Racking Problems

maxeypad2007

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Last night I spent five minutes racking each game.

This was APA 8-ball on 7 diamond smart tables with relatively new simonis cloth. We were using the diamond rack.

Basically I could not get the first three balls to freeze. What are some tips for getting the rack right quickly.
 

olauzon

HANK THE TANK
Silver Member
tapping the head ball or first 3 on the top with another ball usually works.
 

johnnydub

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
olauzon said:
tapping the head ball or first 3 on the top with another ball usually works.
please dont do this, if you do you get little indentations in the cloth that the balls will roll into and you will have a tougher time racking in the future
 

olauzon

HANK THE TANK
Silver Member
i agree, but done right where it should be done and by the house owner, players would have nothing to worry about
 

johnnydub

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
olauzon said:
i agree, but done right where it should be done and by the house owner, players would have nothing to worry about
true, but out of 100 players in halls around here, 90 of them are gonna smash that head ball with the cue ball trying to get it to stay put. I guess it depends on where you play.
 

PoolSponge

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Check the spot. A lot of timest the actual paper spots get dented (from banging the top ball) and that can cause issues. If that is the case either completely remove or if the room demands just replace with a new flat sticker.
 

Scott Lee

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
This is not necessary...even on new cloth. Just SEE where the head ball sits, on or near the spot...then rack the other balls around that spot. Works EVERY time (as long as you're using a good rack...not one of those $2 plastic jobs)!

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

olauzon said:
tapping the head ball or first 3 on the top with another ball usually works.
 

klockdoc

ughhhhhhhhhh
Silver Member
If you cannot get the first three balls to freeze or even come together, it is probably the rack.

I also play on diamond 7' tables and use their racks. Believe me, they are not accurate.

I have turned the rack and flipped it over to get the balls to come together. Usually, one side will work. Then identify that side by some markings so you don't have to hunt for it again.

Another thing, (I have big hands), but, I will pull the front balls backwards to the rack.

Try a different rack. Whatever you do, do not tap the front balls as previously suggested.

Good Luck
 

olauzon

HANK THE TANK
Silver Member
sure, but isn't that what the problem was; 5 mins to find where it sits. maybe it isn't customary to tap the balls after that the circle is measured into place, but it seems logical to me and that's what i've done on new cloths.
 

bsmutz

Fearlessly Happy
Silver Member
There are some tables and ball sets that make it darn near impossible to get a tight rack. Sometimes you just have to be happy if you can get one ball frozen to the one. Last Wednesday I went to rack 9-ball for a practice game before league and found that the nine ball was much bigger than the solid balls. Further investigation showed that all of the stripes were bigger than the solids and the cue ball. The fifteen ball in this set weighed quite a bit less than the other balls, too. It felt like it was made of styrofoam or cardboard, it was so light.
 

BRKNRUN

Showin some A$$
Silver Member
Pull the rack back toward you and turn it or even flip it over until you find the side that all the ball touch. Then push it forward to the spot.

IF all the balls won't touch no matter which way you turn the rack, try moving one of the front two balls to the back and replace with a different ball.....

If that does not work find a different rack...

Once you found that part of the rack...make note of which way it is turned...(you might even see a notch mark in the rack from someone prior that has found the best way to turn the rack)....

Once you have found a position that all the balls lock up, now just push it up so the one is as centered as possible on the spot. as you move the rack up a bit the 1-ball may move off the rack a tiny bit...just push all the other balls up to it...

Usually...the base of the 1-ball will need to be a little high on the spot, but as long as the base of the 1 ball is touching the spot...its a legal rack.

IF you can't get the 1-ball to stay frozen...pull the rack away and rub the spot with the palm of your hand....or get a damp cloth and rub the spot firmly to re-smooth it a bit...

If that does not work...It is time to announce..."I can't get them tight"...do you wanna try just racking them for yourself?

I have only had to ask that to one person in my life, and that was only because ....If he did not make a ball on the break...(no matter how well the balls spread) he felt like you gave him a rigged rack...or were moving it on the spot in order to keep him from making the wing or 1-ball.

I guess I have racked way too much in my life....:rolleyes:
 

maxeypad2007

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I've not personally used a sardo rack before.

Just curious, will the sardo REALLY give a perfect rack every time?

If so I might just suggest my team purchase one.
 

BVal

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
maxeypad2007 said:
I've not personally used a sardo rack before.

Just curious, will the sardo REALLY give a perfect rack every time?

If so I might just suggest my team purchase one.
The table has to be "trained" by the Sardo rack from the begining so in this case I don't think it would be a solution. JMO

BVal
 

Fatboy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
johnnydub said:
please dont do this, if you do you get little indentations in the cloth that the balls will roll into and you will have a tougher time racking in the future


the first thing you do when you get a new table is tapping in all the balls, allpro players do this, for example at the Mosconi Cup in the players room was a brand new GC5 they had the balls tapped in so good that they never use the rack, hell they didnt have one. when the balls are tapped in correctly on a new table you can have all the balls freeze up,
 

fan-tum

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Instead of tapping try this. Rack the balls very loosely so there's room for the first couple of balls to move around--move the rack slightlyback and forth-side to side, and when you see the one ball come to rest on the spot, gently cozy the rest of the rack up to the head ball.
 

bud green

Dolley and Django
Silver Member
On an accu-stats tape, I remember Buddy Hall saying that after a cloth is put on, the head ball should be tapped ONE TIME. After that, any time you tap the balls you make it harder to get a tight rack, the extra indentations makes the head ball roll off too much. If you tap all the balls like some people do, you just KNOW the balls are going to be harder to rack after a while with all the different indentations in the rack area.

He suggested a $100 fine every time someone tapped the balls when racking after that. I think he was commentating on a Reno pro event match where Earl started HAMMMERING the balls to get the wing ball to stop flying in.

Different sized balls makes it almost impossible to get all the balls to be tight. You can still usually get the front three to be tight but you can spend hours trying to get all of them perfect.

The Sardo puts indentations on the cloth that are so deep that you don't even need the rack after a while; you just roll the balls there and they settle into the grooves. Some people have pointed out that this might make a slow rolling ball roll off or wobble as it goes through the racking zone.
 

JesPiddlin

Designed by Mother Nature
Silver Member
bsmutz said:
There are some tables and ball sets that make it darn near impossible to get a tight rack. Sometimes you just have to be happy if you can get one ball frozen to the one. Last Wednesday I went to rack 9-ball for a practice game before league and found that the nine ball was much bigger than the solid balls. Further investigation showed that all of the stripes were bigger than the solids and the cue ball. The fifteen ball in this set weighed quite a bit less than the other balls, too. It felt like it was made of styrofoam or cardboard, it was so light.

This was a problem where we played a few years ago. If I can remember, the way I racked was: 6 ball in front, 14 and 15 in the next row, I think the 2 and 4 went in the row with the 8 ball, then everything else just kinda went wherever on the back 2 rows. This fixed the problem for me. Hope it helps you out.

If I can't get things to stay together at the front of the rack, I scoot slightly to one side, or slightly forward. It's usually a sign that someone has tapped the balls and made indentions that now create havoc.

If anyone ever taps the balls on my home table, they'll figure out it wasn't the thing to do, when they realize their butt is in the air, when their head hits the ground, out in middle of the lawn. And, they won't be allowed back in, either! All we ask is a little respect for our belongings and putting indentions in someone's pool table is not respectful.
 

JesPiddlin

Designed by Mother Nature
Silver Member
Someone else also commented on the size of the rack being different, according to the way it is turned. They were right, so definitely try to turn the rack until you find the best fit.
 
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