Magic Rack to be used at US Open?

Cardigan Kid

Cardigan Kid

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
http://www.azbilliards.com/news/stories/11867-us-open-9-ball-more-info/

Did anyone else catch this from Barry...

"Again, thank you to the WPA for allowing me to continue having you sanction the U.S. Open as a tier 2 points event to ensure the world’s greatest players from around 20 countries. The Magic Rack must be used with the 9 ball on the spot and the 2 ball on the opposite end and the break box, the true test of pool skills. "

Last year was breaker racking with 9 on the spot.
So this makes for yet another year of new rack rules for Shane to defend his U.S. open title streak.

Also, why can't the US open use the made in America Accu Rack from Outsville? If you are going to use a template rack then use that. Made in U.S.A.!!
 
I'm new to the question of template racking. At first glance, it seems silly...slow and awkward when a ball comes to rest on it, but on second thought, maybe it's not so slow when considering how long it can take getting a solid rack with a conventional rack. Is there a consensus among players about this system?
 
fan-tum said:
I'm new to the question of template racking. At first glance, it seems silly...slow and awkward when a ball comes to rest on it, but on second thought, maybe it's not so slow when considering how long it can take getting a solid rack with a conventional rack. Is there a consensus among players about this system?
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I've read how some players like the human element to opponent racking. I believe this is why Mike Zuglan continues to go with opponent racking on the joss tour despite many racking debates and bad racks being given causing arguments, which also causes some professionals to not even bother playing.
 
I do not like the magic rack because a ball can be made on EVERY SINGLE BREAK...
 
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jgdwvu11 said:
I do not like the magic rack because a ball can be made on EVERY SINGLE BREAK...
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I SAY "DEAL WITH IT!"

If your OPPONENT can make balls on the break, then you should be able to do the same.

If your opponent runs multiple racks on you before he misses, then you need to do the same when it is your turn.

The ONLY people who ever complain about the racks are the people who can't make a ball on the break or can't run packages.

Let the packages begin!
 
jgdwvu11 said:
I do not like the magic rack because a ball can be made on EVERY SINGLE BREAK...
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While I'd rather have bamboo shoots stuck under my fingernails than play 9 ball ... I agree with you.


Everybody must think I'm kidding .... the solution is to hang one of these over the table, and fill it with balls. Three spins and let em fall on the table. :thumbup:
 
Cardigan Kid said:
http://www.azbilliards.com/news/stories/11867-us-open-9-ball-more-info/

Did anyone else catch this from Barry...

"Again, thank you to the WPA for allowing me to continue having you sanction the U.S. Open as a tier 2 points event to ensure the world’s greatest players from around 20 countries. The Magic Rack must be used with the 9 ball on the spot and the 2 ball on the opposite end and the break box, the true test of pool skills. "

Last year was breaker racking with 9 on the spot.
So this makes for yet another year of new rack rules for Shane to defend his U.S. open title streak.

Also, why can't the US open use the made in America Accu Rack from Outsville? If you are going to use a template rack then use that. Made in U.S.A.!!
Click to expand...

The U.S. Open is not the Shane Van Boening show, in spite of what some might think, and rightfully should not take his streak into consideration when deciding on the format.
 
I can promise you there will be dry breaks if they use the Accu-Rack and not the Magic Rack... You miss hit the break or over power it or under power it it the balls behave properly.....
 
leto1776 said:
The U.S. Open is not the Shane Van Boening show, in spite of what some might think, and rightfully should not take his streak into consideration when deciding on the format.
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Nobody ever said it was. The rules were changed before last years open with nine ball on the spot, and he adapted. Now it's magic rack with nine on spot and from the box. Sure he will adapt, but was there any racking rule changes between the other consecutive open winners? At the very least, it shows his dominance in the tournament as of the last three years (and being undefeated in the last two years). Maybe it kind of is the Shane van Boening show since 2012.
 
This argument about the Magic Rack seems odd to me. Let's cover the basics.

1) The proclaimed IDEAL situation when racking is that all balls touch each other.
2) If the Magic rack achieves this objective then the IDEAL has been achieved.
3) If the IDEAL has been achieved what's the problem?

People complaining about a properly formed rack amazes me. Now I don't know personally if the magic rack achieves a perfect rack but if it does isn't that what everybody claims they want.

If the 1 ball goes in the side pocket on every break then change where you rack the balls or accept that this is simply the way 9-ball is and get on with life.

I for one am sick and tired of watching a match and having five minute racking arguments happening on every rack. I LOVE TEMPLATE RACKS.
 
dnschmidt said:
This argument about the Magic Rack seems odd to me. Let's cover the basics.

1) The proclaimed IDEAL situation when racking is that all balls touch each other.
2) If the Magic rack achieves this objective then the IDEAL has been achieved.
3) If the IDEAL has been achieved what's the problem?

People complaining about a properly formed rack amazes me. Now I don't know personally if the magic rack achieves a perfect rack but if it does isn't that what everybody claims they want.

If the 1 ball goes in the side pocket on every break then change where you rack the balls or accept that this is simply the way 9-ball is and get on with life.

