Two new rules don't really make sense to me.
1. Racking your own. I think this was to cut down the interminable rack checking by the breaker, but especially in 9 ball, there are ways to influence a 9 ball break.
I don't think the opponent is going to check EVERY rack every time. It also takes you out of the flow. You have to be extra diligent to make sure you mark your score.
2. Not arranging the balls in any special order. In 9 ball, you can 'fake' putting the balls in the rack. With 8 ball, it is tougher, not that there is much of an advantage in 8 ball. What I have a problem with is that traditionally, there have been a stripe and solid directly behind the 8 and then alternate solids and stripes, usually with a solid as the head ball.
Then they changed that to have one of each on the corners, so that people who break like me and make both corner balls. That made sense and was ok.
But now they have changed it so that the 8 goes in the middle and one of each goes in the corners and the rest goes in whichever way. I always try to shove a light-colored ball on top for visibility, but I am just itching to rearrange the rack. Seems like there is a greater chance of clumpage of either the stripes or solids if you clump them in the rack all on one side.
Any thoughts on these new rules?
1. Racking your own. I think this was to cut down the interminable rack checking by the breaker, but especially in 9 ball, there are ways to influence a 9 ball break.
I don't think the opponent is going to check EVERY rack every time. It also takes you out of the flow. You have to be extra diligent to make sure you mark your score.2. Not arranging the balls in any special order. In 9 ball, you can 'fake' putting the balls in the rack. With 8 ball, it is tougher, not that there is much of an advantage in 8 ball. What I have a problem with is that traditionally, there have been a stripe and solid directly behind the 8 and then alternate solids and stripes, usually with a solid as the head ball.
Then they changed that to have one of each on the corners, so that people who break like me and make both corner balls. That made sense and was ok.
But now they have changed it so that the 8 goes in the middle and one of each goes in the corners and the rest goes in whichever way. I always try to shove a light-colored ball on top for visibility, but I am just itching to rearrange the rack. Seems like there is a greater chance of clumpage of either the stripes or solids if you clump them in the rack all on one side.
Any thoughts on these new rules?
