Another bar 8 ball question

B

beachbum949

Registered
When playing in a bar (I know, don't play pool in bars) how do you feel about the 8 ball shot having to go in "clean" without touching opponent's ball? I would like to be able to call the shot as either "clean" or "off a rail" or "carom off opponent's ball". If I make the called shot, I win. I hear arguments that the 8 ball must always be a "clean" shot no matter what. I'm curious as to how many of you prefer the "clean only" 8 ball shot over calling contact.
 
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beachbum949 said:
When playing in a bar (I know, don't play pool in bars) how do you feel about the 8 ball shot having to go in "clean" without touching opponent's ball? I would like to be able to call the shot as either "clean" or "off a rail" or "carom off opponent's ball". If I make the called shot, I win. I hear arguments that the 8 ball must always be a "clean" shot no matter what.
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I always had a simple solution to this dilemma. Agree to a few simple rules before playing. If you cant agree...dont play.

If I walk up and challenge a table I agree to play by that persons rules. If some one challenged me they played by my rules but I was always willing to negotiate.

Never had a problem in bars using that method...except for being called a hustler on occasion.
 
Can someone show me "bar rules", do they even exist?

Are they uniform from bar to bar? Not only no, but F NO!
 
My simple solution is don't play fu#$*&#* bar box 8 ball
Or 8 ball period

It's like everyone that plays on them has some variant of rules and they never tell you about them until you make what they think is a foul
 
strmanglr scott said:
Can someone show me "bar rules", do they even exist?

Are they uniform from bar to bar? Not only no, but F NO!
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Uniform ? Lol

How many variations of 9 ball are played at the pro level ?

9 on the spot....1 on the spot. .. Break box... No break box... Jump cues...no jump cues...etc...etc...and you wanna call out a bunch of drunks in a bar for not having uniform rules. Lol btw....its basically the same ever where but there are slight variations from region to region.
 
Many years ago when I was trying to win all the little bar tournaments I could find, one particular 8-ball tournament comes to mind. It was in a rough place called the Purple Plum. For the win I had to kick three rails on the 8-ball, TWICE! My opponent had 5 or 6 balls remaining, and I tried to squeeze the 8 by one of them and barely missed. The 8 hit the corner pocket tip and bounced about 2 inches out and directly in front of the pocket, blocking one of his balls that was about a diamond out from the pocket.

The guy missed his shot and hooked me behind a ball where I had no easy kick at the 8. So I called a 3-railer, and immediately three or four locals came over to watch the shot. My opponent said If I hit either rail next to the 8 I lose. And his buddies stood right there to make sure. I shot it so softly that if I did happen to hit the rail before the 8 I'd hopefully not make it. The cue ball went exactly 3 rails and then barely touched the 8, rolling it right up to the edge of the slate. Luckily we weren't playing league rules in this place -- strictly old-school bar rules, so no ball in hand.

Well, the guy misses again and hooks me again where all I have is another 3-rail path to the 8. And once again everybody stood close to make sure I didn't cheat by barely touching another rail or corner pocket facing before the 8. I shot shot again, perfectly going 3 rails and barely touching the 8, clean in the middle, and it rolled over and dropped into the pocket.

I guess they were more amazed than mad, so I was lucky to win the $80 pot without a fight. Two hour hours later, after stuffing another couple hundred dollars into my pocket via ring game style, 9-ball, 5 players, $2 a ball on the 5-7-9, my buddy (playing on the table next to mine) accidently poked a girl's behind with the butt of his cue while breaking. This of course got her boyfriend up and over into my friend's face.

After everything settled down, my buddy stayed clear of the tables and just sat and watched the ring game. About 20 minutes later he said he'd heard a couple of guys talking about getting their money back. And they weren't planning to do it on the pool table! I gave my keys to my buddy, told him to start the truck and I'd be right out. Three or games go by where I gladly make sure to toss my $6 dollars out each time for not making any money balls, then I ask the guys in the game what they're drinking, lean the bar cue against the jukebox and start for the bar. I walk straight passed the bar and hit the front door. Haven't been back since then. And my buddy, the one that had the truck ready, laughed when I jumped in. As we were going down the road he confessed to poking that girl on purpose. He said her boyfriend was gathering up a few buddies, not to take my money, but to jump him for messing with that girl! Anyway, that buddy of mine just passed away a few months ago. So this story is a good memorial to him. Sorry if I went too far off topic. EVERY BAR ROOM HAS IT'S OWN RULES, though I think today many players have adopted BCA or VNEA rules in most bars.
 
