Which is version of ten ball is preferred?

Archer and crew a few years ago wanted to push the call shot call safe rules as they favor the better player even further... Accu-Stats did one event that way and the viewership was dismal... We got tons of emails about it being a total snoozefest. If you want pool to grow you cannot play 10ball aside from using the 9ball rules.. People who call 10ball played that way as slop pool have never played it at the pro level.. The number of balls slopped in during a match hovers near zero but when it happens then fans usually go nuts.........
 
I know this thread is a few months old now, but just wanted to update you guys that I tried doing a texas express 10 ball league where the ten is the only ball called and breakers break from the box. surprisingly enough, it's a hit. I'm going to be trying to do another season of it.
 
My favorite version of 10 ball is called shot, but not called safe. So if you miss the player can't pass the shot back unless you make a ball.

In either called shot or a miss, if the player makes a ball in the wrong pocket, then the incoming player can make him shoot again. This prevents things like calling a pocket then just shooting a ball in another to get an easy safe.

I like the ability to go for a hard shot with a built in safe vs having to sit there for a minute deciding if you can pocket that kick or hard shot vs calling a safe in case you miss. Most of us are not pro level players with super accurate kicks when we know if we can make a ball or not. If I am kicking at a 50/50 shot, I don't like at all having to toss a coin and call it one way or the other. I just want to call the shot, if I make it, I make it, if I miss, it's a miss and other player can go from where ball lands.

All we do with strict called save rules is just transferring the luck to the other player. Now instead of a player getting a good roll for making a hit and getting safe, you are giving the other player the roll if the player makes a hit but happens to pocket the ball. That is still "luck" really, but going the other way.
 
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I hope they'd get the racking rules settled. What bothers me the most are the rules/regulations on 10-ball and racking keep on changing in every tournament. Very confusing. I just hope we could find one set of rules and stick to them at least for a couple of years.
 
mjantti said:
I hope they'd get the racking rules settled. What bothers me the most are the rules/regulations on 10-ball and racking keep on changing in every tournament. Very confusing. I just hope we could find one set of rules and stick to them at least for a couple of years.
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Did you run across any different rules for 10 ball aside from having the 2 and 3 on the corners? I have not seen a 10 ball event with different racking rules for 10 ball than that. Maybe that 3 point rule, which I don't think is any good myself.

10 ball is good with 1 on the spot, 2/3 on corners and just break without enforcing the 3 point rule, but no soft or safe breaks.

For soft breaks, to me it's like that old quote about porn, it may be hard to explain but you'll know it when you see it.
 
The best 10-ball event in recent memory was the Bigfoot Challenge at Derby City this past January, in which most of the truly elite participated. The event was played Texas Express, not call shot, and it worked in a big way.
 
sjm said:
The best 10-ball event in recent memory was the Bigfoot Challenge at Derby City this past January, in which most of the truly elite participated. The event was played Texas Express, not call shot, and it worked in a big way.
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I heard nothing but good things about that event. It really makes you wonder why no one has tried a ten foot table 10 ball tournament. But the logistics of moving around equipment that big is probably the reason why no one bothers.
 
Anyone ever notice that some pool players use “SLOP” as a weasel word....
...they’re implying that this is a given, unarguable, and agree with me or you’re a goof.

How do you think the word “SLOP’ would be received at a snooker or 3-cushion tournament....where top players have the option of allowing for multiple outcomes?
...wouldn’t be too welcome at a one pocket game either....I think it would get a good laugh if
Ronnie the Rocket, Dick Jaspers, or Alex, Efren, or Dennis were told they were just
trying to get lucky.
Maybe you guys actually believe that Efren line...do you think he wouldn’t win as much
if he had to curtail playing some of his genius shots?
 
hang-the-9 said:
Did you run across any different rules for 10 ball aside from having the 2 and 3 on the corners? I have not seen a 10 ball event with different racking rules for 10 ball than that. Maybe that 3 point rule, which I don't think is any good myself.

10 ball is good with 1 on the spot, 2/3 on corners and just break without enforcing the 3 point rule, but no soft or safe breaks.

For soft breaks, to me it's like that old quote about porn, it may be hard to explain but you'll know it when you see it.
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I was referring to different set of racking rules in general, who racks, with what template/triangle and who can check how many times. The fuss is usually in 9-ball with racking.
 
Call Shot, Call safe. 10 Ball last ball.

Such a good game played this way.... if you play it without call safe you are losing the best part of the game.

If I'm gambling on rotation, this is the rules I'll ask to play.

Takes as much luck out of the game as possible, imho.

People will argue that it takes away the "two-way" shot, but I think the added pressure of either calling a tough shot or playing safe more than makes up for that.
 
garczar said:
HUH????? How is that more exciting??? Being able to combo/carom the 10b for the win is LESS exciting than having to make the 10b last??? No way.
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Who cares about what's exciting? It isn't exciting if I break dry and hang the 10 and it is combo in first shot. What's the skill in that?
 
eastcoast_chris said:
Who cares about what's exciting? It isn't exciting if I break dry and hang the 10 and it is combo in first shot. What's the skill in that?
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Well you can look at it 2 ways. Rule sets for televised/streamed matches or your own personal.