I for one am sick and tired of watching a match and having five minute racking arguments happening on every rack. I LOVE TEMPLATE RACKS.
Click to expand...

The material choice and the geometry of the cueouts pretty much lock the object balls into specific paths on the magic rack... tehy tried Barry's plan at Mosconi a few years ago and had to abandon it because of all the breaks that didn't meet the head string requirment becuase balls were locked into kisses regardless of the speed... Will seriously be lobbying on this one because we do not have that issue.....
 
My biggest peeve about templates in tournaments is they make it easier for the players to pattern rack because they are placing balls individually, so they grab the one they need for each spot in the rack.

On the flip side they do speed up play and eliminate at least some of the other racking issues.
 
Placing the 2-ball in the back will make it a bit more unpredictable for the pattern rackers. Sometimes the 2-ball will hit another ball and stay in the rack area, sometimes it will go up table.

However, as long as there is no break rule regarding speed, I am sure many players will figure out how to make the 1-ball in the middle - using a half-soft cut-break.
 
I've personally used the outsville rack at my dads house and I have to say it does not drop the wing ball every time if you aren't hitting the head ball correctly. After practicing with it for a about 30 minutes I was able to produce almost the exact same spread of the balls and place the one ball in the same area off the break 90% of the time. That being said it is definitely more difficult to achieve that with the outsville template than it is with the magic rack BUT the spread is consistently more open with the outsville template and therefore leads to an easier run out than with the magic rack. It is a bit of a catch 22. On one hand you have a rack that is more difficult to make a ball off the break, but not that much harder than the magic rack, and spreads the balls better and on the other hand a rack that damn near guarantees a ball on the break but tends to produce clusters unless you hit it at a very exact speed.

Which is the lesser of two evils here? I prefer the outsville rack because it does reward you for breaking with speed/power but it penalizes you for not having accuracy.
 
BlueCollarBar said:
I've personally used the outsville rack at my dads house and I have to say it does not drop the wing ball every time if you aren't hitting the head ball correctly. After practicing with it for a about 30 minutes I was able to produce almost the exact same spread of the balls and place the one ball in the same area off the break 90% of the time. That being said it is definitely more difficult to achieve that with the outsville template than it is with the magic rack BUT the spread is consistently more open with the outsville template and therefore leads to an easier run out than with the magic rack. It is a bit of a catch 22. On one hand you have a rack that is more difficult to make a ball off the break, but not that much harder than the magic rack, and spreads the balls better and on the other hand a rack that damn near guarantees a ball on the break but tends to produce clusters unless you hit it at a very exact speed.

Which is the lesser of two evils here? I prefer the outsville rack because it does reward you for breaking with speed/power but it penalizes you for not having accuracy.
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Then let the decision come down to this....

China open played on Chinese pool tables with made-in-China magic rack.....

US Open should be played on American diamond tables with made-in-USA AccuRack from Outsville.

On a side note, the material that the AccuRack is made out of is more similar to the cloth than the plastic magic rack. I've been rewatching the AccuStats 8 ball invitational tournament on DVD, and marveling at the zero clusters given by the rack and the unchanged paths of balls slow rolling over the template after the break. The Accu Rack is definitely more advanced IMO
 
Cardigan Kid said:
Then let the decision come down to this....

China open played on Chinese pool tables with made-in-China magic rack.....

US Open should be played on American diamond tables with made-in-USA AccuRack from Outsville.

On a side note, the material that the AccuRack is made out of is more similar to the cloth than the plastic magic rack. I've been rewatching the AccuStats 8 ball invitational tournament on DVD, and marveling at the zero clusters given by the rack and the unchanged paths of balls slow rolling over the template after the break. The Accu Rack is definitely more advanced IMO
Click to expand...

Although I am from the UK, IMO I agree the US Open should try to use/promote US products.
But are the Magic Rack company paying to have their product used?
Even if this is the case, I think Ousville should have been given the option to 'bid' aswell.
 
I'm someone who has played a lot of pool with both the MR and the Accu Rack SOLO. I can tell you the difference is pretty striking. Using the MR the balls are dead wired. If there is no small break box you can make the corner ball pretty much hitting it at any speed. Also with the MR the balls seem to jump out of the rack. I think it has something to do with the plastic material that the balls are sitting on and how they are sitting. Yes they are all touching, but the way they explode out of the rack seems a little artificial compared to sitting on the cloth.

The Accu Rack is different. It requires a much more precise hit at a much more precise speed to get good results. AKA the balls are not wired. It produces a good rack with all the balls frozen, and the results of that are what you'd expect. The balls react like they are sitting on normal cloth because more or less they are. I truly believe that in this case when it comes to template racks Renfro has really built a better mousetrap. If there is one minor drawback it's that it has a little more material and therefore balls are slightly more prone to be sitting on it after the break, but it's a pretty minor concern especially because you can shoot balls over it with no issues.
 
There have been so many tournaments with 9 on the spot with break box that the game won't change too much for the players.

You can still play the 1 in the side, and if they allow pattern racking and a soft break it will be the same thing as having no rules.
 
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