8ball on the snap?

BYGJERRY

BYGJERRY

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Just wondering how often do you guys make the 8 on the break? I had done it maybe 5 times over the last few years,recently however I purchased a dvd on racks by Joe Tucker. Now in now way shape or form am I telling you all to go out and buy this DVD. And his "secrets" to making the 8 on the break weren't anything that I hadn't heard of before. It just shed some more light on the subject. Anyways I tried it a couple of times this weekend with some friends and BAM 5 tries 4 eights on the break...not in a row but they went when I wanted them to. Can this be possible? I mean is striking the 2nd ball in the rack even a legal break shot? I did once in my usual Friday night tourny and my opponent was pissed. Anybody have an experience like this?
 
8-ball

According to the rules a couple years ago a second ball hit was illegal, now a rule change made it a legal shot a long a a ball is pocketed or 4 numbered balls go to a rail.

LEGAL BREAK SHOT
(Defined) To execute a legal break, the breaker (with the cue ball behind the head string) must either (1) pocket a ball, or (2) drive at least four numbered balls to the rail. When the breaker fails to make a legal break, it is a foul, and the incoming player has the option of (1) accepting the table in position and shooting, or (2) having the balls re-racked and having the option of shooting the opening break or allowing the offending player to re-break.
 
Bca

I thought it was still illegal in BCA. I thought it stated also that the one ball had to be at the top of the rack and contact must be made with the one ball first.
 
txplshrk said:
I thought it was still illegal in BCA. I thought it stated also that the one ball had to be at the top of the rack and contact must be made with the one ball first.
Click to expand...
From the BCA webpage:
4.5 LEGAL BREAK SHOT
(Defined) To execute a legal break, the breaker (with the cue ball behind the head string) must either (1) pocket a ball, or (2) drive at least four numbered balls to the rail. When the breaker fails to make a legal break, it is a foul, and the incoming player has the option of (1) accepting the table in position and shooting, or (2) having the balls re-racked and having the option of shooting the opening break or allowing the offending player to re-break.

There is no mention of the 1 ball being in the front of the rack or what ball must be contacted first.

However BCA has taken the 8 on the break win out. (which sucks) so the only advantage of breaking second ball in is a higher percentage of a ball being pocketed in the opposite corner.(across from the side of the rack your breaking on) and unless you can control whitey it also comes with a higher percentage of a scratch.
 
8 Breaks

I get lucky and make a bunch of them. I do it by hitting the rack dead on really hard with a ton of top spin. In my doubles slop league it gets us a win but in BCA it just gets me and extra $5 per 8 ball at the end of the year. They give out $5 for eight ball run outs too...I wish I was a little better at those:)
 
I make my share of 8 balls, but the reason I like the second ball break is the tendency(sp) of the balls to gather to one side of the table. If I fail to make a ball on the break, I want the table to be as difficult for my opponent as possible.
 
Poolhalljunkie said:
According to the rules a couple years ago a second ball hit was illegal, now a rule change made it a legal shot a long a a ball is pocketed or 4 numbered balls go to a rail....
Click to expand...
I don't think this was ever a rule in the BCA/WPA rules. Was it written down somewhere?
 
Bob Jewett said:
I don't think this was ever a rule in the BCA/WPA rules. Was it written down somewhere?
Click to expand...
I don't ever recall this being a BCA rule either. I believe it's one of those odd "bar rules" things that you find someplaces and not others.
 
Happens very Rarely for me, mostly because I hardly ever play 8-ball.

IPT rules state the head ball must be struck first. Would be kinda ugly striking the second ball breaking from the box anyway :D
 
I never had much Luck making the "8" on the second Ball break. I use a full Ball hit, just a hair above center. I Focus on the P.O.L. Points of Light
on the One Ball to make sure I get a solid hit. I do make the 8 often. A few months ago I made it two times in a row. 3 total times that week.
It's all in the timing. Oh yeah and a Little luck never hurts.:D
 
I remember the very first time I ever played BCA, I got the break in the 2nd round and made the eight on the break...then they tell me it doesn't count! Had never heard of that before then. Then, I break in the 4th round and made the eight on the break AGAIN! I have never done that since (twice in two breaks in one night in league). I do know that when I was playing 8 ball a lot years ago, I was having good success making the eight on the break about 1 in 8-10 breaks, which I think was a lot! Now when I play 8 ball, I would be lucky to make it 1 in 20. I broke the 2nd ball and the eight ball would shoot into the opposite side pocket - if you hit it right :)
 
I dont try for a 8ball snap, or do the second ball break all the time.

In the APA league I am on, i have 4 8ball snaps in the first year i've played 8ball.

There is one guy on my weds league, not team, and all he does is a second ball break, and brags about his 20 or so 8ball snaps.

I'd rather brag about my 20 or so break n runs lol. I'm not there yet, just got my 5th tonight.

A few months ago i was playing 8ball with a friend and first rack i snapped the 8ball. I win the next rack, and then snapped the 8ball again lol. I just started laughing cuz both times, i broke the 8ball went like it was on a string towards the side pocket.

Alot of it is luck, or technique if you are able to break the rack good using the 2nd ball break.

Hell one guy on my team who's a 2/3 sometimes has a 8ball snap patch. So if you know how to break the rack anyone can get a 8ball break.
 
In 5 years using the 2nd ball break from the side rail. I've gotten 30 8 on the breaks during league play I Have the patches to show for it. And, as a general rule of thumb I usually get at least 1 per week during practice rounds. I personally get a kick out of it.

Black Cat :cool:
 
txplshrk said:
I thought it was still illegal in BCA. I thought it stated also that the one ball had to be at the top of the rack and contact must be made with the one ball first.
Click to expand...

IPT rules call for 1 ball at front of rack which must be hit first on the break and must break from the kitchen.

As far as I know, BCA rules do not address ball contact on the break, but, as stated above, you must either make a ball or drive four numbered balls to the rails. BUT in BCA, an 8 on the break is NOT A WIN!. Breaker can either spot the 8 and continue shooting or rerack and break again, I think.
 
Yeah this was just for kicks also, couple of friends and a couple of beers watching football on the tube. It was just interesting to try out though,I think I might practice it for a while. Just to see how good I could get at it,LOL.
 
I use to have alot of luck hitting the second ball from the rightside string, and ocasionally the legal issues would come up, what I did was try to slightly graze the one ball before making contact with the second ball. Not the easiest for me to do anymore, because I don't see as well, and you really have to cut it so thin that you almost air the one ball.
Now days My common break is the same as mentioned already, I use alot of top spin, hit the rack dead on, so that the cue stalls after the intial contact, and then crashes back into the rack. Sometimes that second hit drives the eight in for me. Take Your pick though, in BCA I have way more break & runs,table runs, or perfect games then I make the eight on the break anymore. Greg C
 
Ipt

Maybe I was thinking about the IPT and not BCA then? I don't know. I just know that in BCA I don't break on the second ball. I get a better spread and better luck and making a ball if I shoot the head ball dead on. In my bar league I shoot the 2nd ball cause an 8 is a win, and because I don't give a darn what the spread is like on those tables. They aren't going to spread as nice as an 8' for 9' anyway. So I take it however it comes.
 
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