I like call shot/safe if I’m playing someone less skilled than me...usually. 1 guy in particular bangs balls a lot and misses and with the QB flying around the table it ends up randomly safe a lot.

But if I’m watching a match I prefer the Texas express rules. All out gunning, 2 way, going for the $ ball and all that.
 
sjm said:
The best 10-ball event in recent memory was the Bigfoot Challenge at Derby City this past January, in which most of the truly elite participated. The event was played Texas Express, not call shot, and it worked in a big way.
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On a 10ft. table those rules work fine.
 
eastcoast_chris said:
Call Shot, Call safe. 10 Ball last ball.

Such a good game played this way.... if you play it without call safe you are losing the best part of the game.

If I'm gambling on rotation, this is the rules I'll ask to play.

Takes as much luck out of the game as possible, imho.

People will argue that it takes away the "two-way" shot, but I think the added pressure of either calling a tough shot or playing safe more than makes up for that.
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I don't think the called safe is best part of 10 ball, but the rack without a dead wing ball and called shot rule that prevents wins by slopping in the 9 or off the break.

Of course there is no real "correct" answer here. I just know from playing called safe rule, being punished for guessing wrong on a 50/50 kick is not something that we should have in our game. I would rather have my opponent leave me safe by accident than have a shot I played well in any other game cause me to be at a disadvantage. Not a lot of us play at Open or Pro level where we can be pretty sure where a kick would go on what tiny contact point, so for any tournament outside of a pro event, 10 balls rules that make you decide on shots like that is actually taking away from the game instead of adding a better rule. I am sure all of us here have often sat looking over a shot do decide do I call the shot or safe, or at a kick and are trying to calculate if you can miss it more or make it more often. That is not fun for anyone except your opponent who gets to give the shot back to you.

The fact that someone can't just crap in a ball and run out, or crap in the game winner on me is a strong enough change to pick 10 ball over 9. Or even play 9 ball with called shot or called 9 only, those two changes makes 9 ball better, although for the higher levels of players the rack and one less ball makes it easier than 10 ball.
 
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garczar said:
On a 10ft. table those rules work fine.
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... and they work just as well on a nine footer. It's not clear why table size is relevant here, but if anything, because there are more misses on a ten footer, a miss with a fluke safety is a greater danger on the ten footer, so call shot would make more sense on a ten footer and less on a nine footer.

For me, though, I don't want call shot in either case.
 
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My best friend slaughters me in most games on a weekly basis.
He has an uncanny knack of leaving me snookered when he misses.
And no, I,m not talking about when he plays the shot two-way.
I mean after the miss, he often has no shot on his next ball, had the shot been
successful.

When we play alternate break, call shot/call safe, last-in Ten Ball, I mostly play even or win occasionally.
He has to pay for his carelessness.

Admittedly, this might not be fun to watch, but I never considered pool a spectator sport anyway.
It should be a contest of skill.

We still play Nine Ball to warm up and loosen our stroke.
We mostly play One Pocket where almost every shot is a two-way shot. :grin-square:
 
Patrick Johnson said:
Rules. Pffftt! The fewer the better. The simpler the better.

The added rules in 10 Ball are solutions to imaginary problems.

pj <- still like 10 Ball
chgo
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I'm all for pretending it's 1960 and nobody even *plays* 10 ball. Just 9 ball, 2 fouls-bih / roll-out. And the only "Texas Express" anybody's ever heard of is an Amtrak train from Houston to El Paso.

Bet.

It.

UP.
 
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eastcoast_chris said:
In call shot/call safe, the incoming play can either take the shot or hand it back to the opponent... even if they are not hooked.
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By all means play by a "rule" where you can refuse to shoot what you were left by someone who made a legal shot and missed. Beyond dumb.


Also, hopefully the upcoming WPA World 10 Ball in Vegas learns from the recent US Open that the ridiculous misguided "3 point" rule is entirely unnecessary.
 
Michael Andros said:
I'm all for pretending it's 1960 and nobody even *plays* 10 ball. Just 9 ball, 2 fouls-bih / roll-out. And the only "Texas Express" anybody's ever heard of is an Amtrak train from Houston to El Paso.

Bet.

It.

UP.
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Michael, I played 9-ball in the Carolinas when I was a kid....the game was played like
ring game rules...no safeties.....and they would bet.
No wonder a player like Earl came from that background...you learned to make SHOTS.

When Texas Express started, I wouldn’t play them...but eventually I did...
...it’s a good way also...different skill set...but great skill involved.....
...having a snooker background helped.

If you ever see me playing call shot 9 or 10-ball though...it’ll be ‘cause I got jarred...:mad:
 
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