8ball vs 9ball. Which game is more difficult?
- Thread starter TheNewSharkster
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Both are difficult games! The are totally different in strategy and various skills.
Nine ball there is typically more longer shots, more use of rails and banks. And 3 ball patterns and most always leaving yourself an angle on every shot.
Eight ball is about clusters,obstacles and complete pattern decision if runout is practical, if not when and where do I play safe.
There is no such thing as one game easy or easier than the other.
If there was such a thing as easy we'd all be pro's or we just wouldn't play the game because there wouldn't be any challenge.
Plus in nine ball slop counts. Just think you can slop in balls and win and the Fan's will applaud you for the win! Is that good or bad?
Eight ball no slop and you have to call the winning shot(pocket). That is the ultimate way to win by proficieny of execution! Now that deserves an applause!
Nine ball there is typically more longer shots, more use of rails and banks. And 3 ball patterns and most always leaving yourself an angle on every shot.
Eight ball is about clusters,obstacles and complete pattern decision if runout is practical, if not when and where do I play safe.
There is no such thing as one game easy or easier than the other.
If there was such a thing as easy we'd all be pro's or we just wouldn't play the game because there wouldn't be any challenge.
Plus in nine ball slop counts. Just think you can slop in balls and win and the Fan's will applaud you for the win! Is that good or bad?
Eight ball no slop and you have to call the winning shot(pocket). That is the ultimate way to win by proficieny of execution! Now that deserves an applause!
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Depends:
8 ball with ball-in-hand or 8 ball open table after the break is a much more strategic game, but is much easier to run out/control the table.
I will say that 8 ball is a "smarter" man's game. If I play someone even 9 ball, I can feel certain I will rob them playing 8 ball.
Playing 8 ball with no ball in hand and taking what you make on the break is a joke. Anyone can win in short sets. There are guys that have to give me the break and the 6 out in 9 ball, but if I can get the break and first shot in 8 ball I will play.
Anyone that thinks 8 ball is harder can feel free to stake the 8 ball ghost against any player that can barely beat the 9 ball ghost. Shoot, I can't beat the 9 ball ghost getting the 4,7 but I'd play the 8 ball ghost with short money odds and a ball.
8 ball with ball-in-hand or 8 ball open table after the break is a much more strategic game, but is much easier to run out/control the table.
I will say that 8 ball is a "smarter" man's game. If I play someone even 9 ball, I can feel certain I will rob them playing 8 ball.
Playing 8 ball with no ball in hand and taking what you make on the break is a joke. Anyone can win in short sets. There are guys that have to give me the break and the 6 out in 9 ball, but if I can get the break and first shot in 8 ball I will play.
Anyone that thinks 8 ball is harder can feel free to stake the 8 ball ghost against any player that can barely beat the 9 ball ghost. Shoot, I can't beat the 9 ball ghost getting the 4,7 but I'd play the 8 ball ghost with short money odds and a ball.
Both Have Their Quirks
I personally prefer 8 ball over 9 ball.
Having said that, as so many other posts have stated.
I think 9 ball requires more cue ball control and the ability to make that rock move when needed.
8 ball requires the ability to work in traffic, play good safes and recognize which group is the better odds.
I like 9 ball less just because it's normally played on bigger tables and the "slop" factor. I really hate those 1-9 ands 2-9 combos after a dry break. :angry:
I personally prefer 8 ball over 9 ball.
Having said that, as so many other posts have stated.
I think 9 ball requires more cue ball control and the ability to make that rock move when needed.
8 ball requires the ability to work in traffic, play good safes and recognize which group is the better odds.
I like 9 ball less just because it's normally played on bigger tables and the "slop" factor. I really hate those 1-9 ands 2-9 combos after a dry break. :angry:
How often do you see 9 ball played for fun? It's like poker, no money no game. I see quite a few people playing 8 ball for fun. I sometimes play in a 9 ball ring game for low stakes but if I'm in at the beginning I suggest 10 ball instead. My first game is 14:1 but i have been playing a lot of 8 ball lately and I think it is helping my game a little. I like rotation but no one wants to play, some people have never even heard of it.
Dave Nelson
Dave Nelson
8 vs. 9
First things first: I'm an 8-ball player, first game I learned, been playing 8 for over 25 years. Conversely, I've been playing 9 competitively for only the last two years. That said, here is my perspective on the two games.
8-ball requires more mental 'gymnastics' in that you are required to call your pockets, pocket balls, and make shapes while avoiding the inherent pitfalls your opponent's balls.
9-ball requires more physical 'gymnastics' in that you must be more precise with your shapes. Therefore, stroke mechanics, touch, etc. are more important in 9-ball.
However, the mental difficulty is less than in 8 simply because you are not required to be as creative.
Which game do I think is harder?
I think it was tough at first for me to play 9-ball consistently well because my understanding of stroke mechanics to produce a given shape was not as polished. I now have a better understanding of how to make shapes because of my 9 experience.
