Grady's Rules for nine ball

L.S. Dennis

L.S. Dennis

Well-known member

Here's Grady's rules once again as explained by Grady.

Grady's 9 Ball Rules
01/30/03 10:17 AM Edit Reply Quote




I have had seven tournaments using these rules. The games were not slowed down and more than 90% of the players loved the rules.
One year at the US Open 9-Ball a vote was taken among the 99 players in attendance. 98 of them voted for my rules and everything went very smoothly.
Mike Sigel, Wade Crane, Nick Varner, and I, at the behest of the then MPBA, were commissioned to come up with the best rules. We worked independently of each other, yet with only minor differences we came up with pretty much the same rules. They were never used.
I think it's disgraceful for a player to miss a ball badly and win a game or a match because of it. My rules will again be used at our Senior tournament in Naples, Florida in June.
If anybody wants to see how they work in real tournament play my back pocket 9 ball tournament and the senior event that I had in Portland, Maine featured these rules. Accu-Stats has tapes from these tournaments. Without further ado, here they are:

It's call shot but it is not necessary to call obvious shots.
Only one ball may be called on one shot.
If the called ball is pocketed legally, everything else that might go is good.
If a plyer misses a called shot, his opponent has the option of taking the shot or having his opponent shoot again.
Nothing spots up except the 9 ball.
If a player calls "safe" and inadvertently pockets a ball(s), his opponent has the option of taking the shot or having his opponent shoot again.
A player may not call safe and pocket a ball.
While this is not a foul, remember that the opponent will have "option".
Players rack their own balls.
They may also have a friend rack the balls for them.
An opponent may not rack the balls.
The nine ball must be pocketed last to win the game.
Where not mentioned herein the general rules of pocket billiards shall apply.
 
L.S. Dennis said:
If a plyer misses a called shot, his opponent has the option of taking the shot or having his opponent shoot again.
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I don't like that. That takes away the two way shot, part of the skill is controlling the table even from an unfavorable position.
L.S. Dennis said:
f a player calls "safe" and inadvertently pockets a ball(s), his opponent has the option of taking the shot or having his opponent shoot again.
A player may not call safe and pocket a ball.
While this is not a foul, remember that the opponent will have "option".
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I do like this. If you don't want to keep shooting, then don't pocket balls. Calling safe and pocketing the 7 when the 8 and 9 are tied up, or similar situations, that always struck me as more weaselly than shrewd, a bit of a loophole in the rules that doesn't improve the game.

A corollary is that if you fail to make the called shot but sink a ball the opponent can give the table back, to preempt calling shots that won't go as an endrun around the safety restrictions. It doesn't matter here if the previous rule is in effect, but otherwise it would seem in keeping with the spirit of the rest of the rules.

I like the safety rule in 8 ball, too.
 
Here's an old post by TwoForPool and I agree with him


Grady's Rules

I had no idea that Grady's Rules (for the most part) were being used the TAR matches.

I really like these rules especially the one where your opponent misses a ball and you have the option to make him shoot again. I always just hated to see a player dog it and get lucky and hook you therebye turning a chump into a champion in one shot. A player should be penalized and not rewarded when missing a shot.

I would like to see Grady's Rules in effect in tournaments and will recommend them here locally. I also agree they should publically call "Grady's Rules.
 
Ten ball is sometimes played this way. Never heard of anyone doing it with 9 ball til now.
I like 9 ball the way it is, with no need to call anything, ever. It can be a fun break from call shot games.
 
L.S. Dennis said:
Here's an old post by TwoForPool and I agree with him


Grady's Rules

I had no idea that Grady's Rules (for the most part) were being used the TAR matches.

I really like these rules especially the one where your opponent misses a ball and you have the option to make him shoot again. I always just hated to see a player dog it and get lucky and hook you therebye turning a chump into a champion in one shot. A player should be penalized and not rewarded when missing a shot.

I would like to see Grady's Rules in effect in tournaments and will recommend them here locally. I also agree they should publically call "Grady's Rules.
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I don’t know why twoforpool thinks TAR matches were like this. Maybe an odd one match might have had a gaffe game trying Grady Rules? For 10-ball, TAR often used old school rules (slop) at the start with no 10-ball in the bottom two corners on the break. Maybe later near the end TAR had incorporated more of Predator 10-ball rules (Robles).
 
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tomatoshooter said:
I don't like that. That takes away the two way shot, part of the skill is controlling the table even from an unfavorable position.
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I believe there was a very brief span of time several years ago when the WPA had call safe for their 10-ball rules. I'm glad they eliminated it, cuz as you said it eliminates two-way shots. I like the WPA 10-ball call shot rules as they are now. And I also like the 9-ball rules (no call shot) used in most tournaments.
 
I like the fact that Grady's Rules go as far as possible to eliminate luck from 9-ball. Yes, it eliminates the 2-way shot, where a miss leaves the incoming player in trouble. However, I would argue that missed 2-way shots, while elegant and fun to watch, don't happen all that often. In the course of a match, one is much more likely to see "ordinary" shots missed leaving the incoming player hooked. So if Grady's goal was to eliminate luck as much as possible, he got it right.
 
