pool balls. Keep in mind this was a standard brunswick GC snooker table and not terrible tight pockets. It was not a golf table.
It was funny I was trying to get a guy to play and he kept pointing over to the snooker table saying "We can play some on that table". Finally I say OK and he went to get his cue. When he got back I have the snooker table with a rack of pool balls on it.
I said you just said the table not the game, I don't play snooker and we ended up playing straight pool on the snooker table with me giving him some weight. Later I did asked him to play some snooker but he had changed his mind.
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Alot depends on what game the player in question mainly plays. 14.1 is not played alot down in South Florida and even then its mostly played by older players. That said, if a player is considered an A player at 14.1 I personally think he should have a high run of at least 70-80 balls. A solid AA player should run over 100 and AAA player (again one who favor the game as his main game) should run 200+. Im not talking consistently run these numbers but rather have achieved this level of a run before.
Then again, 14.1 is not my favorite pool game and has never been, so what do i know? Mostly likely squat.
Then again, 14.1 is not my favorite pool game and has never been, so what do i know? Mostly likely squat.