9ball Rack

ftgokie

ftgokie

D player extraordinaire
Silver Member
OK, I did a search on here and didnt find anything. I know there will be a million different ways and everyone is different. But when you rack 9ball, 1 is obviously on spot and 9 in middle....where do you place the 2,3,4,5,6,7,8 Do you place them in any particular order to get them distanced from the next OBJ ball. Like for me, usually 3 is next to the 1 on top part of rack, and 2 is on bottom half of rack near the end rail.......Any suggestions or comments.....Thanks guys and Merry Christmas!:thumbup:
 
first...

Joe Tucker has a way of racking 9 ball, and he explains why.

but....I can't remember what it is.

I haven't gotten my Joe Tucker, Racking Secrets, DVD back from one of my pool buddies.

Try www.joetucker.net
 
FT, I was taught that the 1 goes on top, the 9 in the middle, and the rest should be racked randomly.....IMHO that the balls should never be put in any specific order because that is not random and it IS cheating....

Since it's Christmas, I have no intention to go on a soapbox :D , but since you are asking, I would kindly ask that you stay within the spirit of the rules and rack randomly.....now, if you are wanting to track where the balls are going after the break and working towards improving on your faults, I can see value in simply putting them in the same order every time you practice to get a good feel on where you can improve...

Hope that helps...
 
Or, you might have just been making a funny and I missed it.....I'm at work today and not happy about it :grin:
 
Big Perm said:
FT, I was taught that the 1 goes on top, the 9 in the middle, and the rest should be racked randomly.....IMHO that the balls should never be put in any specific order because that is not random and it IS cheating....

Since it's Christmas, I have no intention to go on a soapbox :D , but since you are asking, I would kindly ask that you stay within the spirit of the rules and rack randomly.....now, if you are wanting to track where the balls are going after the break and working towards improving on your faults, I can see value in simply putting them in the same order every time you practice to get a good feel on where you can improve...

Hope that helps...
Click to expand...
I have seen plenty of pro tournaments where they rack the balls in the exact same configuration for every rack.
Many of the patterns end up being almost identical and it makes for boring viewing - for me at least.
They say it is the most fair - gives every player the same rack.
I don't agree with it, though.
The greatest thing about pool is the endless variety possible = that's why it stays interesting for a lifetime.
 
Maybe I am a cheater, but if I am racking for my opponent, I put the 2 ball at the very back of the rack because (in my mind) it is harder to predict where it will end up. If I am racking for myself, I put it behind the 1 ball HOPING that it ends up near one of the side pockets.
 
9 on the snap said:
As long as you don't use an actual 9 ball rack, you will be fine.:grin:
Click to expand...
:thumbup: I always hated them...preferred the 8 ball rack for some reason :cool:
 
Big Perm said:
Or, you might have just been making a funny and I missed it.....I'm at work today and not happy about it :grin:
Click to expand...

No, I was being serious...I am a Veterans Counselor with the Veterans Administration and I am just bored to death here today so trying to improve my game from here:thumbup: Gotta be productive ya know! :wink:
 
JohnnyOzone said:
I have seen plenty of pro tournaments where they rack the balls in the exact same configuration for every rack.
Many of the patterns end up being almost identical and it makes for boring viewing - for me at least.
They say it is the most fair - gives every player the same rack.
I don't agree with it, though.
The greatest thing about pool is the endless variety possible = that's why it stays interesting for a lifetime.
Click to expand...

I agree, its never the same game twice
 
I don't know why, but I always rack the same for myself and/or opponent.

The one and nine are givens, then I place the 3 and the 8 behind the 1. I place the 2 ball at the bottom of the rack and the others (4,5,6,7) randomly.

Happy Holidays,

Russ.....
 
ftgokie said:
OK, I did a search on here and didnt find anything. I know there will be a million different ways and everyone is different. But when you rack 9ball, 1 is obviously on spot and 9 in middle....where do you place the 2,3,4,5,6,7,8 Do you place them in any particular order to get them distanced from the next OBJ ball. Like for me, usually 3 is next to the 1 on top part of rack, and 2 is on bottom half of rack near the end rail.......Any suggestions or comments.....Thanks guys and Merry Christmas!:thumbup:
Click to expand...

