8 BALL RULE QUESTION

Jimmy_Betmore said:
I think the nit pickiness of bar rules are at least twofold.
  • Players are trying to win on a technicality (i.e. made up, vague, and/or obscure rule)
  • Since the price is per game, players are trying to extend the games to get their money's worth
I'd say it's probably 90/10 in favor of the first point.
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I had one the other week, where my opponent tried to claim the win as I made a long shot on the 8 close to the side rail and it hit the side rail before going in the pocket. Claimed I had banked it.
For your second point, saying that you have to bank the 8 when there is a long line of people waiting to play on the table, is pretty obnoxious to the people waiting.
 
FastManners said:
I had one the other week, where my opponent tried to claim the win as I made a long shot on the 8 close to the side rail and it hit the side rail before going in the pocket. Claimed I had banked it.
For your second point, saying that you have to bank the 8 when there is a long line of people waiting to play on the table, is pretty obnoxious to the people waiting.
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Ah yes... The ol' "touched the rail" rule. I've ran into that one too. Actually had a guy who had it all worked out to where if it hit before a certain diamond on the rail you either did or didn't (don't remember which) have to call it. I just chuckled and said, "Ok, Buddy." Again, not worth the headache of arguing about it.
 
markjames said:
at my local bar, if you’re shooting the 8
and you don’t make contact it’s loss of game
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Old rule (as far as World Standardized Rules go). Bob Jewett had a great article in BD about the ever-changing rules of 8-ball. It's why we see the 1 and 15 in the side pocket rule in 8-ball. That used to be the rule at some point, so "old timers" still play that way in certain social clubs and senior centers.
 
FastManners said:
I have not heard of that rule in bars before (different areas seem to have different rules). Scratch on the 8 is an automatic loss, as is making the 8 off of another ball. The not hitting the 8 seems extremely harsh, as the cue ball has to be placed behind the line and played past the line in bar rules.
I always found it weird that bar rules are so nit picky, as it is a perfect recipe for an argument.
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See the article on 8-ball Rules by Bob Jewett http://www.sfbilliards.com/articles/2002.pdf . Here's an excerpt from the 1945 rules:
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bbb said:
whats the rule?
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As always it depends on the rule set you are playing by which should be discussed before starting to play. Especially if you are doing any gambling at all. 8 ball rules in taverns are all over the place with all kinds of variations so you need to sort that out. Back when it was a quarter a game, I didn't really care and would just adjust to the other guys rules as the games progressed. I played well enough to be confidant I could overcome anything he threw at me.

Vegas rules were usually the go to rules with anyone I knew from leagues and tournaments and those people are who I would prefer to play against rather than the bangers and hackers. Sooner or later you get to know a lot of real pool players and you just play against them who you share common rule sets with.
 
Jimmy_Betmore said:
I think the nit pickiness of bar rules are at least twofold.
  • Players are trying to win on a technicality (i.e. made up, vague, and/or obscure rule)
  • Since the price is per game, players are trying to extend the games to get their money's worth
I'd say it's probably 90/10 in favor of the first point.
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When on short road trips players would be mighty smug making up rules as play went along with a stranger. Often before the session was over I got to use one of their own cooked up rules against them. Funniest part, their buddies almost always backed me!

I did run into places where people all played last pocket eight ball or bank the eight. I thought I was getting jerked around until I saw the play was the same on all the tables. The craziest rule was "call everything." Maybe why Johnny Archer started picking up lint. If you ran over it without calling it that would be a foul!

Hu
 
ShootingArts said:
When on short road trips players would be mighty smug making up rules as play went along with a stranger. Often before the session was over I got to use one of their own cooked up rules against them. Funniest part, their buddies almost always backed me!

I did run into places where people all played last pocket eight ball or bank the eight. I thought I was getting jerked around until I saw the play was the same on all the tables. The craziest rule was "call everything." Maybe why Johnny Archer started picking up lint. If you ran over it without calling it that would be a foul!

