Why do you hate one pocket?

Alex Kanapilly

Alex Kanapilly

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The thread on 8 ball being better for TV than 9 ball got me thinking. Why do so many veteran pool players dislike one pocket? I'm not talking about beginers, I get that, the game takes some skill and experience to play. But how can someone who's been playing pool for years not appreciate the beauty of the game?

There are many good players here in Denver and I'd guess at least half of them have no interest whatsoever in one pocket, I just don't get it.
 
Alex Kanapilly said:
The thread on 8 ball being better for TV than 9 ball got me thinking. Why do so many veteran pool players dislike one pocket? I'm not talking about beginers, I get that, the game takes some skill and experience to play. But how can someone who's been playing pool for years not appreciate the beauty of the game?

There are many good players here in Denver and I'd guess at least half of them have no interest whatsoever in one pocket, I just don't get it.
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My guess is that they did have not played enough one pocket to see the beauty and skill of the game. The common thread around here for many players is that you do not have to be a good player/accurate shooter to play one pocket. I tell them to try and make that long straight in for a 100.00 game of one pocket with a ball hanging in your opponents pocket.

I have also noticed over the years the the more a player plays one pocket the more they start to understand the subtleties of the game and start to really enjoy the challenge.

Just my quick thoughts.

-don
 
It's not the game, it's the people who like one pocket and promote it that I dislike.


















Just kidding. These threads are getting redundant.
 
Many people don't like to strategize when the play pool. They just like to follow the 9-ball roadmap and tune out.

I like introducing someone to one pocket who starts to get that hungry look in their eye...scanning the layout to find an offensive shot. That's when you know you've got a new one-pocket player. If they don't get past the "oh my god leave me a shot you a-hole" mentality after a few games, they'll probably always dislike it.
 
Alex Kanapilly said:
The thread on 8 ball being better for TV than 9 ball got me thinking. Why do so many veteran pool players dislike one pocket? I'm not talking about beginers, I get that, the game takes some skill and experience to play. But how can someone who's been playing pool for years not appreciate the beauty of the game?

There are many good players here in Denver and I'd guess at least half of them have no interest whatsoever in one pocket, I just don't get it.
Click to expand...

I hate it because I like to run balls. Lots of 'em. Not only is 1-pocket a short-rack game, but it's not easy like 9-ball. So you have to concentrate quite hard, but you don't even get the satisfaction of, say, running a hundred if you do it well.

As a wise man once said, "if I wanted to play chess, I'd play chess."
 
I loooooove one hole!!!!!!!

Just not many people around here to play it with.......

Russ.........
 
Great question, we have that here to and i thought about it. Great players, obviously love the game and don't like one pocket??? Well, i think it really comes down to the fact that they just havent been able to win at the game, they don't have the mentality for it. If you were a great player, and people you give the 7 to beat you in one hole, would you play it??

Then come the excuses, its too slow etc.... IMO a real pool player just would not feel this way, that's a fasade.

If you disgree with this, are you really gonna try to tell me that a guy that proclaims to hate one pocket, if he did nothing but win when he played it..... do you really think he would still say he hated one pocket? if you think this is true i will just have to laugh at you, but i dont think there is anybody who would think that.
 
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I love it and I hate it. . . I love it because of the strategic and tactical aspects and demands of the game. Also the required skill of making banks, short or long. The ability to control the object ball, more importantly the cue ball. Basically, once you get past the basics, it's all about getting the most balls in position for pocketing to your hole. That means keeping the line of sight of the cue ball away from the possiblity of any of the balls you set-up from getting kicked, shot away or stolen by the other guy.

I hate it because of the cost in table time, shoot-and-duck, takes a long time and ruins my nineball stroke. There was a time I played this guy at my local pool hall, we started at about 7 p.m. and finished at 7:00 a.m. Broke even in bet but the table time was $100.

To balance the frustration out, I now play alternate 9-ball and 1P at $20 or $30 a game. It does the the mind and the body good!:p
 
Steve Lipsky said:
I hate it because I like to run balls. Lots of 'em. Not only is 1-pocket a short-rack game, but it's not easy like 9-ball. So you have to concentrate quite hard, but you don't even get the satisfaction of, say, running a hundred if you do it well.

