Break in the face

[skiergd011013]

i had a teen break on me and smash the wooden rack before i even lifted it off the balls once. Other than that, I have never had someone hit the break before i had a chance to walk away from the rack. If i were racking and saw my opponent down, winding up the cue, id tell em to wait until i leave the table. I dont want to be missing any teeth.

 

[fastone371]

i had a teen break on me and smash the wooden rack before i even lifted it off the balls once. Other than that, I have never had someone hit the break before i had a chance to walk away from the rack. If i were racking and saw my opponent down, winding up the cue, id tell em to wait until i leave the table. I dont want to be missing any teeth.

We gotta hear the rest of the story, what was the teen tool's response when he discovered that he broke the rack???

 

[OldOrvis]

I know its league but I always play rack your own...and I have yet to break in my face

 

[tomatoshooter]

Why? Afraid of him cheating you, or afraid of not being able to pattern rack?

I only get slug racks when someone else racks. As far as the pattern goes, I use the WPA recommended pattern, every time. It looks like this:

o
/ o
o 8 /
/ o / o
0 / / 0 /

(for some reason the formatting shoves everything to the left, but I'm sure you can figure it out.)
or the mirror or inversion.

I get tired of watching people shuffling the balls, it's not a deck of cards. Once the 8 ball is in place, you never need to move more than 3 balls for a legal rack.

 

[Vahmurka]

Plenty of weird advice here guyzzzz Just like Mr Jewett said, don't pass the cue ball to the breaker until you are ready to leave the table. Grab it as soon as you are off to rack the balls and keep it until you are done. As simple as that.

Yes, some may wonder why they can't be waiving their stick in front of the whitey as you carefully set the balls up. Just mildly explain. That's very strange we did not develop such a habit years and years back.

 

[DeeDeeCues]

Plenty of weird advice here guyzzzz Just like Mr Jewett said, don't pass the cue ball to the breaker until you are ready to leave the table. Grab it as soon as you are off to rack the balls and keep it until you are done. As simple as that.

Yes, some may wonder why they can't be waiving their stick in front of the whitey as you carefully set the balls up. Just mildly explain. That's very strange we did not develop such a habit years and years back.

Taking the cue ball will start arguments.

 

[Vahmurka]

Taking the cue ball will start arguments.

If the player's intelligence level is low, of course it will.

(There is a series of pro events where referees would do exactly that. Passing the cue ball to the breaking player - not rolling or throwing it along the surface, but gently handing - is a sign that the rack is ready to start, and every participant is well aware of that procedure. The racking player could very well perform as such a referee. For his/her own safety, in regard with the topic)

 

[buckshotshoey]

I only get slug racks when someone else racks. As far as the pattern goes, I use the WPA recommended pattern, every time. It looks like this:

o
/ o
o 8 /
/ o / o
0 / / 0 /

(for some reason the formatting shoves everything to the left, but I'm sure you can figure it out.)
or the mirror or inversion.

I get tired of watching people shuffling the balls, it's not a deck of cards. Once the 8 ball is in place, you never need to move more than 3 balls for a legal rack.

That's exactly how I do it. Not sure where I learned it.

 

[buckshotshoey]

Taking the cue ball will start arguments.

Tough titties. If it happens a second time, they will need an ER visit to remove it from their mouth.

 

[hang-the-9]

I only get slug racks when someone else racks. As far as the pattern goes, I use the WPA recommended pattern, every time. It looks like this:

o
/ o
o 8 /
/ o / o
0 / / 0 /

(for some reason the formatting shoves everything to the left, but I'm sure you can figure it out.)
or the mirror or inversion.

I get tired of watching people shuffling the balls, it's not a deck of cards. Once the 8 ball is in place, you never need to move more than 3 balls for a legal rack.

No, the formatting looks good, next 8 ball rack I am going to do just like this. I mean a triangle is a triangle, no one said it had to be an equilateral triangle

 

[DeeDeeCues]

Tough titties. If it happens a second time, they will need an ER visit to remove it from their mouth.

Is that the second or third verse of, 'internet tough guy'?

 

[buckshotshoey]

Is that the second or third verse of, 'internet tough guy'?

Try me. Break in my face twice and see what happens.

 

[tomatoshooter]

That's exactly how I do it. Not sure where I learned it.

A friend showed me that when we were kids. I thought he liked making a "J" because his name is Jeff. Later I was tinkering around and realized each ball is opposite one of the other suit. It's also the rack for blackball, too. I don't see how it's possible to get a more equitable distribution, and I think a less equitable distribution would have to favor the breaker, as long as they get a ball down. It's so much faster to have a good pattern than to shuffle until it looks right.

 

[ShootingArts]

Not only is rude and somewhat dangerous, it can be LOUD! Even standing back from the table a solid break can be quite loud, right up at the table can definitely cause hearing damage if repeated.

It was a pretty common tactic on challenge tables in bars long ago. My full power break on a bar table hurt my ears and made them ring so I was usually about 3/4 or less. When I played somebody that thought the instant break was cute I showed them how it was done! First time or two I could see the white around their eyes sometimes. Generally they saw the merit of not playing that silly game after that.

Funny thing, I had people hit the cue laid in front of the rack probably two or three times a year. Jamming it under the cushion on both ends controlled the way the cue ball flew when it left the table. People were on the fast break kick so bad for awhile that I would park a junk house cue by the table just to lay up there if it was the other person's break.