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jsp said:
I believe there was a very brief span of time several years ago when the WPA had call safe for their 10-ball rules. I'm glad they eliminated it, cuz as you said it eliminates two-way shots. I like the WPA 10-ball call shot rules as they are now. And I also like the 9-ball rules (no call shot) used in most tournaments.
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I believe the WPA rules for 10 ball first appeared in January of 2008 and have not changed significantly since then.

The WPA rules still talk about calling safe at 10 ball. It is never to the player's advantage to call safe under the WPA rules.
 
VTEC John said:
I like the fact that Grady's Rules go as far as possible to eliminate luck from 9-ball. Yes, it eliminates the 2-way shot, where a miss leaves the incoming player in trouble. However, I would argue that missed 2-way shots, while elegant and fun to watch, don't happen all that often. In the course of a match, one is much more likely to see "ordinary" shots missed leaving the incoming player hooked. So if Grady's goal was to eliminate luck as much as possible, he got it right.
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Grady’s rules also eliminated a lot of skill. Grady and I always got along, but I was t going for his rules.
 
L.S. Dennis said:
Just curious, what 'skill' does Grady's rule eliminate? In my reading of them they do just the opposite.
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Call safe doesn't reward two-way shots in which the shooter has a chance to pot the object ball while simultaneously playing a safe in case the shot is missed. For call safe, you're forced to choose the pot or the safe, in which case you're inclined to execute the shot to maximize your chances to achieve the pot or the safe. There is a skill in executing certain shots in a way to increase your chances of achieving both the shot and safe (in case you miss).

Likewise, in call shot you're forced to call only one object ball to pocket. So you're much less likely to execute shots in a way that could potentially allow you to pocket another object ball, which is would allow you stay at the table (or have you win the rack early) in the event you miss your primary shot.

There is a fundamental tradeoff between reducing the luck factor and being rewarded with envisioning and executing two-way shots. That's why I like how 9-ball is generally slop and WPA 10-ball is call shot (but not call safe). They become two different games. Variety is good.
 
BasementDweller said:
This is what happens when only players make the rules -- they are logical to a fault, and often times forget all about the fans. That's what these rules do too.

I do miss Grady and find myself running one of those old Treasure'd Accu-Stats matches to hear him and Billy square off.
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I don't think fans really care what the rules are as long as they understand them. Any rules should be to the benefit of the players so the game is fair. I bet if Matchoom said "no more jump cues and the 9 is called shot" they would not loose any viewership due to that.
 
hang-the-9 said:
I don't think fans really care what the rules are as long as they understand them. Any rules should be to the benefit of the players so the game is fair. I bet if Matchoom said "no more jump cues and the 9 is called shot" they would not loose any viewership due to that.
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I agree, the points you express are spot on.
 
If you want to eliminate most luck in 9 Ball just require a 700+ Fargo to enter. The lucky 699- Fargo can have a 'slop' battle for their own money. Can't have your cake and eat it too.
 
hang-the-9 said:
I don't think fans really care what the rules are as long as they understand them. Any rules should be to the benefit of the players so the game is fair. I bet if Matchoom said "no more jump cues and the 9 is called shot" they would not loose any viewership due to that.
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The differences are subtle but I think they make quite a bit of difference. Jump shots are one of the handful of things that separates pool from snooker. They can break up the monotony of the broadcast, especially with good commentators. The break was another snooker seperator, but that's changing and soon the SVB's of the world won't have much of an edge in that department from the snooker world crossovers. I don't think that's a great thing for the viewers but I understand and even like Matchroom's break rules.

Removing luck from any sport isn't as great of a thing as the proponents of it think it is. The lucky shots are often times the thing most talked about from a match. Removing luck from the game is "fraught with peril!"
 
VTEC John said:
I like the fact that Grady's Rules go as far as possible to eliminate luck from 9-ball. Yes, it eliminates the 2-way shot, where a miss leaves the incoming player in trouble. However, I would argue that missed 2-way shots, while elegant and fun to watch, don't happen all that often. In the course of a match, one is much more likely to see "ordinary" shots missed leaving the incoming player hooked. So if Grady's goal was to eliminate luck as much as possible, he got it right.
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100% THIS.
The argument for two-way shots is moot imo because they are more rare than the miss that accidentally wins the game for the player who missed.
Recent matches have shown that slop determined outcomes.
At the very least, they should change all major tournaments (especially World Championships), to 10ball.
 
Grady being the gambler he is, prefers to be on the right side of the money.
Law of large numbers.
His beginning quest when gambling with a tough opponent in 9 ball, remove the luck.

Different forms of handicap must be considered, lobbied for and employed.
All great gamblers ''look for and edge''.
The professor was just taking care of business.
His reasoning, ''make sure the score is in receivership.''
 
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