How do you play straight pool?
Straight pool (AKA “14.1” or “14.1 continuous”) is a pool game played with all 15 balls in which any object ball can be pocketed at any time. All balls must be called. A point is scored for each pocketed ball. When the 14th ball is pocketed, the CB and remaining OB remain in place and the other 14 balls are re-racked in the standard diamond pattern with the lead ball missing. Then the player continues shooting. The game can begin with a standard 15-ball-rack break shot with the CB in the “kitchen” (behind the head string), or with a 14-ball rack with a ball-in-hand shot at the 1-ball placed in the center of the table. Detailed official rules can be found on the WPA site.
Here’s an example from one of the best straight-pool players of all time:
The current record exhibition straight pool run to date is 669 (under all-ball fouls, 714 under CB fouls only) by Jayson Shaw in January, 2022. The previous record was 626, set by John Schmidt in 2019. It broke the long-standing record of 526 by Willie Mosconi set in 1954.
Strategy for running the table in straight pool is very similar to strategy for running the table in 8-ball.
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