8 Ball Online Guide

zpele

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Noooooo that guide sucks. Lots of weird made up terminology and wrong information. I especially like the part where it tells you to 'stab' at the cueball to perform a 'spear shot.'

There is much to learn in pool. Since you are a beginner just go out there and try to learn how to stroke your stick straight. You have to learn the body mechanics to do this perfectly right every single time.

Take an empty water bottle without the cap and place it on the table. Try to stroke the tip of the cue through the opening of the bottle 20 times without touching any part of the bottle.

Once you can do this try and lengthen your stroke and see if you can still stroke straight through it.

You have a while before you should be getting into the minutia of your stance and stroke but just keep in mind that you want to stroke the cue straight.
 

DogsPlayingPool

"What's in your wallet?"
Silver Member
Just from a quick glance at that link I would advise not getting your information there and delete it from your browser history.

The rules are incorrect in too many places to even begin listing them. And I wouldn't trust a source that refers to the kitchen as the "starting area" or the head string as the "starting line".

There are many good books on 8 Ball, such as Capelle's "Play Your Best 8 Ball".
 

JasBy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Those have to be some of the most #$%^ up rules for 8 ball I have ever seen - didn't read them all, but some highlights....
If you make just the 8 ball and nothing else on the break you win...but if you sink another ball with the 8, then the 8 is spotted.
If you hit your opponents ball 'directly' first, then he gets the option to pot the ball.
If at any time you 'directly' hit the 8 ball first, *you lose the game* ?!?
But! if you hit the 'border' first then you can hit anything at all with no penalty.

I stopped at hitting the 8 ball is an instant loss - that was page 3 of the rules.

In review - no this is not a good starting point for learning the common game of 8 ball :)
 

hang-the-9

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Who would spend all the time needed to make that thing and fill it with trash? I send an email to the "author(s)" of that mess with a link to this post.
 
Well, the authors say these are "unofficial" rules, more like bar-style play. Actually, my friends and I never play by official rules, and as far as I can tell, none of the people I know would ever use those "professional" rules. They're far too complicated for casual play for fun :smile: The fact this guide uses that kind of rules actually suits me. Please could you leave that aside for now and concentrate on the technique, tactics and the general strategic part of the game described in the guide? That's more important to me right now :wink:
 

DogsPlayingPool

"What's in your wallet?"
Silver Member
Well, the authors say these are "unofficial" rules, more like bar-style play. Actually, my friends and I never play by official rules, and as far as I can tell, none of the people I know would ever use those "professional" rules. They're far too complicated for casual play for fun :smile: The fact this guide uses that kind of rules actually suits me. Please could you leave that aside for now and concentrate on the technique, tactics and the general strategic part of the game described in the guide? That's more important to me right now :wink:

Tactics and strategy are dependent on the rules you are playing by. For example, I believe I read in the "rules" that it is OK to contact your opponent's ball before one of yours if you hit a rail first. And I didn't notice where it mentioned 8 Ball is a call shot game.

Just spend $20 and get a good book on 8 Ball.
 

hang-the-9

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Well, the authors say these are "unofficial" rules, more like bar-style play. Actually, my friends and I never play by official rules, and as far as I can tell, none of the people I know would ever use those "professional" rules. They're far too complicated for casual play for fun :smile: The fact this guide uses that kind of rules actually suits me. Please could you leave that aside for now and concentrate on the technique, tactics and the general strategic part of the game described in the guide? That's more important to me right now :wink:

If they are "unofficial" why publish a set of random rules at all. You may as well put out a manual on fixing cars that has 5 chapters on duct tape use. Got a rip in the seat, who needs upholstery, duct tape! Hole in a hose? Duct Tape!

If you play with people who don't know the rules of the game and no-one wants to learn the real rules, and you are OK with that, keep doing what you are doing. I would not spend any time reading anything from that guide. If the first 10 pages are wrong, the rest of the 30 pages are suspect. Someone that does not know the correct name of the table parts will not know anything much you want to learn. Read this book http://www.amazon.com/Byrnes-Standard-Book-Pool-Billiards/dp/0151003254 if you want to learn how to play.

