10 Ball - is it played like 9 ball

[PoolFan101]

Hello ,

In the world of pool I grew up in there was only 8 ball and check being played with in the latter years you could sometimes find a game of 9 ball. I see today that 10 Ball is getting favored and I wanted to see how that is played , Is the rules similar to 9 ball like shooting in numerical order but can pocket the game ball off another or is it played like 8 ball were you have to shoot the game ball last. i have watched some old videos of Willie Mosconi playing 7 ball and that looked like it would have been fun but that must have been a 70's thing as I do not see anyone playing it anymore .

 

[straightline]

"Formal" American 10 ball has a call pocket rule but to me rules schmoolz. The Filipino action on Youtube shows mostly wild 10 ball; same as 9 ball. I think with public congress being phased out, players should loosen up and match up as fit.

 

[MattPoland]

I like the idea of 10b being different than “9b+a ball”. “9b+a ball” is interesting in that the break is more challenging and there’s another ball. But taking some luck out of the equation is interesting too in a novel way. Adding call pocket. Adding no early money ball. Adding call safe. It makes 10b a different game. Otherwise for me, I don’t think I’m learning as much subtlety by playing it as “9b+a ball”. I might as well just play 9b.


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[iusedtoberich]

Up until the past 5 years or so, 10 ball has been played exactly like 9 ball, but the 10 is the money ball. Most private games today are still this way.

However, the WPA changed the rules on the last revision, so that you have to call every shot, and the 10 has to be made last. This means the 2 way shots are gone. It also means early combo's/caroms are gone (10 is respotted), and luck is gone. So, in international official WPA competition, it is played with the new rules. But most players don't really like those rules, and elect to play it by 9 ball rules (everything wild, early 10 ok, 2 way shots ok), when playing local tournaments and private games.

 

[brigeton]

I like the new rules.

 

[Scratch85]

I like the idea of 10b being different than “9b+a ball”. “9b+a ball” is interesting in that the break is more challenging and there’s another ball. But taking some luck out of the equation is interesting too in a novel way. Adding call pocket. Adding no early money ball. Adding call safe. It makes 10b a different game. Otherwise for me, I don’t think I’m learning as much subtlety by playing it as “9b+a ball”. I might as well just play 9b.


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I am in agreement. However, I’ve never seen it played “call safe”. I’m not against playing “call safe” but I rarely see “call safe” in anything other than straight pool. And I rarely see straight pool being played anymore.

We play it “call shot” (ball & pocket) no early 10ball and a push-out allowed on the first shot following the break.


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[justnum]

Up until the past 5 years or so, 10 ball has been played exactly like 9 ball, but the 10 is the money ball. Most private games today are still this way.

However, the WPA changed the rules on the last revision, so that you have to call every shot, and the 10 has to be made last. This means the 2 way shots are gone. It also means early combo's/caroms are gone (10 is respotted), and luck is gone. So, in international official WPA competition, it is played with the new rules. But most players don't really like those rules, and elect to play it by 9 ball rules (everything wild, early 10 ok, 2 way shots ok), when playing local tournaments and private games.

In tournament competition the revisions make playing matches longer.
Playing in order one at a time and required to make balls in order is straight pool.

Straight pool matches can be way too long and mentally tiring.

For tournament play a match should take reasonably 45 to 75 minutes.

With the current games and rules, young players have the advantage because they can stay up all night at a tournament have a ten minute nap and start the morning session.

Older players play all night then fall asleep they miss their morning match.

If tournaments enforce more distancing then better scheduling and time limits of match should be thought about.

 

[MattPoland]

I am in agreement. However, I’ve never seen it played “call safe”. I’m not against playing “call safe” but I rarely see “call safe” in anything other than straight pool. And I rarely see straight pool being played anymore.

We play it “call shot” (ball & pocket) no early 10ball and a push-out allowed on the first shot following the break.


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I think “call safe” is definitely less prevalent. There’s been a few tournaments that used it. I think Tony Robles has been a notable proponent. It has some interesting elements to it. The pressure on a kick to call safe vs. going for a pocket weighs into the psychology of approaching the table. And there’s funny moments of missing a shot, leaving a duck and asking if they’ll pass it back.


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[sjm]

Up until the past 5 years or so, 10 ball has been played exactly like 9 ball, but the 10 is the money ball. Most private games today are still this way.

However, the WPA changed the rules on the last revision, so that you have to call every shot, and the 10 has to be made last. This means the 2 way shots are gone. It also means early combo's/caroms are gone (10 is respotted), and luck is gone. So, in international official WPA competition, it is played with the new rules. But most players don't really like those rules, and elect to play it by 9 ball rules (everything wild, early 10 ok, 2 way shots ok), when playing local tournaments and private games.

