I just don't get it...
- Thread starter Catahula
- Start date
BPG24
Banned
Smorgass Bored said:Youngster, you don't know much. I used to take speed and I could break the 4 minute mile, running around the table and firing the balls in.
Now, when I take a 'performance enhancer', I can rock 8,000 times in my recliner-rocker and eat 12 bags of Fritos.
Doug
( I like watching Speed Pool.......................and Dancing With The Stars )
*It's all just a matter of TASTE.
Grandpa, I know what I have seen whether you like it or not. 36-48 hour straight gambling sessions. those guys looked like **** when they were done, but it happened. They weren't in their 20's or 30's either. So maybe they were on something different than you were. You are right I don't know alot about it because I don't use it. But my eyes work well enough to know what I see. It is an ugly ugly thing bu they don't stop
i like to play speedpool by myself from time to time, but more just for fun.
i don't want to see it on tv - it's boring, cause it doesn't allow myself to follow the players thoughts planning the next stroke. there's no game plan or so, what is a main point in our sports!
@smorgass bored
please change your avathar immediatly! it may cause serious eye diseases
i don't want to see it on tv - it's boring, cause it doesn't allow myself to follow the players thoughts planning the next stroke. there's no game plan or so, what is a main point in our sports!
@smorgass bored
please change your avathar immediatly! it may cause serious eye diseases
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av84fun said:
Exactly! When other "major" sports perform special exhibitions, they usually are complimentary to the relative sport; baseball's "home run derby", basketball's "slam dunk" contest, or tennis and golf's celebrity exhibitions.
IMO speed pool doesn't accomplish anything positive for the sport, in fact I beleive it depreciates it. And anyone going to the NBA slam dunk contest who prefers to watch a juggling act rather than watch the contest is mentally challenged.
JIm
Spend pool sux, but I'd rather watch it than "Artistic Billiards". My my, except for some of those Mike Massey power shots, do I ever hate trick shots.
Let's face it though, that's all we'll get on TV for the indefinite future.
Let's face it though, that's all we'll get on TV for the indefinite future.
When my home bar got their new pool tables lat fall, the Co. that supplies the tables tried to promote speed pool and it failed miserably.
The new electronic tables are set up for speed play, the racks have "Play Speed Pool" stickers on them, they had a few signs posted on how/why to play speed pool and EVERYONE I know that plays pool around here just laughed at all this junk, as I did.
I know why the vendors want people to play speed pool...........so they can make more $$$. Guys/Gals putting in a dollar and trying to run the rack out in 1 minute. That equates to $60/hr for the table. No wonder they are trying to promote it. 
IMO speed pool is a gimmick. A circus show. I see ZERO benefit in it myself. Those few people who like it, by all means play it, but for me personally.............No thanks.
The new electronic tables are set up for speed play, the racks have "Play Speed Pool" stickers on them, they had a few signs posted on how/why to play speed pool and EVERYONE I know that plays pool around here just laughed at all this junk, as I did.
I know why the vendors want people to play speed pool...........so they can make more $$$. Guys/Gals putting in a dollar and trying to run the rack out in 1 minute. That equates to $60/hr for the table.
No wonder they are trying to promote it. IMO speed pool is a gimmick. A circus show. I see ZERO benefit in it myself. Those few people who like it, by all means play it, but for me personally.............No thanks.
You keep seeing these new games pop up. People that can't win at the regular games might play fast, have loads of spin or can play one hand so they get to have a hustle. You can make loads of money challenging someones ego over their skill level.
For the rest of us that can't do any of the above, maybe some day AZ chat will be covered on ESPN. I think JAM will win the speed challenge, not sure if we have any artistic winners yet, and we have a few skilled posters in the hunt.
For the rest of us that can't do any of the above, maybe some day AZ chat will be covered on ESPN. I think JAM will win the speed challenge, not sure if we have any artistic winners yet, and we have a few skilled posters in the hunt.
I watched 5 minutes of it, and that's enough to last me.Catahula said:What is it?
I turned on the set earlier today to come face to face with someone racking the balls on ESPN.
What HO! My lucky day. Ran, grabbed a beer and flopped down to watch and what to my wondering eyes should appear but?..SPEED POOL!
It it just me or is this some of the most contrived crap ever. The sport of billiards is only one power lunch and cheap sponsorship away from?
?FULL CONTACT NINE BALL?!
I am all for ?sweatin? a match? but not because you have been racing around a table like a fool firing balls in like a madman.
Now I?m sure that there is some level of skill involved here but to what purpose? If someone gets this ?sport? please do your best to enlighten me.
By the way, Rodney Morris gets my vote if ?Full Contact? ever comes to fruition.
I can totally understand why most of you hate speed pool however it is making TV with a $50,000 to the winner prize. There has to be something about the game that makes ESPN want to cover it and also for them to be able to get the kind of sponsorship $$ needed. We all need to understand that the game needs more exposure and excitement to make a demand for it. If Speed pool is that vehicle then let it be, I know that some of you purists out there are going to dislike the game and would be more than happy if it were 1 pocket. I love the sport of pool but I would not watch one pocket on TV. We all have our likes and dislikes, I like speed pool myself. Again if that is what is needed to bring the sport into the mainstream and get some attention then maybe we will get more touraments on TV that have YOUR fav game being played. I just think it is better than nothing and that the enthusiasts like the people on here should not be knocking it at all.
Catahula said:By the way, Rodney Morris gets my vote if ?Full Contact? ever comes to fruition.
