In a pool tournament of any kind, without a referee and looser racks, if your opponent intentionally gives you a loose rack and refuses to tighten it, do you consider it cheating?
Loose Racks
- Thread starter Bob Romano
- Start date
First can you explain to us why the other thread disappeared?
If you break the rack, it's a done deal. Just sit down until the rack is tight.
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If you or your husband or whatever play so good then you know the answer. Let it go and grab a Kleenex would be my advice
If it's a looser racks tournament then I would expect loose racks. 
I played in bars for decades and probably never got a tight rack. It wasn't until the bar table leagues and tournaments got more organized and the equipment got more consistent that anybody could get them to rack tight.
You have to find a way to use it to your advantage or at least mitigate it.
In the scenario you were posting about the home table is supposed to be an advantage - exactly because bar tables are inconsistent.
Intentionally loose racking. Yes, cheating. Bar table racking where they just aren't ever going to be tight and they happen to be loose. Not cheating.
I played in bars for decades and probably never got a tight rack. It wasn't until the bar table leagues and tournaments got more organized and the equipment got more consistent that anybody could get them to rack tight.
You have to find a way to use it to your advantage or at least mitigate it.
In the scenario you were posting about the home table is supposed to be an advantage - exactly because bar tables are inconsistent.
Intentionally loose racking. Yes, cheating. Bar table racking where they just aren't ever going to be tight and they happen to be loose. Not cheating.
It's just a simple question, why be so nasty ?
This poll has nothing to do its anything prior, it's s simple simple simple question. If you can't honestly answer it, don't bother.
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Because you already made a thread where people responded for like 3 pages. Then it disappeared and another put in its place. It is obvious to anyone who has played enough to get to a master level that manipulation of the rack on purpose is unsportsmanlike behavior.
What is the point? the horse is dead, no reason to keep beating it.
What is the point? the horse is dead, no reason to keep beating it.
I'm actually quite good at breaking medium to soft speed, not making anything and parking whitey on the bottom rail. I do this when I'm getting a bad rack. You have to practice it, yet be determined to put the one ball at the top of the table too.
I picked no, but it kinda is. I dont think it is done intentionally as much as some may think. I know for a fact that I try to give a tight rack to my opponent and if it slugs I'm embarassed and even offer to re-rack for them.
All you have to do is check the rack before breaking and refuse to break lose racks.
Some people slug on purpose, usually at key games in the match. Other people are as bad at racking as playing pool.
You can always agree to rack your own and then fight over pattern racking.
Some people slug on purpose, usually at key games in the match. Other people are as bad at racking as playing pool.
You can always agree to rack your own and then fight over pattern racking.
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The opponent has purposly bad racked and out right refuses to re-rack the balls.
From WPA:
From NAPA
From BCA's website (which just gets them from WPA)
From APA's manual
Intentionally giving a loose rack is bad. Refusing to re-rack would be unsportsmanlike conduct and should result in loss of match.
That said, your husband needs to complain to the tournament organizer and if nothing is done simply stop playing in the tournament. Nothing "the internet" says will do anything for you.
From NAPA
From BCA's website (which just gets them from WPA)
From APA's manual
Intentionally giving a loose rack is bad. Refusing to re-rack would be unsportsmanlike conduct and should result in loss of match.
That said, your husband needs to complain to the tournament organizer and if nothing is done simply stop playing in the tournament. Nothing "the internet" says will do anything for you.
Loose racks can often be exploited but if I ask for a re-rack and they refuse then they should forfeit the game to me.
I don't know what the rules are on that but that seems very unsportsmanlike. I don't know if "cheating" is necessarily the word I'd use for it but for sure that seems outside the boundaries of fair play.
How do you know it was intentionally racked loose?
I thought for a minute you were talking about my ex-Mother-in-law. Her rack was about as loose as it gets. :smile:
If the rack is obviously loose and the racker refuses to improve the rack I suppose it could be considered cheating but to me its more an issue of poor sportsmanship. The guy racking the balls has to play the same layout as the breaker does. As far as not being able to get a tight rack I have seen that but if I can get the front 3-4 rows (8 Ball) pretty tight it will still break ok, plus the breaker always has the option of 2nd or even 3rd ball break, he should be able to find something that will work.
I'd probably play things out and depend on the resulting clusters to play a more strategic game. If I lost the match, I'd go to the mall and get the guy at the "custom dog-tags and license plates" kiosk to make me a sweet "Beast +1" dog tag to make it clear who the better player is.
And, boy was she fat!
(How fat was she?)
When she stood up wearing high heels, she struck oil.
She was standing at a street corner and a Cop comes over and tells her to break it up.
And, ugly! That woman was ugly.
(How ugly was she?)
Whenever she'd come over to the house I'd have to put down newspapers.
My Father-in-law told me he met her at the Macy's Parade. She was wearing ropes! :smile: