Straight Pool Variation?

S

slach

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I get together with a good friend of mine a couple evenings a week to play straight pool. We play to 75 and he takes a handicap up to 20 that goes down by 5 when he wins and up by 5 when he loses. He's been stuck on a 20 handicap for a while and is getting very discouraged (he used to trounce me regularly but now he's not able to play/practice nearly as much as I do). He refuses to take a spot greater than 20. Anyone know another straight pool like variation we might want to try to restore the fun? The usual 9/8-ball games aren't appealing.

Thanks
 
well, not a variation, per se, but in the same family of brainier games as 14.1 there's always one-pocket. sometimes Everything turns on one bit of strategy, and it's often hard to tell who's winning until it's over.
 
I like playing by the original straight pool rules before 14.1 continous. Play out all fifteen balls and then rack all fifteen and play the cueball from where it lies to play safe. It really helped my safe game and adds some variation to the game.

Andy
 
Demondrew said:
I like playing by the original straight pool rules before 14.1 continous. Play out all fifteen balls and then rack all fifteen and play the cueball from where it lies to play safe. It really helped my safe game and adds some variation to the game.

Andy
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Good lord, just how old ARE you? :grin-square:
 
We used to play around with a game called "1 Ball" It's sort of a single rack straight pool.

Flip or lag for the break, winner chooses a side pocket for the 1 ball, his opponent takes the other side pocket.

Winner also has the option to break or pass the break. Same 14.1 break.

The game is to shoot until you make the 1 ball in your side pocket. Like I said, single rack game, but it may be less stressful for a lesser player who doesn't have to warm the bench so much.
 
Here's a crazy one I like. Play 12p3 instead of 14p1, that is re-rack when there are three balls left on the table. Re-rack without filling the two lower corner positions in the rack.
 
Here's a scoring alternative I've been thinking up for straight pool you might enjoy:

1 point for regular shots
2 points for combinations
Bank shots - Add 1 point for each rail contacted. For example, a cross side bank contacts 1 rail, so the shot is worth 2 points, and a 3-railer is worth 4 points.
Cushion first - Add 1 point for each rail contacted. So if you get stuck safe and kick 2 rails to sink a ball, the shot is worth 3 points.
Carom shots - Add 1 point per carom ball contacted.
Scratch - lose 3 or 4 points (I can't decide which would be better).

All shots are not the same difficulty. This is obvious, yet ignored in conventional straight pool. With this scoring method, the difficulty of the shot is reflected in the score instead of just ball count. You can also stack points with this variation.

Let's say you have a dead combo. Hitting it straight on nets 2 points, but kicking into it 2 rails makes the shot worth 4 points. Or maybe the combo doesn't sit right to the obvious pocket, but can be banked 1 rail across the table. That shot is then worth 3 points. Harder shot, more points.

This is the kind of simple risk-reward system that would make the game more interesting to players and spectators alike. I think if people really spent some time with this scoring concept they'd find a whole new level of complexity and excitement in the game.
 
Line-Up might work. Played as regular Straight Pool but the balls spot in a line through the foot spot starting from the spot and going to the bottom rail, then from the spot toward the head rail. There is no regular rack after 14 are down. You may shoot in all 15 and start with all balls on the string, I can't remember at the moment.
 
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I just started playing straight pool. I practice agains a swedish semi pro player. He only get points when he makes 11 or more balls. He beats me but it makes the game nice for both of us.
 
krychekrowe said:
I just started playing straight pool. I practice agains a swedish semi pro player. He only get points when he makes 11 or more balls. He beats me but it makes the game nice for both of us.
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I Play "No Count" 14.1 all the time, it really is a great way to keep both players motivated into playing especially when the skill levels are not even.

I like to keep it challenging for myself by setting that No Count number a ball or 2 higher than my average inning !!

-Steve
 
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