Will 9 ball be a dead game in 5 years?

Bob Dixon said:
No, not at all. You don't see players presenting themselves as master pool players just because they play 8-ball, 9-ball, or 10-ball and disparaging straight pool players as inexperienced and unaccomplished. That's what you see straight pool players doing. Every time the subject comes up.

And they get upset when someone tells them they aren't the masters of the world that they like to think of themselves as. They really have deluded themselves that they are some kind of pool aristocracy.
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Maybe you don't but I've seen it since I started playing in, oh, about 1961.
 
9 Ball seems to have taken a back seat to 10 ball in competitions for obvious reasons.
10 Ball would be even more interesting if they banned jump cues.
14.1 is still the most interesting game. It`s the game that not only tests your technical ability, but your mental game too.
 
I think 9 ball is actually making a resurgence!! People are watching 10 ball and realizing it is not as exciting as 9 ball. 9 ball will only be dead in 5 years, if pool is dead.

Hopefully the new break rules at the Mosconi Cup will be a step in the right direction.
(Very small break area near head spot)
 
I might be alone on my opinion here but I will share it any way. All games played are great and test skills. I love watching them all. I think if people are concerned with luck factor then the races need to be extended. Luck doesn't work over longer races. I personally favour ten ball over 9 ball. I like call shot.Slop should never reward some one in a game of skill.
 
While it's my opinion that to be considered an expert player, you must be competent at all games...it's also true that becoming competent at straight pool will improve your skills at all other games. Even the pros know that, and say so themselves.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

Bob Dixon said:
14.1, especially, is glorified by people who play it simply because that is what they play. I think it's funny how they always seem to be trying to convince everyone that playing 14.1 makes them the best players in the world.
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I think nineball should go to a loser break format...

Jude Rosenstock said:
I think it's not unfathomable that pool's most popular game will shift in the coming years. I think 5 years is a little too short. 9-ball is so popular at the amateur level (both gambling & organized play) that the shift will seem far more obvious than 10-ball's movement shows.

The fundamental problem here is a bit more complex than just 9-ball's break or rules or anything. The problem is, pool is played one rack at a time by the masses. It begins with the break and ends when the 8, 9, 10, last ball (depending on the game) drops. Because of this, because we're confined to this single rack, there is always going to be an upper-echelon of players capable of winning the game in a single turn. We can do things to accommodate for this but the counter-result will have games taking an inordinate amount of time to complete. People like the break-and-runs on every level. The question is, how to maintain fairness in the face of this.

In my opinion, the break-format is key. Pool should look to other games such as basketball, football or tennis for ideas on how to implement this. For the record, although I'm not the most active competitor, I've played in my share of "major events" and have never had my opponent completely break-and-run the entire set on me (nor have I done it myself). This includes all amateur barbox events, a couple trips to Turning Stone, the World Summit of Pool & a plethora of Joss events. Not one time. With that said, I think if we put our minds to it, we can come-up with a break structure that would be easy to follow and arguably fair. Discussing the prospect of changing games, especially in a non-organic manner is fruitless. It's just not gonna happen. If it does happen, it'll be an unstoppable freight train where everyone hops on board because it's more fun.
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You see winner breaks...

You see alternate break....

You never see LOSER breaks...

I think loser breaks would be ideal. It's not like with alternating break where you can scratch on your break and then be down 3-0 with the necessity to hope that your opponent then screws up to get back in it.

Every time you win a game, the opponent has a chance to come back. If they come back and play good, then you have a chance again yourself.

It will never happen because it eliminates packages completely, but I think it is the ultimate test of skill, especially in short races.

Jaden
 
Bob Dixon said:
Originally Posted by Bob Dixon View Post
You've got the concept wrong. The rack isn't smacked in 14.1 because it's ANY ball, ANY pocket for your opponent if you miss.

Call pocket doesn't really mean a lot when you're shooting into a pocket that's usually less than 3 feet away.

It's also a lot easier to play position when it's position on ANY ball and those balls are usually no more than 3 feet away from the current OB.

Straight pool is highly overrated. There's a huge psychological overhang for some older pool players who were infected by Willie Mosconi's self-serving pitch. He was just as much the self-promoter that he accused Minnesota Fats of being.



And, how often do you beat the ghost in a 10-ball race to 11?

