Speeding Up The Game

[Smorgass Bored]

I remember the One Pocket Tour (4 stops) played in Florida and Nick Varner winning all four events with his 'up table,wedge' style of play. It took hours to play and sounded the death knell for the One Pocket Tour.
Then, I remember Grady holding his tournament last Sept. (I 'think') in the Carolinas and implementing his new one pocket rules. I believe that he intended to use the rules that anytime 8 balls were past the side pocket, that they would all spot up (but, they had to be the last 8 balls on the table). Also, anytime 5 balls were behind the line (in the kitchen), that thay would ALL spot up (if they were the last 5 balls on the table)...
I never heard or read whether or not Grady actually DID use these rules and how the players felt about them. Maybe Grady of someone that attended his tournament might comment on this.
I held a one day one pocket tournament for 'B' & 'C' players at Planet 9-Ball and it was well received. I intended to have (and, actually had it scheduled) a one day Open one pocket tournament with the rules that ANYTIME during the game that five balls were across the line or 'in the kitchen'(they didn't have to be the last five balls on the table), that they would spot up immediately ( a variation of Grady's rules intended to complete the tournament in one day). Everyone at Planet 9-Ball played & practiced this format in preperation for the upcoming tournament and seemed to like it. But, I got ill and the tournament was postponed. I hope to give it another try when I am fully recovered.
If you get the opportunity, try playing a few games where you spot up the five (or more) balls the minute they are behind/across the headstring and let me/us know how you liked the game (by posting in this Forum)...

[onepocket]

Another idea might be, anytime there are two or more balls behind the head string, if either player pockets any ball that is already behind the head string into either of the corner pockets at the head of the table, without causing any ball to leave the kitchen, then both the ball made, and a second ball -- the lowest numbered remaining ball behind the head string -- would also be spotted. It would be alot harder to force an uptable game if two balls came on the spot everytime you pocketed one!

[twiztid_cue]

Very good ideas but I know when i watch 1 pocket at my pool hall i work at most of the guys will leave 7-10 balls up there. Hell i have seen 13 balls at one point up there. this will benifit a shooter and not a defensive player. I love the game of 1Hole but i don't play it that much cause i play in 2 9 ball tournaments every week so i need to pratice and play 9 ball but a good game of 1Hole is always accepted. :D

[jungledude]

:p Doug, Hope you're feeling okay, what did you have done ? Some good tournaments coming up this summer on the Gulf Coast, hope to see you there. :D

[One Pocket Ghost]

I Played in Gradys tournament last September with the 'speed up' rules, and call me a traditionalist, but I am totally against it - and the players that i talked to at the tournament didn't like it either....One Pocket AIN'T BROKE AND DON'T NEED TO BE FIXED - The game is perfect the way it is. Games don't slow down terribly unless you play against one of the mega-safe players like Varner or Hopkins, etc. ( of which there aren't very many of these days anyway - all of the young modern players like to fire at their hole ).......One Pocket games, like the earth, wind, tides, and a pretty girls walk, move along at a pace and rhythm, that's just as fine as could be. Ghost

[ajrack]

I once watched Grady play Artie B. / they were playing for 1000 / at the end of one hour the ball count was 3-2 / at the end of 1 hr 45min ..it was 5-4 / I had to leave to play my own game ...not sure who won the match!
Not good for a tourney but good to watch.
No one likes to lose...no matter how long it takes...

[Smorgass Bored]

I once watched Grady play Artie B. / they were playing for 1000 / at the end of one hour the ball count was 3-2 / at the end of 1 hr 45min ..it was 5-4 / I had to leave to play my own game ...not sure who won the match!
Not good for a tourney but good to watch.
No one likes to lose...no matter how long it takes...

Please everyone, don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to change one pocket as we know it. Some places (and players) don't have the luxury of staying open as long as needed or devoting 2-3 days for a tournament. At Planet 9-Ball in Tampa, you must have everyone out and be closed by 3:00 a.m.
In order to have a weekly or monthly tournament, I had the players meeting at 11:00 a.m. (they opened an hour earlier than usual at 10:00 a.m.) and the tournament starts at noon. It MUST be completed before 3:00 a.m...
In order to finish in the alloted time, I needed to speed up play. Actually, the spotting up of five or more balls behind the headstring rarely came up and when it DID come up, it was by a person using the uptable wedge style of play and bringing the tournament to a halt. I still prefer the 'original' rules of play when gambling and I'm undecided about tournaments that have 3-4 days to complete....
If Grady plans to stick with his modified rules, I'll have to show up to sweat the action and see these rules in actual use... imo
Yeehaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa !

[richard]

First time user, have played pool many years, but just in the last few years have i gotten involved with one pocket. Seems like i've heard one pocket described or compared to chess somewhere or another, and in chess the players are under time constraints, my thought, why not leave the game as is, but put the players under some type of time limit.

[yobagua]

OK I will concede. In a tournament maybe up till the last 8 we can get some kind of rules to speed up the game. But not the quarter/semi/and finals. One Pocket should be in its purest form. Its a test not only of skill but of stamina. Dont let it die like the way of the 150/250 point straight pool matches which is sorely missed.

Everybody wants everything in 3 minutes. As a waitress told me once "This aint McDonalds". She was right. Whatever happened to the slow roasting side of meat on a spit. The best way to eat.

