Poll: What game is the the best test of skill?

[SJDinPHX]

I respect other players opinions on all subjects. One-Pocket is a tuff game and it does take skill & "grey matter". I do not play it b/c maybe I just do not understand it. I see you give lessons in one pocket. Let me know when you are in Dallas and I would like to take a lesson. Maybe, you can prove to me why you think one pocket is better then 14-1 but I am "Old School" when it comes to Straight Pool.
Always enjoy playing other players that can help me learn b/c one is never too old to learn.
Mike G.

Good response Mike. I was just wondering, in all the years I lived in your great state, (and I loved it there) I don't think I ever saw anyone, anywhere playing 14.1.
Who do you find to play with ? Has Texas been over-run with straight pool playing Yankee's ? :wink:

Regards,

Dick

 

[14-1StraightMan]

New Yorkers loves Straight Pool

Good response Mike. I was just wondering, in all the years I lived in your great state, (and I loved it there) I don't think I ever saw anyone, anywhere playing 14.1.
Who do you find to play with ? Has Texas been over-run with straight pool playing Yankee's ? :wink:

Regards,

Dick

Thanks Dick. I have been down here in Texas now for appox. 32 years and these people do not play 14-1 like up in NY, where it was the King of pool games. Many years ago Randy Goettlicher who ran League events around Dallas had a 14-1 League for a few years. Dick Lane & Bob Vanover played in it.
I ended up in 3rd place all the time but I did not mine b/c I learned alot from Dick & Bob. I also have played with a man named LeRoy Kinman (3 time National College Champ) and played in many Pro. tour. Also is one of the commentator's on the 1963 Mosconi vs Caras video. LeRoy has taught me alot about pool and is my Mentor. There is finally some talk of starting a 14-1 League which I am helping out with. There is a 14-1 in Hurst, Tx. appox 40 mins from Dallas and it is a League where you call the player and set up your match within a week. Let me know when you are back this way. Looking forward to that One Pocket lesson.
I started a Thread called "There are Pool Angels" I posted some photos of my game room, check it out.
Mike

 

[SupaFoo]

Test of skill? No doubt: 14.1

Test of knowledge? Well that's a different kettle of fish: 1pocket.

Lou Figueroa

Well put! :thumbup: The poll as it stands now sums up my order:

1. 14.1
2. One Pocket
3. Rotation

All others need not apply...

-Alan

 

[Chronos]

I voted for one pocket. 14:1 offers almost no opportunities to shoot kicks or banks, and you usually play safe instead of shooting a tough shot. One pocket makes you use every bit of your existing knowledge, and also makes you learn some specific skills, like object ball control.

But, I think full rack banks has the least amount of luck in any pool game, you have to call every shot, no kisses, combos, or caroms...The better player almost always wins in this game.

I totally agree. One pocket allows you to become creative in ways that are never presented in the other games.

 

[macneilb]

one pocket and rotation are the two games where you have to have the most knowledge of every facet of the game - not just making and breaking balls, but banks, kicks, english... For 14.1 you can get away without knowing or being adept at those things for the most part. yes its a "purer" game, but you can play it well without knowing so much about pool whereas you absolutely cannot get away with it playing rotation or 1pocket. to me, the game that tests the skill of a player is the game that tests him on ALL the facets of the game...not just one or two.

 

[14-1StraightMan]

You are so wrong.

one pocket and rotation are the two games where you have to have the most knowledge of every facet of the game - not just making and breaking balls, but banks, kicks, english... For 14.1 you can get away without knowing or being adept at those things for the most part. yes its a "purer" game, but you can play it well without knowing so much about pool whereas you absolutely cannot get away with it playing rotation or 1pocket. to me, the game that tests the skill of a player is the game that tests him on ALL the facets of the game...not just one or two.

I can not sit here and let this slip by. You have no idea how to play straight pool.
"just making and breaking balls" Straight pool has everything in it: banks, kicks and most of all defense.
All pool games are great. That is why I love pool but there is something about Straight Pool that stands out higher then the rest. Watch some of those Accu-Stats tapes. The commentators will bring up straight pool. How it helps you in other games. You need to play it and you will see how it relates to other games within pool.
There is a great Accu-Stat tape of a 14-1 match between: Grady Mathews & Jimmy Fusco.
Fusco makes some great banks to get position for the break ball.

