Play One Pocket to improve in every game

Straight is the game. No other game can match the needed skills to be really good in straight pool.

You can miss a shot in pocket and not be punished for your miss. Miss the same shot in straight, you just might be sitting for a while or even lose.

I don't see much skill needed in moving balls to the end of the table where the pockets can not be used.

Miss a shot to your pocket......the other player is just gonna move it away. Miss a shot to any pocket in straight, you just might be sitting down for awhile.

I've played 8 ball after playing nothing but straight for a long time....it was like playing a kiddy game. I mean, god lord, after the break, the balls are all out there unlike the straight. Easy pickings.

Safes were easier since not all balls are legal to hit unlike straight where all balls and all pockets are legal.

Straight is all about a players skill. This is why so few play it. They prefer games where the rules doesn't require the same level of skill as straight...ie one pocket.

And yes, I have played one pocket. Last time I got talked into playing it, the person I was playing stated he would help me out on some of the shots, since I didn't play one pocket much. Nice guy....

First game, was going normal, when he left me a opening......I ran out, 8 in my hole. Second game went bout the same......Third game is when he started the ole moving balls down to the end of the table bullshit. Anyway. we finished playing and he has never asked me to play again.

All that skill I used came from straight pool. Also, I got a little tip a long time ago about one pocket........if you are not a patient person.....don't play one pocket. I've watched one pocket where not one ball was made in over a hour. BORING to watch and boring to play.
 
The problem with One Pocket is you never get to shoot more than a rack, assuming you're spotting your opponent 15-1. :) Straight Pool offers continuity, so your mind gets comfortable with making shots and planning ahead.

I knew Ervalino very well, and we argued many times about One Pocket. We agreed to disagree. He thought it improves your game, to some degree. I thought it would be the game I play when I'm old, and unable to run a rack.
 
Colonel said:
Large doses of 1 pocket tends to screw with your stroke if you like rotation games IMO.
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It also negatively impacts your confidence when it comes time to run balls. It probably helps with your safety game. But I always thought a good defense is a better offense.
 
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poolmouse said:
The problem with One Pocket is you never get to shoot more than a rack,........Straight Pool offers continuity, so your mind gets comfortable with making shots and planning ahead.
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2 different games. Straight does help 1P as far learning position, opening clusters, running patterns, etc. The beauty of 1pocket is I enjoy the exchange of moves. I don't want to sit and watch my opponent run racks.
There is no problem with 1Pocket. It's a love or hate game. It certainly is challenging.
BTW...I'm old and can't run a rack :killingme::killingme:
 
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GoldCrown said:
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2 different games. Straight does help 1P as far learning position, opening clusters, running patterns, etc. The beauty of 1pocket is I enjoy the exchange of moves. I don't want to sit and watch my opponent run racks.
There is no problem with 1Pocket. It's a love or hate game. It certainly is challenging.
BTW...I'm old and can't run a rack :killingme::killingme:
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I didn't mean to say I hate the game. I like watching a good One Pocket game. The problem is most of the folks who play One Pocket in most of the rooms I go to are people who really can't shoot. I guess if more top players played it, I'd be less off put by it.
 
Wow guys! Some of you got it, kind of. Others don't get it at all.

When I walked into a pool room for the first time I obviously didn't know one thing about pool. I knew none of the rules of any of the games. I had no idea how to hold a cue stick or stand at the table. I did know which was the cue ball and which were object balls. That, I'm afraid was just about the limit of my knowledge about the game of pool.

I didn't know it at the time but I had stepped into a rather unique pool room. There was very little straight pool being played here. Almost no eight ball either. Two games dominated this room and they were nine ball and one pocket.

Each pool game and billiards too teach us things useful to the other games.I was determined to become as strong a player as my talent and work ethic would allow. A great road player, Luther Lassiter, once told me that it is important to learn all the games.You can't always play the game of your choice. You will sometimes have to play the other guys game if you wish to be a successful pool player.

Now for those of you who like one game, go to one pool room, play only a handful of folks who you know quite well, and rarely step out of that comfort zone, it is fine to limit yourself to just nine ball, one pocket, straight pool, or whatever. You are there not to challenge yourself so much as to have an enjoyable time with friends. I'm not speaking of you, but the others who wish reach for the limits of your abilities.

Nine ball will help you improve and build your stroke, help your aiming skills so you can shoot the long shots with accuracy and power, and will teach you how to connect the dots and be or the proper side of the object balls. Your runs will become more efficient and your confidence in ball pocketing will be enhanced.

