The 100 ball challenge

July 2004 - Introduction

Pool is a game where it is very difficult to quantify ability. Golfers have their handicap, basketball players have free-throw percentage, baseball, football (American), and bowling all have stats that can accurately portray a person's skill level.

In the middle of 2004, I discovered Straight Pool. This game was the championship format for many decades before being taken over by modern-day 9-ball. This game lends itself perfectly to solitary practice, and for recording ability and improvement.

In Straight Pool, the 'glamour' is high-runs. How many consecutive balls can you make before you miss? All Straight Pool players are justifiably proud of their 'high run', and exceeding it proves that you have taken an extra step forward in terms of ability.

The goal of many top amateur players is to run 100 straight balls on regulation-size 9ft table (bar tables are 6-7ft). There are estimated to be less than a thousand players in the United States who have run 100 balls.

Well, this seemed like a challenge, and an excellent way to monitor improvement. So, I set this site up to record my scores, and to see if I can really get that high. I know that it will take years, and maybe I'll never have the desire, practice time or skill to do it. But if I can, it will show that an average player can reach the elevated ranks of master player.

50+ runs : 3 (most recent May 21st, 2006)

40-50 runs : 16 (most recent Feb 18th, 2007)

Current Straight Pool High run : 55

Recent Updates

Tournament Results

Rankings

If my high runs start going up, I also expect my rankings to improve also. When I started this in July 2004, my Tri-State level was B, my Amsterdam 9-ball League rating was B, and my Straight Pool rating was 220. I am a lifetime APA7 (8-ball)

• Tri-State ranking : B+
• Amsterdam Billiards 9-ball League: B+
• Straight Pool ranking: 340

Records

• Consecutive 8-ball racks ran : 3
• Consecutive 9-ball racks ran : 3

Next event :

I was practicing Straight Pool during matches at the Comet Billiards Tri-State this weekend. I'd run about 25 when a guy comes over and asks for a game race to 75. No problem I said.

I lose the toss so I break. He makes a long pot and runs 38. I run 8, he runs 23. After I run 2 and miss, he runs the final 14 to win 75-10 in about 20 mins. The guy had PERFECT position and made it look so easy. Chatting to him afterwards, he said he had run over 100 just the once a few years ago (112). I told him I was nearing 50, and asked him how long it would take to get to 100. He said "If you can run 50, you can run 100, it's just practice". I asked him how long it took him. He said "It took me two years from running 50 to running 100". I asked how often he played, and he said "Well I worked in a pool hall and played EVERY DAY".

Basically unless you quit your job, leave your wife and have no social life, forget about ever running 100.

50balls.com to come.

June 2005 Update

I've done no practice since I got back from Vegas at the end of April, but interestingly my play seems to be improving.

July 2005 Update

I've played no Straight Pool, or done any practice sessions on my own for three months. My 9-ball is definitely stronger, and I am beating "A" players on a good day. I think B+ is just round the corner.

August 2005 Update

Got a new cue on Friday, and took it down to the Pool Hall to play. Played Straight Pool for the first time in months. Ran 28 off the bat in a social game, then another 28 off the bat warming up for a tournament the following day (which I won). Either I have definitely improved, or the new cue is magic.

I tried a game called Equal Offense. Set up all 15 balls, and break off. Spot any balls you make. Then take ball in hand behind the line. Keep running balls until you miss. That is one inning. If you run 14 balls, then you've got to make the last one and break up the pack like in Straight Pool. Maximum score is 20. Set up the balls and start again. Do this for 10 innings.

My scores were 14,13,15,20,15,5,11,7,10,10 = 120

September 2005 Update (1)

My improvement continued in an Open Event which included a 9-3 win over one pro and a narrow 8-9 loss to another. I have also won 18 straight League matches. Something is going on. I can't explain it.

My team won the Amsterdam Billiards BCA 9-ball League at the first attempt to get $2000, and an all-expenses paid trip to Vegas for the BCA National 8-ball championships in May 2006. GET IN THERE!

