Resurgence of Straight Pool

ForumGhost516 said:
Perhaps it cyclical. Perhaps its a vintage retro thing that the new guys are finally catching on to and the old guard always knew about. However you want to look at it Straight Pool is having a resurgence. With big names like John "Mr. 400" Schmidt, Thorsten Hohman, Steve Lipsky (our local long island hero), even Jasmin Ouschan the wonder girl of pool are now being held in an even higher regard than they were before because of their straight pool prowess.

When I was seventeen and first started learning the game everything was nine ball. If there was gambling it was nine ball, if there was a tournament it was nine ball. Very occasionally you would see eight ball but always nine ball. However in the last year and a half my home pool room has done a turn around and the majority of the players are now playing straight pool myself included.

Now Im not a world class player or even an open level or A player but I love the game. My high run is in the upper forties and that only happened recently lol. I have to say that even though I know there was mixed opinions about the Dragon Promotions Event that the dress code being enforced definitely harkens back to a day of gentleman playing the game we love.

In my opinion I love watching amateurs play. I have a buddy of mine who can barely run five balls but I explained the infamous straight pool triangle to him for the first time and not only did he get out of a rack (five balls on the table) but he got perfect on his break ball AND MADE IT!!!!! The look on his face was pure pride and there was a little more strut in his step after that. About ten minutes later I overheard him explaining the triangle to one of his friends who plays worse than him lol. More importantly I owe my love of this game to the guy who showed me that same infamous triangle. Watching him is like watching Crane or Mosconi. Not in the high runs and not in the shots but his demeanor at the table. The focus, the determination and sheer will at the table.

Im not sure what I was trying to do with this little rant but I know one thing I love straight pool and Im going to bust those balls until I hit a hundred and when I do im throwing a party and every Az'er and i do mean every az'er even the ones that dont like me are invited.

Keep the high runs coming guys shoot well out there.

Charlie
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This is one of the very best posts I've had the pleasure to read. The enthusiasm is just palpable. I can FEEL it!! Makes my eyes teary. Damm I love this sh!t! :groucho:
 
3andstop said:
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. :)
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I get what you're saying. I just think it's hard to pace yourself over an entire match. Shorter fragments like 14 balls would be easier to judge. If you have a specified amount of time to run 14 balls, and you have 3 easy shots in a row, you can sink them quickly and forward most of the time allowed for those 3 shots to a tough decision on a single play later in the rack. A 2 minute decision may be necessary at some point and you save up for a situation like that.
But either way, I like average time being used rather than a clock reset for each shot.
 
pocketspeed said:
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
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Brian, I am replying to you because you seem to take the most offense at my biased views, on where we need to go to resurrect pool in the mainstream. 1 pocket ghost responded quite adequately in my behalf.
Let me just add to his observations.
I love ALL pool games, just like I like almost all kinds of music. (except rap)
I think most will agree, there seems to be two distinct boundaries between 1 pocket/9 ball vs. 14.1. The first boundary is geographical. Once you get West of Ohio, You see very little 14.1, a few die hards, but very few regions that support the game. Also the entire South and all through the Sun Belt, 14.1 is almost unheard of. By the time you reach the West coast, it is a rare sight to even see a game of straight pool, except by East coast transplants.
The second BIG equation is action and gambling. Anyone who thinks that 9/10 ball, or One Pocket have not dominated High $$$$ action for the last 50 years, simply has had his head in the sand.
By all means, if its your favorite game, PLAY IT !
But to think that 14.1 will be a "saviour" of pool, is IMO dilusional.
Thats like me saying 1 pocket will soon "save pool". I am realist and I know that any "resurgence" in the game we all love will only come from an exciting "action driven" game. Sorry to say it won't be 14.1 or one pocket. I will not butt into your "Championship Game" posts again.
(unless of course somebody really gets out of line) :eek:

Dick
 
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Blackjack said:
When I learned the game or 14.1, I was only allowed to use the top corner pockets and the side pockets. I was not allowed to use the two corner pockets in the kitchen, nor was I allowed to have my cue ball go down table. It's much tougher than it sounds, I recommend this type of practice to anybody that wants to improve their game.

As far as the resurgence of the game, I believe that the current interest in the game began when John Schmidt caught his 245 ball run on tape. IMO, that was the spark that lit the fire that is burning today.

Thanks to players such as John Schmidt, Danny Harriman, Thorsten Hohmann, Ralf Souquet, Oliver Ortmann, Tony Robles, and Niels Feijen -and the suport we have received from EVERYBODY that has held tournaments over the past 3 years - as well as Kevin Vidal for starting the www.14and1.com straight pool league - the game is alive and well today.

A special thank you goes to Bob Jewett for all he has done for straight pool - especially the DCC Straight Pool Challenge.

If anybody wants to learn about the game, the Straight pool forum on this site is a great library of information from a lot of people, including a few World Champions, thanks to Mike Howerton for providing that space for us on this website.
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Not to discredit Bob Jewett for his fine efforts, but if you recall, at the DCC this year, Bob had to ask Jay to quiet down his One Pocket Ghost Challenge crowd, because all the spectators were distracting his 14.1 player's just a few tables away. Jay also had all the railbird's in the room riveted (and wagering) on his event. Excitement SELLS ! :rolleyes:

Dick
 
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I Myself am still kinda of a newbie here. since i have only been on this site for under a year.

In years past before i decided to pack up my cues all i would play was 14.1, until i discovered 9-ball. and it really took the enjoyment out of the game for me.

Since i am back playing again, it is nice to see in my Home Room that Straight Pool is making a comeback.

Does anyone else notice this?

Thats why we are going with the flow and starting up a Straight Pool League.

Steve
 
Where I now live, I've met maybe six people who even know what it is. Straight Pool on bar tables just ain't the same. It's one thing {among many} that I really miss about NYS.
 
I disagree. This is exactly what makes Straight Pool the great game that it is. Anyone can make a given shot when the consequences are low. If you are playing 9 ball, what is the worst that can happen. Maybe your opponent runs out the rack. Maybe they run another. But miss a ball in straight pool and you can be sitting for 15 minutes. 30 minutes, 45 minutes. Try and come back and make a moderately hard shot after you have been sitting for 30 minutes. That is pressure. That is what makes a real player.
 
instroke75 said:
SJDinPHX said:
Sofshot,



I would rather have a dead rat in my mouth than play or watch one pocket! It is like watching grass grow, or old people fu&*ing, it is slow and boring and it is amazing how people who can barely play pool(other games), can play onehole at a high level!

Jeremy!!!!!!!!!
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What were you doing watching old people fu&*ng? Shame on you. LOL
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