Straight pool will teach you how to stay focused for longer periods of time enabling you to run high numbers of balls in a single inning and it will help you stay prepared for when it is your turn at the table after your opponent has strung and long run against you. This game will also teach you the proper way to break out clusters, and control the cue ball with precision.

One pocket is something unique. This game will teach these same things but will also enable you to use your imagination unlike any of the other games. All the other games focus on making balls fall into a pocket with every shot. Not so with one hole. This game allows for manipulating your opponent into traps, much like a chess game. This game teaches you how to think like no other game can. It allows for shots which would never be thought of in any other game. The thrill of coming with an inventive shot which opens the door to winning a game is something not soon forgotten.

I remember a conversation I once overheard between a top flight nine ball player and a equally talented one pocket player as they tried to make a game. The nine ball player suggested they play nine ball so he could see how that guy could shoot. The one pocket player returned the favor by saying, let's play one hole, I want to see how you think.

All the games are important to learn. Become a well rounded pool player, not a specialist in only one or two games.

I have won several lower level one pocket tournaments and one major event, beating Cliff Joyner in the semis and Jose Parica in the finals. I've won the Md. state nineball championships, and the Va open nine ball championships. I've come in the top ten in the One pocket division several times at the DCC. All while maintaining a steady job. And I'm not a bad billiard player either. Maybe a .700 average if I play regularly. Each of these games helps me to understand the others that much better.

You can do the same.

Tom
 
GoldCrown said:
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2 different games. Straight does help 1P as far learning position, opening clusters, running patterns, etc. The beauty of 1pocket is I enjoy the exchange of moves. I don't want to sit and watch my opponent run racks.
There is no problem with 1Pocket. It's a love or hate game. It certainly is challenging.
BTW...I'm old and can't run a rack :killingme::killingme:
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Disagree with you GC. First of all you can run racks. One pocket will teach you a certain finesse because it is so easy to inadvertently sell out. It will also teach you lock down safety play which is important in all pool games once you reach a certain level. However it doesn't take the pure stroke that 9 ball does. When I sense a loss of that stroke I will concentrate more on one pocket. Well here goes. That's why you see a lot of older players playing one pocket. I am in my mid 60's so I feel I can get away with that statement.
 
If there is one thing that one pocket can teach you, that no other game other than 3 cushion will, is the utilization of kicking/banking systems.
Sure, 14.1 is going to teach you the patterns, but unless you are high as a kite, you probably won't be kicking that many shots in your 14.1 lifetime.
Most knowledgeable high end 1 pocket players are going to have a firm grasp on "corner 5" "plus 2/plus", as well as several short rail and long rail 1 rail systems in their arsenal.

I cannot begin to tell you how many times I've seen top level rotation players get played safe in a tournament where no jump cues are allowed, or where no jump shot is available, and seemingly just draw a blank on how to go about accurately attempting to hit the ball.
The jump has basically made this skill set obsolete as I know lots of players who have zero clue as to what kicking systems and when they are hooked, out pops the jump cue and they are airborne.

Yes those same players, get all bent when they themselves play a safe, take away any jump shot, and watch as their opponent goes however many rails to kick the ball as if it was all luck.
 
A player is not a top level player if he doesn't know how to kick and the systems that work for kicking.

There is more information available for kicking knowledge than ever before. A lot of it for free on youtube.
 
Philly, One Pocket used to be the old man's game but no more. Take a look at who's playing the game at the highest levels now. Alex P. Scott Frost, Justin Hall just to name a few. And if you asked any of them which game they would prefer to play for big money, I'd have to wager they would all say the same thing; One Pocket. Why? Because the outcome is more predictable. And why is that? Because of the severe limitations within the game and the fact that each player knows he will, in most cases get back to the table for another inning, and that returns some control to the outcome. Young players know this, and they use their aggressive attitudes to find and execute many shots rarely found in other games. Backward cuts, banks and caroms are some of the various shots one pocket players thrive on. A nine ball player might just play safe instead of attempting such shots. Once a nine ball player gets in line and the balls are spread, there is little more to do than connect the dots. The game rarely requires a big stroke or long shot making skills past the initial shot to get going.

No, One pocket requires far more shot making skills than any other pool game. At least that is my opinion for what it is Wirth.

Tom
 
JB Cases said:
A player is not a top level player if he doesn't know how to kick and the systems that work for kicking.

There is more information available for kicking knowledge than ever before. A lot of it for free on youtube.
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Then you have several top players, who aren't "top level" LOL
You watch some of the streams, it becomes obvious who knows, and who doesn't.
They run out from anywhere, put packages together, but give them a kick that looks difficult but realistically is pretty straight forward, and it's amazing how many just seem to just wing it.

