8ball or 9ball

Break and run on 8 you definitely have more balls in the way to maneuver around, I guess in my case, 9 really helped me get to leaving better position, on every shot, since you always only have one ball you have to hit next. To me it is more like then end of an 8 run out. Plus, with always having to leave a shot on one distinct ball next, it helped me get better with thinking three balls ahead, making sure my shot leaves me on the correct side of the next shot to get position on the 3rd shot.

I definitely because a better 8 ball player after getting into 9.

I agree with the earlier comment on 8, if I mess up position, I have a better time getting out of it and not finishing my original 'game plan' on the sequence of balls to pocket.

All good though both games are great. Both have hard and easier points, but if I play with an inexperienced player, they have trouble pocketing even one ball a match with 9 I have found, where they have a better time with 8.
 
with me being a bar banger most of my life i have all ways hated 9 ball due to the slop factor.

kinda funny me saying that being one of the staunchest apa supporters on this forum.:D

i have hated 9 ball since i was 1st introduced to it 20 years ago in a bar. i was playing a guy 10.00 a game 8 ball and after winning about 5 in a row he wanted to switch to 9 ball.

i had never played it but thought i would give him a chance to win his money back. 1st rack he shot the lowest ball 4 or 5 or something like that it bounces off the rail and hits another ball knocking it in. i get up outa my seat and start walking up to the table. he said whatcha doing ? i said you missed that ball. he said yea but a ball fell in so its still my shot.

well after winning his money back due to a whole lot of chit shots i decided to never play 9 ball again.

fast forward to 3 years ago. i start playing apa and it was double jeapordy. i finally got to where i could deal with playing 9 ball but still prefer 8 ball more.

funny thing is i have a higher lifetime win % in 9 ball than i do 8 lol .now this is apa.

i been playing napa for 2 years and have a higher lifetime win % in 8 than i do 9 ball.

figure that out lol.
 
JBB2388 said:
My point was there is more than one pattern to be relied upon.
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Exactly..If you make a mistake you can change your run out pattern. If you blow your potion and hide yourself from the next ball you can't look around and shoot another ball to continue your run. Both games are different skill set. I just like the pressure of rotation better and find that now that I focused on 9 ball my position is so much better and because of it I find 8 ball much simpler. I do enjoy the occasional safety battles that our more prevalent in 8 ball for sure and I definitely agree with the posters that prefer playing 8 ball on a bar box. That's definitely the size table 8 ball is suited for.
 
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trob said:
Exactly..If you make a mistake you can change your run out pattern. If you blow your potion and hide yourself from the next ball you can't look around and shoot another ball to continue your run. Both games are different skill set. I just like the pressure of rotation better and find that now that I focused on 9 ball and my position is so much better because of it I find 8 ball much simpler. I do enjoy the occasional safety battles that our more prevalent in 8 ball for sure and I definitely agree with the posters that prefer playing 8 ball on a bar box. That's definitely the size table 8 ball is suited for.
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Funny, for me there is far less pressure in 9 ball. If you miss, no big deal, there is the next game, and the next, and the next.......

You want to talk shot pressure, you have to talk straight pool. Chances are you are only playing one game rather than a set of games like 9 ball. You miss in straight pool, just once, and that could seal your fate.

Thats a far cry from grabbing the rack and smashing the balls to hell and back again and again.
 
Well the question is 8 ball or 9 ball. Straight pool wasn't part of it. lol I've played people that can run 100 balls and sure it's the same pressure. But straight pool isn't going to teach the lines around the table 9 ball does. Rarely do you have to go multiple rails to get position in straight pool and once again if you don't get your angle you can adjust your pattern to continue your run. understand and accuracy using the rails are must if you want to play run out 9 ball. Every game has something to teach you.
What did straight pool teach me?
1) breaking out clusters... I have a much better understanding of where balls are going coming out of a cluster.
2)safety play.. not just hiding someone but increasing your opportunities to get out and making it harder for them to return the safe. Very important in 8 ball also.
3)focus.. damn it's easy in straight pool to lose your focus for just a second and rattle a silly ball lol You miss shots you would never miss in short games like 9 ball.



