Does the 9 ball ghost have an approximate Fargo rate?

drv4

AzB Silver Member
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Just as the title says, what would you guess is the approximate Fargo rate of the 9 ball ghost? (BIH after break version)
 

Bob Jewett

AZB Osmium Member
Staff member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Just as the title says, what would you guess is the approximate Fargo rate of the 9 ball ghost? (BIH after break version)
I think you mean how high would a player rate if he broke even at the ghost game, since the ghost him (or her) self plays better than any living human.

Of course it depends on the table, but I'd guess somewhere around 700.
 

sjm

Older and Wiser
Silver Member
In a sense, no, as the nine ball ghost cannot be evaluated with respect to the break, defense, kicking, and general strategy.

In a sense, yes, because one can guess the Fargo rating required to play the ghost even. Still, it's a very inexact science, as two players may have the same Fargo but one pockets better while the other is much better as a tactician. The better pocketer will do better against the ghost, even if these players are dead even when they play a match against each other.

These points aside, I'd guess that, on average. one needs to play to about a Fargo of 640 before they are about even money to beat the nine ball ghost.
 

Tin Man

AzB Gold Member
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Silver Member
ghost

Bob and Stu are both right.

With relatively new cloth on standard pockets, where balls can wobble and still fall and the cue ball can be drawn relatively easily, using a magic rack that turns 9 ball into 7 or 8 ball, then it plays around 640.

On a Diamond with broken in cloth and balls that haven't been polished for a few days, where balls will hang instead of dropping if hit a bit roughly, the cue ball must be stroked pure to get it to come back, and where they don't break open quite as nicely, then I'd say it plays around 700.

As Stu said, this simply means the level of player that would likely break even with it.
 

sjm

Older and Wiser
Silver Member
Bob and Stu are both right.

With relatively new cloth on standard pockets, where balls can wobble and still fall and the cue ball can be drawn relatively easily, using a magic rack that turns 9 ball into 7 or 8 ball, then it plays around 640.

On a Diamond with broken in cloth and balls that haven't been polished for a few days, where balls will hang instead of dropping if hit a bit roughly, the cue ball must be stroked pure to get it to come back, and where they don't break open quite as nicely, then I'd say it plays around 700.

As Stu said, this simply means the level of player that would likely break even with it.

Agreed. With tough playing conditions, 690-700 would have been my number.
 

drv4

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Thanks all for the responses. I was guessing in my head break even with good conditions would have been 620-640 and tougher equipment 675-700. So that is about what everyone is saying.
 

dardusm

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I agree with them. I'm at 650ish on the Fargo scale and can beat the ghost on a bar table, break even on a bigger pocketed 9 foot, and can't quite get there on a tougher 9 footer.
 
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