One thing that works well is dropping the rack back over the balls. Leaves the breaker looking and feeling like a moron when the cue ball smashes into a triangle.

A lot of things work but I find a kind and gentle explanation why this shouldn't be done to work best. Don't embarrass the person, stand very close so you can almost whisper in their ear and speak very softly.

Hu

 

[SeniorTom]

It was a pretty common tactic on challenge tables in bars long ago. My full power break on a bar table hurt my ears and made them ring so I was usually about 3/4 or less. When I played somebody that thought the instant break was cute I showed them how it was done! First time or two I could see the white around their eyes sometimes. Generally they saw the merit of not playing that silly game after that.

Funny thing, I had people hit the cue laid in front of the rack probably two or three times a year. Jamming it under the cushion on both ends controlled the way the cue ball flew when it left the table. People were on the fast break kick so bad for awhile that I would park a junk house cue by the table just to lay up there if it was the other person's break.

One thing that works well is dropping the rack back over the balls. Leaves the breaker looking and feeling like a moron when the cue ball smashes into a triangle.

A lot of things work but I find a kind and gentle explanation why this shouldn't be done to work best. Don't embarrass the person, stand very close so you can almost whisper in their ear and speak very softly.

Hu

Thanks for your post, it has good information and advice. I pretty much did what you suggested in being a bit kind and gentle over the situation, the only difference was I didn't have a chat with him over the incident. He got slack from not only our team but his own team so I felt like he had gotten the message without any fireworks so to speak. People can speak freely in a forum, but when put in that situation their actions might be different than what they say they would do in this forum. The last thing you want to do, which gives pool a bad name, is fight and cause injury. This will get you in trouble with the law and you lose doubly because not only did you get balls splattered in your face, now you have to face legal consequences., I'm going to be a little proactive in situations like this by laying my cue stick across the table next time, as often times I cannot get the cue ball because the breaker now has it in his hand.

 

[7stud]

I only get slug racks when someone else racks. As far as the pattern goes, I use the WPA recommended pattern, every time. It looks like this:

o
/ o
o 8 /
/ o / o
0 / / 0 /

(for some reason the formatting shoves everything to the left, but I'm sure you can figure it out.)

Forum software typically minimizes whitespace, but you can use code tags to preserve the whitespace you intended:

For example:

                hello
         goodbye    hi

It's still a little tricky to get things to line up.


Here's an image of the pattern I think you were trying to demonstrate:

 

[Vahmurka]

often times I cannot get the cue ball because the breaker now has it in his hand

Like stated above, the cue ball is supposed to be at your possession as long as you break - along with other balls. It is easy. All you need to do is explain yourself. Probably in a gentle manner, like mentioned also.

 

[hang-the-9]

Forum software typically minimizes whitespace, but you can use code tags to preserve the whitespace you intended:

View attachment 708395

For example:

                hello
         goodbye    hi

It's still a little tricky to get things to line up.


Here's an image of the pattern I think you were trying to demonstrate:

View attachment 708396

Something interesting to note for the 8 ball rack, at least one person on reddit said their league or tournament does not allow this racking because it's a "pattern" rack. They would not accept the reasoning that this is not really a pattern rack with how the rules view it, but the best way to disperse stripes and solids evenly in the rack. Stubbornness does not budge though LOL

 

[xX-Wizard-Xx]

To me, this is one of the offensive things every pool player should know better not to do. I was leading a 9 ball match last session, and my opponent won the next break. I racked the balls, I just cleared the rack off the now set balls, and boom, right in my face he blasted the balls. It scared the hell out of me. I have heard of people getting whacked in the head because of this. I was startled but didn't lash out verbally at him, but my team mates did, and even his team mentioned it to him. This is an APA league that I am not happy being a part of. Along with this, I am putoff by the arguing and bitching over shots that have been made. One gal double hit the cue ball, evident as heck, but denied doig it, so we let her ger away with it. I made a fantastic carom off the 8 ball and sank the 9 ball and they argued I hit the 9 ball first. It was just a slight cut with the 8 and 9 close together, but anybody with any understanding could see it was a good hit. The competitive nature of the league president is over the top, which is abrasive. I came in as a 3 hc, jumped to a 6 in one night, lost to a 5 and 4 hc's, I'm stll a 6 hc??? F this league, I'm quitting! Am I wrong for wanting to move on?
ps...the tables are 'beat up', 7 ft br box tables, they stink !

thats why you place your cue in front of the rack while you are racking .... i do this everytime. better to have the cue laying on the tale than standing anyway. they cant break untl you move the cue unless they are an idiot ....

 

[ShootingArts]

Something interesting to note for the 8 ball rack, at least one person on reddit said their league or tournament does not allow this racking because it's a "pattern" rack. They would not accept the reasoning that this is not really a pattern rack with how the rules view it, but the best way to disperse stripes and solids evenly in the rack. Stubbornness does not budge though LOL

There is no way to punish pattern racking, anyone that plays a lot can pattern rack just by the way they gather balls and toss them in the triangle. The required racks for each game are a pattern rack to some extent anyway, ignoring 14.1. When I have put the one ball in front, the money ball in center, it is impossible to prevent me tossing the other balls where I want them. I usually don't, but I certainly can. Tournaments are where I usually encounter the worst offenders. I prefer to remain mellow so instead of complaining I meet the pattern rackers halfway with my own pattern racking. Most expect it from another seasoned player and rarely comment.

Hu