The majority of people in rooms don't know what 14.1 is.

dr9ball

dr9ball

"Lock Doctor"
Silver Member
I went to my regular weekend pool room today to practice and was having a good session just got through my 2nd rack and had played position on the break ball in the side pocket. ( I learned that from the Cory Duel DVD I got from Blackjack).

I was racking up the other 14 and one was missing, a kindly gentleman found that one of the balls had become stuck in the ball return and freed it for me as I bent down to pick it up he rolled my break ball and cue ball down to me as well for 8 ball.

I put the cue ball back and the break ball back in place and went back to remove the rack from the balls and he's there again pushing the break ball to the rack and pulling the cue ball behind the line as if he's going to break.


I just had to laugh at that. I tried to explain that I wasn't playing that game and he offered to teach me how to play 8 ball the proper way.

What a day to be in the pool hall.
 
Wow Rufus, this was a little extreme to the lack of knowledge of 14.1, and a pretty funny one at that.

well you have just broadened someone's horrizon's on the great game, who knows maybe you just recruited another victim !!!

-Steve
 
dr9ball said:
I went to my regular weekend pool room today to practice and was having a good session just got through my 2nd rack and had played position on the break ball in the side pocket. ( I learned that from the Cory Duel DVD I got from Blackjack).

I was racking up the other 14 and one was missing, a kindly gentleman found that one of the balls had become stuck in the ball return and freed it for me as I bent down to pick it up he rolled my break ball and cue ball down to me as well for 8 ball.

I put the cue ball back and the break ball back in place and went back to remove the rack from the balls and he's there again pushing the break ball to the rack and pulling the cue ball behind the line as if he's going to break.


I just had to laugh at that. I tried to explain that I wasn't playing that game and he offered to teach me how to play 8 ball the proper way.

What a day to be in the pool hall.
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A few years ago, I was at 84, and decided to take a break. I went behind the counter, got something to drink and looked back over at my table. To my amazement, I saw some clown rolling a house cue across the table as his dumbass buddy lagged my break ball. When I approached them and said something, I realized that they didn't know any better, nor did they know what straight pool was. They were young, so I just shrugged it off as being an age thing. I also believe that there must have been subliminal satanic messages hidden in the Barney music.
 
Couldn't agree with you more. Being new to the game the hardest part I find is racking the balls. The habit of grabbing the balls and pushing the cue ball back behind the head string. After the 14 ball is pocketed.
 
I've learned that most people expect to play 8B when you say "wanna play some straight pool?" I always offer to break and they get a weird look on their face when I skim off the corner & stick 'em on the end rail without opening the rack. They either ask what's up or give me a dirty look like I'm playing dirty.
 
Folks, it isn't just the kids that don't know what Straight Pool is. I got on Google, and looked for pool halls near my home a few weeks ago. I printed the list out, and then proceeded to call all of the ones that were relatively closeby.

I called and when they answered at each pool hall, I asked if anyone there played 14.1 or Straight Pool there. Pretty much, without fail, I got a "What is that?" response. For the two that said we have a couple of guys that play that, I asked if they had any scoring counters on the tables or beads, "Nope"

So, I gave up. I play at home, or drive 50 miles to play with Red Shoes or IBC 14.1 league guys. (Dennis Walsh, Ed Latimer, Jeff Mohl, etc...)

The knowledge level of the general public is extremely low in the pool halls and the customers themselves, sad to say.
 
Teach

Every opportunity I get I teach younger shooters how to play our game. Last week it was 2 teenagers playing 8-ball on the table next to me. They were playing for $1,000 (imaginary, of course). The one was down $27,240 overall and talked his partner into playing me 1 rack of 8-ball for $25,000 of what he owed. I did, and won...and instantly became someone's hero...lol. I then walked them through a better game to play to improve their game and stressed how playing straight improves their skills for all other games. They didn't seem too interested and decided to play another rack of 8 ball -this time for 2 grand.

Ron F
 
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lol this is cool and funny

Every opportunity I get I teach younger shooters how to play our game. Last week it was 2 teenagers playing 8-ball on the table next to me. They were playing for $1,000 (imaginary, of course). The one was down $27,240 overall and talked his partner into playing me 1 rack of 8-ball for $25,000 of what he owed. I did, and won...and instantly became someone's hero...lol. I then walked them through a better game to play to improve their game and stressed how playing straight improves their skills for all other games. They didn't seem too interested and decided to play another rack of 8 ball -this time for 2 grand.

Ron F

THANKS FOR THE TAIL
 
I've taught a lot of my friends how to play straight pool. They all love it, especially because we can handicap it easily enough to create a competitive game. Unfortunately they rarely play it with other people, only because a 50 point game can take an hour for beginners. But I guess I should stress that, the game length can be whatever length they want it to be.

I introduced my girlfriend to the game and she loves it. Always rathers to play 14.1 over 8 ball. Being a beginner, she's also a very good sport about sitting through my runs haha. If I remember correctly the most I've run against her is 68.

