Where do you rate 8 ball with all the other pool games?

hlymnstr14 said:
and i've seen many a big table 9 ball players get their rear ends handed to them playing 8 ball on the barbox. not because it was easier for the "lesser" player, but because they weren't any good at it. navigating that barbox and running out consistenly on it playing 8 ball is high level play.

i'd much rather play a big table 9 ball player 8 ball on the barbox than the 68 yr old guy i've known my whole pool life. he gets out or he buries your ass. the 9 ball guy gets out or he leaves you a wide open rack. he's smarter than they are and he has sharpened his BB 8 ball skills to the point, i'd put him up against anyone at that game.

the point is, they are different games with different mindsets. to me, 9 ball on the big table is the easiest game there is. no balls to get in your way and a GPS to guide you from ball to ball. BB 8 ball, you have to know how to read the map. big table 9 ballers usually hold the map upside down.
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I think bar-table players have lost the edge they had over 9-foot players.
It wasn't the smaller playing surface for many...it was the CUE-BALL.
Now that Diamond can give you a 7-footer with a red-circle cue-ball,
those tables don't bother me at all.
It was magnetic, over-size, or mud cue-balls that bothered 9-foot players.
 
hlymnstr14 said:
navigating that barbox and running out consistenly on it playing 8 ball is high level play.
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this is correct. playing bar box 8 ball at a very high level can be one of the most demanding exercises in pool. i've had the pleasure of playing some of the best bar box 8 ball players in the country and the level of strategy required to pick off the odd rack against your break can rival that of any other game out there. that being said i still prefer one pocket or 9/10 ball on the 9 footer.
 
pt109 said:
I think bar-table players have lost the edge they had over 9-foot players.
It wasn't the smaller playing surface for many...it was the CUE-BALL.
Now that Diamond can give you a 7-footer with a red-circle cue-ball,
those tables don't bother me at all.
It was magnetic, over-size, or mud cue-balls that bothered 9-foot players.
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I agree, PT! To those who like the game so much, there have been several polls on AZ and 8 ball usually comes up the least liked game.
 
eddie0776 said:
I play 8 ball because that is the league we have, but it is at the bottom of the list for me. There is some pattern play to it, but also too many safety nets. If you get out of line on your next shot, there is generally another one of your balls that you can shoot instead. I call it the equalizer for the lower players to be able to compete with the better players.
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+1

Exactly... Makes people believe they have cue ball control when in fact they play poor position on half their shots and bail out with a pattern change

Try "2 ahead" 8 ball or any rotation game to get a read on your cue ball control
 
In order of efectiveness to be a better player.

1. 14.1
2. Nine ball ??? Becaause i don't like one pocket ,,too slow.
3. One pocket
4. 8 ball.
 
highkarate said:
this is correct. playing bar box 8 ball at a very high level can be one of the most demanding exercises in pool. i've had the pleasure of playing some of the best bar box 8 ball players in the country and the level of strategy required to pick off the odd rack against your break can rival that of any other game out there. that being said i still prefer one pocket or 9/10 ball on the 9 footer.
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Hey HighKarate,
Is that a custom cue you are using? Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Many Regards,
Lock N Load.
 
Just food for thought. If it is so easy to run tables in 8ball, then why do high level players generally put together more packs in 9ball? Because of the break it is generally easier for high level players to run racks in 9ball compared to 8ball.
 
Below 14.1 and One Pocket, but above 9/10 Ball.

Since becoming serious about pool as a kid, I graduated from 8 Ball to Straight Pool, so always looked back on a 8 Ball as kind of a beginners game. But having joined an 8 Ball league a couple of years ago, starting to play it again, and learning some of the many nuances and strategies (still learning), I definitely rank it above the two main rotation based games.
 
Me too!

Ratta said:
I really like 8-ball.
Also because you need to play good patterns,and overall knowledge helps you a lot in 8ball-
you furthermore have a big advantage if you re a good 14.1 player.
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I've loved 8-ball since 1955, partly I'm sure, because I had the most $$ success with it. But if there were no other games, I'd have quit many years ago. I love the other games too, if not quite as much.
 
AlexandruM said:
I love 8 Ball, but if I play with somebody for the money, I'll not choose this game.
Even low skilled players could run out in 8-ball, it's easy.
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Yea..... it's real easy........ everybody just runs out so it is no fun at all.................

LMFAO

Kim
 
...when and where do low skilled players run out all the time? My runout percentage is deffinately higher in the rotation games even though in 8 ball you are going to have a shot after the break more often. Every time I go to the table to break in 9 and 10 ball I'm always thinking I'm going to run the rack. 8 ball however I'm just thinking do what it takes to win the rack.

For a start, an 8 ball runout requires a lot of planning in comparison to 9 or 10 ball. Then of course you have to put the plan into action. You have to spot possible problems in either spots or stripes. I'd say the chance of an 8 ball runout by a low skilled player is very close to the chance of a low skilled player making the 9/10 on the break or leaving an easy combo after the break. If im playing the ghost to win, I'm playing 9 ball all day long.

Anyway, I'd rank all forms of pool on a par with one another.
 
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