As a wise man once said, "if I wanted to play chess, I'd play chess."
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Well I can't run a hundred. Maybe that's why I don't like straight pool very much, I wish I did but I'm not cut out for it.

I love the different options you have in one pocket, I don't think there is as much oportunity for creativity in the other games.

How about this, you try one pocket for a week and I try straight pool... nah never mind.
 
I don't hate one pocket, but one reason I don't much enjoy watching is because of one of the standard strategies employed by top players when they secure a significant lead within a rack. They simply knock all the loose balls up to the top rail. Obviously, this is tactically sound, but the result is that is takes even more air out of a game that has a slow pace to begin with. I recall watching one of these absurdly lethargic racks between Varner and Grady in the mid-1990's. After about 45 minutes, I walked out, no longer interested in the rack, and to this day, I don't know who won that rack, and also don't care. Another thing I can't stand about one-pocket is the rule that says that you can knock a ball into my pocket, but if you scratch, I don't get a point for it. In fact, sometimes you see players jump the cue ball off the table to make sure that they scratch on such a shot, which surely qualifies as the single most ridiculous shot in pool. The idea that one should ever be able to gain by sending the cue ball off the table is off the charts silly. One pocket is an interesting game bogged down by strategies and rules that tend to slow down the pace of the game. That's what I don't like about it!
 
Perhaps many veteran players may not like the game, but I wonder if the same holds true for many advanced players.

I don't think the two are necessarily the same thing. Of course some advanced players wouldn't like it, as is the case with most anything in life, but I think you can be a veteran hacker and never be an advanced player who is capable of moving the cue ball precisely enough to enjoy the game.

I've tickled near that 3 digit number in straight pool during my 45 yrs playing, but I've never gotten there myself either. I enjoy all games of pool pretty much in this order ... Straight pool, One pocket, 8 ball and 9 ball neck and neck, take em or leave em.

You may be right though, the term veteran can mean someone who's been playing for 10 or 15 yrs. I suppose. That's still an infant to me :)

The game has changed much over the years with 9 ball being (unfortunately ) the current game of choice. 9 ball and one pocket exist on complete opposite ends of the pool spectrum, so maybe that has something to do with it.
 
Say what you want about One Pocket, but there is very little luck involved. The best player will win! Not like in 9-Ball, where someone you can give the 7 Ball to might beat you.

I like the creativity of the game. Nothing is ever cut and dried. You always have options. It is the chess game of pool, and that's what makes it great. It's no accident that Efren is the greatest at One Pocket. It's because he happens to be the best pool player on the planet currently.

I don't like excessively slow play either, but most long games are strategic ones that require some careful thought. When all the balls go down table it can get boring to watch. But it is not that boring if you are the one playing. One mistake and it can all go bad.

Many many top 14.1 players also excelled at One Pocket. Mizerak, Sigel, Rempe, Varner, Hopkins and on and on. They could all play this exceedingly difficult game. And play it well. Their Straight Pool skills translated well to One Pocket because of the premium on good cue ball control, and knowledge of the pack.
 
sjm said:
I don't hate one pocket, but one reason I don't much enjoy watching is because of one of the standard strategies employed by top players when they secure a significant lead within a rack. They simply knock all the loose balls up to the top rail. Obviously, this is tactically sound, but the result is that is takes even more air out of a game that has a slow pace to begin with. I recall watching one of these absurdly lethargic racks between Varner and Grady in the mid-1990's. After about 45 minutes, I walked out, no longer interested in the rack, and to this day, I don't know who won that rack, and also don't care. Another thing I can't stand about one-pocket is the rule that says that you can knock a ball into my pocket, but if you scratch, I don't get a point for it. In fact, sometimes you see players jump the cue ball off the table to make sure that they scratch on such a shot, which surely qualifies as the single most ridiculous shot in pool. The idea that one should ever be able to gain by sending the cue ball off the table is off the charts silly. One pocket is an interesting game bogged down by strategies and rules that tend to slow down the pace of the game. That's what I don't like about it!
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How else would you do it??? In that case any ball that is hanging should just be considered a pocketed ball and you keep shooting. I might run a 1000 if i got credit for everyball i hang up. Dont get me wrong i love straight pool and i also love one pocket and nine ball and bank pool but the fact that you CAN stratch and use that as a strategy is what makes it a very interesting game. And most people who hate it either dont have patience or dont understand the game and complain about the rules of the game.

