Straight pool challenge

D

deanoc

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
As I reviewed the stats I was pleased to see of the best
players in the country less than 20 were able to run 30 balls

Now I feel better about my game,not that I can run 30 balls,
but I realize how hard it is to do

For the last month or so I have been trying to break and run balls,
after 65 years of playing i still have trouble running 15 balls

I was so disappointed i thought of quitting,in fact I did quit going out,
i only play at home.
 
deanoc said:
As I reviewed the stats I was pleased to see of the best
players in the country less than 20 were able to run 30 balls

Now I feel better about my game,not that I can run 30 balls,
but I realize how hard it is to do

For the last month or so I have been trying to break and run balls,
after 65 years of playing i still have trouble running 15 balls

I was so disappointed i thought of quitting,in fact I did quit going out,
i only play at home.
Click to expand...

What stats? Thats ridiculous, "ANY" pro can run 30 balls or more with ease.
 
Dear middleof nowhere

please look at the results in the very next post on the last page

settle down ,I just saw the results so far and counted to see how many ran 30 balls
in the contest

perhaps you would like to try and run 30 balls for a few thousand dollars

dean

funny how people on az love to fly off the handle over nothing
 
Last edited:
deanoc said:
Dear middleof nowhere

please look at the results in the very next post on the last page

settle down ,I just saw the results so far and counted to see how many ran 30 balls
in the contest

perhaps you would like to try and run 30 balls for a few thousand dollars

dean
Click to expand...

You imply they are incapable of running 30 balls at any time. I assure you they can.
 
Pros sometimes make it seem otherwise, but the fact is that straight pool is hard!
 
middleofnowhere said:
And many times they can, pretty much all of them. 30 is not an even money bet. Bennie would take five tries to run 50 and usually win.
Click to expand...

I think you’re just stirring the pot, but I’ll throw in my two cents. I participated in the straight pool challenge a few years back at the expo. Countless times the pros would not make it into the second rack, even fewer made the third. There were a number of high runs throughout the event, but I’d bet the average run was less than 25. Post up some videos of you doing it.
 
That's not that hard

If you get a easy shot at the high numbers, like the 15,14, and then even
the 1,that's 30 already. I've run over 50 a lot of times and I'm not even a
pro.
jack
 
easy-e said:
I think you’re just stirring the pot, but I’ll throw in my two cents. I participated in the straight pool challenge a few years back at the expo. Countless times the pros would not make it into the second rack, even fewer made the third. There were a number of high runs throughout the event, but I’d bet the average run was less than 25. Post up some videos of you doing it.
Click to expand...
The average is neither here nor there. It takes a high run to win that thing so unless they are idiots, no player is even trying who doesn't have at least some ability to run balls and certainly much more the 30.

Whether they happen do it at the time doesn't matter. They can do it. You would not have tried it yourself if you have never run maybe 100 or more on numerous occasions. The poster I originally replied to I am sure knows these players can run balls. It seemed quite belittling to these players for no reason.
 
easy-e said:
I think you’re just stirring the pot, but I’ll throw in my two cents. I participated in the straight pool challenge a few years back at the expo. Countless times the pros would not make it into the second rack, even fewer made the third. There were a number of high runs throughout the event, but I’d bet the average run was less than 25. Post up some videos of you doing it.
Click to expand...

Here is information from the 2017 DCC Straight Pool Challenge on just the sorts of things you mention (and others): https://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=5800717&postcount=56

- 41% of the 857 attempts didn't get beyond the first rack.
- 63% not beyond the second rack.
- mean run -- 30 balls
- median run -- 18 balls
- runs of 100+ -- 4%
- percentage of new, full racks that were fully cleared (excludes break ball for next rack) -- 65%

[Note: Some of the 37 participating players were not pros.]
 
