Resurgence of Straight Pool

[railfirst]

IMHO straight pool is the mother game of pool, if you learn to play 14.1 then you are going to be good at 8,9, or 10 ball as well as one hole. There are certain situations that arise in 8 ball or rotation games where it is useful to have a 14.1 or 1-hole background and after you play either 14.1 or 1-hole for a while you will see many of the same shots come up in 8 ball or rotation games.
BTW why did pool have such a big bounce after The Hustler where they played 14.1 if the game is sooooo bad for pool?


Ben

 

[Str8PoolPlayer]

I played Straight Pool exclusively from about 1951 to the mid-1970's, then took a break from Pool until the late-1980's when I got serious about One Pocket ...

9-Ball never interested me at all until I started playing at The Jointed Cue in Sactown (late-1990's) where most everyone played 9-Ball day-in, day-out and they held two weekly Tournaments ...

However, in the past several months, Straight Pool has taken a firm hold at "The Cue" and you can find a game or two most any weekday from 9 a.m. on ...

There are "rumblings" of a possible 14-1 Traveling Tournament which will encompass Pool Rooms in Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Southern California ...

Many of us are hoping this will come to life, as 14-1 is on the "upswing" once again ...

 

[cuetable]

Hi guys,

I would like to invite you to check out some player interviews I have done last week at the World 14.1 Championship, including Oliver Ortmann, Ed Deska, Bobby Hunter, Charles Williams and the fearless Jasmin Ouschan

http://library.cuetable.com/forumdisplay.php?f=85

Please also sign on as a cuetable library member, and post your constructive comments you may have towards any of the interviews. I will then forward it to each players.

 

[SJDinPHX]

I find some of your responses offensive not because of the content, but your style of delivery. There is nothing wrong with having strong opinions...but there are ways to state your opinion and respectfully disagree with others.

I think comparing games to old people having sex, having a dead rat in one's mouth, etc. was a bit much...even if you were trying to be funny.

And on a more substantive note, one-pocket is more of a chess game than 14.1...comparing the former to Chinese checkers over-simplifies and demeans the strategic part of the game.

I'm SURE you quoted the wrong post, I've done that before. I did not make the "dead rat, old people, quote you alluded to.

Dick

PS. I'm sure Jeremy, (the dead rat poster) is a real newcomer to pool, which I assure you I am not.

 

[inside_english]

I'm SURE you quoted the wrong post, I've done that before. I did not make the "dead rat, old people, quote you alluded to.

Dick

PS. I'm sure Jeremy, (the dead rat poster) is a real newcomer to pool, which I assure you I am not.

My fault!
I submit myself for a thousand lashes in the public square!

 

[APA7]

In my experience, for every 100 balls, you need about 3-4 lucky rolls at some point in the run. .

Wow, I strongly disagree with this. The only thing a good player needs to run 100+ balls is for something bad to not happen. If you want to consider it a roll to not get a bad roll, fine. But you certainly couldn't call that a sweet roll.

At UR level of play I would say that iz correct. I agree with Steve Lipsky :smile:

Brian

 

[APA7]

The essence of my disagreement is that the strongest straight pool player is not necessarily the strongest all-around player, but they do have a serious advantage...

This iz soooo true. :thumbup:

Brian

 

[BigCat]

14.1 is resurging for the same reason that the cream rises to the top..

14.1 was THE world championship for all pool history.. until television became involved.. they want fast racks that can be edited easily to fit the time slot they choose...

we tried 9-ball for 20 years.... the amateur players were not interested because they don't play that game... the experts were not interested because the game is to easy... the only people interested were the TV networks looking for airtime to sell..

the casual fan didn't buy it.. the hardcore fan didn't buy it.. the only ones who bought it were the TV execs...

championship pool is moving back to its roots because it HAS to.. just to keep from dying...

the best players playing the hardest game.. is now and always has been the best way to determine who is champion..

you don't "get lucky" in straight pool

you either win or you don't. and you determine your fate.. not a lucky shuffle..

the world is focusing on real pool again .. this is an exciting time....

straight pool is the past and the future...

Welcome back POOL!!!

softshot,

I do not know you, but everything you said in this post is 100% absolutely true.

For many, many years 14.1 determined the world champion... and it still should. Everything switched to 9 ball for a faster style of play so it would appeal to TV audiences. Worst thing that ever happened to pool, IMHO. If you ask most pro's today, they will probably say that 9 ball is not their favorite game, but play it because they must. I believe most would say 10 ball, 14.1, or one pocket.