On the other hand, friends of mine that are primarily 9-ball players can play 8-ball at a fairly high level almost immediately, by virtue of their strong mechanics and ability to make shapes. However, as accomplished as some of them are as 9-ball players, they shoot themselves into trouble fairly often in a game of 8, simply because they put too much pressure sometimes on their ability to make shapes. They force a shot and miss the shape.
The simplest example of this I can think of right now is the safety.
In 9-ball the object is to hide the cue ball from the object ball, singular. You only have one ball you have to hide from.
In 8-ball you may have to hide the cue from as many as seven other balls.
This fact, in and of itself, increases the level of difficulty over that of 9-ball.
IMHO
First things first: I'm an 8-ball player, first game I learned, been playing 8 for over 25 years. Conversely, I've been playing 9 competitively for only the last two years. That said, here is my perspective on the two games.
8-ball requires more mental 'gymnastics' in that you are required to call your pockets, pocket balls, and make shapes while avoiding the inherent pitfalls your opponent's balls.
9-ball requires more physical 'gymnastics' in that you must be more precise with your shapes. Therefore, stroke mechanics, touch, etc. are more important in 9-ball.
However, the mental difficulty is less than in 8 simply because you are not required to be as creative.
Which game do I think is harder?
I think it was tough at first for me to play 9-ball consistently well because my understanding of stroke mechanics to produce a given shape was not as polished. I now have a better understanding of how to make shapes because of my 9 experience.
On the other hand, friends of mine that are primarily 9-ball players can play 8-ball at a fairly high level almost immediately, by virtue of their strong mechanics and ability to make shapes. However, as accomplished as some of them are as 9-ball players, they shoot themselves into trouble fairly often in a game of 8, simply because they put too much pressure sometimes on their ability to make shapes. They force a shot and miss the shape.
The simplest example of this I can think of right now is the safety.
In 9-ball the object is to hide the cue ball from the object ball, singular. You only have one ball you have to hide from.
In 8-ball you may have to hide the cue from as many as seven other balls.
This fact, in and of itself, increases the level of difficulty over that of 9-ball.
IMHO
Games
When I established a handicap system for different games in which was based off of bowliards, I assigned 9 ball a 12% difficulty factor and 15% for 8 ball.
The difficulty factor is how much harder the game is from bowliards. So I am saying 9 ball is 12% more difficult than bowliards, and 8 ball is 15% more difficult than bowliards.
In other words, if a person's average in bowliards was 220, for argument's sake, take 220 / 300 (max possible) = .733 * 75 (BCA max score on 5 man 8 ball team) = 54.975 less 6.487 (15% difficulty factor for 8 ball) = 48.49 or 48 average for BCA 5 man team.
For 9 ball, .733 * 4 (max BCA 9 ball average) = 2.932 less 12% = 2.58 or 2.6 average.
When I established a handicap system for different games in which was based off of bowliards, I assigned 9 ball a 12% difficulty factor and 15% for 8 ball.
The difficulty factor is how much harder the game is from bowliards. So I am saying 9 ball is 12% more difficult than bowliards, and 8 ball is 15% more difficult than bowliards.
In other words, if a person's average in bowliards was 220, for argument's sake, take 220 / 300 (max possible) = .733 * 75 (BCA max score on 5 man 8 ball team) = 54.975 less 6.487 (15% difficulty factor for 8 ball) = 48.49 or 48 average for BCA 5 man team.
For 9 ball, .733 * 4 (max BCA 9 ball average) = 2.932 less 12% = 2.58 or 2.6 average.
I think each game has its intricacies and it is very difficult to determine which is harder.rkim99 said:
However, I don't agree with your reasoning in the above example. While you are correct that you only need to hide from one ball in 9-ball, it becomes much more difficult because you have to hit that same ball versus a different ball, which I think negates any benefit.
In 8-ball safeties are harder when all of the balls are on the table; however, as balls are removed and you have multiple balls versus your opponents few, safeties become extremely easy to execute and should result in win when that happens.
I vote for 9-ball. If you have balls that need breakingout then you should have more options in 8-ball than in 9-ball. Therefore better chances of running out, not to mention you don't have to shoot them in order...
Me and a friend made up a game called rotation 8-ball in which if you have solids you owuld have to shoot them i order and then the 8 to win...so on and so forth...It's was alot of fun...
Me and a friend made up a game called rotation 8-ball in which if you have solids you owuld have to shoot them i order and then the 8 to win...so on and so forth...It's was alot of fun...
TXsouthpaw said:
Traffic is not as much of a problem in Pro level. Most of those players can control the cue ball as if they have remote control. Amatuer level maybe, but if you take Efren Reyes opinion on it, 8-ball has more out possibilities than 9-ball.
I can't find it now, but there was comparison between Break-and-Run and Run between 8-ball and 9-ball. The top 100 players do run more often in 8-ball.