You're welcome to speak to the point made if you'd like to rather than play the "mine is bigger than yours" dodge.
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Bob, The person who wrote this post sounds a lot like the straight pool players you describe that look down their nose at your favorite games.
 
Bob Dixon said:
10-ball and 1-Pocket came in 1st and 2nd in the recent poll here. I like both. So it isn't about fast or slow. It's about different skill sets.

14.1? 9-ball? Forget it. They don't measure up to either of the above.

14.1, especially, is glorified by people who play it simply because that is what they play. I think it's funny how they always seem to be trying to convince everyone that playing 14.1 makes them the best players in the world.
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Funny, I find myself thinking the same thing about One Pocket.
 
Straightpool_99 said:
I recently had a discussion about the future of 9 ball as a competitive game. My argument was that since the break in 9 ball has been figured out to such a degree that even moving the 9 ball to the spot does not stop the soft break, and the huge luck factor involved in the game as a whole, the game has no future as a competitive sport. I believe that in 5 years it will be replaced by 10 ball almost completely as far as major tournaments go. My friend disagreed. He pointed out that because of the history and the gambling factor, there will always be an interest in major tournaments of 9 ball.

What do you guys think?[/QUOTE I was there in Millwaukee when Earl walked out in the middle of the final match with Cory Deuel. This was the first time the soft break was introduced. That day 9 ball starting going down because the soft break made a great game like 9 ball into an average game. Since that day 9 ball has never been the same. 10 ball and other games will fall by the wayside too. The soft break,rack your own, magic rack has to go or the break needs to be adjusted. I got the perfect solution. You will see it at the Mosconi Cup. Earl did a moral thing that day in Milwaukee. Great job Earl. Thanks, JA
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What is indisputable is that the pros, by failing to support the two best ten ball events in America this past year, the Ultimate 10-ball and the US Open 10-ball, have caused us to take a step in the direction of ensuring that 9-ball remains American pro pool's game. On the world stage, similarly, there was a World 9-ball championship this year but not a World 10-ball Championship.

With the Ultimate 10-ball and the US Open 10-ball gone, in 2014, it looks like the Derby City 9-ball and the US Open 9-ball will be the two most prestigious titles available on American soil.

Is 9-ball gradually disappearing? Doesn't look like it to me, not in America and not internationally.
 
from my recollection, you wanted to shoot those hard shots and put the pressure on

jascorpion said:
[
What do you guys think?[/QUOTE I was there in Milwaukee when Earl walked out in the middle of the final match with Cory Deuel. This was the first time the soft break was introduced. That day 9 ball starting going down because the soft break made a great game like 9 ball into an average game. Since that day 9 ball has never been the same. 10 ball and other games will fall by the wayside too. The soft break,rack your own, magic rack has to go or the break needs to be adjusted. I got the perfect solution. You will see it at the Mosconi Cup. Earl did a moral thing that day in Milwaukee. Great job Earl. Thanks, JA
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I agree, the break and rack have really made a negative impact on 9 Ball. Racking the 9 on the spot and breaking hard from the "break box" is one of the answers.

Of course I believe 'Two Shot Shoot Out' or the PCA RULES (call shot, player option, two way shots allowed etc) are also important to bring back and take out as much of the luck factor and bring back the importance of shooting off the end rail and making tough, "two way shots".

Johnny, you remember the days of the "SHOOT OUT".......how often did you say "Shoot Again" ? Probably not many from my recollection, you wanted to shoot those hard shots and put pressure on "your man".....not just "duck" and hope they miss the "kick shot".

No matter what, things MUST CHANGE.....to keep doing the same thing that's been happening in 9 Ball is a HUGE mistake....."Doing the same thing over and over expecting different results is a form of insanity"....the game is out teacher.

Good Luck in Vegas JA, we'll all be rooting you guys on, "Eye of the Tiger"!!!

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Bob Dixon said:
You want me to comment further about this?:
Originally Posted by Bob Dixon
"All of the pool games can improve your skill at other pool games"


It doesn't require any further comment. If you disagree with it explain why.
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8 ball helps you play 8 ball and pretty much nothing else. 9 ball will help with rotation games and pretty much nothing else. In what way do these two games help each other or any other game you can name, guess, or invent?
Please explain the above comment and why I shouldn't disagreed with it.
 
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