Who is the greatest straight pool player alive?

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Earl Strickland

Pro Player
We were just sitting around the pool room wondering who is the greatest straight pool player alive today,any thoughts?I believe you have to play a 250 point match on tight equipment,and play total offense,and there should also be a 30 second shot clock to keep pressure on the player.I think this would be exciting for people to watch.
 
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Earl Strickland said:
We were just sitting around the pool room wondering who is the greatest straight pool player alive today,any thoughts?I believe you have to play a 250 point match on tight equipment,and play total offense[/QUOT



Mizerak, I would put as the front runner with a host of others not far behind for example: Sigel, Reyes, Souquet, Ortmann..


This question is really tough to answer because it would be great to see all of these players play each other at their best, at straight pool.


As for the 30 second shot clock: Mizerak would win. He sees the patterns in straight pool as good as you see them in 9-ball on tough run outs. At the 1988 world 9-ball championships, Sigel folded under the 30 sec shot clock against you....
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As good as Mizerak was and even Sigel do you mean the player who "was" the best that is still alive? Or do you mean the best straight pool player alive at the moment? I would have to take Sigel as the best alive when in his prime, today though due to his not shooting much I cannot think he would be the best anymore. Schmidt I hear is good, Hohmann supposedly plays great straights, is it Robels that also plays really good straights?

In all honesty though get game like that going on tight equippment in a game like straight pool for serious cash and I would think Efren would be right there simply because the guy thinks as good or better then anyone. I dont think I would bet against Efren in straight pool against anyone even though I dont have a clue if he plays the game simply because the guys style of play on all games strikes me as the type of style that would work real well for straight pool.
 
I would have to say Hohmann, he plays at a good clip so the shot clock shouldn't faze him, and once he gets going he just doesn't make mistakes. He doesn't move the cb around alot, and once he gets going his runs don't end.

Of course, like 9-ball, among players of a certain caliber anyone can be the best on a given day.
 
Some high runs amongst living pros:

Thomas Engert - 492
Earl Strickland - 408
Thorsten Hohmann - 404
John Scmidt - 400
Steve Mizerak - 321
Oliver Ortmann-321
Daryl Peach - 273
Alex Lely - 272
Tony Robles-267


Too bad we don't know the equipment any of these runs were on? But the Germans certainly seem to play some amazing straight pool.
 
Earl Strickland said:
We were just sitting around the pool room wondering who is the greatest straight pool player alive today,any thoughts?I believe you have to play a 250 point match on tight equipment,and play total offense,and there should also be a 30 second shot clock to keep pressure on the player.I think this would be exciting for people to watch.
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miz and sigel have retired. there just isn't enough 14.1 to make an informed decision,,,,other than engbert's 400+. since 14.1, to me, is all about the beauty of one's patterns, i don't see enough 14.1 to make any decision on who has the best game.

i think a shot clock would ruin the game for me because of the above reason, and that it negates that very characteristic of the game that i love most. a shotclock will make the players play cowboy pool.
 
Thomas Engert. Hands down. He creates and sees patterns like no one else. Also up there, Earl Strickland, Oliver Ortmann, and Steve Mizerak.
 
If we're talking about who plays the best straight pool today, I think it's probably Thorsten Hohmann, whose domination in the just completed European Straight Pool championships, inlcuding a one inning game in the semifinals, did little to suggest otherwise. Among Americans, the names that just can't be ignored when it comes to straight pool are, in no particular order, Dick Lane, Tony Robles, John Schmidt, and Allen Hopkins, each of whom has more 200+ runs than any of us could count.
 
better pool

my high run was on just less than 5 inch pockets which is pretty big,I ran 408 balls on that table. I praticed on a 4 and 1/4 inch pocket 5 years of practicing on the same table,my high run was only 260 once.Most of the time I couldn't crack 100, usually 70 or 80 on that table.I believe with tighter pockets and high quality equipment will put a premium on running 70 or 80 or 100 balls.We have to make straight pool where its difficult to run a 100 balls like it is in English snooker.
 
