I am very new to straight pool. It’s very funny when I try to get my 8 and 9 ball friends to play. Most of the guys my age (40 something) say it’s too boring. That is until they get on a run and miss position and start swearing – then I say, “I’m sorry, are you still bored.”
Even more funny are the guys from the generations behind me who purport to have “grown up playing this game.” They seem to have some strange interpretations of the rules. One guy swore that the opening break could be a regular safe shot; 1 ball to the rail. I had to show him the BCA rules that 2 object balls plus the cue ball had to hit a rail.
Invariably, the “old timers” want to spot balls on a scratch when nothing but the cue goes in. They argue that each rack has to add up to 14, so if you scratch and deduct a point from your score, you should pull a ball up and spot it. If you have yet to make a ball, you “owe one” and at the end of your inning when you do pocket one or more balls. If you scratch and make a ball, the ball comes up and your score the balls you made before the scratch. So if you scratch on your first shot and make a ball, you don't loose a point.
Am I crazy or are they completely wrong? If you scratch and make a ball, the ball is spotted and you loose a point. If you scratch (or foul) and don’t make a ball, you loose a point, but all balls stay down. Not all racks will add to 14 and the running total doesn’t divide by 14 if there are fouls.
Is this like 8 ball where there are real rules and bar rules?
Even more funny are the guys from the generations behind me who purport to have “grown up playing this game.” They seem to have some strange interpretations of the rules. One guy swore that the opening break could be a regular safe shot; 1 ball to the rail. I had to show him the BCA rules that 2 object balls plus the cue ball had to hit a rail.
Invariably, the “old timers” want to spot balls on a scratch when nothing but the cue goes in. They argue that each rack has to add up to 14, so if you scratch and deduct a point from your score, you should pull a ball up and spot it. If you have yet to make a ball, you “owe one” and at the end of your inning when you do pocket one or more balls. If you scratch and make a ball, the ball comes up and your score the balls you made before the scratch. So if you scratch on your first shot and make a ball, you don't loose a point.
Am I crazy or are they completely wrong? If you scratch and make a ball, the ball is spotted and you loose a point. If you scratch (or foul) and don’t make a ball, you loose a point, but all balls stay down. Not all racks will add to 14 and the running total doesn’t divide by 14 if there are fouls.
Is this like 8 ball where there are real rules and bar rules?