Shot clocks for one pocket?

[southavenrecreationcenter]

My thoughts. Our local events are muddied up by slow play, me included. To rectify this l'm looking for shot clocks that would be positioned at the upstream end of the table and would be reset to 60 seconds ONLY BY YOUR OPPONENT. Your opponent would have to respectfully remove himself from the playing area before your turn would start. A phone app would work. Do any of y'all use one, if so, help please.

[southavenrecreationcenter]

Countdown

This app cost $1.99 and counts down from 60 sec to zero with horn. It can be paused or reset quickly and easily to 60 seconds and must be manually restarted. Seems perfect

[jtompilot]

Shot clock wouldn't bother me

[LSJohn]

My thoughts. Our local events are muddied up by slow play, me included. To rectify this l'm looking for shot clocks that would be positioned at the upstream end of the table and would be reset to 60 seconds ONLY BY YOUR OPPONENT. Your opponent would have to respectfully remove himself from the playing area before your turn would start. A phone app would work. Do any of y'all use one, if so, help please.

I like it.

I have the patience of Job's gerbil.

[southavenrecreationcenter]

Penalty

What is accu-stats rule for exceeding the 60 seconds. Is it loss of shot ...loss of shot and a ball, and what happens if your opponent shots after the clock has expired? Thanks

[vapros]

Shot clock is needed sometimes, but I think it should give a final warning when it's down to the last 5 or 10 seconds.

[petie]

I don't know what Accu-Stats rule is but we had a fairly long discussion of shot clocks some while back. From that discussion, I and some others liked the idea of a cumulative clock like a chess clock. That way one could take time on certain shots but still stay within the allotted time for the match. Rigid time limits produce a very different quality of the game.

[cincy_kid]

I usually play pretty fast so I would be all for a shot clock in any game

Maybe allow 1 or 2 30 second extensions per game too for those who do need more time to think about their shot.

[NH Steve]

I played a guy two games last night who took at least a full minute every shot (except for when he was running balls), and mostly took between 2 and 4 minutes per safety. I know that for a fact because after a little while when I realized what he was doing, I used my cell phone to time him. I won't be playing him again unless there is a shot clock, lol. A minute should be enough most of the time (some exceptions, granted).

[povpool]

I feel that, one of the beautiful factors of one-pocket is that you can take your time to find the right shot. At Hard Times Billiards tournaments, we use the 'Grady Rule' to speed up the game (No more than 4 balls allowed in the kitchen • Balls Spotted). Then again, you'll have those that argue a Grady Rule could change the game another way.

[Jeff sparks]

I played a guy two games last night who took at least a full minute every shot (except for when he was running balls), and mostly took between 2 and 4 minutes per safety. I know that for a fact because after a little while when I realized what he was doing, I used my cell phone to time him. I won't be playing him again unless there is a shot clock, lol. A minute should be enough most of the time (some exceptions, granted).

When I first started watching one pocket matches I commented in another thread about how long it took Alex Pagulayan to shoot, getting down, getting up, getting down, getting up, going around and around the table looking at every conceivable angle and taking an inordinate amount of time with each and every shot... It drove me nuts.... I wanted a shot clock!!!

Seems several people in that particular thread thought that was his prerogative and that he was well within his rights to take as long as he wanted considering there were no rules governing TIME... I thought it was a ploy, a shark if you will, but the more I watched, the more I understood about the intricacies of shot selection and how each and every shot usually can and sometimes definitely will determine the outcome of the game...

With this in mind, I have altered my thinking somewhat regarding time taken in a particular inning... I would still advocate the use of a shot clock in a tournament format, with 60 seconds being the standard, plus two 60 second extensions anytime during the game. Exceeding all extensions would be a foul and forfeit of the present innings shot selection, you'd spot a ball ( or owe one ) plus lose your turn if you haven't pulled the trigger yet. This seems enough time to accurately survey the entire table and decide upon a shot.

When two deliberate players meet, especially two very knowledgeable players, it can be painful to the average pedestrian to watch. However for the players involved, it's not at all, it's a battle, it's Mano a Mano, it's wits against wits, skill against skill and for them it's exciting.

It's not the casual fan who enjoys a pitchers duel in baseball or a low scoring defensive battle in football, however the purists do...

So, should we abandon all past tradition in order to speed up the game and please ( broaden ) the fan base, or retain status quo and let match ups decide how fast a tournament will be completed?

[Mkbtank]

Shot clocks for one pocket?

What is accu-stats rule for exceeding the 60 seconds. Is it loss of shot ...loss of shot and a ball, and what happens if your opponent shots after the clock has expired? Thanks

I believe: It's 45 seconds. If you exceed the first time, you get an automatic extension (another 45). If you exceed a second time, it is a foul. You spot a ball and your opponent shoots from where the cue lies. Incidentally, this came up a week or so ago when Efren and SVB were playing. Shane forgot that he had already used his extension, and the resulting foul and position pretty much cost him the game. (I do agree there should be a warning at 10 seconds ((not that it would have helped in Shane's case)))

[LSJohn]

So, should we abandon all past tradition

This is rant material, but I'm going to try to restrain myself.

I know I should quit smoking, but I wouldn't want to abandon a 50-year tradition.

Slow play has retarded the growth of the game.

We love one pocket because it rewards skill, knowledge, planning and perceptive analysis. I like the idea of offering more reward for accomplishing planning and analysis more quickly than an opponent.

It's only personal -- your mileage may vary -- but I dislike rather than admire gamesmanship. I think the outcome should be determined by performance on the battlefield, not inside an opponent's head. Slow play often verges on gamesmanship, and in high profile matches detracts from the enjoyment of observers, without whom the contenders would frequently be playing for only half as much cash.

I'd love to see a match between Alex and JJ with a 30-second shot clock. I wonder if you can guess who I'd bet on

[petie]

Say you allow 45 seconds per shot and get one extension per game and the tournament director allows 2 hours between the start of sessions. I think it would make more sense to give each player a 1 hour limit for the session. When he tapped out, he would forfeit. He could take as much time as he wanted but all his time, including potty breaks, would come out of his hour. That way he could take extra time when and where he wanted to. Nobody sharking him with warnings etc.

[LSJohn]

I think it would make more sense to give each player a 1 hour limit for the session.

That would work great if it didn't take a time clock manager for every table. Fine for events like MIH, but no good for ordinary tournament formats or for action games. Could be done with opponent responsible for managing a player's clock, but I don't want to spend half my match time doing that on every opponent's shot.)