BreakandRun one pocket

I know that most of the people on this site think that one pocket is just fine the way it is. I think so also.

For the average player that goes to tournaments it can be confusing and boring to watch. Tournament matches seem to go on forever.

After a lot of thought I have come up with a format that I think everyone would watch and enjoy.

I call it BreakandRun. The rules are simple. You chose a pocket. You break the rack any way you want and after the break continue to shoot until you fail to make a ball in your chosen pocket. After you run 8 you then began to receive bonus points. For all 15 balls you would get extra bonus points or perhaps an extra inning.

When you miss it is your opponents turn at the table.

Each time you come to the table you must take the opposite pocket from your previous game.

You each get "X" number of innings. Total score wins. Ties would be sudden death one rack apiece.

I know it is not one pocket as we know it but if the game is to continue to grow in popularity and attract younger players perhaps a new approach is needed.

I am prepared to put up prize money at the Derby to see if the event would attract some interest.

I would be interested in everyones' feedback.

I also have a similar BreakandRun for 9 and 10 ball. No safety play. Only shooting.

Bill S.

Bill:

This sounds real familiar to the game "One Pocket Points" as illustrated in Ted Brown's wagon wheel system book:

In 1957, a player by the name of Virgil Fillmore from Los Angeles once showed me a game called "One-Pocket-Points" which utterly fascinated me. You break a fifteen ball rack any way you like and after the break you must immediately start pocketing balls in a pre-chosen corner pocket. As soon as you miss, you count each pocketed ball and re-rack the balls. Players commonly shoot five racks and total the points. Each pocketed ball counts as one point. Should you pocket all fifteen in the correct pocket, you get a new, free break without penalty, and the first ball after the break in the second rack is number sixteen, so you could conceivably run any number of balls in one inning.

I think something like this would make a cool mini-tournament -- kind of like the home run derby or slam dunk contest at an all star game.

BreakandRun one pocket

Sounds cool to me. I'd be happy to try it. Probably a great practice exercise for 1p runout patterns.

They kind of already do that with the one pocket ball contest.

43 or 44 for 3 racks won it I believe. So darn near 15 each time in one hole

bill
i agree it would be great to watch
for the shooters to show off their running ball skills
BUT
one pocket is about analyzing positions and using your banking / reading clusters/ shot making skills ...etc
what i am trying to say is
ONE POCKET IS MORE THAN MAKING 8 IN YOUR HOLE....
of course you cant win if you cant make a ball
and i agree if the offensive prowess of your opponent is way ahead of yours your mistakes will cost you games
BUT
i admire the player that STEALS a game
based on
SAVVY
jmho
icbw

u12armresl said:

They kind of already do that with the one pocket ball contest.

43 or 44 for 3 racks won it I believe. So darn near 15 each time in one hole

Click to expand...

How did they fit 15 balls into one pocket?

But I practice one pocket in 4 different ways.

1) I break, then shoot to see how many shots it takes to get out of the break. Then rerack, break and repeat the 'get out of the break'

2) I practice banks religiously

3) I spread all 15 balls out (no clusters), take ball in hand and try to run as many as I can into one pocket.

4) I play one pocket against myself, but the main focus is on moving and safeties.

I not trying to change any of the pool games just trying to make them more attractive to more people.

For most spectators safety play is boring. Most people want to watch players run balls. Even in Snooker, while spectators appreciate good safety play, it is the high runs that they respond to the most.

In BreakandRun 9 or 10 ball there is no safety play. Players are running out all the time. Matches could be fit into a predictable amount of time. Tournaments would not finish at 3:00AM.

I am not claiming to have invented a new game. Only the bonus point idea is new. Pitting player against player instead of having them play solo will also create more excitement.

Bill S.

bstroud said:

I not trying to change any of the pool games just trying to make them more attractive to more people.

For most spectators safety play is boring. Most people want to watch players run balls. Even in Snooker, while spectators appreciate good safety play, it is the high runs that they respond to the most.

In BreakandRun 9 or 10 ball there is no safety play. Players are running out all the time. Matches could be fit into a predictable amount of time. Tournaments would not finish at 3:00AM.

I am not claiming to have invented a new game. Only the bonus point idea is new. Pitting player against player instead of having them play solo will also create more excitement.

Bill S.

Click to expand...

Bill, one pocket the way it is is the most intriguing game played on a pool table. I myself don't believe the game needs to be revised..tweaked..or fooled with in any way, it's absolutely fine just as it is. If people/players want to see balls run then they should watch more straight pool or even 9ball, however, I applaud you for wanting to promote pool and make it more exciting for the people who watch it. :focus

It ain't broke..and don't need no fixin. :sorry

Bill Incardona

A big question if this format were to be used.... what happens if the guy scratches on the opening break? That is a big one. The way many matches would be won or lost, is a guy getting frozen to a ball after a break (without a shot), so guys would want to scratch on purpose, unless that means you would lose your inning?

I applaud all thoughts on attempting to make 1hole entertaining to a wider audience. I have said this before, but I truly believe the answer lies with the players. Snooker is the best example, no doubt. Snooker can obviously be extremely slow, but if you watch almost any match in the big televised tournaments, the players simply don't let the matches slow down. They shoot very fast, they don't let the games get bogged down (reracks are common), and the score moves forward (points are never deducted). There are no written rules for the players to behave in this way, it is just kind of what is expected of them, and they (probably) realize they have nothing without the fans, and they simply don't seem to mind it. I have seen guys be in extremely tough spots, where they obviously would like a little more time, and they shoot under a minute and a half. And, who is to say they don't play better with this pace also?

I think an entertaining way to see some good offensive one pocket, would be to play it as normal, but play the race to balls, not games. Say a race to 50 balls. Then, don't stop the players when they get 8, let them keep that inning going. After a player scores 8 in any game, when he misses, that game is over. You could even let them play to the last ball in the rack and be able to bust open the next rack, straight pool style, to continue their runs, if you wanted to get really frisky. I realize the number of times a player breaks could get outta whack like this, but it may at least have to be brought on by some great offense by the opponent.

There are a lot of things we could toy with to make the game more entertaining. I think we all just have to keep and open mind, which, to be frank, we do not.