Poll: Is Bonus Ball good for billiards?

[PaulieB]

Seems a fun game to try out with my friends using solids and stripes instead of purple and orange balls. I'm not buying a new set of balls for a game I could of come up with in five minutes.

As far as main stream pool is concerned though...

10 ball may possibly replace 9 ball as the "tournament" game, that seems like the current trend and there are some dang good reasons for that. However, 8 ball will always be the bar game and most popular among the masses. Bonus ball will more than likely go nowhere, no matter who endorses it, but best of luck to anyone invested in it!

 

[VPBB]

To me it looks like they have decided to abandon the 150 year old traditional look by going with more modern and professional looking balls. They have their trademarks on them. I assume that they have patended and trademarked this game. Very smart move. Nobody owns 8 ball, 9 ball and 10 ball (9 ball with one ball added lol).

The above poster said he could have invented this game in five minutes but it took 50 years to add one ball to 9 ball??? I think this game is on the right track and if I had a dollar for everyone that told me that the 6 x 12 would never be replaced by the smaller tables and that pool was never going to be more popular than Snooker and English Billiards...I'd be rich! LOL Ooops, did I just show my age...

Bonus Ball has definitely gone in a different direction...I find that is pretty exciting! If Johnny Archer and Nick Varner are telling me this is a game that they enjoy, I can't think of too better spokesman for the game of Bonus Ball.

 

[Arcman]

Very good points

Those are very positive comments by VPBB and ASMITH74...

That is what I have been saying for along time, since I started playing this game...

Give it a chance...Try it, you may like it. This game will help you in all your billiard disciplines, and MAY assist you in making you an all around better player...

Like any game, to get better you have to play, but after playing 8 & 9 ball for nearly 45 years, I didn't put in the time to practise as it was becoming boring....This new game has got me out playing more again. As it is very difficult to run a table when you only have 3 pockets to play too...And you have to play in color order...

The game also allows the higher skilled player to play with the lesser skilled player by letting them use 6 pockets...to even out the game to some degree...

The more you play it, the more you may enjoy it...

P.S. And yes the owners have copywrited and patented the game...

Check out the following video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqE2Jjh9gLk&feature=channel

 

[Carolina Blue]

After watching the video posted above I am going to watch the stream just to see how long it takes Corey to pocket the wrong ball! LOL!

 

[Raggedy Andy]

Bonus Ball

Ahh..........the infinite sea of perpetual change in billiards. It has been interesting to watch some of the improvisations applied to our sport over the years. I think bonus ball is an interesting game, and could be a fun way to gamble..............but to put the progression of this sport on it's shoulders is ludicrous. The end to which all of these means have been instituted...........is, in the final analysis, a bigger fan base. This would create much needed revenue. However, in my most humble opinion, what the game needs more than gimmicks is sponsorship. Major corporate sponsorship could provide the wind in the sails that is badly needed. Yet, for all practical purposes, the beer companies and other industries that profit from the game, have turned their backs to the idea of sponsorship. Continuity is what the sport needs, not ten different tours competing against each other. The question in my mind is: Who will champion this cause to bring the game up to a higher level? The professional players that try to eek out a living with such skinny rewards deserve so much more.

 

[VPBB]

I have to agree! No sport can grow without corporate sponsorship. There is no way in hell that Bonus Ball is the savior of pool. It's the lack of leadership and vision that has left this sport in dire straights. I am really looking forward to seeing how "exciting" this Bonus Ball is with the timing and the scoring instead of ball elimination. Could the simplicity of pool really be one of the reasons the industry is so crippled. I have to admit that although I love playing nine ball, it is like watching paint dry.....

If Mr. Chiborak can really develop a professional league, I don't think it would much matter what type of billiards he used. Maybe he's smarter than people give him credit for. He has eight top players playing a game that nobody has ever heard of. Maybe adding timing and scoring to billiards will help him market these players. Time will tell, but really, how is he hurting billiards? I have to give him credit with his little video...Deuel obviously mixed up the ball order and he left it in...that is a sign of integrity or stupidity!

 

[Arcman]

I agree

Another very good comment VPBB...

Corporate sponsorship is seriously required for any event to be successful.

You can see alot of it at Valley Forge, at the U.S. Open (in all sporting events) even at the Masters...which would be successful even without it....