 

[macneilb]

I can not sit here and let this slip by. You have no idea how to play straight pool.
"just making and breaking balls" Straight pool has everything in it: banks, kicks and most of all defense.
All pool games are great. That is why I love pool but there is something about Straight Pool that stands out higher then the rest. Watch some of those Accu-Stats tapes. The commentators will bring up straight pool. How it helps you in other games. You need to play it and you will see how it relates to other games within pool.
There is a great Accu-Stat tape of a 14-1 match between: Grady Mathews & Jimmy Fusco.
Fusco makes some great banks to get position for the break ball.

i'm not knocking straights, as i mentioned in my previous post,

...to me its a game of repetition; breakout, pick, pick, breakout. I understand and respect there's a ton to be learned of how to properly break balls out and how to read the stack, not to mention the amount of concentration it takes to make big runs...

However...every time I've played it I notice you dont need to use english to the degree you do in rotation, nor do you need to be able to make as many 2-3 rail position shots as you do in rotation. Also, in straights the balls generally go to the obvious pockets, where in rotation you often have to play the balls to unobvious holes just due to the lay of the table, or to be able to make position for the next ball. Not to mention that straights doesn't really showcase banks and kicks as much as rotation as someone already mentioned.

English, making 2-3 rail position, kicking, banking...all those are important facets that I don't believe straights really emphasizes as much as rotation. Just my opinion though

I DO respect the amount of knowledge it takes to know how to properly break out the balls and the ton of concentration you need to have to make big runs. And I DO know how to play straight pool, but I'll be honest, I don't play it nearly as much as I play one pocket or rotation - I play a ton of both. I'll agree there's alot of defence, but banks and kicks? You can go through a huge set of straight pool and not use either. Can't say the same of rotation and 1pocket. Its like comparing boxing and MMA, yes - boxing is older and 'purer', but is it more complete as an art??

 

[CreeDo]

Something neat straights has is finding caroms out of large clusters. Don't see that in rotation games at all. Kinda makes up for the lack of kicks 3 rail position shots. You also might see more combos in straight pool than anywhere else.

 

[14-1StraightMan]

Yes, your right

Something neat straights has is finding caroms out of large clusters. Don't see that in rotation games at all. Kinda makes up for the lack of kicks 3 rail position shots. You also might see more combos in straight pool than anywhere else.

Good point. Yesterday, when I was practicing. I had to play a kick shot from behind the pack from the bottom rail to the long rail and then into the other side of the pack for a combo making it into the corner pocket from where I was shooting. Those shots come up once in awhile but do come up. They are great to watch go in. It helped me continue my run that I had going, ending up at 54.

 

[SK Custom Cues]

Traditional Nine Ball Rules, not Texas Express...

good ol' fashioned, real nine ball. Anyone remember? The entire time I spent with Buddy while he lived here in Tulsa, he was always commenting on how Texas Express totally ruined nine ball for the sake of TV. He actually ranted about how the safety play was chicken shit and it actually slowed down the play. Every single shot coming to the table, the opponent could shoot or pass and you had to play as if you were in a ring game. This forced the player to be incredibly bold and offensive relying on his shot making skills and position play as opposed to 'duckin and luckin'. If you scratched on the break, or whatever, any balls are spotted back up. Also, you have to shoot behind the line. Now, tell me that ain't more challenging?

I think if this game was brought back, we'd see some very interesting results, and would we have a need for 10 ball? I dunno, it would seem like Buddy has a good point to me. He believes this with every fiber of his no-vegetable eatin' ass.

My personal take on one hole: When it comes to having skill just to play the game, it is much more difficult to bank or kick and think about playing safe all in the same shot, because you got so many variables to think about. Pool may be about making a lotta balls, but we're talking about overall skill here. Takin care of whitey is the essence of one hole. Straight pool takes a good amount of skill, but not as wide a range of skills, and especially combined skills, as it does to play one hole.

I personally think nine ball takes a significant amount of physical fitness and crystal-clear focus in order to win. Your stroke has to be very confident, and you must have a supreme ability in order to run out successfully in nine ball, but after you reach a certain point, the run out becomes second nature.