I should be able to narrow down the "complex pro rules" to a few lines.

Break from behind the head string (2nd diamond from the table end opposite of where you rack). The rack is 8 ball in the middle, one solid and one stripe at each corner, the rest does not matter.
If you make a ball, pick whichever set of stripes or solids you want, does not matter what you sink on the break.
After that, if you don't hit your group first it's a foul, other player gets ball in hand anywhere on the table.
Cueball goes into a pocket off any shot, it's a foul, other player gets ball in hand.
If you make the 8-ball early except off the break, it's a loss of game. Scratching AFTER you make the 8 is loss of game. 8-ball made on the break is a iffy topic, here you can play it a few ways, a win or it gets spotted up and the person that made it on the break continues shooting as normal.
Moving the cueball at any time not with the tip of your cue is a foul, moving another ball as long as it's not deliberate, you can either leave them there or move it back,not a foul.

I think the pro rules are a lot less confusing because they don't deal with things like "If you are a good player and make 4 balls in a row and your name is not Bob who comes here all the time, after your 4th ball you need to let the other guy shoot, unless the other guy is wearing a cowboy hat, then you need to let him shoot after you make 3 balls."
 
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zpele

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Well, the authors say these are "unofficial" rules, more like bar-style play. Actually, my friends and I never play by official rules, and as far as I can tell, none of the people I know would ever use those "professional" rules. They're far too complicated for casual play for fun :smile: The fact this guide uses that kind of rules actually suits me. Please could you leave that aside for now and concentrate on the technique, tactics and the general strategic part of the game described in the guide? That's more important to me right now :wink:

Hmmm so the people that laughed at the guide and told you it was a complete crock of shit wasnt enough of an answer and it wasnt the answer you were hoping for.

As far as I can tell you don't feel like listening to us and your gonna do whatever you feel like. Don't get me wrong that's perfectly fine but im not sure why you asked us for advice in the first place.
 

TheNewSharkster

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Well, the authors say these are "unofficial" rules, more like bar-style play. Actually, my friends and I never play by official rules, and as far as I can tell, none of the people I know would ever use those "professional" rules. They're far too complicated for casual play for fun :smile: The fact this guide uses that kind of rules actually suits me. Please could you leave that aside for now and concentrate on the technique, tactics and the general strategic part of the game described in the guide? That's more important to me right now :wink:



Everything in the guide is crap, including the technique related stuff
 
I didn't say I'm not gonna listen to you. I guess you're just not familiar with casual pool games. All the guys me and my friends know use "unofficial" rules. I can't just persuade them to change to official rules cause nobody would want to play that way. We mostly just want to have fun, not try to be pro. You just keep repeating first 10 pages suck, while I keep repeating that other 30 interest me. Even if I wanted to spend 20$ to buy a book, most of it wouldn't help me as we don't play that way. Sorry if I sound boring or stupid, I just want to hear some opinions...
 

TheNewSharkster

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I didn't say I'm not gonna listen to you. I guess you're just not familiar with casual pool games. All the guys me and my friends know use "unofficial" rules. I can't just persuade them to change to official rules cause nobody would want to play that way. We mostly just want to have fun, not try to be pro. You just keep repeating first 10 pages suck, while I keep repeating that other 30 interest me. Even if I wanted to spend 20$ to buy a book, most of it wouldn't help me as we don't play that way. Sorry if I sound boring or stupid, I just want to hear some opinions...


The problem is that guide not only has bad rules what they have regarding technique is really bad. A lof of the books aren't terribly hard to read and in some cases they are made for beginner players.
 

hang-the-9

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I didn't say I'm not gonna listen to you. I guess you're just not familiar with casual pool games. All the guys me and my friends know use "unofficial" rules. I can't just persuade them to change to official rules cause nobody would want to play that way. We mostly just want to have fun, not try to be pro. You just keep repeating first 10 pages suck, while I keep repeating that other 30 interest me. Even if I wanted to spend 20$ to buy a book, most of it wouldn't help me as we don't play that way. Sorry if I sound boring or stupid, I just want to hear some opinions...