September 2005 Update (2)

Played in the US Amateur Qualifying event this weekend. Unfortunately, my play from the last three months never happened in this tournament. I didn't have the same passion and focus that I do when playing in a team (most notably the 9-ball Amsterdam League), and I know that focus is directly proportional to my quality of play. I had won the first five racks in every round up to the final before losing 5-7 in a tight match.

The Straight Pool League starts up again this week, and this will be my first Straight Pool for at least four months. The target is to break 50 before the end of the season.

Officially made it to B+.

October 2005

My 26 match League winning streak was finally snapped by a very strong D+ 9-8 (including a four game head-start)

I won the Tri-State 8-ball to get me up to B+.

Played an A+ player (Stu) on Friday night. Played OK, lost 100-97. More importantly, I learnt a whole deal about the game. These practice sessions are improving my game and knowledge exponentially.

Tried my hand at the Joss Northeast Pro/Semi-Pro Tour. Unfortunately, I drew 6-time world champion Allen Hopkins in Round 1. After winning a game in the losers bracket, I lost a tight match against the 2000 women's world champion, and WPA star Julie Kelly.

November 2005

A purple patch of 80 balls in three innings helped me finally overcome Stu 150-105 at the third attempt. Had a golden chance to break 50 but played a weak positional shot getting to ball 41.

December 2005

My first real bad play for a long time. I was off completely the first week of December consistently missing balls to left, even long straight ones which are my bread and butter shot. It cost me my Team 9-ball game, and I missed shots I never miss at the Tri-State. I even lost 50-7 at Straight Pool when I had to go to a 100!

Really struggling right now. Another big Tri-State loss and still missing balls to the left. Off on vacation, and won't be playing again till the New Year when I'll be working on drills.

Finished the year on fire losing just one rack in two big 7-0, 7-1 wins against B players.

Pool Goals for 2006 are : Qualify for US Amateur, Run 75+ balls, Get the "A" ranking.

January 2006

Lost in the first round of the Tri-State AGAIN! Despite getting three break and runs, my mistakes in the other racks were ruthlessly punished along with a 1-9 combo, and a 9-on-the-break for him. If there were more 8-ball and Straight Pool events, I'd give up 9-ball completely.

Was leading Stu 92-7 after six innings eventually winning 150-63.

February 2006

Finished with a nice 39 and out. Got the run to 41 before missing the break shot.

I had 21,25,25, Stu had 21,26, 39 in a high-quality match which I just managed to win.

Lost in the first round of the Tri-State AGAIN! This time I just played crap, no excuses. Decided to give up 9-ball Tri-State events.

March 2006

Some nice pattern play enabled me to overcome a 142-98 deficit against Stu to win 150-144 albeit with the aid of a dubious call.

April 2006

A respectable showing the 14.1 Qualifier. After losing my first match 74-125, I had two good wins against strong A players 125-54 and 125-113 (Jesse almost ran 60 and out on me, missed on 48). The highlight of the tournament was playing on the show table in front of the crowds against an Open player. I break, he makes a long shot and runs 16 and then misses. I step up and run 32, only scratching when trying to break up a cluster. I kept it even for most of the match until he ran a few 20s at the end to close it out. It's definitely giving me incentive to put aside a few hours a week to practice.

Played a respectable game against Open player Steve Lipsky losing 100-150. He had a 45 and a 54.

Had my best ever chance to run 50, but sitting on 44 against Stu (I didn't know the current run), I had three simple shots to get on a perfect break shot, but played the first ball too carelessly without thinking. But I've now made over 30 in seven of my last eight matches.

I challenged Amsterdam Billiards House Pro, and IPT star, Tony Robles to a game of 8-ball. The race was to nine.

Basically the first three failed run-outs cost me. None were easy, but I'd expect to make two of them.

Got a pasting from Stu this weekend. His old form is returning and unless I can find a new level to my game, I can't see myself winning much anymore. It's so difficult when you don't get an open table for almost an hour from a relentless barrage of 20, safe, 18, safe, 21, safe.