It seems that new up and coming players don't take the time to learn systems anymore, or, it seems that if they know some, they still auto default to the jump cue.
Even in situations where kicking the ball has a high % of possibly pocketing the ball when it is near the hole on a rail, and a jump shot doesn't have the proper angle to pocket the ball, lots of people still jump the ball just to hit it because they don't trust that they can hit the ball accurately by kicking at it.
 
I will say that playing 1P made a huge improvement in my safety play in 9/8 ball. didnt notice so much in straight pool though.

Mike
 
duckie said:
Straight is the game. No other game can match the needed skills to be really good in straight pool.

You can miss a shot in pocket and not be punished for your miss. Miss the same shot in straight, you just might be sitting for a while or even lose.

I don't see much skill needed in moving balls to the end of the table where the pockets can not be used.

Miss a shot to your pocket......the other player is just gonna move it away. Miss a shot to any pocket in straight, you just might be sitting down for awhile.

I've played 8 ball after playing nothing but straight for a long time....it was like playing a kiddy game. I mean, god lord, after the break, the balls are all out there unlike the straight. Easy pickings.

Safes were easier since not all balls are legal to hit unlike straight where all balls and all pockets are legal.

Straight is all about a players skill. This is why so few play it. They prefer games where the rules doesn't require the same level of skill as straight...ie one pocket.

And yes, I have played one pocket. Last time I got talked into playing it, the person I was playing stated he would help me out on some of the shots, since I didn't play one pocket much. Nice guy....

First game, was going normal, when he left me a opening......I ran out, 8 in my hole. Second game went bout the same......Third game is when he started the ole moving balls down to the end of the table bullshit. Anyway. we finished playing and he has never asked me to play again.

All that skill I used came from straight pool. Also, I got a little tip a long time ago about one pocket........if you are not a patient person.....don't play one pocket. I've watched one pocket where not one ball was made in over a hour. BORING to watch and boring to play.
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And this is the best reason to play one pocket. It opens your horizons and keeps you from being narrow minded.

If this person played a mid-level one pocket player he would be easily and brutally robbed. It would be a bloodbath. Why? Because he thinks that it's easy. And if he EVER ran 8 and out I will eat my shoe. But the problem is that he think 8 and out is a big deal. It is great but the real skill in one hole isn't running 8 balls it's knowing ten ways to remove a ball, it's knowing the tickies, and the caroms and the carom/tickies and the bank combinations, and how to play probabilities and moving the cueball into perfect defensive positions, knowing the difference an inch makes between a sell out and a dead nuts trap.

It's all the finesse of 14.1, the shotmaking in 9 ball, the creativity in 8 ball, the three cushion aspects from billiards, in short it has the need to know so many things that it's literally a lifetime of discovery when playing.
 
SUPERSTAR said:
Then you have several top players, who aren't "top level" LOL
You watch some of the streams, it becomes obvious who knows, and who doesn't.
They run out from anywhere, put packages together, but give them a kick that looks difficult but realistically is pretty straight forward, and it's amazing how many just seem to just wing it.

It seems that new up and coming players don't take the time to learn systems anymore, or, it seems that if they know some, they still auto default to the jump cue.
Even in situations where kicking the ball has a high % of possibly pocketing the ball when it is near the hole on a rail, and a jump shot doesn't have the proper angle to pocket the ball, lots of people still jump the ball just to hit it because they don't trust that they can hit the ball accurately by kicking at it.
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I know what you mean. My point is that any player serious about their game has all the available knowledge at their disposal.
 
TRWpool said:
Philly, One Pocket used to be the old man's game but no more. Take a look at who's playing the game at the highest levels now. Alex P. Scott Frost, Justin Hall just to name a few. And if you asked any of them which game they would prefer to play for big money, I'd have to wager they would all say the same thing; One Pocket. Why? Because the outcome is more predictable. And why is that? Because of the severe limitations within the game and the fact that each player knows he will, in most cases get back to the table for another inning, and that returns some control to the outcome. Young players know this, and they use their aggressive attitudes to find and execute many shots rarely found in other games. Backward cuts, banks and caroms are some of the various shots one pocket players thrive on. A nine ball player might just play safe instead of attempting such shots. Once a nine ball player gets in line and the balls are spread, there is little more to do than connect the dots. The game rarely requires a big stroke or long shot making skills past the initial shot to get going.

No, One pocket requires far more shot making skills than any other pool game. At least that is my opinion for what it is Wirth.

