** Straight Pools Popularity ** Look at Accu-Stats NOW **

JumpinJoe

JumpinJoe

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Straight pool finals at derby city is about to begin. How many times do people get to witness these champs in action? Not much.

So for those that think straight pool has any kind of place in today's game just take a look at the stands, how many people are watching after the 9 ball event, that was full. Not many maybe 10-20 people. This game is a dinosaur. And very boring to watch evident by the crowd dispersing.
 
Careful. The 14.1 mafia will not brook such nonsense.

It is the one true game and all who blaspheme shall be destroyed.

Lucky for you everyone on earth who likes 14.1 is in the stands right now watching the final.
 
I find watching 14.1 to be (somewhat) less sleep inducing than pool's cure for insomnia, one pocket.
 
JCIN said:
Careful. The 14.1 mafia will not brook such nonsense.

It is the one true game and all who blaspheme shall be destroyed.

Lucky for you everyone on earth who likes 14.1 is in the stands right now watching the final.
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LlllllloooooollllllL
 
leto1776 said:
I find watching 14.1 to be (somewhat) less sleep inducing than pool's cure for insomnia, one pocket.
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One pocket has the most die hard following I think and they also spend money. The game is much more popular then 14.1 which if you told someone that 65 years ago you would have been laughed out of the poolroom. You will see more younger people playing one pocket these days then 14.1 also.
 
Fast Lenny said:
One pocket has the most die hard following I think and they also spend money. The game is much more popular then 14.1 which if you told someone that 65 years ago you would have been laughed out of the poolroom. You will see more younger people playing one pocket these days then 14.1 also.
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Well I don't go back 65 years but I been playing 52 years and you are right.I remember that only the old guys that had trouble pocketing shots over 4 feet because of age and poor eyesight would play one pocket.14.1 was the main gambling game.
Times change.
I don't like one pocket.
 
measureman said:
Well I don't go back 65 years but I been playing 52 years and you are right.I remember that only the old guys that had trouble pocketing shots over 4 feet because of age and poor eyesight would play one pocket.14.1 was the main gambling game.
Times change.
I don't like one pocket.
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I feel the old style of one pocket is boring to most but when a guy makes a great bank or executes a trap which leads to him running 8 and out in one pocket then that is fun to watch. One pocket has evolved and changed into a different game but it still has a reputation because of games of old that last an hour or more. Pros today can play a race to 3 in around an hour, times have changed as has the game. The game at the top level is interesting to watch, watching two old duffers who cant pocket dink balls around is boring to me too. :grin-square:
 
Ouch

I am mid 30's and I learned 14.1 about a year ago from AZ'er MikeMaaen. We play every week and I love it. Can't say that I've watched much on TV but it has become my game of choice. Every time I play it in a poolroom, people are always interested. I can see that its more fun to play than to watch. But it still deserves to be played. Just like ALL traditional and historical billiards games.

Chris
 
The popularity of a game is dependent upon the region in which it is played. Up here in the northeast Straight Pool is very popular where as one pocket and banks are nearly non existent which is unfortunate for me because I love both of those games.
 
I play nothing but 14.1 and have gotta a few people hooked on it.

Its a game for shot makers. It's a game that punishes you for a miss. It's a game where you can use a wide variety of shots.

I did a carom break the other day....that's where you carom the break ball off the corner ball into the corner pocket, no other game is a shot like that done.

But ya one pocket is a hot bed of table action. Fans must be on pins and needles waiting for the player to move a object ball 1/8 inch. Man that's some shot making skills. Man that's way over my head, way harder that that carom break or those three combos I did to keep my run going.

Safety battles are so simple in 14.1 nothing as hard like one pocket. I mean in 14.1 you only have to prevent a shot in 6 pockets unlike the skills needed to prevent a shot into onepocket. Man that's gotta be tough.

It's gotta be tough when you miss in one pocket and have the ball moved away from your pocket. In 14.1, you miss you kinda be sitting for a awhile, nothing tough about that. You learn that missing in 14.1 is not good unlike where A miss in one pocket not much damage occurs.