[Smorgass Bored]

OK I will concede. In a tournament maybe up till the last 8 we can get some kind of rules to speed up the game. But not the quarter/semi/and finals. One Pocket should be in its purest form. Its a test not only of skill but of stamina. Dont let it die like the way of the 150/250 point straight pool matches which is sorely missed.

I agree that One pocket in it's purest form is 'best', but I also like the idea of having one day tournaments. Putting players on a match time limit is not the answer,either. A player that is ahead simply begins to stall and slow play until the time runs out and assures themselves a win.
At Corner Pocket in Kenner, La. they had a weekly one pocket league. It was handicapped and if you won two weeks in a row, you moved UP a level. If you lost two weeks in a row, you moved DOWN a level. Each player in the league played every other player in the league and then they had a playoff between the top four for the Finals and awarded the cash. I believe that it was $10 per man per week and paid four places, with 1st receiving about $500 (though my memory may be faulty). I tried to start a 'league' like that at Planet 9-Ball, but was unable to get enough players to commit to showing up every week to play. There were too many conflicts of interest....

[Cowboy Dennis]

The first mention of this "speed-up" game on this site.

[KindlyOleUncleDave]

If one wishes to see one pocket become what pocket billiard games did under the auspicies of ESPN (may they @&# in ^%** ) [ 7 ball, shot clocks, races to 9 rather than 11, races to 7 rather than 9, and then the commercial breaks so that one sees PERHAPS 50% of the executed shots pocketing balls and 10 % of the safety moves ..... but you ain't missed nothing].

With all due respect to Mr. Mathews and others, I have to oppose the thought.

[Greyghost]

I like playing the game just fine like it is.....speed up the game WTF? If you want to do that then lets just limit soccor and hockey games to sudden death shootouts...oh and just get rid of nascar (hell no im not a fan) and just stick with drag racing.....speed up one pocket thats the most ridiculous crap i ever heard....what are we hoping for that they watch it on TV LMFAO

[Tramp Steamer]

I like playing the game just fine like it is.....speed up the game WTF? If you want to do that then lets just limit soccor and hockey games to sudden death shootouts...oh and just get rid of nascar (hell no im not a fan) and just stick with drag racing.....speed up one pocket thats the most ridiculous crap i ever heard....what are we hoping for that they watch it on TV LMFAO

I'm going with Greyghost on this one. And I'm not a fan of Nascar either.

[gulfportdoc]

There is a good use for "speed up" rules if exceedingly slow play arises at tournaments. Why? Because it's possible to have a whole field waiting for a painfully long match to be concluded. Otherwise, 1P is not meant to be played in a rushed fashion-- just like there is no time limit in baseball.

Doc

[beatle]

you always need far stricter rules for tournaments. as if you play within the rules in a tourny their is nothing wrong with whatever you do.

in side action you will just make your fish quit if you slow the game. at least i will everytime.

[fred bentivegna]

You can't talk about slow unless you include Chicago's Paul Jones. I started a tournament 1pkt match with him in Kalamazoo, MI at midnight. At 4:30 in the morning they pulled us up and closed the joint. We resumed the next day, with the balls in the same place, at noon. At 2PM I finally won it 4 games to 2 in six and a half hours.

At one of Fred Whalen's tournaments in LA I played the legendarily slow, Frank McGowan, 4 out of 7 1pkt. Let it be known that I ain't no speed ball either, I just don't like it when the other guy is slow. I won 4 games to 2. The match took 4 hrs, even tho I ran 2 eight and outs.

Beard

At Grady's 1st Legends Tourn at Baton Rouge, 4 and 6 hr matches were plentiful.

[gulfportdoc]

At the U.S. One-Pocket Championships in 2006, the races were to 5. There were a couple of matches that exceeded 6 hours.

And in the 1998 World's event finals between Buddy and Marquez, I don't know how long the Finals were, but it took 3 DVDs to record it!

Doc

[Greyghost]

My first match i ever played was at gradys event in Gulf Port.....Took me and Joe Mcnamara (spelling?) 5 1/2hrs final score 3/2 lmao. I was brand new to the game and didn't want to sell out the world, neither did he. The second game didn't last but 5min i broke and made a ball and ran 6, then banked the last ball w/sat on the shelf. I kicked it in on my next turn. So it really took us 5+ hrs for 4 games....one of the favorite 5hrs of my life lol

[jazznpool]

Freddy's Rules are a far better tournament option that a hard time limit, IMO. With a time window I've been vicitimized by uptable stalling when the other person is ahead in balls in the hill-hill game. I feel like blasting the owner and so-called tournament director who run a yearly 1P tournament but I won't.

Martin




There is a good use for "speed up" rules if exceedingly slow play arises at tournaments. Why? Because it's possible to have a whole field waiting for a painfully long match to be concluded. Otherwise, 1P is not meant to be played in a rushed fashion-- just like there is no time limit in baseball.

Doc

[fred bentivegna]

Freddy's Rules are a far better tournament option that a hard time limit, IMO. With a time window I've been vicitimized by uptable stalling when the other person is ahead in balls in the hill-hill game. I feel like blasting the owner and so-called tournament director who run a yearly 1P tournament but I won't.

Martin

I just thought of this. Rather than use my rules exclusively, save them for the situations where the match has gone into dead stop ( rather than put the players on some kind of clock). This will still maintain the integrity of the game and stop the "stallers."

Beard