Poll: Is Bonus Ball good for billiards?

Is "Bonus Ball" good for billiards?

  • Yes

    Votes: 26 38.8%

  • No

    Votes: 25 37.3%

  • Don't Know

    Votes: 16 23.9%
  • Total voters
    67
Seems like it will be fun to play, but I don't think it will appeal to your average shoot once or twice a week type players.
 
No.

TimKrazyMon said:
http://www.azbilliards.com/2000storya.php?storynum=7504

A new pro league is forming around "Bonus Ball". Just curious if people think this is good or bad for billiards.
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I watched the Exhibition Video. The methodology,scoring requirements,and the fact they want to create a professional league with this vehicle,I believe IMHO,this will also fail. It appears to be a gimmick,and over the long term with Pool,gimmicks won't help develop the game. After watching this exhibition,I as a seasoned player am not interested in trying to play Bonus Ball. Thank You for asking my opinion.
 
er, well, can you give me an example of how a new game was "bad" for billiards? How can a new game hurt pool? I honestly cannot come up with one reason.
 
Play Bonus Ball or not, that is up to you, but the guys behind this have done a lot to help the pros. And they are just getting started. This league they are cranking up will continue to add paydays to the pro calendar and they are embracing high-quality streaming, so they are offering a lot of positives for the game, the players and the marketplace.
 
Jerry Forsyth said:
Play Bonus Ball or not, that is up to you, but the guys behind this have done a lot to help the pros. And they are just getting started. This league they are cranking up will continue to add paydays to the pro calendar and they are embracing high-quality streaming, so they are offering a lot of positives for the game, the players and the marketplace.
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I totally understand that, Jerry. But why not just make it 10 ball? =(
 
I think that Trudeau had one thing right. Eight ball is the game people know. Go to any bar on any night of the week and people are playing 8-ball. If you want pool to be main stream you have to get the pros playing 8-ball.
 
TimKrazyMon said:
A new pro league is forming around "Bonus Ball". Just curious if people think this is good or bad for billiards.
Click to expand...

T-man,
OMG, surely this is an April Fool's joke. I watched that video of the creator "explaining" Bonus Ball. It was just about as clear as mud - his explanation was totally incomprehensible. I could not find a written description of the rules; are you really sure this game exists? If so, it will require a much better "explanation" before I tackle it - I had more questions after watching the video than I did before watching.

If indeed it exists, I think the "time" element (who has a time clock and operator handy?) and the requirement for a special set of balls will be a huge hindrance to widespread acceptance by amateurs (though I suppose you could play purples/even, orange/odd, black = bonus ball). Since they will have a tough time playing it, I'm doubtful it will be the salvation of pool.
 
Bonus ball will not catch on.

1) Different ball set. Why they didn't use stripes and solids as purple and orange is beyond me.

2) Too hard to explain to new people.

Other than that, I think it might be fun to play for a while, and I am sure those deserving pro's got a lot of money for 'backing' it!
 
Apologies for not being clear

CreeDo said:
er, well, can you give me an example of how a new game was "bad" for billiards? How can a new game hurt pool? I honestly cannot come up with one reason.
Click to expand...
I apologize that I did not clarify the "good" or "bad" aspect of the question. Although I won't participate in the game,any endeavour towards developing pool can be seen as positive. There is little doubt that this may run the course of popularity for some people,but it is unlikely to sway the millions who casually pick up a cue and play let us say, 8 Ball. So,with that in mind,I believe that this game will have a benign impact on pool. That cannot be construed as a negative. The only time something bad happens to pool is when fewer people pick up a cue and play.
 
Good for the Professionals

Jerry Forsyth said:
Play Bonus Ball or not, that is up to you, but the guys behind this have done a lot to help the pros. And they are just getting started. This league they are cranking up will continue to add paydays to the pro calendar and they are embracing high-quality streaming, so they are offering a lot of positives for the game, the players and the marketplace.
Click to expand...
Jerry, I can appreciate the idea to help Professional Pool Players. Goodness knows they need all the help they can muster. Perhaps others willing to invest will get behind it and provide financial backing for the gentlemen who developed it. As I stated in the previous post to CreeDo,it will not have an adverse effect on pool. That only happens when fewer people play. I certainly wish them luck in their quest for a successful business venture. Time will tell.
 