3andstop said:
Funny, for me there is far less pressure in 9 ball. If you miss, no big deal, there is the next game, and the next, and the next.......

You want to talk shot pressure, you have to talk straight pool. Chances are you are only playing one game rather than a set of games like 9 ball. You miss in straight pool, just once, and that could seal your fate.

Thats a far cry from grabbing the rack and smashing the balls to hell and back again and again.
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trob said:
Well the question is 8 ball or 9 ball. Straight pool wasn't part of it. lol I've played people that can run 100 balls and sure it's the same pressure. But straight pool isn't going to teach the lines around the table 9 ball does. Rarely do you have to go multiple rails to get position in straight pool and once again if you don't get your angle you can adjust your pattern to continue your run. understand and accuracy using the rails are must if you want to play run out 9 ball. Every game has something to teach you.
What did straight pool teach me?
1) breaking out clusters... I have a much better understanding of where balls are going coming out of a cluster.
2)safety play.. not just hiding someone but increasing your opportunities to get out and making it harder for them to return the safe. Very important in 8 ball also.
3)focus.. damn it's easy in straight pool to lose your focus for just a second and rattle a silly ball lol You miss shots you would never miss in short games like 9 ball.
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Yeah that's so true. When I read your comment on the pressure of the game, I just had to mention straight pool which stands above all the rest in that department. It provides an excellent means to experience ultimate pressure and focus, and while it's important to practice the physical part of the game, no other game demands or teaches that relentless concentration and focus.

I've missed shots a foot from the pocket and less than a foot from the CB simply by splitting my focus for a second on where I want the CB to carom off a cluster or fall to a very specific spot. And the penalty is IMO much more severe than any other game if for no other reason, there is no second game in the set to recover.

Between 8 and 9 I'd still have to choose 8 ball I think. Although I don't really play the game,neither one really interests me, I believe it's the abstract nature of 8 ball that can keep me interested during play a little longer.

9 ball, just so redundant and monotonous game after game, I loose interest quickly.

As far as games usually played by the set, or multiple single game challenges, 1 pocket has to be the absolute best all around game. Again, a game with abstract choices.

So my view is that 8 ball, straight pool and 1 pocket are far more similar and interesting than 9 ball which sort of stands alone with that paint by number map you have to follow.
 
I like both games. Currently, I'm on an 8-ball league team and I do enjoy it. I agree that luck plays more into the 8 ball game than it does in 9 ball in terms of next-shot-options when whitey gets out of line. And with that in mind, I'd say I'm a better 8-ball player than 9-ball player.

Funny thing... I was looking at a guy's pool table to buy from Craigslist last week and we played a few games of 8-ball... When I asked him if he plays 9 ball and he said he didn't like the game because he thought it was "too lucky" of a game due to the slop-counts rules. I didn't start a debate and simply nodded my head in feigned agreement. I beat him three games in a row and he said it was the first time anyone has beat him on his table.

I do think the rotation games will make you a better player. But I actually enjoy playing 8-ball a bit more.

Also, it's easier to get someone who's not really into pool to play 8-ball than 9-ball.
 
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My response to this question varies with the skill level of the players and the table size.

For players that aren't really a threat to run out a full rack of 9-ball unless everything is hanging in the pocket, 9-ball doesn't even really make sense. Between players capable of running out, 9-ball is fun to play, but it's not very exciting to watch and has a higher luck factor than most other games. I like that the rotation aspect of the game requires more cue ball travel, so I'm hoping that 10-ball or American Rotation catches on to mitigate some of the bad rolls.

