2 to back of rack? Should be always at tournament rules IMO.
For a while in some tournaments, the position of the 2 was specified by the rules. I guess the thought was that if you couldn't specify all of the locations just the 2 would be easy.Why? The back ball will kick up table anyway most of the time. What does the 2 in the back really do?
But technically pattern racking is illegal. It has become the most common game-losing violation that is ignored.
And the solution is so simple:
Breaker racks the balls in any pattern he wants. Opponent has the option to require the breaker to exchange the position any two balls (except the one and nine, of course).
After the position exchange the breaker racks the balls tight and breaks. Optional: No touching the balls after you've lifted the triangle.
This solution is based on the theory that you can destroy any pattern by exchanging the position of just two balls. Try it; you'll see that it works.
No software, no sheets with pre-determined racks, no nothing -- just ten seconds to exchange the position of two balls.
What are some of the most common 9-ball racking patterns when you're racking your own? What do you prefer?
I can see selecting something on the wings of the 9 ball rack but ultimately it doesn't matter because the rest of the rack is all over the place.