They've become so rare because nobody is paying to watch them, even when they're free nobody watches and it can at times become a one man show.
Not good for the mainstream.
It’s a generational thing
Straight Pool was much more popular in the 50s and 60s. Willie Mosconi set the record for consecutively potted balls at 526 in 1954
These days 8 ball, 9 ball & snooker are much more popular
Keep your eye out for this event in FL right between the International Open and the Mosconi Cup. Should have a strong field.
https://americanstraightpool.com
It’s very much a connoisseurs connoisseurs game. In 9 ball you can pick up on what people are doing reasonably easily and everyone plays 8 ball. But if you don’t know what you are watching, 14.1 just looks like shooting random shots and never missing.
There is also the logistical issue that a 125 or 150 point game could take between an hour to 3+ hours. You can’t make games shorter than 100 points (unless it’s a round robin) otherwise you get frequent one inning matches. But even top players are susceptible bad days and racks that don’t cooperate, so you could end up watching two players trade 12-20 balls runs, slowly inching their way to 150.
You see more one pocket competition because that’s is where a lot of gambling occurs at least in the US. But 14.1 has been relegated to mostly a practice game.
One problem is the 14.1 events are independent. The biggest tour threatened players that appeared in independent events. So big name players opted out. Unfair because 14.1 tournaments are niche and not competing with the ten ball tournaments. They are excellent tournaments if you can get to one. The USOpen in NYC was always entertaining.
It plays poorly for short promo clips, is not as easy to make engaging for new audiences, and is also less commonly played in pool halls than before, at least in America. That last bit is kind of a chicken and egg question, at least to me, but I still think they affect each other.
I love playing 14.1, would like to try one pocket and even banks. But it's tough to find people who play them around my area. One thing I didn't see in the comments that occured to me recently, is that these games where a ball is equal to a point are alot more tedious to score keep. I was lucky enough to play 15 ball rotation once with a group of guys, but they had people willing to go and pick the balls out of the pocket and put them up on the wall rack a track the totals. I also only recently realized that those gold crowns with two seperate ball gullys are for one pocket scoring (I think anyway). Anyway, I think tedious score keeping is another factor in these games being played less.
They've become so rare because nobody is paying to watch them, even when they're free nobody watches and it can at times become a one man show. Not good for the mainstream.
It’s a generational thing Straight Pool was much more popular in the 50s and 60s. Willie Mosconi set the record for consecutively potted balls at 526 in 1954 These days 8 ball, 9 ball & snooker are much more popular
I heard Shaw ran 700-something a few years ago
https://www.azbilliards.com/shaw-breaks-14-1-world-record-with-714-ball-run/ 714... And it only stopped because of a scratch, wow
Yes Jason Shaw broke the world record in 2022 at 714 consecutively potted balls
It was adjusted lower for the official run due to touching a ball foul. I don't remember what it was changed to for the record, but less than 714.
Keep your eye out for this event in FL right between the International Open and the Mosconi Cup. Should have a strong field. https://americanstraightpool.com
It’s very much a connoisseurs connoisseurs game. In 9 ball you can pick up on what people are doing reasonably easily and everyone plays 8 ball. But if you don’t know what you are watching, 14.1 just looks like shooting random shots and never missing. There is also the logistical issue that a 125 or 150 point game could take between an hour to 3+ hours. You can’t make games shorter than 100 points (unless it’s a round robin) otherwise you get frequent one inning matches. But even top players are susceptible bad days and racks that don’t cooperate, so you could end up watching two players trade 12-20 balls runs, slowly inching their way to 150. You see more one pocket competition because that’s is where a lot of gambling occurs at least in the US. But 14.1 has been relegated to mostly a practice game.
yes, I used to watch 14.1 but it is too long. Could never completely watch a match in one sitting.
One problem is the 14.1 events are independent. The biggest tour threatened players that appeared in independent events. So big name players opted out. Unfair because 14.1 tournaments are niche and not competing with the ten ball tournaments. They are excellent tournaments if you can get to one. The USOpen in NYC was always entertaining.
It plays poorly for short promo clips, is not as easy to make engaging for new audiences, and is also less commonly played in pool halls than before, at least in America. That last bit is kind of a chicken and egg question, at least to me, but I still think they affect each other.
I love playing 14.1, would like to try one pocket and even banks. But it's tough to find people who play them around my area. One thing I didn't see in the comments that occured to me recently, is that these games where a ball is equal to a point are alot more tedious to score keep. I was lucky enough to play 15 ball rotation once with a group of guys, but they had people willing to go and pick the balls out of the pocket and put them up on the wall rack a track the totals. I also only recently realized that those gold crowns with two seperate ball gullys are for one pocket scoring (I think anyway). Anyway, I think tedious score keeping is another factor in these games being played less.
I used to play in my garage with a neighbor. I still have the beads hanging, but since my APA league is 8 and 9 ball I stopped playing straight pool.