Pool and intelligence -- how much does it matter?

9BallPaul

9BallPaul

Banned
Having kicked around pool halls for a half-century, I've naturally formed some conclusions about pool players. As a group, we include geniuses, morons, and all levels between.

But among the best players I've known, their intelligence shone through. The rule is not universal -- there are some dolts who shoot lights out -- but by and large, I think good pool players are good thinkers. Guys and gals who are capable and accomplished in many endeavors.

I also see that on this board. Without naming names, the best posters write in complete sentences, divide their posts into sensible paragraphs, and proceed to logical conclusions. Proper English means attention to detail.

And attention to detail separates the great players from the lesser.

Anyone else?

(Lest anyone think this thread is self-promotional, let it be known that I'm dumb as a post and I shoot like a putz.)
 
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Intelligence can mean a lot of things. Some of the best players I know are not great spellers or great with grammar. Most are horrible on a computer. But that isn't the end all be all of smart. There are so many levels of smart. Most good pool players are conceptionally smart and not intellectually but both mean smart to me. You don't learn to play at a high level without the ability to think on a high level, though it doesn't always show in the "obvious" ways.
 
i think to play great you need to be able to get there by yourself, on your own, so yes i would say this takes quite a bit of intelligence. you can be helped along the way, but for the most part you need to get there yourself. analyzing what you are doing wrong, or why you lost can be difficult many times. i agree with you, all the very good players i know exhibited high intelligence... keith, schmidt, tang etc
 
Circa 1968 the best player in Athens, GA was (sadly) mentally defective since birth. I don't remember his name but he was a natural player.
 
Well, as far as the inteligence level of a pool player goes, the game you like most sais it all :)

Obviouosly, the higherarchy starts with....9ball/10ball, then moves up to 8ball, then 14.1, closely behind one pocket.

kind of like this picture......
 

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cleary said:
Most are horrible on a computer.
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This is a running joke between Big Tony and I.

If a player can edit video, build a website, use Skype, create a spreadsheet, and understands what a browser cache is then bet high because you are probably in a pretty good spot.

If a player doesn't know how to send an email.....run.

Seriously though, of the top players I know none of them are what I would call dumb. I don't know any rocket surgeons either. Like most people in life they live somewhere in the middle.

The defining qualities I see in all the top players are consistency, mental toughness, confidence, creativity and the discipline to work on what they are weak at instead of what they are good at. The top 100 players can pretty much all make the same shots. What separates the top 10 is the mental toughness to do it under pressure on demand.
 
Never met a good player or a good fighter that wasn't smart.

That doesn't mean there aren't dummies with good strokes or tough
guys who aren't morons.

But that doesn't mean they are good players or good fighters.
 
When I saw this thread I immediately thought of Jimmy Reid. The paragraph following was cut & copied from his website:

TWO YEARS LATER 1961... Freshman at Gloucester High, the largest R.O.T.C. high school in the United States, the following summer Mr. End, the Dean of boys, called my parents to congratulate them and yours truly for having won a $500 college scholarship bond for the highest S.A.T. score in America.

Dan
 
pt109 said:
First time I noticed you mixing your metaphors.
You must be in dead stoke...;)
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Friend of mine dropped that one on me a while back and now I use it every chance I get. Sounds better than brain scientist.
 
Gerry said:
Well, as far as the inteligence level of a pool player goes, the game you like most sais it all :)

Obviouosly, the higherarchy starts with....9ball/10ball, then moves up to 8ball, then 14.1, closely behind one pocket.

kind of like this picture......
Click to expand...

Now that is pretty funny!
 
Well in my opinion their are natural players and players who worked hard to get were they are.I think desire is one key but what JCIN said is also part of that. You must be willing to put in the hours of the right practice as well as have the mental toughness and be able to pull the trigger under pressure. Sort of like the key in golf..you have to be able to bring your game from the practice range to the course. My feeling is if I guy is good at 14.1 and can run 4-5 racks or more he has a chance to be a top player if he works at it. The sad part is the guys who have the natural ability but never cultivate it to the pro level.
 
Rocky247 said:
Well in my opinion their are natural players and players who worked hard to get were they are.I think desire is one key but what JCIN said is also part of that. You must be willing to put in the hours of the right practice as well as have the mental toughness and be able to pull the trigger under pressure. Sort of like the key in golf..you have to be able to bring your game from the practice range to the course. My feeling is if I guy is good at 14.1 and can run 4-5 racks or more he has a chance to be a top player if he works at it. The sad part is the guys who have the natural ability but never cultivate it to the pro level.
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just because someone plays good and has natural ability
does not mean they can take it to a pro level.
 
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