1970 9 ball rules

maha said:
if no line on the table which there were never lines on tables in pool rooms back then. so that is why most places said any part of the ball behind the line makes it unplayable. this way you could lay your cue across or a piece of string and if it touches the ball its in.

how are you going to measure the center of the ball or the base of the ball on the table without an argument if its an important shot.

what is right or should be isnt important what is is what you can prove or demonstrate.
and the old, it works equally for both sides so why not.
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IMO, both ways are the same ease to determine. You just stand at the side rail with your eye near the diamond and close one eye and look straight across. The center of the ball is easy to find.

I've never in 30 years of play seen a player put their cue or a string across the diamonds. Only the eye test.
 
iusedtoberich said:
To this day, I've never been to a local event that did NOT go by the edge of the ball. Was it really never in any rulebook?
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Or a private gambling match. (one hole or banks is the only modern game it comes up). Before each one hole match I'm in, I always ask if center or edge of the ball must be past the line. Everyone in 30 years of gambling one hole always has said edge. Not a single center.
 
Clarifications, for the push out on the "spotted balls version"....

1) If someone pocket scratches and the ball spots and its BIH behind the line.... can the incoming player still call a push-out?

2) If someone makes an unintentional "bad hit" by not hitting the lowest ball and pockets a ball, does it spot?

3) If someone calls a push-out and intentionally pockets a ball, does it spot? Edit: does the answer change if it was the lowest ball on the table, vs the non-lowest ball?
 
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fastone371 said:
I gander that you would measure the center (base) of the ball the same way you measure the edge, lay a cue across the diamonds.
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Just look across the table even with the two headstring diamonds. See whether the ball is more to the left or right of the diamonds. I think that is easier than seeing whether the edge of the ball is to the left or right of the center of the diamonds, because the situation is symmetrical and humans are good at seeing small asymmetries.

In any case, the official rule has always been the base/center of the ball.
 
iusedtoberich said:
Or a private gambling match. (one hole or banks is the only modern game it comes up). Before each one hole match I'm in, I always ask if center or edge of the ball must be past the line. Everyone in 30 years of gambling one hole always has said edge. Not a single center.
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When you break at nine ball, do you put the cue ball fully behind the line?
 
you DO NOT call a pushout, all you do is take a foul. and 2 in a row is ball in hand. so if you get it behind the line and make a foul he gets ball in hand.
 
Bob Jewett said:
Just look across the table even with the two headstring diamonds. See whether the ball is more to the left or right of the diamonds. I think that is easier than seeing whether the edge of the ball is to the left or right of the center of the diamonds, because the situation is symmetrical and humans are good at seeing small asymmetries.

In any case, the official rule has always been the base/center of the ball.
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We always played "base of the ball" in every 14.1 tournament I ever refereed in. Same applied in 9-Ball. The real history of Texas Express rules begins with the McDermott 9-Ball Tour during the early 1980's. It was introduced by the three guys who ran that tour, two of them still alive today. Richie Florence then decided to use it for the 1983 Caesars Tahoe Billiard Classic, a tournament that I directed for him. I was completely horrified that he would ask me to make such glaring changes to our beloved game. I knew it would throw a large element of luck into a very skillful game. But Richie was the promoter and he prevailed, saying it would speed up play for television, and he was right about that. The final three matches were televised on ESPN. That was the beginning of the end for "push out" 9-Ball.

To this day I will still say that "push out" 9-Ball is the best way to play the game. More thinking involved and more creativity in shot making. Yes, the matches take longer but there's nothing wrong with that a shot clock won't fix. We used to allow two hours for Races to Eleven, and that worked well for most of the players. There were always a few guys who played too slow and we had ways to speed them up.

The small arenas (usually 3-500 seats) we used for tournaments back then were always packed with people, often with standing room only. There was no TV or streaming (until the 1980's) and I used to say it's performance art. You had to be there to see it! I loved my job and watching pool back then. So many great players and tournaments in the U.S. every year. I was mad if I had to miss one.

Where have all the flowers gone, a long time ago!
 
tournament rules change all the time between who is running them. they have someone in charge who can make a final decision.

unfortunately many in pool rooms try to emulate them and are changing time tested pool room rules that would mostly eliminate problems.
 
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