Speed Pool???

At a party one time ...

our host and hostess divided the guests up into 4 teams with 3 players on a team. Each team had to break a rack of 9 ball, pass the cue to the next team member to shoot. If a ball was missed, the shooter had to run around the table once before passing the cue to the next team member. Each team was timed on how long it took them.

The 2 top teams then did it again for the Championship. The 1st place team each got a little prize for winning. It was different and definitely fun at a party.
 
Williebetmore said:
WW,
Was the event held on bar tables or 9 footers (I would call them "real" tables, but I would take heavy fire)? What was your best time? Do you have any pointers (I'm dreadfully afraid that I may be compelled to play again)??
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Yikes, can't remember my time. It was on bar boxes, 7 footers (in WA, our bar boxes are 8 footers) and as far as pointers, I have a couple.

Wear good shoes with traction. :p

If you have no shot, punt a nearby ball or an ugly ball or cluster into a better position.

Take a few extra seconds to line up a shot, rather than rushing, missing, then waiting for the CB to stop and then having to line up another shot. You will save a lot of time in the long run.

Use as many stop shots as you can. So if you have the choice of playing a longer stop shot and playing a severe cut that is closer to you, take the stop shot, because if you take the cut, even given time for running around the table, you will still have a lot of dead time to wait on the cueball.

This also means you shouldn't leave yourself the same patterns you normally would to move the CB around the table, when you usually try to leave yourself an angle.

This may also mean that you take a dead stop shot bank rather than the cut.

While you are waiting for the CB to stop, use the time to plan out the next couple balls if you can while chalking up.

BTW, you may want chalk in your pocket instead of wasting steps to grab it off the rail. In fact, you may want to move all extraneous chalk on the rails, so you do not waste movement moving them for a shot.

Don't scratch!

Don't panic!

As soon the cueball connects with the object ball, move on to the next shot.

Run to your next shot and use the pockets for handholds as you are whizzing by. I saw one guy fairly hurdling over the corner pockets on his way around the table.

Break center ball and try to park it, so it is not spinning crazily. If it is, poke it to make it stop spinning. (This is the only time I advocate poking, lol.) Do not soft break to avoid CB movement, as you will have lots of clusters to contend with later, but you don't need to bash it either, because if balls are moving all over the table 3 and 4 rails, you may have to wait to get your first shot off.

The best times are achieved when it is basically a stop, stop, stop game layout. Good luck!
 
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rackmsuckr said:
Last year, Dawn Hopkins' famous son, Billy was running the speed pool event. I took 2nd in it, as well as 2nd in the Artistic. This past year, I had no time to even enter. :(

The amount of time you are trying to beat is the best time posted so far, not a fixed amount of time.
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When I posted about it Dawn Hopkin kept coming into my mind but I was unable to retrieve my memory and figure out the connection.I now realize why Dawn came to my mind.
 
Pool is a contemplative occupation whose object is the improvement of mind, body, and spirit. "Speed pool" is a vulgar perversion of this solemn sacrament, akin to a Las Vegas drive-through wedding. Nice people do not commit such blasphemy.
 
Dhakala said:
"Speed pool" is a vulgar perversion of this solemn sacrament, akin to a Las Vegas drive-through wedding. Nice people do not commit such blasphemy.
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DH,
Hmmmm..."vulgar perversion".....sounds about right. I guess the full contact, all-sharking-allowed game in my basement on Monday nights must be close behind in the vulgarity rankings.

On the other hand, the annual "Betmore Cup" is more akin to the Charles-Diana royal wedding (round robin, 14.1 to 150, best players in the city, held in my basement, first prize = miniature, 50 cent, plastic trophy).
 
If your friend can do a rack in 1 minute 7 seconds that is very good on a 9ft table.
Those sub 1 minute times are on 7ft tables with bucket pockets.

I think the times for the 9ft tables will average around 1 minute 20 seconds for 15 balls.
 
The Kid said:
If your friend can do a rack in 1 minute 7 seconds that is very good on a 9ft table.
Those sub 1 minute times are on 7ft tables with bucket pockets.

I think the times for the 9ft tables will average around 1 minute 20 seconds for 15 balls.
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Kid,
Yes, my friend is very, very good ( I believe we can judge for ourselves when the competition airs on ESPN). Your average of 1 minute 20 seconds would probably be right for a top pro on a tight 9 footer. A good amateur would be lucky to break 2 minutes the first few racks.

I think that David Pearson's time on a 9footer is around 50 seconds - sounds VERY hard to beat.
 
Sorry to bring this up.

Don't ask me how I wound up there, but I was at Fast Larry's site today and I noticed this "Neat Larry Fact": Larry became the fastest player alive in 1994, pocketing all 15 billiard balls in just 33.9 seconds, hence the handle "Fast Larry."

Of course, also according to his site "He is considered the most powerful pool player on the planet."
 
aha :) 7feets with buckets :p

thought so. i was wondering how anyone could do 26sec on a 9ft 4,5".
well my friends time of 57sec still stands. it was on a competition table with TIGHT pockets and was a 9ft'er.
 
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