Freakin' 8 ball

[Colin Colenso]

I find 8-ball to be a much more challenging game than 9-ball.

Rarely in 9 ball do I have to kiss out balls to make them on, whereas in 8-ball it happens nearly every game. It takes some great cue ball control and planning to run racks when there are 2 or 3 balls not on.

When playing at top level, no one wants to let the opponent back on the table. It is much tougher to lay a good safety in 8-ball than in 9-ball because the opponent may have 7 balls as options to hit.

In 9-ball you can usually predict the choice of shots as soon as the guy gets an open shot on the 1 ball. In 8-ball, when there are clusters and blocked balls to manage, there are a wide range of possibilities and it is always interesting to see how different players will go about solving these puzzles.

For the IPT..please change to fast cloths. Pro snooker plays on very fast cloths and it opens up new possiblities of creative cannons to break up clusters with deft touch.

I also believe that if big money comes into 8-ball you will see a flood of Europeans and Australians coming in to be very competitive at the highest level. These players have a strong background in snooker and English 8-ball.

 

[AuntyDan]

How to win the toss...

I agree 100 percent. Screw that coin flip, and do the lag.

Shame on you JAM, you've been on the road all this time and still don't know how to win the coin toss 90% of the time? Just go to a Joke/Magic supply store and buy a quarter that's Tails on both sides. 9 out of 10 people call Heads on every coin toss ;-)

 

[woody_968]

I understand your points Willie, but it doesnt seem to bother me that much. Of course I could watch an hour game of one pocket and enjoy it if its that long because of alot of good moves and not because of missed balls LOL.

I like 8ball when played by players that arent afraid to try and run out. I play with a few people like you are talking about that just play safe after safe. I find joy in playing them now because when they play what they think is a safe and I run out the look on their face is priceless

I dont mind getting into a safety battle in 8ball once in a while, I actually kind of enjoy it, but most of the time if there is a possible way to get out I try and get out.

 

[lewdo26]

I almost cry when I see 8-ball and that is before the game even begins. It is inevitable that if 2 ballbangers who couldn't run 3 balls in a row are playing, the one who is racking will be doing some kind of voodoo system of racking the balls (lets see 1 in front then a striped one then a solid one, then another striped one etc. etc. and then when they are all racked he has to change a few around) as if it freakin' matters. After 5 minutes getting all the balls just right the other guy will break and miss the rack completely. This is after they have spent 10 minutes getting just the right house cue as if they are going to play magically with one of those brooms.

I'm going to retire if all the real poolplayers start playing 8 ball.

Wayne

With all due respect, Wayne, get some Accu-stats 8 ball matches --- anything by Roger Griffis or Efren will be good --- you will see that there is much more to the GAME (notice I'm not talking of the people who usually think they play 8 ball or the environment they play in) than what you've seen. At least that is what it sounds like given your posts.

Pro 8 ball tournaments wouldn't be played with a house cue, the players will not be drinking (at least most won't), nor will they refrain from using the Sardo rack as in any 9 ball tournament.

You've showed a lot of disgust for the brand of 8 ball played in taverns, and I completely share that disgust with you. But, aside from prejudice, you haven't offered a single argument why 8 ball shouldn't be included as a feature of pro pool.