Thankfully, call safe, which by eliminating the two way shot dumbs down the game beyond repair, is very rarely used these days. As a rule, I won't even attend an event if the call safe rule is in use.

I've watched 10-ball played Texas Express (as it is at the Bigfoot 10-ball at Derby City) and enjoy it more than any other form of 10-ball, but I can accept call shot. Ten ball last (where the ten ball spots on an early combo or carom), to me, is unnecessary. Ten on the break not counting, to me, is like taking the home run out of baseball. The fans love it when the money ball goes in on the break.

Present WPA rules require the use of call shot, ten ball last, and ten doesn't count on the break, but the call safe rule does not apply. The WPA has succeeded in making ten ball almost unrecognizable to the casual fan. The good news, from my vantage point, is that in doing so, the WPA has virtually ensured that 10-ball will not replace 9-ball as the primary tournament discipline any time soon.

 

[Scratch85]

I’m a big fan of “call safe” but only in the right game at the right time. Definitely not for league or tournaments.


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[white1]

Ten ball why?

I get it the the best players got too good to play 9 ball. But, for the rest of us whether beginners or great, most folks don’t run racks of 9 ball.
So why bother with 10 ball.
Play something you have a chance to run out on at least 3 times out of 10.

 

[ShootingArts]

Called Two Way Shot?

I hate slop. I also hate taking the two way shot out of the game. Maybe we need to be able to call the two way shot like we could in my local eight ball gambling matches long ago.

Bar room rules were strange. Often you could make the eight ball at the same time as your last object ball, ... if you called it. Other places you had to call it and the eight ball had to fall after the last object ball. Safety shots were heavily frowned on and might earn an ass kicking. "Accidental safeties" were popular and saved my bacon sometimes.

I kinda like ten as nine ball with an extra ball, like it better with the slop taken out. I guess when I am king of the world I'll make up my own set of rules to go with the other forty-seven sets!

Hu

 

[Cornerman]

Hello ,

In the world of pool I grew up in there was only 8 ball and check being played with in the latter years you could sometimes find a game of 9 ball. I see today that 10 Ball is getting favored and I wanted to see how that is played , Is the rules similar to 9 ball like shooting in numerical order but can pocket the game ball off another or is it played like 8 ball were you have to shoot the game ball last. i have watched some old videos of Willie Mosconi playing 7 ball and that looked like it would have been fun but that must have been a 70's thing as I do not see anyone playing it anymore .

When 10-ball started out several decades ago, it was played the same way as 9-ball. The professional tour, for whatever it was, has one or two pro 10-ball events.

About 15 years ago, the WPA added 10-ball to their ruleset (10-ball has been in the BCA rulebooks since the 80’s), but the WPA modified the rules to ensure that 10-ball rules were unique. So they changed 10-ball to a call shot (ball and pocket) game.

Some of us still prefer old school 10-ball rules.

 

[Bavafongoul]

Sounds like a lot of players prefer 10 ball like it’s played in a cash ring game.
I think it’s harder played like straight pool & sans any early 10 ball pocketing.

There’s strategy, defense & increased opportunity for difficult table run outs.
I want the game difficult because running the table becomes more challenging.

When you play it the other way, it becomes like 9 ball which just has way too much
opportunity to win a game or match on pure slop which is infuriating to better players.

Wanna gamble, bet on your own skills and abilities instead of random luck when you don’t
have any shot and just scatter balls praying something drops allowing you to keep playing.

If you wanna rely on luck, play Texas Holdem or buy Super Lotto tickets but I believe in pool,
minimizing the opportunity for slop or a lucky win is a better because I want to prevail on skills.
not a early 9 or 10 ball accidentally dropping early for a lucky win or worse, a loss. It’s my abilities
that I’m counting on, not pure happenstance. It’s why I practice so I can remain a strong competitor.

Like it is with everything in life, to each their own but when it comes to pool, the harder the challenge,
the more I enjoy it because it allows you to distinguish yourself from other players with lesser abilities.

When you put in the effort to improve and become a better player, you want opportunities to demonstrate
that you’ve mastered the game to some degree. How much depends on how many tables you can run out
after your opponent misses. That’s why eliminating luck is important & straight pool remains the best test.

 

[Patrick Johnson]

...you have to call every shot, and the 10 has to be made last. This means the 2 way shots are gone.

As other here have said, I think it's the "call safe" rule that eliminates 2-way shots - where if you miss your called pocket your opponent can make you shoot again.

pj
chgo

 

[iusedtoberich]

As other here have said, I think it's the "call safe" rule that eliminates 2-way shots - where if you miss your called pocket your opponent can make you shoot again.

pj
chgo

Yeah, maybe. To be honest, I lost track of the rules and what the latest were, and the difference between called shot, and called safe. Just an example IMO that they made the rules too convoluted. I'm a superfan you could say (as are many of us on this site), and I don't even understand the rules fully.