Ray

 

[jerseybillG]

jay, i wholeheartedly agree ..started playing around 1949 8 ball ,pill pool etc: but played straight , usually 25 point or 50, you won you stayed on the table ...about yr. later was allowed in local pool room...1 5x10 billiard,1 5x10 pool table ...and 4- 4.5x9....i lived on the 5x10 and eventualy ran 54 on that table.....we also played chicargo(rotation) played 3 cushion,....even today after a 35 yr. layoff.. and at 73 can run balls and can look at the pack and see things that my early training taught me ....ps ...why have we not seen any of the matches from the dragon 14.1 tournament on line?>>> pps Willie,caras, crane, and others came to that little room in jersey city, we watched in awe as they ran rack after rack on that 5x10 thanks again for your inciteful posts

 

[PetToilet]

straight pool is the ultimate individual skill game.

it is second to what i think is the best game, one pocket, the best overall player game.

individual skill is all well and good, but execution changes a lot from week to week, while one pocket, the overal better player will win.

 

[havoc]

i was shooting with my son last night,1st 9 ball and then 8 ball.
there was a young guy late teens early 20's playing 9 ball on the table across from us.

i noticed he racked a full rack of balls so i figured he went on to playing 8 ball,didn't pay him much mind after that until he responded to something i said.

my son is the king of getting good rolls,and hides me up pretty good.i said to him jokingly "i didn;t deserve that" and the kid says "ah,mizerak said that line."i looked over to respond,the kid wasn't playing 8 ball he was playing 14-1.i said "playin some 14-1", he said yep.

so we started talking about com and the hustler,and 14-1.

it just blew me away that not only was he playing it he knew what 14-1 was.

i thought that was pretty cool.

 

[APA7]

You are right Brian, I guess I do come off that way. I guess I want to see cuesports succeed so much, and the only way it ever will is through TV endorsements. I just strongly believe there is a way to package the game,to give it a chance. I also believe the game I love, one pocket, or straight pool, are NEVER going to give it a fighting chance to succeed ! It's making great strides in the Asian countries, and the Philipines. And they are NOT doing it with 14.1 !

I feel it is a giant step backwards, and I know I offend some people when I voice that opinion. For that, I should apologize. Straight pool is not a BAD game, I just think it is the epitome of what makes pool appear so boring to the uninitiated, casual viewer.

Dick

I agree. It has 2 B about what the public wants, not what game the players want 2 play :embarrassed2: :sorry:

Brian

 

[Snapshot9]

14,1

Straight Pool is not making a comeback in the Midwest. First off, most places have mostly bar tables and maybe 1 full size table. Even when full size tables are available, 8 ball, 9 ball (bangers), and 1 Pocket (players) is mostly played.

Out of a 100 full sized tables I walk past at some time, maybe 1 is playing Straight Pool, if that.

 

[3andstop]

14.1 is the art form of pool

I think of a beautiful new set of Centennial balls, throwing half of them under the table and racking up nine balls the same as a beautiful new carved chess set, throwing the pieces under the table and replacing them with checkers.

Sure nine ball has challenges but it is ultimately boring and redundant IMO.

As far as a 45 second clock or a 30 second clock is concerned to help hold interest, I have a better idea.

If in fact a time must be set, I think the overall length of a 14.1 game should be determined by the officials with some room for margin, and then.... one large chess clock should be placed between the players chairs and they should play within the time restraint on the clock. Allowing them as much time as needed for any one given shot so long as they don't run out of overalll time. At that point a foul could be assessed such as the 3 foul rule. The clock reset to a predetermined additional amount, and subsequent time penalty result in loss of game.

 

[SJDinPHX]

I think of a beautiful new set of Centennial balls, throwing half of them under the table and racking up nine balls the same as a beautiful new carved chess set, throwing the pieces under the table and replacing them with checkers.

Sure nine ball has challenges but it is ultimately boring and redundant IMO.

As far as a 45 second clock or a 30 second clock is concerned to help hold interest, I have a better idea.

If in fact a time must be set, I think the overall length of a 14.1 game should be determined by the officials with some room for margin, and then.... one large chess clock should be placed between the players chairs and they should play within the time restraint on the clock. Allowing them as much time as needed for any one given shot so long as they don't run out of overalll time. At that point a foul could be assessed such as the 3 foul rule. The clock reset to a predetermined additional amount, and subsequent time penalty result in loss of game.

If you have the patience to sit through a Chess match, then yes, you would be a straight pool afficienado. While we're at it we could ressurect balk line billiards. Welker Cochran would love that. Oh, thats right, he and Willie are dead. let them RIP

Dick

 

[CueAndMe]

As far as a 45 second clock or a 30 second clock is concerned to help hold interest, I have a better idea.