I am not saying that is you but that is the majority. I also am sure if you played nine ball back in the day for any amount of money, I am sure you took advantage of the silly rules they had back then just like people take advantage of the rule of purposfulle jumping the cue ball of the table.
 
cincyman said:
How else would you do it??? In that case any ball that is hanging should just be considered a pocketed ball and you keep shooting. I might run a 1000 if i got credit for everyball i hang up. Dont get me wrong i love straight pool and i also love one pocket and nine ball and bank pool but the fact that you CAN stratch and use that as a strategy is what makes it a very interesting game. And most people who hate it either dont have patience or dont understand the game and complain about the rules of the game.

I am not saying that is you but that is the majority. I also am sure if you played nine ball back in the day for any amount of money, I am sure you took advantage of the silly rules they had back then just like people take advantage of the rule of purposfulle jumping the cue ball of the table.
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The way I'd do it is that if you knock my ball in, I get a point whether you scratch or not and the ball stays down. Your turn only continues if you make one of yours in your pocket and don't scratch.

I actually play the game respectably, but not very often, and agree that it's very interesting tactically.
 
sjm said:
I don't hate one pocket, but one reason I don't much enjoy watching is because of one of the standard strategies employed by top players when they secure a significant lead within a rack. They simply knock all the loose balls up to the top rail. Obviously, this is tactically sound, but the result is that is takes even more air out of a game that has a slow pace to begin with. I recall watching one of these absurdly lethargic racks between Varner and Grady in the mid-1990's. After about 45 minutes, I walked out, no longer interested in the rack, and to this day, I don't know who won that rack, and also don't care. Another thing I can't stand about one-pocket is the rule that says that you can knock a ball into my pocket, but if you scratch, I don't get a point for it. In fact, sometimes you see players jump the cue ball off the table to make sure that they scratch on such a shot, which surely qualifies as the single most ridiculous shot in pool. The idea that one should ever be able to gain by sending the cue ball off the table is off the charts silly. One pocket is an interesting game bogged down by strategies and rules that tend to slow down the pace of the game. That's what I don't like about it!
Click to expand...

I'm pretty new to one-pocket, but really like the game. I enjoy challenging better players to learn more about the game, and I believe my skills and joy about the game improve every week.

What I don't like is the pocket-the-ball-in-opponents-pocket-and-jump-off-the-table-rule. I think it's ok with a scratch, but jumping off the table is below the standard of this beautiful and strategic game...
 
Alex Kanapilly said:
The thread on 8 ball being better for TV than 9 ball got me thinking. Why do so many veteran pool players dislike one pocket? I'm not talking about beginers, I get that, the game takes some skill and experience to play. But how can someone who's been playing pool for years not appreciate the beauty of the game?

There are many good players here in Denver and I'd guess at least half of them have no interest whatsoever in one pocket, I just don't get it.
Click to expand...

don't get me wrong i like one pocket but every now and again i get tired of bunting the cue ball around. the game's kind of passive agressive for me
 
jay helfert said:
Many many top 14.1 players also excelled at One Pocket. Mizerak, Sigel, Rempe, Varner, Hopkins and on and on. They could all play this exceedingly difficult game. And play it well. Their Straight Pool skills translated well to One Pocket because of the premium on good cue ball control, and knowledge of the pack.
Click to expand...

Adding John Ervolino to this list.
 
poolplayer2093 said:
the game's kind of passive agressive for me
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That's exactly right ! When I first learned one pocket, I didn't understand at first why I hated the game even when I won. Then it dawned on me ... it is a very negative game. On most shots, you're trying to put a knife in your opponent. In all other games, you play in a positive frame of mind until you have to play a safety. In one pocket, you're mostly negative for the whole game. Once I realized this, I learned to get over it and love the game.
 
Because non of the pro female players play one pocket tournaments.

[I sound so horny sometimes]
 
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