What are the best pool games, and why ?

1 Pocket Ghost

1 Pocket Ghost

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
First off let me humbly say that I’ve been playing for about 30 years and i play all games at a fairly high level - Nowadays, however, the two games that i play, and the only two pool/billiard games that i totally love to play, are One Pocket and 3 Cushion Billiards.........That being said, all pool games are great to play, but I believe that One Pocket and Straight Pool are the two best pocket billiard games ever invented, and also, 3 Cushion Billiards is their equal..........Although i don’t personally enjoy playing Straight Pool, that does not stop me from recognizing it’s perfection and it’s significance - The beauty of Straight Pool lies in its straightforward simplicity = For pool players who love to pocket balls more than anything else, Straight Pool is by far the purest, and most perfectly constructed game for doing just that - Getting into a rhythm/zone, and depending on your skill level, running 40, 60, or 100 balls is very satisfying, and you'll always have the challenge/goal of achieving higher ‘runs’ ----- And One Pocket is the decathlon of pool games, offering a complex challenge to the mental and physical skills of a good player, that no other game can > Physically, you have to be capable of making every variation of straight in shot, you have to be a great banker and kicker, have mastery of every type of stroke and extreme english application, have advanced knowledge of 'exotic' kiss, carom and throw shots, play death-trap defense, and have pinpoint control of whitey - And mentally, you have to have ice water running in your veins, be prepared to jump up and loosely and smoothly shoot a game, or session deciding tough shot after you’ve just gotten out of stroke by shooting 10 minutes of defensive soft stroke safetys, and ‘upstairs’ you have to have the razor sharp, analytical, strategic, calculating intelligence of World Class Chess Players and the Poker Players at the Final Table of the Texas Hold-em World Series Of Poker........And the other great and constantly fascinating thing about One Pocket, is the endless situational variations that you encounter - You can play this game for thirty years, and when you go to the poolroom and play the next day, you might see ball/table layout situations that you've never seen before....(I feel pretty certain that Grady agrees with me on all of this - That's why the venue of his Legends of One Pocket Tournament last September consisted of One Pocket and Straight Pool)..........And lastly, a suggestion for all of you younger players on the forum - If you’re fortunate enough to have a table at your pool hall, i recommend that you learn 3 cushion billiards - All of the extreme stroke and english shots that you’ll learn to shoot are a lot of fun and a great physical challenge, and you’ll find out that down the line, you’ll be able to transfer a lot of your 3 cushion billiards knowledge over to your One Pocket game ( for example, Efren and Marco Marquez are champion 3 cushion billiards players, Richie Rich and many others also play real sporty 3 cushion billiards )
 
I have to say that I share your opinions as well. Seems that the more years you have played, the more you appreciate straight pool and one-pocket. I've been playing for 13 years and just recently started to get absorbed by one hole. It's very challenging, especially since there are few people here in Finland who know how to play it. I have always liked straight pool...
And everytime there is a 3-C table around, it seem to have a magnetic attraction to me :-)
 
1 Pocket Ghost said:
First off let me humbly say that I’ve been playing for about 30 years and i play all games at a fairly high level - Nowadays, however, the two games that i play, and the only two pool/billiard games that i totally love to play, are One Pocket and 3 Cushion Billiards.........That being said, all pool games are great to play, but I believe that One Pocket and Straight Pool are the two best pocket billiard games ever invented, and also, 3 Cushion Billiards is their equal..........Although i don’tshot, you have to be a great banker and kicker, have mastery of every type of stroke and extreme english application, have advanced knowledge of 'exotic' kiss, carom and throw shots, play death-trap defense,running in your veins, be prepared to jump up and loosely and smoothly shoot a game, or session deciding tough shot after you’ve just gotten out of stroke by shooting 10 minutes of defensive soft stroke safetys, and ‘upstairs’ you have to have the razor sharp, analytical, strategic, calculating intelligence of World Class Chess Players and the Poker Players at the Final Table of the Texas Hold-em World Series Of Poker........And the other great and constantly fascinating thing about One Pocket, is the endless situational variations that you encounter - You can play this game for thirty years, and when you go to the poolroom and play the next day, you might see ball/table layout situations that you've never seen before....(I feel pretty certain that Grady agrees with me September consisted of One Pocket and Straight Pool).....that down the line, you’ll be able to transfer a lot of your 3 cushion billiards knowledge over to your One Pocket game ( for example, Efren and Marco Marquez are champion 3 cushion billiards players, Richie Rich and many others also play real sporty 3 cushion billiards )
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I agree, Ghost. The beauty of one pocket is that anybody can
compete. If the spot is large enough ,you're a threat. We've got
old men in our town who can't run 2 friggin balls who have a
blast playing 1 hole. BTW, our game has gone to 9-5. Am
I scared? You bet!
 