beachbum949 said:
When playing in a bar (I know, don't play pool in bars) how do you feel about the 8 ball shot having to go in "clean" without touching opponent's ball? I would like to be able to call the shot as either "clean" or "off a rail" or "carom off opponent's ball". If I make the called shot, I win. I hear arguments that the 8 ball must always be a "clean" shot no matter what. I'm curious as to how many of you prefer the "clean only" 8 ball shot over calling contact.
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I have stopped trying to play by any rules when playing bar table 8 ball since it takes a 5 minute discussion about every other rule and 3 people have 3 different opinions on it. Usually the rule picked is by whoever is the loudest or most drunk and biggest. I have recently had the pleasure of watching some guy show off his pool game to the girl he was with by playing 9 ball, using some crazy mix of 9 ball and bar 8 ball rules. I think the only correct rule he was teaching her was that you had to hit the lowest ball.

Playing the 8 ball "clean" is as made up as a lot of the other bar rules and no less or more valid. One of the more amusing things is hearing players that can't make a single ball except by luck tell me that playing by the "Pro Rules" is too easy.
 
hang-the-9 said:
Playing the 8 ball "clean" is as made up as a lot of the other bar rules and no less or more valid. One of the more amusing things is hearing players that can't make a single ball except by luck tell me that playing by the "Pro Rules" is too easy.
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You forgot the "regulation size table". Thats all the bar only pool players talk about, Pro rules on regulation size tables. They know every professional rule that exists but they are not correct on any of them.:rotflmao1::rotflmao1::rotflmao1::rotflmao1:
 
I never liked the clean 8 ball shot rule. It makes some games pretty much impossible to win. Like when the eight is touching a ball and hanging in the pocket.
 
Had an interesting one the other day. My neighbour used to play in some in-house league, so we were clear on needing to hit a rail, call pocket and ball in hand. Until I got down to the 8b. His league played that if I hooked myself on the 8b and fouled it was a loss of game, but not if he hooked me.

Since it was my table, WPA rules prevailed!
 
Ok I'll tell a little story as to why I dislike call shot as opposed to call pocket whether it be the eight ball or another ball.

Many years ago I wound up in a Cholow Arizona. a small town in the White Mountains. It was about 10;30pm when I went into this bar that had one table with about four or five quarters up on the rail for challenges. I was surprised that they were playing for $30 a game. I put my quarter up and got my turn close to midnight.

The game was call shot. That's where you need to call everything that happens, kisses, banks, sliding off the rail before going in. etc. In about my third game I called the 3 ball out of a small stack that had a few ball jumble up together. Just a routine carom of another ball but there was a lot of movement from the surrounding balls making the shot look more complicated than it was. There was a little speed involved.

After the ball went into the pocket my opponent jumps up and says I didn't call it that way.

By this time it's close to 1pm and they close the bar at 2pm. I got a little courageous and stood my ground because if I had lost that game there would not have been time to get back up to the table. I would have lost $30 for that game without the chance to win another three or four more games.

Without the time being a factor I normally would have just conceded the shot and if I had lost I would have posted another quarter. My experience tells me that only the lesser players want to play call shot. But in the long run playing that way favors the better players more.
 
cueman said:
I never liked the clean 8 ball shot rule. It makes some games pretty much impossible to win. Like when the eight is touching a ball and hanging in the pocket.
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I have never played where the 8 must go clean. We always had to call whether it was going clean or not. Mulling this issue over I could see where an opponent would stipulate this rule thinking it nigh give him a chance again a better opponent ..then again this stipulation could just as well bite him in the ass.

As for impossible. ? . I suppose there would be instances but it seems to me you could always nudge your opponents ball away from the 8 and have a clean shot your next trip to the table.

You both are playing by the same rules so this situation could easily apply to your opponent. The better player should always win....regardless the rules you play by so it really dont matter to me.
 
lorider said:
Uniform ? Lol

How many variations of 9 ball are played at the pro level ?

