I disagree.
The fact of the matter is, that with so many balls being run, there will be numerous tricky and unlikely scenarios that will eventually come up. Even someone like me, might be able to run 150 when the stars align, but beyond that, the odds start rapidly stacking against you. It's a little bit like smoking cigarettes. You may smoke 100, 1000 or even 10000 cigarettes and be more or less unharmed, but the more you smoke, the more likely you are to contract various diseases. Eventually the small odds become significant enough to matter. The numbers may be different in smoking and straight pool, but the principle is the same, the reckless players here being similar to heavy smokers. There is an element of luck involved in running big numbers in straight pool, that is undeniable, but the best of the best make their own luck. And you can't luck your way to 500 and beyond, it's just not possible.
Not only will the player have to know how to protect against unlikely, but devastating bad rolls, he must also be able to shoot himself out of traps on occation. He must know how to play every break shot correctly, which takes experience that many modern rotation players lack. Again, even if the player actually run most of the badly broken racks, eventually the chickens will come home to roost on this one, as well. The excellent pattern player who knows how to keep his mood and thinking stable and under control will prevail where more volatile players fail. The player must protect against skids, bad rolls and always conserve as much mental energy as possible.
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