And no one is stating that Bonus Ball is the savior, all they appear to be doing is showing another form of billiards that people may enjoy...

There are inventions all the time that NOT everyone will buy or participate in. But none the less they can still be successful with the right promotion. Let's give Mr Larry Chiborak some credit for developing what appears to be a very good game (at least to me)...At this point he from what I understand he has not had much in the form of corporate sponsorship. He is spending his own money and I am sure that getting new sets of balls made, making time clocks, paying staff and other associated expenses it has not been cheap.

I am also quite sure, Larry & Barry who are promoting the WPBL are in this for the long term...And with people like that working hard to make it a success deserve some credit...

Not everyone likes 8 ball or 9 ball...just as I am sure there will be detractors to this game, but, let's at least give it a chance till after the first pro event...
Then when people have watched the streaming of the matches on www.playbonusball.com the opinions will come out...

I am also quite sure that we will also get honest opinions from the pros when they have competed against each other to see who is the best all around player...

If it is successful, I am also am quite sure that there will be other tournaments in the U.S. to expose the game to even more people, and that there will be other pros jumping at the chance to play this game...

With regards to the video, it makes sense to me to show it unedited...It shows that people make mistakes, and I am sure this will also happen when they are playing the game. Just like the rest of us amateurs make mistakes in the other forms of billiards....

That is one of the reasons pros are better than we are. They make alot fewer mistakes...And also have more ability :wink:

Nonetheless, it will be very exciting to watch them play the game May 3-7,2010

 

[Island Drive]

Bonus ball cannot be bad for pool, but some of its areas have a familiar ring, espcially the new/style ball set. I've never seen any new style ball set that's designed for a specific type of game become extremely successful, why, who knows, maybe its because of tradition, maybe because the demographics that are targeted find their interest short lived, maybe its marketing and the dollars needed to keep it out there, it's hard to say. One things for sure, the mindset of pool and its players and its enviornment seem to be single minded (not saying its bad or good its just the way we are), except for the food/beverage and amateur league play growth, the game pretty much has stayed the same. AZ tho has done quite a job, probably being the biggest change of all for the industry along with on-line coverage. You've got your work cut out for ya.

 

[Luxury]

I first heard about it over a month ago when I got my accustats DVD of the month. So I went to the website and watched the highlight video and it said match video would be coming soon. So I watched the video where he explains the rules and thought it would be fun so I went to order a set. Wasn't available yet apparently. So a week later me and my friend play using stripes and solids. I watch the rules video again but was still unsure at times what to do while we played.

A month later after playing it and hearing all the rules twice I watched two games on video between Johnny and Eric and I was lost.

Either I'm losing it in my old age of 35 or bonus ball will be tough to catch on. I will still buy a set though.

 

[danquixote]

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.

Tap.....tap.....tap.......Well said!!!!!

 

[VPBB]

I emailed Bonus Ball from their site. Asked about why they made up their own balls and didn't go with the traditional solids and stripes. This was their answer.

"Hi Wade,

Thanks for inquiring about purchasing our new ball sets. We will have them on-line by next week. Along with the set will be a DVD that will allow you to install to a laptop and hook up to a television. The scoreboard and time clock are what we want players to use when playing our game. Even when you play "six-pocket" Bonus Ball, players should learn to compete using the time clock. It makes the game end exactly the same time as the professional players will play. It is how we have structured our tournaments. It is how we will license out our game in the future. Like a franchise, we want everybody to play the same game and same structure as the WPBL.

Why not solid and stripe? We just felt that this game is very modern ( well, it is brand new) and that we would like people to look at the game and say "cool"...what game are you playing? That is exactly what happens. First of all, these balls are extremely good looking and when I set up my touch screen in the billiard hall, throw down the awesome looking ball set, you bet I get many questions about the game. Especially from the younger generation, they really like the computer scoreboard and the colorful ball sets. Right now we only have premium Aramith balls that retail for $249.00 with the computer scoreboard and instructional "six pocket" video included. In a few months we will have a more affordable set of balls for the average consumer. Now for some players, they will want the premium set. Pool halls definitely want the premium set. We are not really in the ball business so that is why we first went with the Aramith brand. They make the very best ball in the world. I like owning the best, I don't look at any price tags when I'm buying anything. That's not what everyone does. However, for those players on a limited budget, we are going to produce a set of standard balls.

