Reminds me of what pickleball is to tennis. I like don't like pool with gimmicks and flashy lights.
Ultimate Pool USA
- Thread starter JoeyA
- Start date
I think UP tournaments are fantastic, I have never been in person but seen them all streamed, eagerly awaiting the next one.
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So a shot clock is now a gimmick???
THAT is what rules should do.
Great that you had a fun time. I for one hope that this comes back around. Congrats on playing strong.
I’d settle for anything that isn’t APA in Chicago. Nearest BCA league to me is over an hour away.
The total time limit is odd to me. Sometimes you need the extra time to make a comeback. I'm all for shot clocks, but only getting 40 min to play the set just feels odd. I understand the TV reasoning, I just dont like it as it's counter intuitive to a comeback from a slow start
and in the UK. ultimate pool is from.. the UK. continental europe and scandinavia is 9ft.
i generally don't like 7ft pool, and i generally don't like pro 8-ball. but this works. ok bergman and melling can probably go through a tournament missing two balls between them, but ultimate pool also showcases local players, young aspiring pros, older pros etc in a good mix. also an english fella with a shirt too tight for his fitness level. john something
it's fast paced and the production is great. almost all winners have a post-match interview, and they all seem to like it. it seems they have an occurring cast of players like melling, matlock, sam henderson, greg hogue. likeable players
They should get you in the commentary booth
What exactly are you talking about? Other than the "6-ball shootout", there is nothing really different about it.
I'm pretty sure they did!
Except for the pool that this league/series is patterned after, they actually play on 6 foot tables in the UK.
That's the tour run by Oscar D. Might just contact him direct.
McDermott has an English 8 ball table on the showroom floor, I spent a few minutes hitting some balls on it, it is weird shooting with those tiny balls!!!
I doubt five people in my local poolroom knows wtf the Mosconi Cup is. The average US player plays leagues and FR events and pretty much always on bar-tables. They don't give a rat's ass about big table pool or what any Euro country does. There are infinitely more events, some with BIG payouts, on barboxes than on 9's. Just the way it is.
Since the Lucasi West Coast Tour was discussed in the thread, I’ll mention something again pertaining to bar tables. I played in the Lucasi stop last year that was played on 7’ tables. Matchroom break rules and table markings used. Turned out to be a fun event and some skeptics about the location and tables were pleasantly surprised I think. Somehow the three top FargoRate players, Oscar, Vilmos, and Max Eberle finished 1-2-3 and were not beaten by lucky 432 FargoRate players. Now, I can’t argue that 7’ is objectively better. I get the benefits of the 9’. But increasingly every time someone brings up “toy tables” “ not real pool” “US sucks because of barboxes” etc… I get a knee jerk reaction to support bar box pool. The euros are welcome to come to some kind f those events you mention and show us how easy it is. Especially when they hit Bergman, Matlock. etc…. It is why no snooker player has ever lost in a pool tournament to an American. Oh, wait…
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You can not argue that 9ft is harder than 7ft.Since the Lucasi West Coast Tour was discussed in the thread, I’ll mention something again pertaining to bar tables. I played in the Lucasi stop last year that was played on 7’ tables. Matchroom break rules and table markings used. Turned out to be a fun event and some skeptics about the location and tables were pleasantly surprised I think. Somehow the three top FargoRate players, Oscar, Vilmos, and Max Eberle finished 1-2-3 and were not beaten by lucky 432 FargoRate players. Now, I can’t argue that 7’ is objectively better. I get the benefits of the 9’. But increasingly every time someone brings up “toy tables” “ not real pool” “US sucks because of barboxes” etc… I get a knee jerk reaction to support bar box pool. The euros are welcome to come to some kind f those events you mention and show us how easy it is. Especially when they hit Bergman, Matlock. etc…. It is why no snooker player has ever lost in a pool tournament to an American. Oh, wait…
It's not a matter of fun or no fun; I'm sure it's fun. I had a blast in the 90s playing APA in NYC bars on 7ft tables.
But I did practise on 9ft to become better and eventually moved to only 9ft tables.
If you want to create a strong pro field of players, you need to start nurturing kids and amateur players from the start, and working on the same equipment and conditions like the pro does is the only way to go.
Yes and no. As I have phrased it before, I think the problem is more the bar than the bar table. The problem is access. If you gave me a choice of having real access and real training to kids using only 7’ tables vs replacing every 7’ table in the US with a 9’, I would think the 7’ development program would result in more top players. I think the problem is multi faceted and the answer is more complicated than the difference in table size.
You brought tip NYC. How many 8-14 year olds have access to any size table outside of a home where they can play and practice 10-20 hours a week? Goes for any city, but especially one like NYC.