Very good B player or solid A?

L

LIAKOS27

NOT banned (yet)
Silver Member
So a friend of mine has been practicing to get his game up. I've been watching him play and he can really put a beatin on me! I'm a solid B player and he is saying he is a solid A!

So I asked him how well he does against the ghost? He beats him 75%.

So I asked him to play a couple sets and show me, sure enough, races to 7 he beats 7-4, 72, 7-6! He doesn't play much of the other games, (9-ball by the way, 9ft table 4&1/2 pockets)

So I says yeah, I guess you're a an A player but I would say more towards the A- to A! He got offeneded and said I didn't know what I was talking about!

What do you guys think?
 
Can he beat the 10 ball ghost? Once you can consistently you are a solid A in my opinion. I like Phil Capelle's definition for A, B, & C players. Pick up one of his books.

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LIAKOS27 said:
So a friend of mine has been practicing to get his game up. I've been watching him play and he can really put a beatin on me! I'm a solid B player and he is saying he is a solid A!

So I asked him how well he does against the ghost? He beats him 75%.

So I asked him to play a couple sets and show me, sure enough, races to 7 he beats 7-4, 72, 7-6! He doesn't play much of the other games, (9-ball by the way, 9ft table 4&1/2 pockets)

So I says yeah, I guess you're a an A player but I would say more towards the A- to A! He got offeneded and said I didn't know what I was talking about!

What do you guys think?
Click to expand...

Can he frequently beat the 9 ball ghost on a tight 9' table? I would say that's a solid A in my book.
 
center pocket said:
Can he beat the 10 ball ghost? Once you can consistently you are a solid A in my opinion. I like Phil Capelle's definition for A, B, & C players. Pick up one of his books.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Yes, he can beat the 10-ball ghost! I can beat the 10-ball ghost 10%! I'm sure he can do better than me!
 
I am assuming he is beating the ghost 75% of the time in the same same race lengths and equipment as he did for the two you witnessed (or were they different race lengths or equipment for the 75% of the time)? Sounds to me like he could be anywhere in the A- to A range without some additional info.

Check out this page from Dr. Dave. It covers tons of different rating systems, different people's opinions on exactly what A, B, C, etc mean and how a person at each particular skill level will perform, and even a whole bunch of tests that can be used to assess a person's skill rating.
http://billiards.colostate.edu/threads/ratings.html#A-D
 
LIAKOS27 said:
So a friend of mine has been practicing to get his game up. I've been watching him play and he can really put a beatin on me! I'm a solid B player and he is saying he is a solid A!

So I asked him how well he does against the ghost? He beats him 75%.

So I asked him to play a couple sets and show me, sure enough, races to 7 he beats 7-4, 72, 7-6! He doesn't play much of the other games, (9-ball by the way, 9ft table 4&1/2 pockets)

So I says yeah, I guess you're a an A player but I would say more towards the A- to A! He got offeneded and said I didn't know what I was talking about!

What do you guys think?
Click to expand...

Def a solid A player, if he beats the 9 ball ghost frequently on 4.5 inch pockets.
 
IMO, if he is beating the 9 ball ghost on standard 9' tables 75% of the sets, he has the offensive power for sure to be a solid A player. Now, whether his defense, and mental game, and gambling speed, and tournament speed, when playing real opponents under pressure hold up, will determine if he is an A- or a solid A.
 
Ghosts aren't real, although my second wife was pretty spooky. If you're a B then my guess is he's about a B+.
Out of how many games played does he beat you? By how wide a margin does he beat you? I think any comparisons made should be against how well he plays against you, rather than the proverbial ghost. :smile:
 
Charlie Hustle said:
Def a solid A player, if he beats the 9 ball ghost frequently on 4.5 inch pockets.
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I tend to agree with this. Anything tighter than 4 1/4 is kind of ridiculous to play 9 ball on.

Many here think tighter pockets is a greater test of skill. Truth is with 9 ball tight pockets really limit position options more than anything else. 4 1/4- 4 1/2 is ideal.
 
I don't understand why someone would get offended by a grading that is obviously too vague in the first place, especially if the talk was from A- to A to "solid A". Players are way too sensitive when their pride is on the line (in their heads).
 
Hows his one pocket game? Does he just shoot straight and get out of position a lot, or does he stay in position a lot and miss when he doesn't or does he just play good position and shoot straight?
 
I play so good that I offered the ghost the break in 10 ball.
I racked them up and sat there for an hour.
He never showed up to play.
The ghost has no heart to play measureman.
 
LIAKOS27 said:
So a friend of mine has been practicing to get his game up. I've been watching him play and he can really put a beatin on me! I'm a solid B player and he is saying he is a solid A!

So I asked him how well he does against the ghost? He beats him 75%.

So I asked him to play a couple sets and show me, sure enough, races to 7 he beats 7-4, 72, 7-6! He doesn't play much of the other games, (9-ball by the way, 9ft table 4&1/2 pockets)

So I says yeah, I guess you're a an A player but I would say more towards the A- to A! He got offeneded and said I didn't know what I was talking about!