Thank you for your interest in our game. We also hope that after viewing the WPBL and our game, you may want to start playing the game of the WPBL.

It is true, they do look awesome. Not everyone will run out and buy a set for sure! They did say that selling ball sets are not a priority. I guess marketing the professional players like other sports do is their goal then. Just for that reason, I think I'd want to support this game. Our professionals should be respected and have their own league! Eight players is not enough though! I think they should expand to at least 16 players.

 

[Fatboy]

How could any cue sport that puts cues in peoples hands be bad for pool?


please answere that question, seems the majority think that BB would be bad for pool. Which makes no sence to me at all, if you dont like BB dont play it, but some people might be attracted to it and then they need a cue, case, talc, tapper, tips, cloth, chalk, gloves, training books, video's, lessions, ETC ETC ETC And for a few people a table at home, and last but not least the BB game(balls) itself. there are a dozen or more revinue $$$ streams that BB opens up to our industry. So again how is that bad for pool???? I aint the sharpest knife in the drawer but I know a little about making $$$ and this cant hurt pool at all. the investors can get hurt with the mentality of this thread. And for 80 years were a stick in the mud industry.

anything that puts cues in peoples hands on a regular basis is good news and the $$$ will reflect that. Who cares if SVB never plays 10 ball again?? but gets 5,000 people playing this game, he will make more $$$ than he ever would playing 10 ball and we would have 5,000 new people using up and wearing out equipment. thats not a bad thing<-----this is a unlikely sceniro but it just popped into my head.

 

[VPBB]

Even if Bonus Ball does not take the billiard world by storm, why do you think our top American players have agreed to support this endeavor? Because LC paid them money? I hope that is not the case.

These players are American icons of pool. So are Rodney Morris, John Schmidt, Shane Van Boening and Corey Deuel. Obviously, Bustamante is one of the greatest players of the Filipino community, and Erik Hjorleifson, a top Canadian player. This seems to be a legitimate game that has incorporated nothing new as far as billiard play, but is designed to showcase the talents of these professional players. Using three pocket idea is not new, one pocket is a game that tests players skills. I would think that anything to separate the average player from the professional player can't be that bad.

Today I played the game without a time clock and a shot clock, four solids and four stripes. I found the three pocket idea to really be challenging. Getting to nine points was tough to do in ten minutes! Watching Johnny Archer on their video, I thought it seemed easy. Trust me, getting into position to run a bonus game is much harder than Johnny made it look! I may not be sold that the advanced version of this game will revolutionize billiards, but it is definitely a very challenging form of billiards. I also don't see how it could hurt billiards in any way.

It is way more thought provoking than trying to get into position to pot balls. Also, sharing four coloured balls is really difficult. It's very hard to miss a shot and play safe. It is really offensive minded game! When we see how the first event goes with these top players, then it will be a better time to decide if this game is just a gimmick or really has some meat and potatoes behind it! Tonight, I didn't feel like a dominate player. It is not easy to hold the table! I think that is good for pool. Even though they call it a billiards game, it really is closer to a pool game.

I think John Schmidt (one pocket - "Mr.400" straight pool player...or a fast player, like, Rodney Morris may finish on top! How about a banker like Bustamante? You need to really focus in this game. It gave me a headache after a while. I was frustrated not being able to hold the table. I'm looking forward to see what happens when these professional players are at the table! I am also wondering about the format? Round robin??? I'm not sure that will work either. Arcman, have you ever played in a Bonus Ball tournament in Winnnip, Canada. Will the better player actually rise to the top? That's what they brag about! We will know after looking at all the statistics they are yapping about! That intrigues me. I'm a huge baseball fan...(go Cubs!) Stats keep it interesting all year long.

 

[LVDeaner]

Bonus Ball is a very interesting game. As a fan of billiards, I watched it played on the Bonus Ball web site. It certainly is more interesting to watch as a spectator and seems to move along fast.

I think that the skill level required to play the game is greater and this might be appealing to pro players and amateurs alike.

The game certainly has merit and I applaud the creators for trying to breath some life back into billards!