What Killed Straight Pool?

I think Fast Eddie said it best in COM:

"Checkers sells better than Chess".

Most under 40 pool players today are part of society that grew up without any real exposure to 14.1 Hell, I'm 52 and the only exposure I had to 14.1 was AFTER I saw COM, when I rented a copy of "The Hustler". In the early 90's I was taught 14.1 by "The Old Timers", many of whom now are long gone.

I also think society as a whole has "evolved" with dramatically shorter attention spans. That's not condusive to appreciating, much less watching 14.1 Very sad because I think 14.1 is the highest form of the game. Just my opinion. -Z-
 
I think there's a good argument to be made straight pool is the luckiest game. It's not that you need luck to play it of course, but sometimes the player is just simply forced to go into the balls without an insurance ball. He goes into them, and get a shot and runs 80 after that, yet if the cb would have stopped a 16th of an inch to the left, he would been hooked. Idk, it just seems like many matches hinge on stuff like this, and that's just not good.
 
Ekojasiloop said:
I think there's a good argument to be made straight pool is the luckiest game. It's not that you need luck to play it of course, but sometimes the player is just simply forced to go into the balls without an insurance ball. He goes into them, and get a shot and runs 80 after that, yet if the cb would have stopped a 16th of an inch to the left, he would been hooked. Idk, it just seems like many matches hinge on stuff like this, and that's just not good.
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ummm

NO


i have never heard anyone claim it to be the luckiest


more lucky than 9 ball? smack it hard and the yellow stwipe ball falls and your the winner?

8 ball? apa smack it hard 8 ball goes and you-a-winna!

please , might as well flip a coin. less work


come on, seriously?
 
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HUKIT said:
I played when I was younger then after a 25 year break due to the Army, marriage, and kids I’m back playing again. So the other night I’m playing straight pool and was shocked as some of the players were coming up asking me what I was doing. Was there any definitive reason?
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At the pool hall where I play straight pool is the most popular league, and growing.
 
Ekojasiloop said:
I think there's a good argument to be made straight pool is the luckiest game. It's not that you need luck to play it of course, but sometimes the player is just simply forced to go into the balls without an insurance ball. He goes into them, and get a shot and runs 80 after that, yet if the cb would have stopped a 16th of an inch to the left, he would been hooked. Idk, it just seems like many matches hinge on stuff like this, and that's just not good.
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With games currently being played that allow you to win a title by accidentally sinking a ball, your statement is very far from reflecting reality.
 
Ekojasiloop said:
I think there's a good argument to be made straight pool is the luckiest game. It's not that you need luck to play it of course, but sometimes the player is just simply forced to go into the balls without an insurance ball. He goes into them, and get a shot and runs 80 after that, yet if the cb would have stopped a 16th of an inch to the left, he would been hooked. Idk, it just seems like many matches hinge on stuff like this, and that's just not good.
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This makes sense if you think top players routinely run the cue ball into clusters or the rack without a clue and hope for the best, which of course they don't.
 
Champion players who used to walk around the table for five minutes and then shoot a ball straight in didn't help. I refereed for Frank McGown once and he nearly put me to sleep, saying 48 over and over in my head, and after five minutes it was 49 over and over again. :)
 
jay helfert said:
Champion players who used to walk around the table for five minutes and then shoot a ball straight in didn't help. I refereed for Frank McGown once and he nearly put me to sleep, saying 48 over and over in my head, and after five minutes it was 49 over and over again. :)
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I refereed a match between McGown and Lou Butera that took three and a half hours. A guy in the audience had a stop watch and McGown took 8 minutes on one shot and 5 minutes on two other shots. He had some very "interesting" moves besides the slow play.
 
Bob Jewett said:
I refereed a match between McGown and Lou Butera that took three and a half hours. A guy in the audience had a stop watch and McGown took 8 minutes on one shot and 5 minutes on two other shots. He had some very "interesting" moves besides the slow play.
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That had to drive Lou crazy. He probably lost the match and wanted to kill McGown after it was over.
 
Straight Pool is not dead. It’s still a great game, played by many.
Pool is a players game, not a spectator sport.
The mass appeal required for TV is not here yet, may never be.
 
skip100 said:
This makes sense if you think top players routinely run the cue ball into clusters or the rack without a clue and hope for the best, which of course they don't.
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Like I said, many times players must go into the stack without insurance. If they didn't have to they'd probably run 400's everyday. When two player do that say once a match each, and one gets a shot, and the other doesn't, that can be the entire match. It's stupid.
 
Ekojasiloop said:
Like I said, many times players must go into the stack without insurance. If they didn't have to they'd probably run 400's everyday. When two player do that say once a match each, and one gets a shot, and the other doesn't, that can be the entire match. It's stupid.
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But its not the whole match, its the next 13/14 shots, after which they have to go into the pack again and they can't get lucky every time!

Using your logic, in winner breaks 9-Ball if someone breaks and runs 11 in a row they got lucky by sinking a ball on the first break so its all down to luck!
 
Ekojasiloop said:
I think there's a good argument to be made straight pool is the luckiest game. It's not that you need luck to play it of course, but sometimes the player is just simply forced to go into the balls without an insurance ball. He goes into them, and get a shot and runs 80 after that, yet if the cb would have stopped a 16th of an inch to the left, he would been hooked. Idk, it just seems like many matches hinge on stuff like this, and that's just not good.
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No, there is NO argument for Straight Pool being "the luckiest game". There will always be some luck involved in pool because the equipment and conditions are seldom anywhere near perfect but luck is much more prevalent in 8 ball and rotation games than in Straight Pool. The state of pool being what it is today, though, this is not a surprise to hear.
 
Pushout said:
The state of pool being what it is today, though, this is not a surprise to hear.
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it must be FAR worse than i imagined if someone who claims to see many 14.1 matches hinge on luck

blissfully in the dark here, playing my boring games all by myself :grin:
 
I think I was solely looking at 14.1 for the answer to this question.

9 Ball is a great equalizer in terms of players of different skill levels getting together and in spite of the gap in their skills level still being able to have a competitive game.
The handicapping, or method of "giving weight" is also is more stright forward (although not necessarily easier to agree on, lol).
 
Bob Jewett said:
No, he got angry and found a gear and won.
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Bob, here's a stat I am amused by.

Most innings in a women's 14.1 event 1972 by Madelyn Whitlow. 373 I'm not sure but didn't the gals go to 100?

The men 150.

Balukus best BPI average minimum 3 US Opens or 10 games was .850

Mizerak with the same guidelines as above, BPI average 12.47.

That stat tells me men at the top, shoot 50% better than the women at the top, though mean might of been thee exception.
 
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