In my opinion, 8-ball is the more interesting of the two games at all levels of competition. For low level players where games typically go several innings, smart play and multi-ball runs are rewarded. For decent amateurs, it turns into a game of run outs, botched run outs, and good safety battles. For pros, the challenge is to break well and turn every rack into an out. Some people find it boring, but I enjoy seeing when and how they choose to break up clusters, navigate around their opponent's balls, and play defense when the out just isn't there.
 
jaetee said:
I like both games. Currently, I'm on an 8-ball league team and I do enjoy it. I agree that luck plays more into the 8 ball game than it does in 9 ball in terms of next-shot-options when whitey gets out of line. And with that in mind, I'd say I'm a better 8-ball player than 9-ball player.

Funny thing... I was looking at a guy's pool table to buy from Craigslist last week and we played a few games of 8-ball... When I asked him if he plays 9 ball and he said he didn't like the game because he thought it was "too lucky" of a game due to the slop-counts rules. I didn't start a debate and simply nodded my head in feigned agreement. I beat him three games in a row and he said it was the first time anyone has beat him on his table.

I do think the rotation games will make you a better player. But I actually enjoy playing 8-ball a bit more.

Also, it's easier to get someone who's not really into pool to play 8-ball than 9-ball.
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When people classify 9-ball as the luckier game than 8-ball, they are usually referring to the fact that you often come to the table in a bad position after your opponent misses, which leads to more frequent upsets in 9-ball. In 8-ball, if someone is getting "lucky" early in the rack because they have so many shot options available instead of actually playing an intentional pattern, they are probably going to lose to any good player because they will eventually turn over a table that's easy to run out or play defense on.
 
trob said:
9 ball. I learned a long time a go good 9 ball player can play 8 ball but 8 ball players struggle to play 9 ball. I see it in tournaments around here all the time. you have to understand playing the rails and lines around the table with 9 ball where as 8 ball is about finding the path of Least resistance and being patient. If you ever watch pros playing 8 ball it's like watching a chess champion play checkers lol it looks like a kids game . Only when the balls are tied up does 8 ball become fun but honestly it seems with the fast cloth we play on today balls doesn't cluster the way they did on the slow tables back in the day.
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This, all day long!!!! :)
 
Matt said:
When people classify 9-ball as the luckier game than 8-ball, they are usually referring to the fact that you often come to the table in a bad position after your opponent misses, which leads to more frequent upsets in 9-ball. In 8-ball, if someone is getting "lucky" early in the rack because they have so many shot options available instead of actually playing an intentional pattern, they are probably going to lose to any good player because they will eventually turn over a table that's easy to run out or play defense on.
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True...I totally agree with everything you said, and on the surface of things I would add that the opportunity to slop in a 9-ball and win a game contributes to the general perception of luck in that game as well.

But when you play races and can relate to the skills required for true cue ball control, thoughts on the matter take a deeper perspective...
 
I think 8 ball is a more skilled game, less luck involved. 9 ball both players are shooting for the same ball therefore it is more frustrating to run 6 or 7 balls and leave your opponent a 2 ball out, But I play both games a lot, and like them both!
 
Choices

Busboy said:
Witch do u like better and why? Me my self like 8 better and seems like I'm much better at 8 like I can sink down and play my game but 9 just really makes me mad sometimes idk what it is
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I've never quite understood why anyone would love one pool game and hate another.

Prefer one, yes. But I'd miss either 9-ball or 8-ball if suddenly either one disappeared.

One of the great things about pool is that if you get bored or tired with one game, you can play another...or make up a new one!

I've had loads of fun playing carom, 3-C, rotation, odd ball, 14-1, line-up, one pocket, banks, cribbage, cutthroat, 3-ball, cowboy, 10-ball and three versions of Golf...just to name a few.

And I think playing any game improves your success at all others!
 
I think we need a new thread, "What do you think requires more skill, 8 or 9 and why?"

Although we already know what everyone's opinions are from this thread :)
 
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