Do you get offended when someone asks to play rack your own....

rayshooter22

rayshooter22

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
It's been my experience in the local weekly tournaments and especially against lower level players, that some people take offense to being asked to play rack your own, be it 8 or 9 ball.

I suspect it may be due to just not being familiar with the practice as it may not be implemented in most league play. But I wanted to get input from the az player pool. What are your feelings to being asked to rack your own and whether or not you've experience similar responses from players in your area.
 
rayshooter22 said:
It's been my experience in the local weekly tournaments and especially against lower level players, that some people take offense to being asked to play rack your own, be it 8 or 9 ball.

I suspect it may be due to just not being familiar with the practice as it may not be implemented in most league play. But I wanted to get input from the az player pool. What are your feelings to being asked to rack your own and whether or not you've experience similar responses from players in your area.
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Generally speaking if a person checks their own rack to see that the balls are racked tightly and correctly (not crooked) they will seldom be asked to rack their own.

Unfortunately, many people do not pay much attention to the slight gaps (1/32" or even 1/128") between the object balls. Also, if a rack is even slightly tilted to one side or the other, it can have grave consequences for the breaker.

The better players have learned how to rack the balls tightly and pay close attention to these very slight gaps and remove them before they break.

If someone asks me to play rack your own, I almost want to give them a high-five. :grin:
 
Me, too

Me, too, JoeyA. I know I rack my racks tight and straight. My vote goes to rack your own every time. I also know a trick or two about ball placement within the rack.
 
No blame game

Rack your own is the only way to go. The last 9 ball touney I was in was rack your own. And the first 2 rack I broke were like they were glued together. I couldn't believe it. If someone else had racked them I would have thought they gave me a slug rack.
 
I like Loser rack. I can always check the rack. Most players I play know how to give good racks.

Rack your own does have some pluses in matching up or tournament play. You can give yourself a tight rack all the time. Your opponent can still inspect and ask for a rerack.

One of my favorite shots at the table is when my opponent asks for a rerack and I tell them if they want it reracked they may do it. And, then I make the 9 on the break.

All to often I see old players checking racks as if they could see the gaps. Most of these old coots... need glasses to read and expect me to believe they can see GAPS. What a crock. Bums all of them. It's all a move that was taught to them when they were young to get a small advantage of getting into (sharking) their opponents head.

Offended? never.
 
I doubt I'd be offended, unless it was determined that someone was rigging the rack and taking advantage of everyone.

I doubt that any of the regulars that I play with would do such a thing (let alone know how :p ) so to answer the question, no, I wouldn't be offended.
 
Wouldn't be offended at all, but I agree with Neil that something like the Magic rack is probably the best way to go for the exact reason he mentioned. All I know for sure is anything beats having a person who is trying to beat you rack the balls the standard way.
 
I like to play rack your own. I make a portable rack called the "True Rack" and feel I get a better rack when I rack my own, I pay close attention to the straightness and gaps and also the rack location relative to the spot. I will offer to let my opponent use my rack if they want when we play rack your own. Alot of players do not pay close attention to the rack and others try to work the rack to their advantage.

I came up with the idea for the portable quality rack after a league match, we had dirty balls and a real bad flimsy rack with no good corners. The guy hit the rack and barely got a ball to the rail. He did not have much of a break but he thought the issue was the rack I gave him. He was adamant that I gave him a bad rack which I did not do, why give a back rack when playing 8 ball with a guy who is not a major runout threat anyway. Anyway while driving to work the next day I was thinking of the issue and wished I had a better rack. I came up with the idea of a folding rack that was portable.

Usually when I play in tournament I ask my opponent if they want to rack their own, I will ask to take the bottom 2 corners out of play for the nine on the break. I believe the better players can rack better and worse as needed, the response I get in most tourney situations is usually yes but the ones who say no are frequently people who want to influence the game with the rack. Almost all good players can make a decent looking rack that reacts much differently than the rack they would give themselves. Good players are usually good rackers as well.
 
Loser should rack. But check it because most people will sucker rack you. I just hate racking, it takes too much time and energy to give a decent rack especially on ball return tables. If I'm playing a better play...rack your own is ok. then check it, make sure he rerack a few times if he keep getting out from the break. Trusts me....don't trust your grandmother if she is racking your break. If she cheats the spot tell her to rerack about 4 times. That'll teach her.
 
Id love it if the guy I played wth wanted to play rack your own! I wouldnt spend so much damn time racking!

Chris
 
Racking is a skill. Why would I want someone racking my balls trying to beat me. I am at a disadvantage when I rack for my opponent. It all fun and games until I break dry 2 times, give 3 great racks to my opponent and never shoot. If the player has the knowledge to wire a ball in by racking his own then more power to him.

Bottom line if you don't think this game should be rack your own then you don't know very much about racking. People will be quick to say the break is the most important shot of the game but why the hell people don't take the extra step to realize that making a ball on the break is almost entirely dependent on a quality rack is beyond me.

Most people are hesitant to play rack your own. Pretty much every match I watch them break their own dud racks.

I love the magic rack. It gives me the last two in racking. I still like to rack my own with a magic rack.
 
I like rack your own in 1 pkt. In 9 ball (yuck) I say just dump the ball tray over the table and start from there. :duck:
 
I rack balls said:
why the hell people don't take the extra step to realize that making a ball on the break is almost entirely dependent on a quality rack is beyond me.
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When I'm breaking a "quality rack," I usually get a good spread and sometimes I make a ball.

When I'm breaking a crooked rack with gaps in it, I usually get a good spread and make two to five balls in 8 or 9 ball.

I've stopped asking people to rerack. I do better with worse racks. The only difference I can see is for the highest level players, who learn how to break good racks consistently for the consistent runouts. If all I'm trying to do is make a ball and have an open table, by all means, rack me crooked and a little loose.
 
I love rack your own...just wake me up when it's my turn to play.
 
Me too

For me rack your own is always the obvious answer, at least for any frequent tournament players. For me it just eliminates much of the aggravation for your opponent when the table racks tough and you ask them to re rack over and over.

I definitely love the magic rack. I think every tournament should play with those racks, assuming the balls are all the same size there's nothing to worry about except for the rack being straight.

I'm just privy to a crowd where i'm from in the tournament scene that tend to take offense to someone asking to rack their own. Really it has nothing to do with them, it's just they haven't taken the time to really understand the importance of those small spaces in the rack and how they can become so disadvantageous for the breaker. Heck i don't even mind racking all the racks lol. Really the goal is just to get a good tight rack to have the best chance of pocketing balls on the break.

Like i said before too it may be no fault to the opponent. Simply that they may not understand how to put together a good rack especially when the table racks difficultly. I mean it can be a pain finding the sweet spot and making sure they all touch up.

Of course all the upper level players here love rack your own. I feel the same when someone asks for that i just wanna give em a High FIVE!! :D
 
Offended, absolutely not. Sat 9 ball tourney, many of the players prefer to rack their own. I usually ask, want me to rack or you?
If they want to rack, I sit down and drink my beer.
 
was just thinking the same thing
JUSTABANGER 2 said:
Rack your own is the only way to go. The last 9 ball touney I was in was rack your own. And the first 2 rack I broke were like they were glued together. I couldn't believe it. If someone else had racked them I would have thought they gave me a slug rack.
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