May 2006

A nightmare pool week! My 31-match APA winning streak was broken with two losses, I scratched on the final 8 ball at hill-hill in our Team 9-ball Quarter-Final to lose the match for the team, I went 1-2 in the Tri-State 8-ball, an event I've won two of the last three times, and my APA 8-ball team missed getting to Secaucas by one rack. Still, I saved $250 on my car insurance.

June 2006

Drove down to East Brunswick at 7am to to play in the US Amateur the morning after the Mosconi Cup on the back of no sleep. Played quite good considering. Didn't really miss anything but the tiredness and jet lag feelings caused 'lazy' mental mistakes. I was up 25-16 when he missed a break shot and blasted the pack open. This was my chance to run 25 or 30 and kill the game off but I jarred a 6-ball going for a needlessly heroic shot. That was the turning point as he won 75-62. Talking to him afterwards, he said he plays 8-10hrs a day, and run 107 last week so I didn't feel that bad losing. This game really is about practice and table time nothing more. If I played ten hours a day for three months, I reckon I'd be running 70s.

Also in East Brunswick and I saw Thorsten Hohmann ran 174 and out in the World Straight Pool championship. But I came away remembering more about Jasmin Ouschan. This 20-year-old had stunning good looks to match her sublime play. A real star in the making.

Got back into playing Straight Pool with Stu. Took advantage of an off-color day, and some bad luck, for him to get the win although my Straight Pool pattern play was definitely rusty at the beginning. I still can't believe I haven't got 50 this year.

After I smash a break shot, and do not have a single shot on an open table, Stu runs a 60, the highest run in our matches so far. The following week he breaks the half century again.

July 2006

Won my 10th tournament in the last two years this past weekend. Apart from one on bar tables, the nine tournaments I've won on regulation tables have ALL been 8-ball. Maybe I should enter an IPT qualifier afterall!

On a similar note, had my 10th 40+ Straight Pool run in the last two years on Friday against Stu. This one was completely flawless before I missed a straight shot trying to cheat the pocket. My Straight Pool is definitely getting better. The Tri-State event in three weeks will be a good test to chart progress.

August 2006

Unfortunately, my dismal recent form in Team 9-ball was all too evident in the Straight Pool tournament. On the positive side, I take away that my knowledge of the game was the only thing that got me 3rd place in this tournament, and with all matches a race to 100, I overcome a 79-49 deficit in one match, and a 60-12 deficit in another. On the flip side, my potting is the worst it has been for a long time, and I just can't figure out where I am going wrong.

It's taken 18 months to get to 50, now I've done it twice in a week. This time on the show table at Amsterdam running 51 against Steve.

My team won Team 9-ball at Amsterdam Billiards for the second time! $2000 in prize money, and airfare to Las Vegas for the BCA National Championship. GET IN THERE!

Seems like the long break from handicapped Tri-State 9-ball events did me good as I played some good stuff to finally win a 9-ball tournament, my least favorite game.

A truly dreadful performance at the US Amateur as I went 2-2. I didn't take the event seriously and the blame is mine.

October 2006

Won my second successive Tri-State event by claiming the B/B+ 14.1 bracket, and going into first place in the B+ points standings. It also completed a 'Grand Slam' of Tri-State events in all three games, 8-ball, 9-ball and 14.1 More importantly, I've finally figured out what I've been doing wrong technically the last few months, and my game is definitely starting the climb back to where it was this time last year.

November 2006

Hardly played at all in November. Work too busy. Finished the month playing my best 9-ball match for six months.

December 2006

My game is definitely getting stronger. Once I get warmed up, I'm not missing a single ball. Running 25s is easy. Won five consecutive Straight Pool matches without coming close to losing.

January 2007

Another year .... maybe I'll actually improve in 2007!

Achieved back to back 40+ runs. A good start to the year.

February

Three more 40+ runs this week alone, but even with four runs over 20 including a 41, I still couldn't beat Stu!