You want to back Rodney against Dennis Hatch for a little $1000 race to 9 full-contact 9-ball? I'd put Dennis in that game.
-Andrew
NOTE: This post is entirely joking, and I don't speak for, and for that matter have never even met, Dennis Hatch. Please don't make me put my $1000 where my mouth is.
Quite interesting comments so far... Frankly I get the impression that some of them are making comments on how speed pool sucks just because they feel that it some way reflects on thier personal ability as a pool player...(almost like some will bash a bar box player, or a league player)....Perhaps my impression is un-founded...but that is the impression that I get.
I stumbled upon the speed pool this weekend and ended up watching both hours.
I actually did see some pattern play...(although they did not always choose the better pattern)
I did see some strategy since if you run out without a miss you get a bonus, but sometimes a strategic bump instead of a run out resulted in a better time.
It did not make me run back to my pool table and attempt to play any racks of speed pool, but I did find the match interesting to watch....and I did notice that after watching the ease at which they pocketed balls... When I did end up hitting some balls, I felt like I was pocketing balls much better and playing better shape than I have in the recent past....I don't know if watching the speed pool had any contribution to me playing better...(and I don't really care) but heck...at this point, I would not rule anything out.
I am by no means saying I would rather watch speed pool over 9-ball , straight pool, one pocket...but, if it is on again...I will probably watch it.
I stumbled upon the speed pool this weekend and ended up watching both hours.
I actually did see some pattern play...(although they did not always choose the better pattern)
I did see some strategy since if you run out without a miss you get a bonus, but sometimes a strategic bump instead of a run out resulted in a better time.
It did not make me run back to my pool table and attempt to play any racks of speed pool, but I did find the match interesting to watch....and I did notice that after watching the ease at which they pocketed balls... When I did end up hitting some balls, I felt like I was pocketing balls much better and playing better shape than I have in the recent past....I don't know if watching the speed pool had any contribution to me playing better...(and I don't really care) but heck...at this point, I would not rule anything out.
I am by no means saying I would rather watch speed pool over 9-ball , straight pool, one pocket...but, if it is on again...I will probably watch it.
"Speed pool" used to be a big thing back when 14.1 was king.
For those who haven't seen Lou "Machine Gun" Butera run a rack that way, you ought to. I saw a video of him showing how he aims, with the cue tip and ferrule, and watched him run off a full rack in no time.
One of the positive things that doing this kind of thing will perhaps do for your game is it will help you visualize potting balls quickly and effortlessly.
There's another player who wrote that when speed pool was big that he quickly figured out the quickest way to run the rack was to shoot stop shots whenever possible.
Blackjack, what do you think about this?
Flex
For those who haven't seen Lou "Machine Gun" Butera run a rack that way, you ought to. I saw a video of him showing how he aims, with the cue tip and ferrule, and watched him run off a full rack in no time.
One of the positive things that doing this kind of thing will perhaps do for your game is it will help you visualize potting balls quickly and effortlessly.
There's another player who wrote that when speed pool was big that he quickly figured out the quickest way to run the rack was to shoot stop shots whenever possible.
Blackjack, what do you think about this?
Flex
Blackjack said:
bfdlad said:
Probably that there isn't enough time for Mitch Laurence to talk. I would pay extra for that.
While I am busy making enemies...I would also like to respond to Blackjack: Speed pool may require some skill, or whatever, but that fact is that the game isn't about running balls at all. It is just about pocketing balls. Maybe it would be more interesting if misses hurt you...or ended your turn. Maybe scoring on the basis of consecutive balls-per-minute, or something. Regardless, I am feeling chippy today and already bashed speed pool in another thread, so I felt like piling on.
I might suck at pool, but speed pool just sucks, period.
Speed pool players know how to make sure they can make some $$$.
That red haired guy knows how to make it exciting by getting the crowd pumped up. He knows that the more exciting HE makes it the more money there is going to be in speed pool. TV ratings=big giant check
Part of the popularity of poker is the entertaining dialogue.
If pool players wanted to make more money they could decide for themselves to be more entertaining.
Or they could just keep on being boring for tv and keep on complaining about not making very much money.
That red haired guy knows how to make it exciting by getting the crowd pumped up. He knows that the more exciting HE makes it the more money there is going to be in speed pool. TV ratings=big giant check
Part of the popularity of poker is the entertaining dialogue.
If pool players wanted to make more money they could decide for themselves to be more entertaining.
Or they could just keep on being boring for tv and keep on complaining about not making very much money.
pool said:
Misses do hurt you in speed pool.......A break and run is a 10 second time deduction.
10 seconds can be all the difference in the world in a speed pool game.
And yes...there were some break and runs during the matches...quite incredible in under a minute BTW...
Interesting. The match I was watching had many misses and usually the announcers would say something like "He missed, but it doesn't matter because he broke them open", or "He got position". They didn't ever mention a penalty. I know that often there are runs and that is fine, but I am still not a fan. Somebody likes it, though, cause the money is there. I wonder if there are regional preferences where Speed Pool is popular. I definitely don't like it.
pool said:
If they're playing 'speed pool' 8-ball, they have to make all the solids (or stripes) first, before shooting the 8-ball. they aren't allowed to just shoot a stripe, 2 solids, a stripe, a solid, etc. unless they've missed at the group they're currently shooting. They're allowed to miss a shot in order to break up clusters or break out a ball. Too much cueball rolling between shots also hurts their time. The less cueball travel from shot to shot is to their advantage.
Doug
( it's not as easy as it appears....... try it sometime and see how YOUR time matches theirs )