Why not go back to Straight Pool?

S

smashmouth

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
For the Eight Ball naysayers,

Nine Ball couldn't sustain itself as the top game, we don't know about Eight Ball yet, we do know that men's pro pool was built on Straight Pool.

Why not try it again?

Having said that, the IPT is still in its infancy and I believe plenty can be done to curtail some of this ridiculous offence, tons of great ideas on this forum alone.
 
Because people are looking for a game that is the most marketable. That game has to recognizable and relatively fast, which leaves games like 14.1 and One Pocket out in the cold.

As much as I enjoy 14.1 it can be pretty boring for some people. Furthermore non-enthusiasts will be unsure of what is going on when they tune it in.

I think 8 ball is the right game to market pool with. As easy as it can be for the pros, I feel people would prefer watching a pool game they can relate to.
 
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The IPT was formed to get pool back into the mainstream. Switching the game to straight pool will not accomplish that goal. The average joe won't have the patience to learn all of straight pool's intricacies to appreciate it.

I still think 8ball is the best choice.
 
Cameron Smith said:
Because people are looking for a game that is the most marketable. That game has to recognizable and relatively fast, which leaves games like 14.1 and One Pocket out in the cold.

As much as I enjoy 14.1 and it can be pretty boring for some people. Furthermore non-enthusiasts will be unsure of what is going on when they tune it in.

I think 8 ball is the right game to market pool with. As easy as it can be for the pros, I feel people would prefer watching a pool game they can relate to.
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I don't like to watch chess either, tho I know which direction the pieces move I just could not appreciate what's 'really' going on.
 
8-Ball is the most TV viewer friendly among other pool format. The TV viewer can easily discern stripes from solid. Big problem with 9-ball, if the commentator doesn't make a notation where the balls are, it's hard for viewer to figure out what is going on. It pace is also acceptable, not to long to be boring.
 
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Yes, I agree that 1 pocket and 14:1 would definately prove who are the smartest thinking and best skilled players are however.

When marketing pool, as I stated before, The participants of this community are not the target audience of the IPT marketers. They know we are gonna watch, they need to attract not-so-skilled players and what they can recognize, hence... 8 Ball is the right choice.
 
A true test should be to find the best all around players. Tennis switches surfaces - IMO the IPT could improve by holding 14.1, 1 pocket and 9 ball events. It couldn't hurt a thing to try. Just a thought - 8 ball won't sell as much as 9 ball in Asia. I foresee some unavoidable changes on the horizon for this tour. If they want to expand their market, a little variety would not be a bad idea.
 
8-ball is the correct game as long as they change up the playing conditions. They need to tighten up the pockets considerably to bring in the safety play, reduce the chance of a ball being made on the break, and giving both players chances at the table.

As for those who say the players will look worse and like duffers in the local pub, highly doubtful. It is not hard to see a tight pocket when what looks like a pretty good shot not go in. The viewing public are not retarded, they can see the diffuculty in the Masters of golf and not judge the players as crappy based on the scores that are put out there during that event. Instead of the public judging the masters as a place where the players play crappy golf it is instead seen as the ultimate challange.
 
Blackjack said:
A true test should be to find the best all around players. Tennis switches surfaces - IMO the IPT could improve by holding 14.1, 1 pocket and 9 ball events. It couldn't hurt a thing to try. Just a thought - 8 ball won't sell as much as 9 ball in Asia. I foresee some unavoidable changes on the horizon for this tour. If they want to expand their market, a little variety would not be a bad idea.
Click to expand...


Let's not get the cart before the horse, the players have been pushing the cart too long. But now, a horse is helping out. Bout time.
 
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