14.1 is a hard game. It requires a much higher set of shot skills and a wider range of type of shots that can be used. It does nothing to make things equal as one pocket does.

I can not for the life of me understand how any one can watch a game where you main just move the balls up table and then to say 14.1 is boring where balls are being made unless a safety battle occurs and is a real safety battle cause of being able to use any of the 6 pockets.

One pocket is a joke compared to 14.1.
 
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JumpinJoe said:
Straight pool finals at derby city is about to begin. How many times do people get to witness these champs in action? Not much.

So for those that think straight pool has any kind of place in today's game just take a look at the stands, how many people are watching after the 9 ball event, that was full. Not many maybe 10-20 people. This game is a dinosaur. And very boring to watch evident by the crowd dispersing.
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I like 14.1 and have played it all my life. I have to admit though it is much more fun to play then watch. One pocket on the other hand is a lot of fun to watch for someone with some knowledge of the game. In fact, you can learn from just watching as you mentally play along with the players. Guessing what they will do and what you would do as you see the rack play out. You see the different moves and how they work, or don't and what the other player does to respond. Very watch-able, but not for everyone.
 
efirkey said:
The popularity of a game is dependent upon the region in which it is played. Up here in the northeast Straight Pool is very popular where as one pocket and banks are nearly non existent which is unfortunate for me because I love both of those games.
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I learned to play in NJ in the early '60s.Straight pool was king. I never saw a game of bank pool.
Every Saturday I play with a guy who is 67,I'm 66. We start out with a couple games of 8 ball to warm up than we play 100 points (not a race) of 14.1.And a set of 9 or 10 ball race to 9.
Every now and then when we are playing 14.1 someone comes up and asks what we are playing. Almost always they are rather young.
Back in the 60s and '70s I could run 40 ,50 balls here and there but really struggled to run a rack of 9 ball. Then when 9 ball became more popular I learned the game better and could string a few racks together.
Now at 66 running a couple racks of 9 ball is not so hard but running a 40 in 14.1 has been more difficult. Go figure that one.
 
Straight pool

I know I turned it off and went to bed. But, I would like to find someone close by that could show me the ins and outs of the game as it looks like a good game to learn...
 
efirkey said:
The popularity of a game is dependent upon the region in which it is played. Up here in the northeast Straight Pool is very popular where as one pocket and banks are nearly non existent which is unfortunate for me because I love both of those games.
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I don't know how "northeast" you are? I'm in PA. ,but you are right about 14.1. Here in S.E.PA. where I learned to play, you're assessment as a player was by how many balls you could run. In other words, if you could run 100, you are an accomplished player and there is no reason to ask if you can play 9ball.....because if you can run balls, you can play any game....except where 1 pocket is concerned.....even great players that have not played 1pocket can look lost til they learn a few of the standard moves....remember SVB bout 5 years ago?

As far as watching 14.1.....if the players know the game, I can watch to see their patterning.....bangers or new players? sorry, nocando.

Watching 1pocket is the same.....I'll watch Efren, Frost, Ronnie Allen etc. all day! I feel 1pocket is played more fast and loose today because that type of smothering firepower game Efren plays WORKS. I firmly believe aggressive beats defensive in 1pocket any day.....and I think the modern game proves that.

G.
 
JumpinJoe said:
Straight pool finals at derby city is about to begin. How many times do people get to witness these champs in action? Not much.

So for those that think straight pool has any kind of place in today's game just take a look at the stands, how many people are watching after the 9 ball event, that was full. Not many maybe 10-20 people. This game is a dinosaur. And very boring to watch evident by the crowd dispersing.
Click to expand...

Said the t-rex to the brontosaurus.
 
14.1 is a great game. Anyone starting off should play it until they can run a few racks and learn position. I love the game and cut my teeth on it. IMO 14.1 players try to make the game sound much harder than it is. Johnnyt
 
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