Everyone knows that some guys can run a bunch of balls

I was surprised to see how many did not get beyond 29 balls

It made me feel better about not being able to get into the 2nd rack

The game is hard for me,but I am not the only one


I was with Eddie Kelly some time back,i was betting a guy $100 pr rack that
he couldn't run 50 balls

when He got to 35 or so ,I looked at Kelly and said
"do I have a bad bet?'

Now Eddie was a world champion,he said to me"I couldn't do it"

He went on to explain how difficult it was,how easy to get
no shape,bad rolls,scratch etc

Well the guy at 35 said,"i will double the bet right now and go to 75 or 100,(mmemory )
I said OK on the strength of Eddie's advice,The guy hung a ball.
I got lucky

Jean Balukas was there at this time and she offered to sell me her Balabushka for
$5000,but I was too smart to buy,it is worth about $50,000 today

No one ever accused me of being smart

I have had the privilege of meeting a lot of really good players,you think
I would have caught on just a little bit.

I still had a lot of fun and crazy adventures,proving you don't
need to be a good player to win big money.

I also proved how easy it was to get beat playing good players when I thought
I had the nuts
 
middleofnowhere said:
The average is neither here nor there. It takes a high run to win that thing so unless they are idiots, no player is even trying who doesn't have at least some ability to run balls and certainly much more the 30.

Whether they happen do it at the time doesn't matter. They can do it. You would not have tried it yourself if you have never run maybe 100 or more on numerous occasions. The poster I originally replied to I am sure knows these players can run balls. It seemed quite belittling to these players for no reason.
Click to expand...

The OP knows damn well the pros CAN get past 30 balls. I believe he was saying how it's neat that they don't do it every time. I've never ran 100, but for $25 or whatever it was they gave me 5 tries. It was fun. It's a good reminder that the game is difficult for everyone, even the pros, when you watch them barely getting to the 2nd rack more often than not.
 
This is what makes Mosconi's accomplishments so well beyond ANY straight pool player ever. As Charlie Ursitti stated in his final interview, the interview is somewhere here on AZ, Mosconi came into unfamiliar billiard rooms for exhibitions several times a week and he played an exhibition MATCH against the best local player and he CONSISTENTLY ran 100 to 150 and out! Many, many of those runs were 150 and out and Mosconi did not even attempt to continue the run- this was WITHOUT trying to do this with numerous "attempts" etc. - he just flat out ran 150s from his opening shot at the table- not comparable to any other 14.1 player alive or gone. So why don't we all stop this "nonsense" of high run attempts with numerous "do- overs" etc. What are we all trying to prove anyhow? The best thing for straight pool would be more true professional competitive events- like old times - round robin events of the best 8 players in the world- we know that is not happening - so why bother with this circus stuff- i just don't get it after 55 years in this game.
 
mikemosconi said:
This is what makes Mosconi's accomplishments so well beyond ANY straight pool player ever. As Charlie Ursitti stated in his final interview, the interview is somewhere here on AZ, Mosconi came into unfamiliar billiard rooms for exhibitions several times a week and he played an exhibition MATCH against the best local player and he CONSISTENTLY ran 100 to 150 and out! Many, many of those runs were 150 and out and Mosconi did not even attempt to continue the run- this was WITHOUT trying to do this with numerous "attempts" etc. - he just flat out ran 150s from his opening shot at the table- not comparable to any other 14.1 player alive or gone. So why don't we all stop this "nonsense" of high run attempts with numerous "do- overs" etc. What are we all trying to prove anyhow? The best thing for straight pool would be more true professional competitive events- like old times - round robin events of the best 8 players in the world- we know that is not happening - so why bother with this circus stuff- i just don't get it after 55 years in this game.
Click to expand...

Are you somehow related to Willie Mosconi? Is your username here simply a tribute to Willie, or is your name really Mike Mosconi?

I ask because your post really has little, if anything, to do with the OP's apparent intention for this thread, and frankly, come across in an antagonistic, mean-spirited way.

I get the OP's point: that it's something of a consolation to those with less than stellar skills to see those at the top of their game apparently struggling to get past 30. It makes them more human.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top