ball in hand 8ball vs gentlemans 8ball question

dbkrider

Registered
I have been playing 8ball tournaments and leagues for 10 years in Vegas and Phoenix using standard bca ball in hand rules. No problems and no arguments.
Last night I played in an 8ball tournament with the following gentlemans rules, no ball in hand, call pocket, play fouls from kitchen and no safeties allowed.
My question is who has the job of reading my mind. Who determines if i played a safety?
I won 3rd plc but will never go back. Almost got jumped for playing a supposed safety. Told the tournament director i will not be back.
 

Donny Lutz

Ferrule Cat
Silver Member
standardiazed rules

I have been playing 8ball tournaments and leagues for 10 years in Vegas and Phoenix using standard bca ball in hand rules. No problems and no arguments.
Last night I played in an 8ball tournament with the following gentlemans rules, no ball in hand, call pocket, play fouls from kitchen and no safeties allowed.
My question is who has the job of reading my mind. Who determines if i played a safety?
I won 3rd plc but will never go back. Almost got jumped for playing a supposed safety. Told the tournament director i will not be back.

That's why there are World Standardized Rules.

If only everyone knew and used them...
 

Tony_in_MD

You want some of this?
Silver Member
Here are examples of shots being done to me under "gentlemans" rules:

Breaking 8 ball like an opening break in straight pool.....

Scratching intentionally because my remaining 3 balls were in the kitchen. (FYI these were not accidents because my opponent fired the cueball straight into the pocket).

Touching the cueball with the tip to foul because it is in a safe position.

Pushing the cueball behind a cluster without anything hitting a rail.

These are obvious and since there were no rules against it, you have to live with it.

As far as your situation, what kind of shots did you shoot that caused the controversy?


I have been playing 8ball tournaments and leagues for 10 years in Vegas and Phoenix using standard bca ball in hand rules. No problems and no arguments.
Last night I played in an 8ball tournament with the following gentlemans rules, no ball in hand, call pocket, play fouls from kitchen and no safeties allowed.
My question is who has the job of reading my mind. Who determines if i played a safety?
I won 3rd plc but will never go back. Almost got jumped for playing a supposed safety. Told the tournament director i will not be back.
 

oneball

Registered
If the rule is "No safeties allowed", then literal interpretation would be that if someone ends up safe (intentional or no) then it's ball in hand.

If the rule is "No intentional safeties allowed", then that's a different story.

This is just the way I prefer to approach it. I'm not sure its the "right" way but it seems the most reasonable to me.
 

dbkrider

Registered
There were 3 balls on short rail his ball, cue ball and eight ball.
It was my turn. My ob is 5" away. If i bank it with ctr hit it will go into corner pocket near 8 ball. Or I could try a difficult back into upper corner with extreme draw and maybe get positiin on the 8ball. If i attempt the back cut and miss then i sell out to him. So i tried the bank and missed, and he said i played a safety. He said i should have hlt the difficult sell out shot so that he could win.
 

hang-the-9

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have been playing 8ball tournaments and leagues for 10 years in Vegas and Phoenix using standard bca ball in hand rules. No problems and no arguments.
Last night I played in an 8ball tournament with the following gentlemans rules, no ball in hand, call pocket, play fouls from kitchen and no safeties allowed.
My question is who has the job of reading my mind. Who determines if i played a safety?
I won 3rd plc but will never go back. Almost got jumped for playing a supposed safety. Told the tournament director i will not be back.

Only thing to do is not come back. Any rules like this are usually played by people that view pool as beer first, shooting second. They also look at you funny if you ask them to rack again if the first ball is 1/4 inch from the rest of them. I've had someone rack a 9 ball rack for me in one of these silly places not only with gaps between almost every ball but with the 1 on the side somewhere LOL. To make it doubly funny the guy looked at me like I was crazy when I told him the 1 has to be in the front for a 9 ball rack.

There is not sure way to say whats a safe or not in these types of rules, they are best avoided like one legged hookers with warts and boils.
 

Donny Lutz

Ferrule Cat
Silver Member
intentional?

If the rule is "No safeties allowed", then literal interpretation would be that if someone ends up safe (intentional or no) then it's ball in hand.

If the rule is "No intentional safeties allowed", then that's a different story.

This is just the way I prefer to approach it. I'm not sure its the "right" way but it seems the most reasonable to me.

Any strong gambling road player knows any number of ways to play safe without it being obvious to the average player.

"Intentional" is just too arbitrary.

Defense, or "safety" play is an important part of many, if not most sports. Show me one world champion pool player who does not play defense. If one aspires to becoming an accomplished player, defense is essential.
 

cuesblues

cue accumulator
Silver Member
Gentlemens pool my ass, that was straight up bar pool, or what I call hillbilly pool.
Do they allow splits?
 
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