Which is more difficult to master?

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Chacer

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which is more difficult to master, 8 ball or 9 ball?

Im looking for opinions from people that have played both equally.
please state why you feel one is more difficult than the other, rather than just one word answer. :p I kept hearing different sides from friends that hardly play pool so i would really like to know.
 
I'll probably get royally flamed, but I'm going to say 8-ball.

9-ball requires more difficult shot-making, but it requires almost no decision-making. "which ball are you shooting at first?...well, the 1-ball of course...and which ball are you playing shape for?...the 2-ball dummy!...and so on."

In 8-ball most of the shots are easier, but the decision-making (strategy) is much more difficult.

I also like how 8-ball gets harder as the game progresses, whereas 9-ball gets easier.
 
With a good break shot, both are easy. I really don't know what is easier.

With nine ball, you really have to have a good stroke to move the cueball around for position.

With eight ball, you have choices of what to shoot and figure out the problem balls and how to get them early. With eight ball there is more luck involved because you do have to rearrange a rack when balls are in clusters.

For me, barbox nineball is really easy.

I like barbox eight ball because I like to hit them hard and get lucky.:smile:
 
I used to always say 9 ball was harder. After playing better 8 ball players 8 ball can be just as tuff. They require different strategies. A safety in 9 is to bury the low ball. 8 ball allows pocket blocking. A pain in the ass 8 ball guy could log jam the pockets. bad strategy and position play harm players of any cue game. Both allow loose control of the CB. If you are bad at making exact shape it will ruin ur 9 game whereas in 8 you can shoot a different shot but ur pattern will be screwed. Importantly as the game wears down great shape is needed in 8 ball.

In a no grey area world I will say 9 ball. I recognize the difficulty 8 can present but 9 requires more CB movement and more precision. I have ran more racks of 8 than I have in 9 and that also adds to my judgement.
 
bdorman said:
I'll probably get royally flamed, but I'm going to say 8-ball.

9-ball requires more difficult shot-making, but it requires almost no decision-making. "which ball are you shooting at first?...well, the 1-ball of course...and which ball are you playing shape for?...the 2-ball dummy!...and so on."

There's plenty of decision making in 9-ball.
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Good Question

Chacer said:
which is more difficult to master, 8 ball or 9 ball?

Im looking for opinions from people that have played both equally.
please state why you feel one is more difficult than the other, rather than just one word answer. :p I kept hearing different sides from friends that hardly play pool so i would really like to know.
Click to expand...
8 Ball. Regardless of table size.

The mathematics and multitude of opponent balls creating problems during any given game, are what will separate the two disciplines.

That said, pure rotation(1-15) would be on par of difficulty with 8 Ball due to the number of obstacles.

9 Ball allows avenues and methods to achieve contact with an object ball in the long run, than 8 Ball. This isn't measured by one or one hundred games, but thousands.

Study as much as possible, about 8 Ball on 7, 8, and 9 Ft. Tables, and you will see that % wise, it will be more difficult to run out continuous racks.

I have played a lot of Straight Pool(14.1) and have played a great deal of Big Table 8 Ball. Just my humble opinion based on my personal experiences.

Good Luck and Good Shooting.

cajunfats
 
Wow thanks for all the feedback but the answer is still vague. One can argue that 9 ball has less balls on the table while 8 ball, ball positioning can get messed up much easier. I guess at the end of the day it just all depends on the player. Up until now i thought 9 ball was harder than 8 ball by a margian but i guess not :O. I play 8 ball only btw :D
 
This ^^^^^^^^^^ Cajun's post

Although 9 ball presents good shot making.....so does 8 ball. Especially when your opponent is playing safe and leaves you that "edge" that you can barely see or the kick safe you must perform.

In 9 ball, there are general patterns that replicate over an over again.

8 ball, demands the ability to break out more clusters that form. Balls that are obstructed from the chosen pocket and demanding position play.

I say 8 ball is way harder than 9 ball to master.
 
talk about getting flamed ... it is all relative. once u think u have mastered a game then u need to start playing tuffer competition. the hard part about playing pool is not any particular game because u make balls, play safeties or not, use strategies and such, and according to your style of play u will find a game that comes easier to u. mine is one hole with 9 ball or any rotation game, and then 8 ball. but i play all the games pretty close. the hardest part of any game is waiting your turn. as u get better the guys or girls u play will be getting better and when u give up the table sometimes it could be 5-8 games before u get a makeable shot. this takes its toll on all players but some just can't get past sitting a game or 2 without a shot and when u do get a shot it's very difficult; pocketing a ball or a safety. if u make a mistake, well u will be sitting until the next game or worse. this is where u get better or u don't.

but the answer to your question is 8 ball on a bar box is the tuffest for me. it's so easy to get out of line when breaking out balls and the other pitfalls that haunt any pool player. sure it's easier to run the balls on a small table but it's also real easy to get out of line and u will find yourself ordering another beverage and watching some guy put together a six-pack on ya and there is nothing u can do but wait and hope u get another shot.

good luck.
 
Chacer said:
which is more difficult to master, 8 ball or 9 ball?

Im looking for opinions from people that have played both equally.
please state why you feel one is more difficult than the other, rather than just one word answer. :p I kept hearing different sides from friends that hardly play pool so i would really like to know.
Click to expand...

I think 9-ball is harder to master. With 8-ball, if you get out of line, sometimes there's another shot on the table you can make. With 9-ball, you must shoot the next numbered ball, and so if you get out of line, you're in trouble. :smile:
 
Well both games keep evolving so one can't really master 8ball or 9ball let me go full retard. 8ball on 6 7 8 9 and 10 footers are all different ways of playing 8ball big pockets small pockets big pockets with slow cloth fast cloth with small pockets. Slow tables with fast rails fast rails with slow cloth. Then you throw in magic rack

Now think of the Samething for 9ball it can take three life times to master 8ball and 9ball then before you know someone comes up with the idea for a 11 foot table and all the above I mention and plus more to master said games.
 
Grew up playing league 8 Ball. Then, a fellow started a Sat 9 Ball tourney at the hall every Sat. I really disliked 9 Ball but it was more that it was a strange game for me than anything.

If I wanted to play the tourney, I had to get used to it.

My preferred game is 8 Ball but still won't miss a Sat tourney if I am not working.

8 on a 7 foot is a bit harder than on a 9 obviously. A couple of feet can make a huge difference in working around the other balls than on a 7 foot. If you get out of shape in 8 Ball, generally you have something to aim at. Get out of shape in 9 Ball and it changes the game pretty quick.

I like 9 because it can require you to be much more precise.

On the other hand, I hate doing all the work and dogging the 8 and leaving my opponent the last 2 shots. Do it all the time but its ok when it comes around the other way for you tho.
 
I'm with Cajun here....8-ball is hard on the head.
I feel 8-ball is related to straight pool and 1-pocket..requires a chess mind.
...especially last-pocket 8-ball.

If you can't see the run-out pattern at 9-ball, when you get to a decent
level of expertise, of course, then you must have other problems on your mind.:rolleyes:
 
FWIW, I think B&R percentages among pros for 8-ball are significantly higher than B&R percentages for 9-ball. I do think decisions are generally tougher in 8-ball though.
 
Well here's my thoughts on the difficulty for both games:

*8 Ball:
1) The rack - it's almost strictly power break if you want good results. Much harder to pot a ball and not leave any clusters.
2) Clusters... In so many 8 ball games you get clusters.
3) Traffic. 15 balls is a lot... You're likely to encounter traffic problems, including opponent's balls that block paths to pockets.
4) Choosing a set of balls. This is a good option for the player who gets to choose. That way you can plan your whole rack forward for that set of balls and choose the better one.
5) Lots of choices. This is a good thing, as you can pot your balls in any order, however due to safety and traffic reasons, it gets progressively harder as you keep potting.
6) Progressively harder(As mentioned above under 5)).
7) Fatal misses. If you make a mistake and leave a good shot on pretty much any ball late in the game, it really may be over... Let's say the opponent has 7 balls and you miss the 8... You'll have to be really lucky not to leave a nice shot on any of those 7 balls your opponent has... This of course depends on who you are playing, but most of the times good players will run out such a table if it doesn't have bad clusters.
8) Safety. You can call a safety and pocket a ball, but still have your opponent take the next shot. You can make some really tough safeties like that, however, a lot of the times safeties can be harder to make if your opponent has a lot of balls on the table.

9 ball:
1) The rack. Don't have to shoot very hard to get a good break. Clusters are really rare and cut break FTW!
2) Clusters are rare, but there can still be problem balls of course.
3) Traffic - Not as much in 9 ball, especially if you pot a couple of balls on the break.
4) No choices which ball to strike first. This makes for challenging and more strict position play, but also some deadly safeties.
5) Gets easier as you pot more balls I think.
6) Making a mistake and leaving a good shot with a nice layout is usually fatal, especially late in the game.

So to be honest, both games have their own difficult and easy parts... but overall, 8 ball is harder to run out a lot of the times. So I'd say 8 ball.
 
Chacer said:
which is more difficult to master, 8 ball or 9 ball?

Im looking for opinions from people that have played both equally.
please state why you feel one is more difficult than the other, rather than just one word answer. :p I kept hearing different sides from friends that hardly play pool so i would really like to know.
Click to expand...

I think it depends on your skill level.

At a lower skill level, 9-ball is harder due to poor position play and 8-ball is easier due to more choices when out of position.

At a higher skill level, 9-ball becomes easier due to the fact your position play is better and you know which ball to make next. But 8-ball requires more strategy and if you are a higher skilled player, you are most likely playing another higher skilled player that can create clusters and killer safeties.

At a pro level, I think 8-ball is easier.
 
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what you mean by "master" ??

Chacer said:
which is more difficult to master, 8 ball or 9 ball?

Im looking for opinions from people that have played both equally.
please state why you feel one is more difficult than the other, rather than just one word answer. :p I kept hearing different sides from friends that hardly play pool so i would really like to know.
Click to expand...

The term "master" is ambiguous to me. Do you mean which one is difficult to learn ?? Or Which one is easier to do break n run very often ?? Or do you mean which is more easy to run out in a pack (lets say 5 in a row) ? Or do you mean which one is easier to be a Pro in ??
I think its like comparing apples n oranges. I don't think that any game is easier than other, they both need different mindset. And are you talking about 9 ball and 8 ball played on the "same size" table ?? May be I am just dumb but your question is unclear to me ..
That being said, IMO if you want to compare them I think you can say "which one would need more skills to regularly win ? ". Generally if a player have good shot making, good eye and straight stroke they are very good at 9 ball. They might not have good cue ball control but they will make the shot from anywhere in the table. On the other hand 8 ball requires a lot more than that.
 
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