1 - 9-ball on a 9-foot table. Like most, I'm sure I started with 8-ball my first few years with a home table from age 11-13. After my Dad took me to a Lassiter vs Mosconi exhibition match in Trenton, NJ at age 13 (1969) I started playing 14.1 almost exclusively the next 5 years from age 13-18 (1969-1974). Then, when I went off to college at the student poolroom, 9-ball was the gambling game among the best players. I quickly took to it and have loved it ever since. I've still loved solo practicing 14.1 for the past 50 years and it's hard to beat a good 14.1 match, but there's just not enough players playing it in our poolroom, and of course all our poolroom tournaments are 9-ball. 9-ball is great game requiring proficiency in all aspects - shotmaking, positioning patterns, the need to spin the cue ball with accuracy far moreso than 14.1, defense, and of course strategy - knowing when to go for a shot and when not to.
2 - 14.1 on a 9-foot table. Like I said above, I've loved the game ever since attending a Lassiter vs Mosconi exhibition match at the age of 13, and I played it almost exclusively for the next 5 years from age 13-18. However, most of that was on my home 9-foot table and the tables on campus at the local college (Princeton), against college students that were not very good. I wish I'd had to opportunity at a young age to play with and learn from higher level players, but I didn't, so I was mainly self taught. I did have a high run of 56 around age 17-18. To this day at age 63, I've yet to run 100 balls although coming close, but I have yet to give up hope it could still happen with the perfect storm. These days my 14.1 is pretty much limited to solo practice, which is still my preferred practice game even though the only tournaments and $ matchups I play are 9-ball. Going after that elusive career 14.1 high run is still on my mind and a goal (realistic or not) for every single practice session - something you can't really do when practicing 9-ball. For 9-ball players, 14.1 would seem to be such an easy game, but it's just not. All my 14.1 play is on a tight pocket table which I understand is not recommended for 14.1, but I enjoy the challenge. It's just hard to explain how many things can go wrong in 14.1 to end your run if you don't execute every shot with an exact plan of where to leave the cue ball. Murphy's Law just seems to apply far more to 14.1 than it does for any other pool game - a long run requires the maintaining an incredibly high level of focus over an extended period, perfect planning and near flawless execution.
I've played some one-pocket, but not enough to really get the bug for it like I know a lot of players have. No one around here really plays it that strong, so there would be no one for me to learn from even if I wanted to. As far as 8-ball, yes I know it's the only game for most players, but it is what it is - a game that is just simply not preferred among more skilled players. Just curious to hear others thoughts on this topic, but you have to limit it to your favorite 2 games, and why. - Thanks