I think a huge barrier to playing Straight Pool is the inability to keep score in most places. Some of us will bring paper, or use our cell phones etc. But anyone else may find it too much trouble and simply play 8 ball, since there is no thinking involved.

But if you think knowledge of 14.1 is bad, when i practice English Billiards I get people always telling me I need to change what I'm doing because I scratching too much hahaha.
 
dr9ball said:
I went to my regular weekend pool room today to practice and was having a good session just got through my 2nd rack and had played position on the break ball in the side pocket. ( I learned that from the Cory Duel DVD I got from Blackjack).

I was racking up the other 14 and one was missing, a kindly gentleman found that one of the balls had become stuck in the ball return and freed it for me as I bent down to pick it up he rolled my break ball and cue ball down to me as well for 8 ball.

I put the cue ball back and the break ball back in place and went back to remove the rack from the balls and he's there again pushing the break ball to the rack and pulling the cue ball behind the line as if he's going to break.


I just had to laugh at that. I tried to explain that I wasn't playing that game and he offered to teach me how to play 8 ball the proper way.

What a day to be in the pool hall.
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Says the guy with a userid of Dr9Ball :D
 
olgoat said:
Says the guy with a userid of Dr9Ball :D
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Yeah I know, but I've had this ID since the early 1990's. Why change it now. I used it on alt.sport.pool and rec.sport.billiard on the usenet groups and just brought it over here to AZB.
 
dr9ball said:
Yeah I know, but I've had this ID since the early 1990's. Why change it now. I used it on alt.sport.pool and rec.sport.billiard on the usenet groups and just brought it over here to AZB.
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Those were the days. Just so you know, Rufus, I plan on changing mine to Greyjack here pretty soon. BTW... how'd you make out on them cupcakes the other night?
 
Blackjack said:
Those were the days. Just so you know, Rufus, I plan on changing mine to Greyjack here pretty soon. BTW... how'd you make out on them cupcakes the other night?
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Yeah, Yeah, Yeah so all you guys go way back....Stop rubbing it in !!!
great to see that you guys have stayed tried and true to the game, it means alot to all of us newbies !!!!

-Steve
 
14.1

IMO
Straight pool is to pocket billiards, what stroke play is to golf.
I know of no great players who do not play straight pool well.
It's not as flashy as rotation games but requires a greater depth of knowledge in physical and mental skills.
It's ashame room owners today do not support the game with scoring beads or counters.

"Live Long and Prosper"
 
FWIW, prior to joining a league when I played 8-balls with casual pool players, intentional safeties were considered dirty pool. Also there was no BIH penalty for missing.

mosconiac said:
I've learned that most people expect to play 8B when you say "wanna play some straight pool?" I always offer to break and they get a weird look on their face when I skim off the corner & stick 'em on the end rail without opening the rack. They either ask what's up or give me a dirty look like I'm playing dirty.
Click to expand...
 
Same

ctyhntr said:
FWIW, prior to joining a league when I played 8-balls with casual pool players, intentional safeties were considered dirty pool. Also there was no BIH penalty for missing.
Click to expand...


That's still the case here in NE Pa. We have a unique situation in which the landscape is dotted with small corner bars everywhere. It's a leftover industry from the days of coal mining. Every bar I've played in over the past 25 years (and that number is in the hundreds) doesn't count BIH as a bar rule. And safeties are still considered poor sportsmanship. Leagues (APA, TAP, etc) have changed it somewhat. For example, if you're playing with someone with league experience the question of bar rules or league rules is usually brought up before the break.

Ron F
 
Blackjack said:
Those were the days. Just so you know, Rufus, I plan on changing mine to Greyjack here pretty soon. BTW... how'd you make out on them cupcakes the other night?
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David, it was a tough battle over the course of 3 days but I with great effort, finished the last german chocolate cupcake with white butter-cream icing and in celebration of my birthday the high blood sugar propelled me to a nice run today on the local room's newly recovered tables with new rails.

GreyJack has a nice ring to it...or maybe you can do a Pool/Tarzan movie called Tarzan: The Legend of Greystroke.
 
ROTFL RUFUS !!

Rembering a story long ago-- i was training solo straight-pool and 2 guys came in. They were watchin me a bit and then some of em asked me:
" Hey you-do you also play REAL Pool for money? or just hitting each balls like a noobie...."

I asked him if he would also play with me the *noobie rule* for some bucks if i would give him 75 balls til 100 ....so he just would have to pocket 25 balls- he said yes ^^ ended 100-80 or so for me ...unfortunatley he didn t want a revenge :p

anyway-very nice stories :o)

lg
Ingo
 
ctyhntr said:
FWIW, prior to joining a league when I played 8-balls with casual pool players, intentional safeties were considered dirty pool. Also there was no BIH penalty for missing.
Click to expand...
I've been getting this quit a lot because, coming from snooker, it's a force of habit to play a safety if I don't fancy some absurdly extravagant pot. Quite difficult to reason with the young players that safeties are an important asset to have...
 
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