9 Ball Ghost ??

poolhustler

poolhustler

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have heard this talked about many times here on the forum and I have searched, but found nothing on how this is done. Can someone please send me in the right direction or explain how to play the 9 ball ghost??

Mucho appreciado!!!

Russ........
 
Rack the balls, break them and try to run out. If you do, you beat the ghost, if you dont.... it is assumed the ghost won.
You can play it however you want it...... give yourself ball in hand after the break or not..... make a ball on the break is a must otherwise it is a loss or not.... whatever you feel like. And you are playing the ghost a race.... common races are to 7 games.
All it is, is a measuring stick for your ability to run the rack out. Doesnt take into account any safety play etc. But can help build a good offensive game.
Chuck
 
poolhustler said:
I have heard this talked about many times here on the forum and I have searched, but found nothing on how this is done. Can someone please send me in the right direction or explain how to play the 9 ball ghost??

Mucho appreciado!!!

Russ........
Click to expand...

There are a few different versions, but they are all basically the same idea.

You are essentially playing a set of 9 ball against a "ghost" opponent. The concept being that the ghost never misses and everytime you miss a shot or scratch, the ghost will will that game.

So, start off by racking a 9 ball rack and break. After the break, take ball in hand anywhere on the table. If you run out, you go up 1-0, if you miss or scratch on a shot, the ghost is assumed to run out and you are down 0-1. Keep going until you or the ghost wins the race. There is no safetly play involved. If you have a tough out or a cluster of balls, then you should do what you can to break out the cluster or just run out. The 9 ball ghost is a purely offensive drill.

This is all there is to it. Nothing special, but a very good drill and an excellent way to gauge your skill. If you can beat the 9 ball ghost, you are shooting pretty damn sporty (A speed or better?). Generally, you do races to 7 or 9. I find that the longer the race, the more difficult it is do defeat the ghost.

There are a few variations. Some people believe that if you scratch on the break, that is a loss (since the ghost would theoretically run out). Some feel it is not a loss. Also, you can make the game much harder by not taking ball in hand after the break. Another great way to make the game harder is to the play the 10 ball ghost or 12 ball ghost.

Ultimately, I think it's best to decide for yourself, based on your skill level, what rules to play by. But for the most part, these are the standard rules for playing the ghost.
 
Another fun thing I used to do with the ghost races was spot the ghost in the race. This will give you the feeling of playing a top pro and they started with a small run on you. Once you can consistantly beat the ghost race to 7 even by a margin of 3 or more start spotting up. At my best I was giving the 9 ball ghost 3 on 7. In my mind it was like playing a pro because you never lose just one when you miss.
 
couldn't you use this concept to 8 ball, and 10 ball also? I know 8 ball would be a little diff. since there is more safety play but I think that the concept could be used in any of these to help practice running out. What do ya think?
 
poolhustler said:
I have heard this talked about many times here on the forum and I have searched, but found nothing on how this is done. Can someone please send me in the right direction or explain how to play the 9 ball ghost??

Mucho appreciado!!!

Russ........
Click to expand...

Russ,

For practice, I play the ghost races to 7. I rack and break 9 ball as I normally would. Then I take ball in hand and try to run out the table. If I miss, I lose the game. Scratches on the break don't matter and I spot the 9 if it drops on the break. Otherwise, everything else counts.

The ghost forces you to play under pressure. It also forces you to make a good rack for yourself, because clusters complicate matters. Some matches the balls just seem to get difficult - so don't get discouraged. Other times you seem to fly right through. If you can't beat the 9 ball ghost after repeated sessions, start off with the 6 ball ghost and work your way up.


Chris
 
R.J.C.33 said:
couldn't you use this concept to 8 ball, and 10 ball also? I know 8 ball would be a little diff. since there is more safety play but I think that the concept could be used in any of these to help practice running out. What do ya think?
Click to expand...


8-ball actually has a higher run-out percentage among professionals than 9ball. Playing The Ghost in 9-ball, I will always take ball-in-hand after the break. In 8-ball, I wouldn't since it's really assumed that you'll have position on SOMETHING.
 
How do you guys handle balls made on the break? I've seen some people spot them to make the game harder (you might have to break up a cluster on the spot if you've got a big break).
 
Thanks for the replies. I have actually played the ghost some 9 ball and didn't realize it was basically the same thing that I had done in the past.

:)

Russ.......
 
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