the most pure form of pool???

[Tin Man]

I was motivated to share this by the last in the never ending string of jump cue threads.

First off, I am not a big fan of the jump cue, bar tables, sudden death 7 ball, races to 7 or 5, alternate breaking, or slop shots.

That being said, for years I refused to compete on bar tables, as I felt that it "wasn't real pool". I looked at jump cues as disgust and felt that they were the degeneration of the game.

Then one day I realized that the game has evolved since it first came around, from a lawn game, to 10 foot straight pool, to push out rules, to TX express, and finally to what we have today.

If you look at every change in the history of pool that lead up to the invention of your favorite game as evolution, and every change thereafter as degeneration, then what you are saying is that the world should freeze time now that things are how you like them. That is just not reality.

The fact is that just as important as learning how to jump, kick, or play safe, is learning how to stay open minded and play by todays rules. Feel free to express your opinion, and vote if a vote is offered, but don't deny others their rights to do the same. And if the masses are in favor of a 5 foot table with a four ball rack, well, just smile and enjoy your race to two........

 

[randyg]

Good morning.....SPF=randyg

 

[JoeW]

tap tap tap

Now if I could only get good with twister I do think that it too will be part of the game when everyone gets done laughing.

 

[Snapshot9]

Progression

The only complaint I really have is the short race to 7 on TV matches, and the fact that they don't play a true double elimination for the finals. The hotseat player is getting shortchanged.

As far as jump cues, I am old school, and I remember when jumping over a full ball with a playing cue first started showing up. Everyone was taken back, and muttering to themselves that they had to learn that. Some thing with an extreme masse' shot. Or a different type of bank shot than they had ever seen before.

The point being that the game progresses, and no matter what stage we are in, you need to learn every type of shot that is within the current rules. Opponents are pretty quick to pick up on weaknesses, and they immediately use it against you, so you are better off knowing everything, than just 90% of the game.

 

[Dead Crab]

I have heard that the "original" game of modern (post civil war) pool with 15 numbered balls was a game called "61".

Played like straight pool, call shot, can shoot any ball. You get as points the number of the potted ball. Since the sum of numbers 1 through 15 is 120, the winning point total for a rack was 61.

Sounds like a good game for beginners, but too easy for good players to break and run to 61. It gave way to 8-ball in the early 20th century.

 

[ShootingArts]

easy is in the eye of the beholder

Take a good look at the equipment right after the war of northern aggression. I would say that eight and nine ball now are far easier than the game of sixty-one was then for the average recreational player. Equipment is a huge issue. Today's cloth and rails are a big difference but what makes a huge change is the balls. With clay balls you had fifteen different playing balls on the table. Even the people playing billiards with just three balls sometimes argued for months over who's set of three billiard balls they would play with because knowing the balls was such a huge advantage.

Hu

I have heard that the "original" game of modern (post civil war) pool with 15 numbered balls was a game called "61".

Played like straight pool, call shot, can shoot any ball. You get as points the number of the potted ball. Since the sum of numbers 1 through 15 is 120, the winning point total for a rack was 61.

Sounds like a good game for beginners, but too easy for good players to break and run to 61. It gave way to 8-ball in the early 20th century.

 

[CreeDo]

I guess it boils down to whether a majority (or at least a large minority) of players feel like the fun of the game is ruined by the addition of the cue. We've had over 10 years (possibly almost 20?) to get used to it.

Does 9 ball seem less popular, less fun, or less interesting than before? Was the line crossed? It doesn't feel like it. I still enjoy watching and playing it and I don't feel like I was cheated just because some guy 'easily' (very arguable) got out of a safety.

Seriously, sit down and count how many jump shots (with any cue) you see in local, everyday casual pool between anyone you care to watch. I'd be shocked if it came up more than 1 out of 50 shots. It's hard to take it seriously when someone claims a certain shot that comes up 2% of the time has ruined the game, as if the other 98% doesn't even matter anymore.