One-hole weight ?

[TheMadScientist]

Is there any difference between 10-5 and 8-4? Which would you rather as the weaker player?

It is about the same weight. What you should ask yourself then is: What kind of player am I?

Are you a good early game player who uses the stack well, or do you play better with the balls up table. If it's the latter, I'd take the 10-5 and try to play a longer game.

 

[hdgis1]

It is about the same weight. What you should ask yourself then is: What kind of player am I?

Are you a good early game player who uses the stack well, or do you play better with the balls up table. If it's the latter, I'd take the 10-5 and try to play a longer game.

I think that is a good question to ask. I can, without reservation, say I am a better early game player. I spend the later half of long games feeling like all I am doing is dinking balls around. That is not to suggest that I feel like I have to shoot at every one, merely to highlight that I feel like opportunities are a bit more limited when you get up table. I know the best one hole shot is both offensive and defensive though I would say my game is more defensive as a whole. Thus I will continue to play defense until my oppoent screws up. At which point, I am pretty capable of making 4 or 5 balls.

Now to add to my original question - In the long run, how do you determine the perfect weight? After fine tuning and factoring in the perspective of each player, does it all boil down to how much you are willing to bet on any given day as to who may come out ahead.

 

[iusedtoberich]

Is there any difference between 10-5 and 8-4? Which would you rather as the weaker player?

8-4 is much more weight than 10-5. The reason is the game is much longer with the 10-5. This gives more opportunity for the weaker player to make mistakes. The weaker player WILL make mistakes, and lots of them. The stronger player will know this and wait for the ball in hand, or the missed sell-out shot, or the wrong move by the weaker player. Again, when you are talking about weight so large that it is half the balls, that means the difference in both skill and knowledge (unless its an older player who lost skill due to age) is tremendous.

So not only does the percentage of the ball count affect the strength of the handicap, but also the length of the game, especially the ball count for the weaker player.

 

[iusedtoberich]

...

Now to add to my original question - In the long run, how do you determine the perfect weight? After fine tuning and factoring in the perspective of each player, does it all boil down to how much you are willing to bet on any given day as to who may come out ahead.

If you have a regular game with a guy, and it seems fair, then on any one given day, the player who is feeling better (nerves), executing better, and thinking clearer will win. The bet amount may affect none of these things, or it may affect all of them. That is individual to the player, and the only way you will find that out is to be in that situation.

 

[dabarbr]

The more balls that you have to make allows the better player to better manipulate the pace of the game. Meaning that he can control it to his liking if he has the best of it. The less balls that you need the more of his skills he will have to use. In most cases if he needs another ball or two for himself it probably wouldn't matter much to him.