Jay:
With the WPA rules for 10-ball, precisely how is the two-way shot eliminated? In WPA rules, if a player misses a called-shot, as long as no ball is pocketed in the attempt, the incoming player MUST accept the table as-is. It's only certain rule addendums (e.g. the Tony Robles Predator 10-ball and Seminole Tour rules) that say a missed shot -- any missed shot -- is option to the incoming player.
I don't get all these people that keep saying the two-way shot is eliminated in 10-ball. The world standardized rules certainly don't eliminate it.
And I, like others, vehemently disagree with the OP that says 10-ball should be played like 9-ball with TE rules. What's the point? Why?!? What benefit does playing 10-ball with TE rules give? A different-colored money ball (i.e. a blue stripe instead of a yellow stripe)? Or, so one can "feel more like a pro, since they are playing the pro's game," but "you'll pry my TE rules from my cold, dead fingers"?
The point of 10-ball is to address all the deficiencies of 9-ball. It is intended,
right from the outset, to be a different game.
The decision is simple:
1. If you want slop/TE, play 9-ball. TE is bolted to the hip of 9-ball, and is the accepted standard way of playing 9-ball.
-- OR --
2. If you don't want to play by slop/TE rules, you have two more choices:
2a. If you want to play 10-ball
(because, like I said, you want to play a game other than 9-ball, and don't fall into that "want to look like a pro playing the pro's game, but don't want to play by the rules" category), and at the same time, you don't want to lose the two-way shot, then play the
WPA rules for 10-ball, which state as long as a ball is not pocketed during a missed shot, the incoming player MUST accept the table as-is. Two-way shots are alive and well!
2b. If you want to play 10-ball, and eliminate as much luck as you can -- even if it sacrifices the two-way shot -- then play the
Tony Robles Predator tour 10-ball rules, which state the following:
2011 Open/Pro Rules
[...]
7. Call Shot/Safety:
Call Shot:
Players have the option of either calling their shot or calling a safety. Aside from obvious shots, the shooter must specify which ball and which pocket is being called. If a player is shooting a bank, combination or any kind of ambiguous shot, the player must call the shot.
If a player calls a shot and misses, the incoming player will have the option to shoot or make his opponent shoot again. No matter how many times a player misses a called shot, failure to pocket that ball legally or wrongfully pocketing the ball in another pocket allows the opposing player the option to shoot or make his opponent shoot again.
Call Safety:
If a player calls a safety, the incoming player does not have the option to make his opponent shoot again. The only exception is when a player calls safe and pockets a ball. If a player calls safe, legally hits the object ball and thereafter pockets any ball in their safety attempt, the opposing player has the option to shoot or make their opponent shoot again.
This is not hard, people. Instead, why are we going around trying to change someone else's game, trying to enforce "our rules" upon someone else's game? And sorry, the excuse of "no no no, 10-ball with TE rules is not 9-ball played with 10 balls; oh-my-gosh that one extra ball adds sooooo much more difficulty" is a cop-out for the "you'll pry my TE rules from my cold, dead fingers" crowd. But it's good to see that those that play 10-ball (those that have been playing it for some time at least, or are standing up 10-ball tournaments in their pool room) are playing it the correct way -- with call-shot rules. It's common knowledge now that 10-ball REALLY IS a different game, and is intended to be so.
-Sean
P.S.: Obviously, in a gambling match, anything goes -- it's up to the participants to decide ahead of time, and in a gambling match, we see *all kinds* of incredibly goofy and wacky stipulations and conditions placed upon the combatants. But they are not trying to change the rules *for all players of the game to play it this way.* Big difference.
P.P.S.: If you really, really want to remove any sort of luck in the game, then play Bank pool. As we know, banks must go in the precise way they are called, cannot carom off of another ball (must go in CLEAN), and kicks/combos are not allowed. Bank pool is probably the most pristine example of luck-free pool there is.
