Shane says, "9 ball is too easy"

[bbb]

Surprising that his love of 8 ball and calling it chess and you have to think
Out move your opponent
He doesnt seem to love onepocket

 

[garczar]

Surprising that his love of 8 ball and calling it chess and you have to think
Out move your opponent
He doesnt seem to love onepocket

He may not love it but he can flat play it. I agree with Stu on pros playing 8b on 9fts, its just too easy for them. Especially Bca/WPA rules, if they'd play take-what-u-make its a little harder but not a ton.

 

[Island Drive]

Frankly who really cares what Shane says?

Ok then tell us... why should we care about your opinion?

 

[jasonlaus]

And yet, nobody is running out sets in either game.

 

[Colonel]

Ok then tell us... why should we care about your opinion?

Did I say that you should? No I didn’t.

 

[Quesports]

8 ball has a higher run out percentage then 9 ball for sure. It looks to easy for the pros. Especially with the open table after the break rule Like they were playing in the world championships but he is right. Pros should be playing call shot 10 ball at the least.

Then you would be removing the ‘luck’ factor which many say is exciting. To me the ‘luck’ factor diminishes the game itself into a circus side show of sorts.

 

[garczar]

Then you would be removing the ‘luck’ factor which many say is exciting. To me the ‘luck’ factor diminishes the game itself into a circus side show of sorts.

You mean like the vaunted Chinese 8b and snooker?? Both games allow slop and in snooker they allow chickenshit no-rail safeties. My point is all pool/snooker games have a luck element. Trying to remove it all is pointless and pretty much impossible.

 

[Brookeland Bill]

There is a YouTube video from APA/Billiards Digest Live in which he is asked about 8 ball, and he says it is our culture. Then the 9 ball comments.

Not Stephen Hendry calling 9 ball "Mickey Mouse"; worse, really.

And, he was wearing what may be a MR shirt.

I’ve said it for years. I think the fact that 9 ball is mundane and monotonous along with the obscurity of the players are two of the reasons pool is not televised on network and cable TV. I don’t know if there is a solution. Going from 9 to 8 ball might make the sport more relatable. Until someone comes up with a relatable format as far as broadcasting on ESPN it will remain a ‘dark alley ‘ subculture.

 

[garczar]

I’ve said it for years. I think the fact that 9 ball is mundane and monotonous along with the obscurity of the players are two of the reasons pool is not televised on network and cable TV. I don’t know if there is a solution. Going from 9 to 8 ball might make the sport more relatable. Until someone comes up with a relatable format as far as broadcasting on ESPN it will remain a ‘dark alley ‘ subculture.

'Format' has nothing to do with why pool is no longer on ESPN. Nothing.

 

[Quesports]

You mean like the vaunted Chinese 8b and snooker?? Both games allow slop and in snooker they allow chickenshit no-rail safeties. My point is all pool/snooker games have a luck element. Trying to remove it all is pointless and pretty much impossible.

I agree that it is impossible to remove all the luck in table sports. Take the breakshot for instance. I do think that allowing a player to continue playing after making a slop shot is not good for pool. So I do agree with call shot pool whether it is any of the different games.

 

[Ghost of OBC]

Promoting pro 8 ball in the US seems like a no brainer. Walk into any bar and a lot of pool rooms, what are people playing? English 8 ball in the US could work really well. It's close enough to the game people know but it's quick and somewhat immune to ridiculous house rules that plague American 8 ball.

 

[slide13]

I agree 100%. Seems like most “better” players prefer 9 ball or 10 ball. 9 ball has more luck than I like. 9 and 10, to me, have much less creativity. After the break you can pretty much see how the rack is gonna go. Sure you might have a cluster or two but often not and it’s just connecting the dots.

8 ball has options, different ways the rack can be attacked and picked apart. I find it way more interesting strategically and I enjoy watching it at the pro level a lot more than rotation games.

 

[Pool Hand Luke]

Except in the Mosconi Cup, then its REALLLLLLY hard.

I couldn't believe my eyes!

 

[BasementDweller]

8 ball on American style tables is too easy but...

The elites playing last pocket 8 ball on "easy" 9 foot tables is actually pretty interesting to watch and with the correct rule set it could be a compelling game. The last pocket aspect adds a lot of strategy, some great shotmaking, and some creative positional play.

 

[skogstokig]

Promoting pro 8 ball in the US seems like a no brainer. Walk into any bar and a lot of pool rooms, what are people playing? English 8 ball in the US could work really well. It's close enough to the game people know but it's quick and somewhat immune to ridiculous house rules that plague American 8 ball.

english 8-ball is barboxes with rounded corners and a cueball smaller than the other balls.. i really don't think the future of pro pool is in more barboxes.

 

[Trey82]

If you want pool to be big then it will need to be relatable. That means a non-pool player can watch a televised match and with not too much effort be able to figure out what's going on. I think pros should only be playing 10 ball. It's easy enough to understand you need to hit the balls in numerical order but it's harder than 9 ball.

 

[Cue Alchemist]

Will do. I'm just curious why you're so opposed to this.

In business you have to innovate to stay relevant. In the gaming industry every day new games are being launched with much success.

Should pool remain the same until the end of times?

You know what, barry would say.... Success is bums on seats, Money in your pocket.
Its all about the cash.if it ain't going to make money. Most people aren't interested.
Regardless how good or hard the game is.

 

[The_JV]

You mean like the vaunted Chinese 8b and snooker?? Both games allow slop and in snooker they allow chickenshit no-rail safeties. My point is all pool/snooker games have a luck element. Trying to remove it all is pointless and pretty much impossible.

 

[The_JV]

8 ball on American style tables is too easy but...

The elites playing last pocket 8 ball on "easy" 9 foot tables is actually pretty interesting to watch and with the correct rule set it could be a compelling game. The last pocket aspect adds a lot of strategy, some great shotmaking, and some creative positional play.

No reason to make a it a gaff game. Simply adopt an alternate break, win by 2 format.

 

[King T]

Well, I know y'all are sceptical, but this strengthens my belief that pool could use something new. Especially at the pro level. And also for viewers we could use a new game that has more dramatic moments, less predictable play, more spectacular "high light" shots.

Elimin-8-ball is a shot at this. It's regular 8 ball slowly changing to 1 pocket with a strong incentive for skill shots.

In January i'm going to organise a local tournament and see what the responses are.

I don't think Elimin-8-ball will become the dominant new game per se. But I think it's good to explore innovation. I think it would be great if a group of (computer) game designers and open minded (semi) pros would team up and brainstorm all kinds of concepts that fit certain criteria (fun, simple, exciting, innovative, fun to watch). If I had ~$10k to throw away I would organise this.

Its a great idea and I hope someone trys it. We used to play a game we called "Side Ball" if you had solids you dat to play the 7 ball in the right side pocket and strips had to play the 15 ball in the left. We'd play it for hours until somebody called for a game of Last Pocket or Bank the 8.