The bangers are getting better

[Guy Manges]

According to the Mike Shamos Encyclopedia of Billiards:

BANGER (colloquially) 1. An unskilled player, one who does little more than ‘bang’ the balls around. 2. A player who hits the balls hard, without care for position.’

My interpretation is a player who plays slop or wishes to luck everything, which would have been the vast majority of casual players 100 years ago. It’s no wonder 14.1 became the game of choice for tournaments. Doubt there were ever professional Kelly Pool tournaments.

Meanwhile the crazy 8 Ball rules (last pocket, bank the 8, 1 & 15 in the sides, or just simply CALLING the 8) likely devised to hinder and call out the bangers of yore. I can hear it now, “See Jim, I can sink a ball where I intended therefore I am better than you.”

Referring to 9 Ball as a game for bangers in 80s billiard cinema seems legitimate; it’s a game that can be sold to a lesser skilled opponent where the rules are simple and chance to win purely by slop is appealing.

The 21st century banger upholds the Mike Shamos definition, there’s just less of them. Presently anyone who wants to actually learn the game will find the road from banger to low C much faster.

In my seeing i see the best 8 Ball players in the game , don't call shots, Yet no need for a banger... Guy , When a player starts banging the game is over...

 

[Guy Manges]

Eight Ball taught me how to play pool , pocket billiards, Its never been a call pocket game and should never be, Yes it brings out the bangers and this is good, Thats pool... I thank goodness that the Chinese people have been able to build equipment and players that can support this great game... There's always going to be bangers in everything it's an attitude... Just thank goodness we can use the word loosely... Guy

 

[BarBoxROB]

I haven’t been around pool much last few years. But yes makes sense to me the bangers are getting better faster these days.

It used to take years to learn about pool, I was just talking with a champion my age about this last night. How much of what he knows (more than me) and what I know took us years to learn-now it’s a click away.

So on day 1 everyone sucks at pool, but after 6 months now a average non gifted player should play much stronger than 30 years ago. Your still a banger 6 months in-unless your gifted. But it makes perfect sense that players should improve much faster than before.

Chess is being played at its highest level in history now, backgammon, golf the standard of play is much higher now as well. Actually in pretty much everything across the board. Baseball pick a sport or game where people are worse than in the past, hard ti find. The internet woke up everyone and modern equipment in some cases like pool help make it easier.

So yeah I’d expect the bangers to become players faster.

Fatboy <———did it the hard way

I and a few guys were talking about this last night! Back when I learned to play everything was a secret and now just click away to learn how to do anything. So I think the learning curve is much higher now.

 

[hang-the-9]

In my seeing i see the best 8 Ball players in the game , don't call shots, Yet no need for a banger... Guy , When a player starts banging the game is over...

Yes the best players do call the shots, the standard rules the pros play by and many tournaments are called shot for 8 ball. It's just they don't point at every obvious pocket, the only shots that get "called" are banks, kicks, caroms, etc... It's assumed that obvious shots are obvious in most circles. When I play, I don't even worry much about players calling easy one rail banks, it's pretty obvious on most shots what the indented pocket is. Only the nits and those that are cheaters themselves want every pocket and shot called specifically even if it's clear what the target pocket is.

The "bangers" and some leagues, specifically the APA, don't use called shot in 8 ball, except for the 8 itself, but the majority of the pool sport world where the good players live play 8 ball with the standard called shot WPA rules. There is also the "bar rules called shot" some people use that are just hilarious to normal players, where they want every rail and ball touch to be called on the way to the pocket.

 

[Guy Manges]

Yes the best players do call the shots, the standard rules the pros play by and many tournaments are called shot for 8 ball. It's just they don't point at every obvious pocket, the only shots that get "called" are banks, kicks, caroms, etc... It's assumed that obvious shots are obvious in most circles. When I play, I don't even worry much about players calling easy one rail banks, it's pretty obvious on most shots what the indented pocket is. Only the nits and those that are cheaters themselves want every pocket and shot called specifically even if it's clear what the target pocket is.

The "bangers" and some leagues, specifically the APA, don't use called shot in 8 ball, except for the 8 itself, but the majority of the pool sport world where the good players live play 8 ball with the standard called shot WPA rules. There is also the "bar rules called shot" some people use that are just hilarious to normal players, where they want every rail and ball touch to be called on the way to the pocket.

I'll bet you know all well, I thank you for all, May all your 8 Ball games be call pocket...

 

[dquarasr]

Yes the best players do call the shots, the standard rules the pros play by and many tournaments are called shot for 8 ball. It's just they don't point at every obvious pocket, the only shots that get "called" are banks, kicks, caroms, etc... It's assumed that obvious shots are obvious in most circles. When I play, I don't even worry much about players calling easy one rail banks, it's pretty obvious on most shots what the indented pocket is. Only the nits and those that are cheaters themselves want every pocket and shot called specifically even if it's clear what the target pocket is.

The "bangers" and some leagues, specifically the APA, don't use called shot in 8 ball, except for the 8 itself, but the majority of the pool sport world where the good players live play 8 ball with the standard called shot WPA rules. There is also the "bar rules called shot" some people use that are just hilarious to normal players, where they want every rail and ball touch to be called on the way to the pocket.

I had a debate with a fairly good league player (maybe a C+ or a B-) about whether a caromed 8 is a foul if not called. He claimed that everywhere in the South, it’s a foul. Myself and another player said that “real” pool rules, including WPA, don’t consider it a foul if the 8 touches another ball. As I understand it, if the 8 goes in the called pocket, it’s good, regardless of how it got there assuming no scratch. He countered that his bar rules were “real” pool rules.

Ditto on using the neutral 8 in a combination shot where it is not the first ball touched by the CB. As long as a ball in your grouping is touched first, any ball is fair game as interim balls in a combo.