 

[fastone371]

Sounds like a lot of players prefer 10 ball like it’s played in a cash ring game.
I think it’s harder played like straight pool & sans any early 10 ball pocketing.

There’s strategy, defense & increased opportunity for difficult table run outs.
I want the game difficult because running the table becomes more challenging.

When you play it the other way, it becomes like 9 ball which just has way too much
opportunity to win a game or match on pure slop which is infuriating to better players.

Wanna gamble, bet on your own skills and abilities instead of random luck when you don’t
have any shot and just scatter balls praying something drops allowing you to keep playing.

If you wanna rely on luck, play Texas Holdem or buy Super Lotto tickets but I believe in pool,
minimizing the opportunity for slop or a lucky win is a better because I want to prevail on skills.
not a early 9 or 10 ball accidentally dropping early for a lucky win or worse, a loss. It’s my abilities
that I’m counting on, not pure happenstance. It’s why I practice so I can remain a strong competitor.

Like it is with everything in life, to each their own but when it comes to pool, the harder the challenge,
the more I enjoy it because it allows you to distinguish yourself from other players with lesser abilities.

When you put in the effort to improve and become a better player, you want opportunities to demonstrate
that you’ve mastered the game to some degree. How much depends on how many tables you can run out
after your opponent misses. That’s why eliminating luck is important & straight pool remains the best test.

tap tap tap, well said.

I think 10 ball played exactly like 9 ball with one extra ball is silly, lets invent more games, why not some 11 ball or 12 ball then? I prefer 10 ball being call shot but not call safety, most of us are not pros and call safety can be slow for the pros. Im OK with early combos on the 10 to speed the game up but definitely not slop. I usually avoid 9 ball tournaments because you get too many people that will just hit the shot hard and pray that something somewhere drops, thats not how pool should be played.

In tournament competition the revisions make playing matches longer.
Playing in order one at a time and required to make balls in order is straight pool.

Straight pool matches can be way too long and mentally tiring.

.

Last time I played straight pool or seen it played we could make the balls in any order we chose, it is not required to shoot them in numerical order. 15 balls in rotation is called (or it was attempted to be called) American Rotation, you shoot the full rack no slop in numerical rotation. I believe it is very popular in the Philippines but I dont know for sure as I have never been.

 

[Patrick Johnson]

...they made the rules too convoluted.

I'm with you - with rules, less is more. I like 9-ball for that reason.

pj <- pool anarchist (antichrist? can never remember which...)
chgo

 

[sjm]

Sounds like a lot of players prefer 10 ball like it’s played in a cash ring game.
I think it’s harder played like straight pool & sans any early 10 ball pocketing.

There’s strategy, defense & increased opportunity for difficult table run outs.
I want the game difficult because running the table becomes more challenging.

When you play it the other way, it becomes like 9 ball which just has way too much
opportunity to win a game or match on pure slop which is infuriating to better players.

How often I read this theoretical argument against nine ball!

The truth is, however, that it doesn't stand up to inspection. As a forty four year veteran of the tournament scene, I can attest that at pro level, very few nine ball matches are decided by luck. There are also extremely few nines on the break (under 3% according to a chat I once had with Pat Fleming), too.

Nine ball does have a little more luck than ten ball, but it's not as if one game is a game of luck and one is a game of skill. The better man wins almost all the time regardless of the game, and the exact same people who win nine ball events win the handful of ten ball events.

No doubt, at lower levels of play, where players ride the nine and slam balls around hoping something will drop, there is more luck, but as several posters on this forum have pointed out over the years, those who play this way are the ones you should most want to gamble with. The problem is, however, that nine ball is plenty hard enough at all but the highest levels of play.

To the casual fan, ten ball played with call shot, no ten on the break and ten ball last might as well be bonus ball. It will never catch on because it is not the game the amateurs know or understand. By continuing to massage the rules of ten ball, the WPA has further disenfranchised the casual onlooker, and there's good reason why ten ball has never replaced nine ball, despite the fact that it has been predicted by many for over twenty years.

That said, ten ball has its place, but chiefly in the world of action pool. Those in action may choose the game and the rules, and that's as it should be. In contrast, those who care if the mainstream fans of pool will enjoy watching need to stick to nine ball, the game the world knows in America, Europe and Asia.

I like ten ball, especially at Derby City on the ten footer, but it's the fringe game, not the main game in our sport. Nine ball has always been good enough to separate the best from the rest.

 

[jimmyco]

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