There are NO unofficial rules, you can make up 10,000 different rules to play pool by. Since you are already playing by made-up rules, you are looking for an "official guide to wrong and made-up" information?

In that case that book you found is the best and prettiest pile of crap you will find, go read it and use it. Just because you "don't play that way" does not mean you want to go around looking for instruction that shows you how to do things wrong. Would anyone go out there and say "I want to learn how NOT to make a good jump shot, this Jordan guy, he keeps making balls in, I want a 4' 2" blind guy to show me how NOT to make a ball"? This is exactly what the writters of that guide are doing, and you are asking for, for some reason.

If you change Pool on here to Golf, what you are getting is a bunch of players who shoot in the 60s and 70s giving you advice and you are saying "No, I don't want to learn how to play for real, I want to play like the drunk guys who play once a month and shoot over 100 play like! Where can I learn from them?" I actually have some emails going between the writter of this "guide", and it's about what is going on here. We say "this is the real rules and ths is how pool should be played" and the other guy is going "but we don't want real rules, we want to show people how the clueless people play".
 
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zpele

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I didn't say I'm not gonna listen to you. I guess you're just not familiar with casual pool games. All the guys me and my friends know use "unofficial" rules. I can't just persuade them to change to official rules cause nobody would want to play that way. We mostly just want to have fun, not try to be pro. You just keep repeating first 10 pages suck, while I keep repeating that other 30 interest me. Even if I wanted to spend 20$ to buy a book, most of it wouldn't help me as we don't play that way. Sorry if I sound boring or stupid, I just want to hear some opinions...

So your saying that the very first post in the thread that makes fun of one of the techniques isnt what you were looking for....
 

mantis99

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Well, the authors say these are "unofficial" rules, more like bar-style play. Actually, my friends and I never play by official rules, and as far as I can tell, none of the people I know would ever use those "professional" rules. They're far too complicated for casual play for fun :smile: The fact this guide uses that kind of rules actually suits me. Please could you leave that aside for now and concentrate on the technique, tactics and the general strategic part of the game described in the guide? That's more important to me right now :wink:

I always play by official BCA/ world standardized rules, and I get the feeling that most on here do also unless playing in a league such as APA that requires different. I really dislike playing by made up rules like this, and think this type of think adds to the confusion that occurs when going out and trying to play others in a decent match. Of course it is to each his own, but that is just my opinion.
 

Pre-Flag Master

Cue Ball Man
Silver Member
"If you are a good player and make 4 balls in a row and your name is not Bob who comes here all the time, after your 4th ball you need to let the other guy shoot, unless the other guy is wearing a cowboy hat, then you need to let him shoot after you make 3 balls."

That was in the latest revision of Texas Express rules. This very rule was what caused the divergence between "Texas Express" and "Pro Express" rules. As you can see pool has been in a steady decline ever since.
 

hang-the-9

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Well, the authors say these are "unofficial" rules, more like bar-style play. Actually, my friends and I never play by official rules, and as far as I can tell, none of the people I know would ever use those "professional" rules. They're far too complicated for casual play for fun :smile: The fact this guide uses that kind of rules actually suits me. Please could you leave that aside for now and concentrate on the technique, tactics and the general strategic part of the game described in the guide? That's more important to me right now :wink:

I read your original post again. You asked if that was a "good" guide to "learn" from. Then you go on to say that the real rules don't matter to you. What are you hoping to learn then from that thing? You can learn to play the wrong way by made-up rules. Is that the goal?

If you linked to a guide about racing cars where in the first 10 pages the author spoke about using "some wheels on your car, the smaller the better so your car has less weight, I suggest using 165x13 ones. And use cheap gas because you will be driving a long time in a race UP TO 3 circles sometimes, so cheaper gas means you spend less. I have seem some very fast looking cars on the streets, something called a Toyota Yaris, they had flashing lights on them and cool hood ornaments, and tinted glass, those must be fast, buy one of those!". Would you start arguing with Senna if he posted saying that you don't want to listen to that?
 
OK, this conversation started to piss me off a little. I dare you all to visit the bars and other places where they have pool tables (skip the professional clubs) and tell me how many people actually used the pro rules.
 
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