If in fact a time must be set, I think the overall length of a 14.1 game should be determined by the officials with some room for margin, and then.... one large chess clock should be placed between the players chairs and they should play within the time restraint on the clock. Allowing them as much time as needed for any one given shot so long as they don't run out of overalll time. At that point a foul could be assessed such as the 3 foul rule. The clock reset to a predetermined additional amount, and subsequent time penalty result in loss of game.

I think you're on to something here. Maybe a special clock that allows you to set an average time for a ball to be pocketed, say, 25 seconds. You have 3 buttons:

One button is a full rack button that automatically gives the person on a run 6 minutes to run 14 balls.

Another button is to be pressed the number of times that there are balls left on the table at the start of a new shooting inning. Each press adds 25 seconds to a total time allotted for the current rack to be run.

A third button is for a safety/unknown inning, allowing 45 seconds or so to make a play.

 

[pocketspeed]

If you have the patience to sit through a Chess match, then yes, you would be a straight pool afficienado. While we're at it we could ressurect balk line billiards. Welker Cochran would love that. Oh, thats right, he and Willie are dead. let them RIP

Dick

dick,

correct me if i am wrong (i know you will) but arent you a big one hole guy? how can a one pocket player in which the goal of so many shots is to NOT make a ball, think that playing 14.1 is boring? dont get me wrong here i am not knocking one pocket. i like playing the game. i just dont get how you can like one pocket and thing staight pool is boring.

brian

 

[Nostroke]

dick,

correct me if i am wrong (i know you will) but arent you a big one hole guy? how can a one pocket player in which the goal of so many shots is to NOT make a ball, think that playing 14.1 is boring? dont get me wrong here i am not knocking one pocket. i like playing the game. i just dont get how you can like one pocket and thing staight pool is boring.

brian

I knew a one hole guy that would test out his potential new cues by setting a ball in the jaws of a corner pocket and then shoot 5 or 6 in a row trying to knock the ball OUT of the pocket. It kinda makes sense but not that much.:smile:

 

[1 Pocket Ghost]

dick,

correct me if i am wrong (i know you will) but arent you a big one hole guy? how can a one pocket player in which the goal of so many shots is to NOT make a ball, think that playing 14.1 is boring? dont get me wrong here i am not knocking one pocket. i like playing the game. i just dont get how you can like one pocket and thing staight pool is boring.

brian

Brian.........Let me intercept that question to Dick for a minute to give my take on the 'boring' factor.....

Obviously, as my screen name implies, I'm a hard core One Pocket player - but I'm not prejudiced....although I don't, and have no desire, to play straight pool myself, I do think Straight Pool along with One Pocket, are hands down, the two best pool games ( and 3c billiards ). As to your 'boring question.....

To a hard core One Pocket player, not shooting to pocket a ball in your inning is not boring at all - conversely, searching for and executing a beautiful safety, rearranging the balls in your favor, or sadistically trapping your opponent is extremely interesting and satisfying....................And as for straight pool being boring, the real reason is usually not stated....to me, it's not the game itself or the shots that define the 'boring factor' - it's the fact that if you're playing a decent to excellent player you will have to sit in your chair for 10, 20, 30, minutes at a time while he keeps shooting - THAT'S what's boring......Conversely, in One Pocket, you are shooting regularly, pretty much every minute or two - that's one very relevant reason why it's NOT boring to play - every inning you are constantly involved/engaged in the game.


- Ghost

 

[3andstop]

I think you're on to something here. Maybe a special clock that allows you to set an average time for a ball to be pocketed, say, 25 seconds. You have 3 buttons:

One button is a full rack button that automatically gives the person on a run 6 minutes to run 14 balls.

Another button is to be pressed the number of times that there are balls left on the table at the start of a new shooting inning. Each press adds 25 seconds to a total time allotted for the current rack to be run.

A third button is for a safety/unknown inning, allowing 45 seconds or so to make a play.

Jeff, I don't know if it even has to be broken down. Lets assume, for the sake of example, officials set the allowance for a 150 point match, after some cushioning of the time, to 2hrs and 15minutes total.

If this is how much max time they want to schedule between matches, then each player can be given 1hr on the chess clock to be used however they choose.

Once their personal 1hr expires and their flag is tripped, they are penalized 15 balls, re-rack, and 7.5 minutes is added to their clock. (half the remaining time allowed for the match). Once that expires, they loose the match on time.

If you're familiar with a chess clock, your time is only running while it's your inning. I think it is a better option than forcing a player to shoot in 30 seconds if the position demands more time. Especially if they are able to ultimately finish the game under the max time the officials allowed for the game.