What do you guys think?
Click to expand...

Definitely an A, if not higher. People underestimate how hard it is to beat the ghost even once much less 75% of the time. He is a strong favorite to break and run most racks. If that's not playing at an A level then I don't know what is...
 
I have 2 tables at home, a 7' Valley with standard pockets and my good table, a 9' Gold Crown with pockets slightly smaller than 4 1/2", probably more like 4 3/8". I can beat the 9 ball ghost regularly on the Valley but I dont even come close on the big table. I think its the tight pockets that get me, I usually end a run because I jaw a ball, usually trying to cheat the pocket a little. I think the big table with tight pockets makes it much more difficult to beat the ghost. If he is beating the ghost under those conditions hes a pretty strong player.
 
LIAKOS27 said:
So a friend of mine has been practicing to get his game up. I've been watching him play and he can really put a beatin on me! I'm a solid B player and he is saying he is a solid A!

So I asked him how well he does against the ghost? He beats him 75%.

So I asked him to play a couple sets and show me, sure enough, races to 7 he beats 7-4, 72, 7-6! He doesn't play much of the other games, (9-ball by the way, 9ft table 4&1/2 pockets)

So I says yeah, I guess you're a an A player but I would say more towards the A- to A! He got offeneded and said I didn't know what I was talking about!

What do you guys think?
Click to expand...

Question.

When you ask if he is an A player….. what does the rating scale look like.

C, B, A, AA, AAA, PRO?
 
LIAKOS27 said:
So a friend of mine has been practicing to get his game up. I've been watching him play and he can really put a beatin on me! I'm a solid B player and he is saying he is a solid A!

So I asked him how well he does against the ghost? He beats him 75%.

So I asked him to play a couple sets and show me, sure enough, races to 7 he beats 7-4, 72, 7-6! He doesn't play much of the other games, (9-ball by the way, 9ft table 4&1/2 pockets)

So I says yeah, I guess you're a an A player but I would say more towards the A- to A! He got offeneded and said I didn't know what I was talking about!

What do you guys think?
Click to expand...

I think the ghost is a reasonable determination for play level up to a B, but playing above that level requires a lot more than just the ability to play offensively, so it would be very hard to tell.
 
Solid A ?

I am comparing your friend's ability to the A-speeds I know locally.

From an offensive standpoint, i would say yeah, he sounds solid A from how you describe him. BUT

You don't tell us how well he plays other games , or how his defensive ability is.
(I am in agreement with Iusedtoberich here)

A good solid "A" should be able to kick safeties as well. How is his 8-ball game on a Diamond 7 footer ? His straight pool game? 1-pocket? :shrug:
 
All this talk of A, B, C and AA will be moot in a couple years...
I would say his Fargo rating would be 650 to 680 if he is beating the Ghost like that.
From his scores it's obvious he has the offensive skills to run out. Playing against other players is a little different. How does he do when hooked? Can he kick well, 2 rails, 3 rails? Does he play good safeties as needed?
 
Flip_dat_Quarta said:
Definitely an A, if not higher. People underestimate how hard it is to beat the ghost even once much less 75% of the time. He is a strong favorite to break and run most racks. If that's not playing at an A level then I don't know what is...
Click to expand...

Beating the ghost does not make you a strong favorite to break and run most racks because you get BIH after the break. Look and break and run rate statistics amongst the pros, and you will see that they aren't even strong favorites to break and run each rack.
 
this is from a post of mine on a similar subject
came from link to dr daves stuff from bob jewett
the rating system i like is this


from phil capelle
Here's an alternative and more-detailed interpretation of the A-D scale from Capelle's "Play Your Best Pool" (p.386):

D: A beginner or someone who plays so infrequently that their game remains in the beginner category.

C-: A below average player - this denotes a player with some recognizable skills who has definitely risen from the ranks of beginners. This is the first major milestone.

C: An average player - describes a large section of pool enthusiasts with experience whose games perhaps have leveled off, or that only play occasionally.

C+: Above average player - this group plays a very acceptable game of pool. They tend to dominate their level of competition.

B-: This is perhaps the biggest hurdle, as a good number of players peak at the C+ level. A B- is a good player who is quite capable of running a rack of Eight Ball or Nine Ball. However, they usually lack consistency.

B: A solid, advanced player - these players can run out fairly regularly, but lack a little consistency.

B+: Players at this level are often mistaken for lower level A players when they are playing well because they play a very tough, well-rounded game. They can run out from nearly anywhere at anytime.

A-: Another big jump is required to break through to the "A" level. This group of players could be classified as semi-pros or top amateurs. They are very skilled in nearly all facets of the game. They run out easily and very often.

A: A professional quality player who can compete with and occasionally beat all but the best players. Very skilled, solid, and consistent. Runs multiple racks quite often. Tough to beat.

A+: Touring Pro - the best. Skilled in every area of the game. Breaks and runs out multiple racks regularly. Definitely in a class by themselves.
 
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