Tom
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TRW, I respectfully disagree with some of the things you mentioned. I agree one pocket is more aggressive than it used to be. I hear of the old timers playing 3 hour games which is not the case anymore. 9 ball connecting the dots? Only if you are "A" and above and still requires huge power strokes to continue some runs where as one pocket does not require that power. I stand by my statement that one pocket is favored, at least partially, by the player that does not have the power stroke that they once had. Don't misunderstand me I do play one pocket and usually on a triple shimmed Gold Crown but it is not my preferred game....yet.
 
Your objections are understood Philly and I accept that you are entitled to your opinion as am mine. I have played a lot of both nine ball and one pocket at a very high level and I can tell you that one of the goals a top class nine ball player shoots for during an open rack is to hit the next ball with approximately the same stroke as he did the previous shot. This can be accomplished with good planning and control of the cue stick. Acquiring the proper angle from one shot to the next allows the shooter to use the same stroke over and over again without much change.

I see more missed shots when there is a big fluctuation in the stroking pattern. Hit a ball hard, then one softly, than hard again. This is a recipe for disaster and is due to poor planning, poor speed control, or a lack of execution skills. That's why good practice disciplines are a must if we wish to continually improve. Having a consistent stroking pattern is essential to good play. This takes at least one of the equations which cause us to miss out of the picture. Once solid position is achieved, connect the dots with sound planning and the proper angles for three shot sequences.

Tom
 
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TRWpool said:
Your objections are understood Philly and I accept that you are entitled to your opinion as am mine. I have played a lot of both nine ball and one pocket at a very high level and I can tell you that one of the goals a top class nine ball player shoots for during an open rack is to hit the next ball with approximately the same stroke as he did the previous shot. This can be accomplished with good planning and control of the cue stick. Acquiring the proper angle from one shot to the next allows the shooter to use the same stroke over and over again without much change.

I see more missed shots when there is a big fluctuation in the stroking pattern. Hit a ball hard, then one softly, than hard again. This is a recipe for disaster and is due to poor planning, poor speed control, or a lack of execution skills. That's why good practice disciplines are a must if we wish to continually improve. Having a consistent stroking pattern is essential to good play. This takes at least one of the equations which cause us to miss out of the picture. Once solid position is achieved, connect the dots with sound planning and the proper angles for three shot sequences.

Tom
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TRW, You obviously play at a very high level and what you say is easier said than done. A three pack in 9 ball for me is a rarity so I am obviously still trying to connect the dots but I do enjoy all of the games including one pocket.
 
JB Cases said:
I know what you mean. My point is that any player serious about their game has all the available knowledge at their disposal.
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Right.
It almost seems as if the jump shot (where pocketing a ball isn't possible) is steadily replacing the kick shot as the first option in a lot of cases.

If one looks back, Efren never really used a jump cue if i am not mistaken. Only ever saw him try and jump a ball once.

But his knowledge on kicks and 3 cushion, allowed him to kick shots, get distance between the balls, and otherwise, manipulate the situation to his advantage where people would constantly wonder how he he did it, when it was just his mastery of a skill set that others don't even think about.

You have to have the knowledge to hit a shot before you can get lucky.
One pocket is a gateway drug to some of that knowledge.
 
philly said:
TRW, You obviously play at a very high level and what you say is easier said than done. A three pack in 9 ball for me is a rarity so I am obviously still trying to connect the dots but I do enjoy all of the games including one pocket.
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Philly, I understand. It is always easier to talk about it than it is to actually do it. No one ever said it would be easy but we all start somewhere and set long term goals and short tern goals which lead us in the right direction. I understand that SVB, one of the finest pool players in this Country, practices something like ten hours a day. That practice time is not simply to stay in stroke. He is working on improving his game, learning new things, honing his skills in various disciplines which he knows will be needed in future matches.

You can do the same thing. Maybe not to his level but your game can come closer to the goals you set for yourself if you learn what to practice and how to go about it properly. This site and maybe one or two others, along with a few lessons from a good instructor who will teach you how to practice, will help you to set these goals and work toward them. Learn how to teach yourself.

All the best and good luck,
I'm please that you enjoy all the games. Each one has something to appreciate.

Tom
 
Out of curiosity (due to this thear): Just tonight I've tried one pocket. But either we did not understand the rules completely or we are just bad players (hint: yes, we are).

Somehow it degenerated into a ball showeling thing, too many balls on the very oposite rail (of our pockets) and we somehow did not understand why you would every sink a ball into a neutral pocket...
My partner thought it was fun (he likes banking and kicking) while I did not like it at all and did loose points quite regularly due to insane shots to make balls (which I made, but I scratched).

It definately sounds easier than it is :frown: Need to watch a few videos, maybe the confusion clears :)

Cheers, keep writing.
 
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