Bonus Ball

Like any new endeavor there are always going to be naysayers, people who do not understand that sometimes new things take time to develop into acceptance by the masses.
Bonus ball, incorpates all styles of billiards into one game that I have played many times.
I have been playing 8 & 9 ball for many years and see the benefit to learning this game. That is part of any game you play, poker, golf, bowling, and now bonus ball, it can help make it fun and exciting to see how you can become better.
I have ran many tables of 8 and 9 ball but have yet had the pleasure of a perfect game in bonus ball....
When a couple pros were playing this game a few months ago here in Winnipeg, They never completed a perfect game...
When the debut of the World Professional Billiard League starts in a few months, I doubt that there will be many perfect games. I will be there watching the event and am sincerely looking forward to seeing them attempt it...
I may be rambling on about this new game, but come on people give it a chance.
The founder and developers of the league have spent alot of time and money to bring this game to this stage.
At least they are attempting to do something, rather just sitting back and complaining about what is wrong with the state of billiards in this world...
I look forward to the future of billiards, no matter what road it goes down to make it better...
 
I think the strongest point of this endeavor is the attempt to introduce an easy scoring and timing device,potentially on a large scale.Creating games within games.Providing measurable statistics and archiving results.
 
Good points

Those are very good points that we thought of as well JMUCK...
It will make the game alot more entertaining, when you get down to time running out...

And actually keeping different stats will show which player is actually better. There will be a definitive answer to that...

Thanks for bringing those points up...
:)
 
I'm skeptical it will really do anything to help pool. But unless the people behind it are fraudsters (a la KT), I don't see why it would hurt either. I think the most likely outcome is that it will just be something that never gets off the ground.

-Andrew
 
There is certainly nothing wrong with this new game being introduced to billiards. When it was introduced at the US Open, not only did the professionals enjoy playing it, but I ee amateurs enjoyed it. I personally believe that it is a step in the right direction. Will it kill eight ball in the bars, of course not. It's directed at a different market.

Chess is more complicated than checkers. The game of chess did just fine. Bonus Ball is chess, many players will like that! Some won't! Either way, the game will survive and thrive if it the professional embrace it. It looks to me that Larry has eight pretty good players willing to play the game. It seems to be all good for him. We'll see after his first tournament. If it fails, maybe the WPBL will switch to that new game, ten ball. :rolleyes:
 
Thanks

Thanks for the cudos that you gave to the game VPBB..
No harm in trying, we are all just stating personal opinions about this new game....
I agree, we will never be able to replace 8 ball in the balls..
Will it replace 9 ball, not in my lifetime...Same goes for 10 ball, snooker, 3 cushion, 1 pocket or even 14.1 but there definately is a place for this game, if people give it a chance...
If they try it, they may even enjoy the challenge of this game and the desire to understand why it appears why SOME of the worlds top players are going to play it...
I am quite sure, that not all of them are in it just for the money.
Maybe they too see the complexity of the game and wish to use another game (tools) to make their game even stronger...
I know I am going to be overjoyed watching these top players come to Winnipeg in May to play...:thumbup:
 
Gonna give it a go

I've got some time set aside, in other words...the wife and kids are out of town.:D I'm going to give it a shot. As has been said in previous posts, you can play this game with standard balls and it does incorporate facets of other games. It seems interesting to me, whether or not this league gets off the ground, I have my doubts. But, it seems worthy of the time of some of the best players in the world, so why not give it a chance? We are getting in on the ground floor of this thing. Let's remember the typewriter repair man scoffed at the advent of the computer so, who knows. jmo
 
The game itself needs some work as far as rules go etc. The public needs something a little easier to follow for it to catch on.
On the flip side, I am VERY glad to see that they are getting away from the old tried and failed tournament format of promoting pool. There needs to be something like this that can be followed for a "season". The points race, the round robin etc etc etc. Im glad to see this, IMO they are definitely on the right track with this one.
Chuck
 
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