Originally posted by mochironSnooker is a lot harder for the beginner to pick up IMO. Smaller pockets and a bigger table make for a lot of missed shots, and near the end of the game when there's a smaller choice of balls you can go for it gets frustrating and boring trying to finish a game.
They are different games. So Is Russian pool and billiards. American footbal and Football and Rugby and Aussie Rules Footy are all played on similiar fields....but different games........
I don't agree though that snooker players can play pool better than pool players - Ronnie O, Steve Davis, Tony Drago and Jimmy White all have had serious attempts at major pool tournies and have come nowhere as far as I know. They spend their lives practicing a different game though so I'm not surprised.
I'm a hopeless potter in snooker but am good defensively so come out okay in the end.. for the same reason can't play singles in pool but make a fair partner in doubles.. Fav game is Billiards on the big table. Hopeless at it but fantastic to watch the greats... stood table side to watch Ray Reardon play Bernard Bennett once in the 70's.. brilliant .. saw the wad of notes they exchanged after Bernard Beat him too... woo hoo.
Originally posted by uzlessI think it's called pocket billiards, and straight pool is one of the games played, as is eight ball, nine ball, etc.
Straight Pool is the correct term as far as I know.
In straight pool, you must call each shot (ball and pocket). The idea is to make your shot and at the same time control the cue ball position so you can keep your run going. When you are down to the last ball, the rest are racked up and hopefully you can then make your last ball, break up the new rack and continue on from there. A good player can run through several racks without missing a shot.
....but I could be wrong.
are we talking about 9 or 8 ball pool?
i play all 3 quite often (more snooker though) and i find that snooker is harder than 8 ball and 8 ball is harder than 9 ball but that doesn't mean they have different skill levels. IMO a few snooker players have started to play pool because its easier to pick up and is a lot of fun for someone who is used to playing the long snooker matches. but they rarely win the tournament, win a few matches but that would be expected from some of the best quests in the world. IMO pool players don't play snooker because its harder to learn the game, you can take your knowledge of snooker into pool but you need to learn more about the tactical side of snooker before you can play at the top level. if francisco bustamante and the like grew up in countries where snooker was more popular than pool i'm sure they'd be winning tournaments as professional snooker players not professional pool players.
so in term of still i don't think theres much different its just that they have different skills from playing their perspective games.
(plus theres more money in 9 ball pool than 8 ball and snooker put together, 8 ball pool players play 8 ball because they aren't good enough at 9 ball or snooker, the money sucks in 8 ball. why would 9 ball players want to play anything else?)
edit: end of argument, end of thread - *move along people nothing to see here*
edit 2: *tumbleweeds*
Originally posted by mwmillerI grew up thinking that pocket billiards was a euphemism for another of life's idle pleasures that more often than not was also blamed as the root cause of blindness and of fostering a rise in the delinquency of the young among other things.
I think it's called pocket billiards,
....but I could be wrong.
Originally posted by kmax87Yes, I believe that is called "pocket pool".
I grew up thinking that pocket billiards was a euphemism for another of life's idle pleasures that more often than not was also blamed as the root cause of blindness and of fostering a rise in the delinquency of the young among other things.
Seriously though, I have never heart of "American Pool", which was why I made the previous post and mentioned "Pocket Billiards".
I knew the "pocket pool" post would be along, but just didn't know how long it would take or where it would come from.😉
Originally posted by trevor33Anyone familiar with pool would surely agree that Francisco Bustamante would be hopeless at snooker because of his atrocious cue action! You can get away with it in 9 ball pool because the pockets are 2 balls wide and the table is so much smaller!! Snooker players have tried pool with limited success. From watching it I believe this is partly due to the great importance of the breakoff shot, which requires a technique they are not familiar with. Their lack of 'skill' in this area puts them at a great disadvantage. However I still contend that snooker players have a far better chance of winning at pool than pool players do at snooker.
are we talking about 9 or 8 ball pool?
i play all 3 quite often (more snooker though) and i find that snooker is harder than 8 ball and 8 ball is harder than 9 ball but that doesn't mean they have different skill levels. IMO a few snooker players have started to play pool because its easier to pick up and is a lot of fun for someone who is used to playi argument, end of thread - *move along people nothing to see here*
edit 2: *tumbleweeds*
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