Hu
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Didn't call the carom off the lint ball? Man... That'd be some tough action. Haha! But I can't imagine how funny it would be if you were to go back to the same spot and busted out a cordless hand vac to clean you ball's path to the pocket. :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 
Jimmy_Betmore said:
Didn't call the carom off the lint ball? Man... That'd be some tough action. Haha! But I can't imagine how funny it would be if you were to go back to the same spot and busted out a cordless hand vac to clean you ball's path to the pocket. :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
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I might have slightly exaggerated but only slightly. I lost the first three games on things like not calling hitting the pocket inside rail. I made a loop including a pass through Arkansas, Tennessee, Northern Alabama and Mississippi, then dropping down to the gulf coast where things were pretty mellow! I think it was certain areas of Arkansas and Tennessee that I promised myself to never play in again!

I do wonder when and why Johnny took up the lint picking. I played him around 1990 and don't remember him picking lint then. He was already a shooting son of a gun on a bar table!

Hu
 
The strangest rule I encountered was at free tournament for a t-shirt at a job site in Fort McMurray Canada. I pocketed my ball and took the cueball into and pocketed my opponent ball in the other corner. As It was blocking a pocket that I needed. Foul was the call! It seems the tournament directors Daddy taught him that it's a foul to pocket the opponent ball. 🤷‍♂️ I still won the t-shirt. It was a soft field. 😉
 
ShootingArts said:
I might have slightly exaggerated but only slightly. I lost the first three games on things like not calling hitting the pocket inside rail. I made a loop including a pass through Arkansas, Tennessee, Northern Alabama and Mississippi, then dropping down to the gulf coast where things were pretty mellow! I think it was certain areas of Arkansas and Tennessee that I promised myself to never play in again!

I do wonder when and why Johnny took up the lint picking. I played him around 1990 and don't remember him picking lint then. He was already a shooting son of a gun on a bar table!

Hu
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Nah. I knew what you meant. But at the same time, some of those bar bangers come up with some pretty creative rules. For instance, I've never understood the "8 ball has to go clean" one. Like, I can't carom the eight off of another ball even if I call it? It's not like that even comes up all that often. Oh well. I guess it give us something to talk about.
 
I prefer rules that minimize penalties. When I learn how not to scratch, things will be different.
 
straightline said:
You're allowed to play any way you can get an opponent to agree. Unintentional scratching is a physics problem that isn't hard to solve.
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That pesky hole in the middle of the side rail has been my physics problem on more than one occasion. I did notice that players that played mostly 9 foot tables taking a standard 3 rail path around would often find that pesky side pocket of the bar table. I attribute it to the difference in size of the table.
 
I don't play in bars unless I'm with friends and we are the one using the table. I wouldn't have the patience to deal with all the craziness.

Even tho I play primarily APA, I could deal with any regular set of rules. Call shot, open after the break, any of the "regular" rules. The bar pool craziness is too much for me.
 
justadub said:
The bar pool craziness is too much for me
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If you don't stereo type bar pool, I won't say Any Pocket Asshole....well not again.... tonight anyway. 😉
There are idiots and ass holes in bars but just like APA there are nice people that enjoy playing pool. It's easy enough to be cordial and enquire as to the rule set when my quarter comes up. BCA? Was the simple question as I rack. The answer determined if I was interested in sticking around for cordial recreation.
 
Actual Pool Approximated - not that I follow the league.

Schmools. I said I play scratch on the 8 is a loss - irrelevant habit and that's how it lands. Enraged @Paul_#_ Go figger...
 
gregcantrall said:
That pesky hole in the middle of the side rail has been my physics problem on more than one occasion. I did notice that players that played mostly 9 foot tables taking a standard 3 rail path around would often find that pesky side pocket of the bar table. I attribute it to the difference in size of the table.
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It's the pool theory of relativity. Side pockets are relatively bigger on a bar table than the same pocket would be on a nine footer. I'm also pretty sure that bar table side pockets have some kind of gravitational pull I haven't figured out!

Hu
 
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