Pool Eras

[MattPoland]

How would label the different eras of pool and what timeframes would you put on them? I usually think of them either by who is dominant or by who is producing events.

Golden era? Johnston City era? Hustler era? ESPN era? Color of Money era? AccuStats era? Decline era? Matchroom era?

I get especially unclear about the older eras of Hoppe, Worst, Mosconi, Crane, Greenleaf, etc. in that I almost lump them all together but I know that’s not quite right. Just unsure how you’d draw the lines.

 

[MitchAlsup]

1900-1970± 14.1 continuous where each game had more than 100 strokes.
1970+ don't really care:: wrong game

 

[MajorMiscue]

I can't find a reference but wasn't it about 1992 when ESPN contracted with women pool players but couldn't reach a deal with the men? That was the end of an era. Everybody knew the women players by name but not the men. I think Earl was involved.

 

[pt109]

Hoppe came from a great era
He was known as billiard’s first millionaire
…and that was when you could buy a meal for 25 cents

 

[kling&allen]

I think it depends if you are talking about US or worldwide, carom or pocket games, or tournament versus regular people games.

For US, for the most popular spectator billiard games and associated US champion, something like:

1850-1870s (American 4 ball) [Phelan]
1870s-1890s (straight rail) [Schaefer]
1890s-1910s (balkline) [Hoppe]
1920s-1950s (straight pool) [Greenleaf, Mosconi]
1960s- (modern era for others to break up)

I think the answer might be different if you tried to study what actually was being played by large numbers of regular people in pool halls and saloons.

 

[MattPoland]

Here’s my attempt at it.. (EDIT: Version 3)

1850-1870s: American 4 ball Era
> Phelan

1870s-1890s: Straight Rail Era
> Schaefer

1890s-1920: Balkline Era
> Hoppe

1921 -1930: Golden Era / Prohibition Era
> Greenleaf

1931-1940: Depression Era
> Greenleaf, Rudolph, Caras

1941-1960: First Decline
> Mosconi, Crane, Lassiter, Moore

1961-1974: Hustler Era / Johnston City Era
> Crane, Lassiter, Murphy, Mizerak

1975-1985: Second Decline
> Hall, Sigel, Hopkins, Mizerak

1986-1995: Color of Money Era
> Reyes, Strickland, Varner, Archer

1996-2005: Third Decline
> Reyes, Parica, Immonen, Daulton, Hohmann, Souquet

2006-2015: Rebuilding Era
> SVB, Appleton, Orcullo, Pagalayan, Wu, Ko

2015-Current: Matchroom Era
> Shaw, Filler, Gorst, Ouschan, SVB

I’m not trying to be comprehensive in terms of players listed. Just setting a tone. Some era may be worth subdividing or being relabeled.

 

[Chicagoplayer]

Here’s my attempt at it..

1850-1870s: American 4 ball Era
> Phelan

1870s-1890s: Straight Rail Era
> Schaefer

1890s-1910s: Balkline Era
> Hoppe]

1920s-1960s: Golden Era
> Greenleaf, Mosconi, Crane, Lassiter, Moore

1961-1985: Hustler Era
> Hall, Sigel, Hopkins, Mizerak

1986-1995: Color of Money Era
> Reyes, Strickland, Varner, Archer

1996-2005: Decline Era
> Reyes, Parica, Immonen, Daulton, Hohmann, Souquet

2006-2015: Rebuilding Era
> SVB, Appleton, Orcollo, Pagalayan, Wu, Ko

2015-Current: Matchroom Era
> Shaw, Filler, Gorst, Ouschan

I’m not trying to be comprehensive in terms of players listed. Just setting a tone. Some era may be worth subdividing or being relabeled.

Quite an insightful labeling!

 

[MattPoland]

Quite an insightful labeling!

I felt bad associating champions with an era labeled “Decline”. But I can’t define much to it beyond a period of stagnation punctuated at the end with the IPT flash in the pan that took pool near to the ashes.

I’m hoping our next era might be worthy of being labeled the “Prosperity Era” if the game builds off Matchroom’s influence.

 

[MattPoland]

I feel like Golden and Hustler are really three eras. Like Golden ends in the 50s (Mosconi, Greenleaf, Caras ). Hustler is 60s-70s (Mizerak, Crane, Lassiter, Taylor) and a third era unlabeled would be your Hall, Sigel, Hopkins, etc.

Also it’s hard not calling the Hustler Era the “Johnston City Era”

 

[tim913]

- League era, which btw the way is
boosting the current hustler era
- Funny colored ball era
- What the hell is that on Earl’s arm era

 

[JusticeNJ]

Hoppe came from a great era
He was known as billiard’s first millionaire
…and that was when you could buy a meal for 25 cents

Is there a second millionaire?

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

Funny people talk about good old days of Pool it’s cool.

But when others talk about good old day like before this thing we call change. Those good old day are bad.

 

[pt109]

Is there a second millionaire?

There’s gotta be a few….Shane comes to mind first because of money management.
The Lion and Robocop have won millions….but they’ve been known to reinvest unwisely.
Mike Sigel is a millionaire suspect.
Lot of snooker millionaires

 

[MitchAlsup]

But when others talk about good old day like before this thing we call change. Those good old day are bad.

The days before mass shootings at elementary schools are (ARE) the good old days.

 

[MattPoland]

The days before mass shootings at elementary schools are (ARE) the good old days.

Great. The NPR folks couldn’t resist trying to hijack this threat to be about current affairs and politics. Really love having you guys around.

 

[sjm]

Wow, there are a million ways to go here, but I'll take a shot:

Birth and vitalization of straight pool: 1920-1944
Golden age of straight pool: 1945-75
Nine ball and straight pool fight for center stage: 1976-83
Nine ball Era: 1984-present

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

The days before mass shootings at elementary schools are (ARE) the good old days.

No I will disagree about that their have been those event many years ago like Cleveland Elementary in Stockton, CA., 35 plus years ago.

Study history terrible things have happen before last week.

Pool history was subject, era of Pool has changed over time.

In the Mosconi Autobiography, Willie’s Game believe was name, it was started. Pool is and has never been as big as year of Willie’s Birth, 1913.

 

[kling&allen]

Wow, there are a million ways to go here, but I'll take a shot:

Birth and vitalization of straight pool: 1920-1944
Golden age of straight pool: 1945-75
Nine ball and straight pool fight for center stage: 1976-83
Nine ball Era: 1984-present

Out of curiosity, what happened in the late 70s that caused the rise of nine ball?

 

[sjm]

Out of curiosity, what happened in the late 70s that caused the rise of nine ball?

I think you'd get a lot of different answers to this question, but my view is that straight pool was not viewed as a good game for TV. Its pace was too slow, and as a call-shot game, it was harder for onlookers to decipher what the shooter was trying to accomplish on too many shots.

Of course, the one-shot-shootout (aka rollout) version of nine ball could also drag on a bit and was, at times, hard to follow, but it was gradually replaced by Texas Express nine-ball by about 1983 or so, and at that point, nine ball came to be viewed as the best game for TV audiences.

 

[pt109]

I think another era is getting a toehold
The one pocket era
It’s had the most money bet for the last 50 years