Straight Pool and One-Pocket

i absolutely agree on 14.1 and 1-Pocket. As many have already said, the former game shows pool at its most pure, at the very essence of the game; that is, to just keep pocketing balls. It's great for a longer playing session, because you just keep playing and playing; no need to play a race to X amount of games like any other game. The latter combines the physical nature of pool with endless strategy, to make a very unique game, and one that is, in a way, more accessible to people. You don't have to have ungodly physical skills as much as you would in 9-Ball, or even 14.1, because knowledge and strategy play an important role (although shotmaking doesn't hurt, especially when it comes to banks, kicks and other specialty shots). The more I have read about One-Pocket, the more it appeals to me. I think 8 and 9 ball are good games in their own right, but if I have a choice, it's Straights or One-Pocket for me.
 
Without going into much detail...One Pocket and Banks. Enough has been said about One Pocket, but there's nothing like bumping 4 and out with a 4-railer to end a game of banks.
 
Some old pool player advised me never to bet against pool players from Chicago in a bank game. They're hot bankers.
 
Worminator said:
Without going into much detail...One Pocket and Banks. Enough has been said about One Pocket, but there's nothing like bumping 4 and out with a 4-railer to end a game of banks.
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I feel the same way about breaking and running a game of one pocket, or an 8-out, or seeing the look on your opponent's face when you come with a shot he did not expect.
 
Pelican said:
The best pool game? The one I win. Why? Cause it happens so rarely :(
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Pelican that is some funny stuff. I am gonna go with one-pocket on this for all the reasons above. However, one thing I might add is that because the table lay outs in one pocket are so varied they promote a certain amount of creativity as people find new ways to move balls to their side and put their opponent in jail. I would respectfully disagree with the person that said one-pocket doesn't require the same skill as nine-ball--maybe this was the case at one point, but now to win at one pocket you have to come with major offense because people don't miss. If anything, one pocket requires more skill because of what the orginal poster to this thread said--you are bunting balls around for fifteen minutes and then you have to come with a super shot. Tough, but I absolutely love the game.

kollegedave
 
kokopuffs said:
Some old pool player advised me never to bet against pool players from Chicago in a bank game. They're hot bankers.
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Yep, a lot of good bank pool players in Chicago. I would also think twice about playing anyone from Kentucky thats asks...anyone wanna play some bumps for a nickel?
 
I like just about all the games, 1 pocket, 9 ball, 8 ball, banks and I like 3 cushion too. I have to agree with you 1PG, my least favorite game is 14.1 but I also acknowledge that it is a great game. I'd much rather play 14.1 against someone that doesn't play that well so I have more opportunities to shoot. I just can't stand sitting there watching my opponent shoot straight for 10 or 15 minutes.

Speaking of good 3 cushion players, you don't want to forget Raphael Martinez because he can play that game too. I'll bet Earnesto Dominguez doesn't play too bad either. Three cushion is pretty popular in Mexico so many of the Mexican players are probably well-versed in that game.
 
For me it is one pocket that kicks up my interest. I think because strategy goes into it as well as skills. Like a general you can plan an attack with different kinds of players. And you can wear out your opponent with defensive moves as well as offensive ones. The different kinds of strokes one needs to master as well. A spin stroke, a roll the ball type of stroke as well as a hard draw, a masse, etc. You might never use these in nine ball or 14.1 although I do because Im frequently out of line or hooked. LOL!!! A lot of people complain that they get out of stroke playing one hole but that is because they are pushing balls instead of stroking them. Even if you are shooting a 2 inch safety roll shot you should always use a good stroke.
 
......Oh yeah, two more things that i forgot to say about why i love One Pocket : On a regular basis you get to challenge yourself and have a lot of ego-stroking fun shooting advanced shots like having a ball carom off of another ball and then going cross corner into your pocket, or drawing a combinated frozen ball into your pocket, or banking three times cross corner - You'll never have the reason or opportunity do do stuff like this playing any other game - And for me at least, once you get used to shooting shots like these all the time, you need them like a drug, and can't play pool without them ( how's that for trying to make a One Pocket junkie out of everybody ^_^ ) - The second thing that i forgot to say, and that RickW kinda already said, is I don't like to sit in the chair...That's why i have to laugh at nine ball players that say One Pocket is too slow - Well, how fast is that nine ball game going for you when you're sitting in the chair for 5 or 10 minutes while your opponent runs a rack or two? - Playing One Pocket you get way, way more innings to shoot then other games you're constantly at the table shooting and 'In the game'.
 
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Hi, I'm one of what you called the 'younger players'. I play mostly 8 and 9 ball and after playing for about 5 years now have gotten to be a pretty decent player. I just wanted to say that i enjoyed this post of yours and you've convinced me to give 3 cushion billiards a try, see if I like it and if I can learn it. I'll keep you posted :)
 
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