When the opponent is breaking from the RH side

1
83
496
72
5

If they are breaking from the LH side of the table I switch the 8-3 and the 2-7.

Merry Christmas to you too.........Paul
 
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Paul Mon said:
When the opponent is breaking from the RH side

1
83
496
72
5

If they are breaking from the LH side of the table I switch the 8-3 and the 2-7.
Click to expand...

Just to clarify, you mean RH and LH from the shooter's view or the racker's?
 
Paul Mon said:
When the opponent is breaking from the RH side

1
83
496
72
5

If they are breaking from the LH side of the table I switch the 8-3 and the 2-7.

Merry Christmas to you too.........Paul
Click to expand...
This sequence makes a lot of sense. The only two balls that I'm really concerned with are the one and the two. The two from where you say gets little movement so it basically stays at that half of the table with the one winding up at the other end. If a ball is pocketed on the break chances are that if they are shooting on the one they will have to travel from one end of the table to the other end.

I have noticed that placing the two ball opposite from the breakers side will normally get less travel, giving it more chance to remain in that area.

Lately in some tournaments I have noticed that it is required that the two ball be placed at the very back of the rack. I believe this is a rule at the Hard Times in LA but rarely unforced.

Merry Christmas to all. Ho Ho Ho
 
It seems the text of the rule is needed here:


"5.2 RACKING THE BALLS
The object balls are racked in a diamond shape, with the 1-ball at the top of the diamond and on the foot spot, the 9-ball in the center of the diamond, and the other balls in random order, racked as tightly as possible. The game begins with cue ball in hand behind the head string."


Any pattern racking is illegal ("cheating"), whether racking for yourself or your opponent.
 
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Big Perm said:
FT, I was taught that the 1 goes on top, the 9 in the middle, and the rest should be racked randomly.....IMHO that the balls should never be put in any specific order because that is not random and it IS cheating....

Since it's Christmas, I have no intention to go on a soapbox :D , but since you are asking, I would kindly ask that you stay within the spirit of the rules and rack randomly.....now, if you are wanting to track where the balls are going after the break and working towards improving on your faults, I can see value in simply putting them in the same order every time you practice to get a good feel on where you can improve...

Hope that helps...
Click to expand...

Depends on what rules you are playing by. I use Joe Tucker's method and don't see anything wrong with it. The only change I might like to see is that the balls be racked the same way for each player.
Why would it be cheating??
 
I suppose that I'm part of the moral stand as well. I've always hated the seedy reputation that billiards has here in the States (sorry to all you hustlers out there). I like to think of it more as a gentleman's game. That being said, I also hate hate hate cheating in everything (and yes, to me, doing something knowingly to your advantage when you know it's wrong is cheating).

I always rack randomly after the 1 and the 9 and do so both for myself and my opponent. HOWEVER I am also not one to be cheated. If I notice my opponent trying to screw me over in racking, you better believe that I'm retaliating if there's no official to turn to.
 
CharlesUFarley said:
Maybe I am a cheater, but if I am racking for my opponent, I put the 2 ball at the very back of the rack because (in my mind) it is harder to predict where it will end up. If I am racking for myself, I put it behind the 1 ball HOPING that it ends up near one of the side pockets.
Click to expand...

Actually, the ball at the back of the rack is easy to predict...it will end up at the breaking end of the table (close to or frozen on the short rail isn't unusual) and the 9 will usually stay at the racking end. That's why a lot of people will put the 8-ball at the back of the rack, to leave distance between the 8 and 9. The 1-ball will usually go back to the breaking end (if it doesn't drop in the side), and putting the 2-ball at the back of the rack will actually help a runout because it will be at the same end of the table as the 1.
:p
 
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