9 on the spot....1 on the spot. .. Break box... No break box... Jump cues...no jump cues...etc...etc...and you wanna call out a bunch of drunks in a bar for not having uniform rules. Lol btw....its basically the same ever where but there are slight variations from region to region.
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Lol, sorry, I read the title as 8 ball.

Most players who enter a tourney know and understand the rules easy enough.

Step into a bar, rules? We don't need rules, I'll tell you when you make an illegal shot.
 
i never really agreed with calling it clean, when you walk an 8 ball down the rail do you know how many times it touches the rail, or can you plan the rattle in the pocket that hits how many times before it drops in. I agree weaker players play that way and the more skilled player doesn't watch the opponent as closely because they don't play that way and they probably know they are a better player anyways.
 
How about just sticking to the normal, official 8 ball rules? They are easy and boring enough for anybody to comprehend...

You can decide about the break (kitchen rule, ...) however you like.
That way any confusion (and strange playing, I might add) is avoided.

To conclude, I have also never heard about this rule. I just heard about "8 ball must go into diagonally opposite pocket than last ball".
Which is a crap rule, too.

Cheers,
M
 
BC21 said:
Many years ago when I was trying to win all the little bar tournaments I could find, one particular 8-ball tournament comes to mind. It was in a rough place called the Purple Plum. For the win I had to kick three rails on the 8-ball, TWICE! My opponent had 5 or 6 balls remaining, and I tried to squeeze the 8 by one of them and barely missed. The 8 hit the corner pocket tip and bounced about 2 inches out and directly in front of the pocket, blocking one of his balls that was about a diamond out from the pocket.

The guy missed his shot and hooked me behind a ball where I had no easy kick at the 8. So I called a 3-railer, and immediately three or four locals came over to watch the shot. My opponent said If I hit either rail next to the 8 I lose. And his buddies stood right there to make sure. I shot it so softly that if I did happen to hit the rail before the 8 I'd hopefully not make it. The cue ball went exactly 3 rails and then barely touched the 8, rolling it right up to the edge of the slate. Luckily we weren't playing league rules in this place -- strictly old-school bar rules, so no ball in hand.

Well, the guy misses again and hooks me again where all I have is another 3-rail path to the 8. And once again everybody stood close to make sure I didn't cheat by barely touching another rail or corner pocket facing before the 8. I shot shot again, perfectly going 3 rails and barely touching the 8, clean in the middle, and it rolled over and dropped into the pocket.

I guess they were more amazed than mad, so I was lucky to win the $80 pot without a fight. Two hour hours later, after stuffing another couple hundred dollars into my pocket via ring game style, 9-ball, 5 players, $2 a ball on the 5-7-9, my buddy (playing on the table next to mine) accidently poked a girl's behind with the butt of his cue while breaking. This of course got her boyfriend up and over into my friend's face.

After everything settled down, my buddy stayed clear of the tables and just sat and watched the ring game. About 20 minutes later he said he'd heard a couple of guys talking about getting their money back. And they weren't planning to do it on the pool table! I gave my keys to my buddy, told him to start the truck and I'd be right out. Three or games go by where I gladly make sure to toss my $6 dollars out each time for not making any money balls, then I ask the guys in the game what they're drinking, lean the bar cue against the jukebox and start for the bar. I walk straight passed the bar and hit the front door. Haven't been back since then. And my buddy, the one that had the truck ready, laughed when I jumped in. As we were going down the road he confessed to poking that girl on purpose. He said her boyfriend was gathering up a few buddies, not to take my money, but to jump him for messing with that girl! Anyway, that buddy of mine just passed away a few months ago. So this story is a good memorial to him. Sorry if I went too far off topic. EVERY BAR ROOM HAS IT'S OWN RULES, though I think today many players have adopted BCA or VNEA rules in most bars.
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LOL I live in Pinch, WV. You can't imagine the double take I did when I saw the name 'Purple Plum.' I thought to myself "there's no way there was more than one Purple Plum that could have been considered rough." The I saw WV in your profile and knew I was right.
 
WVShootist said:
LOL I live in Pinch, WV. You can't imagine the double take I did when I saw the name 'Purple Plum.' I thought to myself "there's no way there was more than one Purple Plum that could have been considered rough." The I saw WV in your profile and knew I was right.
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I thought you were going to say "I'm still waiting for that beer you were going to buy me".


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
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