Earl Strickland said:
my high run was on just less than 5 inch pockets which is pretty big,I ran 408 balls on that table. I praticed on a 4 and 1/4 inch pocket 5 years of practicing on the same table,my high run was only 260 once.Most of the time I couldn't crack 100, usually 70 or 80 on that table.I believe with tighter pockets and high quality equipment will put a premium on running 70 or 80 or 100 balls.We have to make straight pool where its difficult to run a 100 balls like it is in English snooker.
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Bingo, Earl! I've made this argument on the forum many times. Tighten up those pockets and a hundred ball run becomes pretty special. I'm almost certain that Varner won the 1981 World 14.1 Championship over a very elite field without running a hundred. The last time the US Open Straight pool championship was contested on tight equipment was 1993. Tony Robles' 107 and out against John Ervolino on those tough pockets was one of the better efforts of that event.
 
sjm said:
Bingo, Earl! I've made this argument on the forum many times. Tighten up those pockets and a hundred ball run becomes pretty special. I'm almost certain that Varner won the 1981 World 14.1 Championship over a very elite field without running a hundred. The last time the US Open Straight pool championship was contested on tight equipment was 1993. Tony Robles' 107 and out against John Ervolino on those tough pockets was one of the better efforts of that event.
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I cant seem to run more then 43 balls, pockets are pretty big also. I enjoy watching some old tapes of Lou Butera. Also can anyone explain to me how if Earl can usualy run around 70-80+ balls. Then how come i hear Masconi would routinely run 150+ balls was this pocket size or just because masconi pretty much only played straight pool?

Sorry to get off topic, but have to say Earl, I cant stop watching your match where you defeat nick varner 11-0 talk about dead stroke, i have yet to find a better match on tape.

Mack
 
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I kinda like Leil Gay (the Indian from Cleveland, OH)when it come to the dough.

Just my opinion, and to back it up I am willing to bet some beans on whatever straight pool game he matches up in.

Mj
 
5x10 tight pockets is the answer, imo. it would require pocketing AND positioning skills(to get closer to the OB).
 
Ray martin is a three times champion from the 70's. Schmidt just recently ran 400. Mike Sigel ran 150 and out twice in competition. I have one of his videos doing that and he sure is smooth. Unfotunately not much chance to watch people play straight pool anymore.

Will you be in Jacksonville for the Florida Pro Tour in May?

Jake
 
Earl Strickland said:
We were just sitting around the pool room wondering who is the greatest straight pool player alive today,any thoughts?I believe you have to play a 250 point match on tight equipment,and play total offense,and there should also be a 30 second shot clock to keep pressure on the player.I think this would be exciting for people to watch.
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How would straight pool work in a total offense format?
How would you call the first ball? Off the break?

I am not trying to be negative. I've just never seen it played in a total offense format.
 
bruin70 said:
5x10 tight pockets is the answer, imo. it would require pocketing AND positioning skills(to get closer to the OB).
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No way should they change to 5 X 10 tables in todays day and age where we have 9 foots all over the place all across the world. The last thing this game needs is to have the pro's play on tables the common general public dont ever even see.
 
Celtic said:
No way should they change to 5 X 10 tables in todays day and age where we have 9 foots all over the place all across the world. The last thing this game needs is to have the pro's play on tables the common general public dont ever even see.
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especially after i just bought a 4.5 x 9 to practice on.........LOL

VAP
 
I don't know about greatest straight pool player alive but as sjm points out in the European straight pool championship Thorsten Hohmann ran 125 and out in the semi's he repeated this in the finals. His record for the championship was an average of 50 balls per turn, three times 125 and out.
I watched him run 8 racks of 9 ball yesterday on the live streaming - the semi finals are in four hours time
 
Celtic said:
............The last thing this game needs is to have the pro's play on tables the common general public dont ever even see.
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why not.
the "common general public"(i think you mean the demographic that doesn't watch pool, right?) doesn't care about pool anyway. if you mean the common pool playing demographic, you and me, I prefer to see the pro players tested. i would respect their ability to negotiate on a 5x10, even if i played on a 4.5x9, as i would respect them playing on tight pockets while i play with buckets.
 
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