Leave 9 Ball Alone!

[Rude Dog]

9 Ball is fine the way it is. Are there really that many unhappy pool players out there playing 9 ball thinking to themselves "Damn this game sucks, how can we change the rules so we can be a top pro too'? Practice more or quit if you're not as good as you would like to be. Changing the game isn't going to help you catch up to the top players, practice is. Is the game easy? Is that why there are so many trying to change it? I see a guy every day at the pool hall playing 3 ball, for hours. He rarely runs the 3 balls out and he's not running them in order! I asked him why he only practices with 3 balls. He says, "Because 9 ball is too easy." I couldn't believe it.
Oh well, change the game people, make it harder, make it easier, I don't care anymore. I'll tell my grandkids in 30 years that I used to play 9 ball when you had to actually hold a cue in your hand and stand at the table and shoot the balls in yourself. Ha Ha, they won't believe it either.

 

[vapoolplayer]

9 Ball is fine the way it is. Are there really that many unhappy pool players out there playing 9 ball thinking to themselves "Damn this game sucks, how can we change the rules so we can be a top pro too'? Practice more or quit if you're not as good as you would like to be. Changing the game isn't going to help you catch up to the top players, practice is. Is the game easy? Is that why there are so many trying to change it? I see a guy every day at the pool hall playing 3 ball, for hours. He rarely runs the 3 balls out and he's not running them in order! I asked him why he only practices with 3 balls. He says, "Because 9 ball is too easy." I couldn't believe it.
Oh well, change the game people, make it harder, make it easier, I don't care anymore. I'll tell my grandkids in 30 years that I used to play 9 ball when you had to actually hold a cue in your hand and stand at the table and shoot the balls in yourself. Ha Ha, they won't believe it either.

tap tap tap


let me guess, the guy playing 3 ball is the type that doesn't gamble either.......LOL

VAP

 

[Rickw]

I kind of liked 9b more before they changed it in the first place! Anyone remember how it was played 20 years ago?

 

[sniper]

9 Ball is fine the way it is. Are there really that many unhappy pool players out there playing 9 ball thinking to themselves "Damn this game sucks, how can we change the rules so we can be a top pro too'? Practice more or quit if you're not as good as you would like to be. Changing the game isn't going to help you catch up to the top players, practice is. Is the game easy? Is that why there are so many trying to change it? I see a guy every day at the pool hall playing 3 ball, for hours. He rarely runs the 3 balls out and he's not running them in order! I asked him why he only practices with 3 balls. He says, "Because 9 ball is too easy." I couldn't believe it.
Oh well, change the game people, make it harder, make it easier, I don't care anymore. I'll tell my grandkids in 30 years that I used to play 9 ball when you had to actually hold a cue in your hand and stand at the table and shoot the balls in yourself. Ha Ha, they won't believe it either.

Your right John nine ball is fine the way it is, the problem with the game today is lack of a recoginized pro tour (for the men) and a lack of corporate sponsorship, tournament formats, and a couple other things that could be done as well to improve the game but I don't think it's necessary to change the rules altogether.

 

[StraightPoolIU]

I know they changed the rules for 9-ball in the last 20 years, but I've been trying to find out what the old rules used to be. I haven't had much luck so far. Is anyone able to enlighten me?

 

[Rickw]

First of all, the 9b wasn't wild. Secondly, they didn't have ball in hand. If you didn't hit the ball, your opponent could either shoot the cue ball from where it lays or make you shoot it again. If you scratched the cb, your opponent took ball in hand from the kitchen. There may be more that I'm forgetting but that's what I remember.

 

[Rude Dog]

I know they changed the rules for 9-ball in the last 20 years, but I've been trying to find out what the old rules used to be. I haven't had much luck so far. Is anyone able to enlighten me?

It used to be played without ball in hand unless you made 2 consecutive fouls. If you were hooked, you could push out and your opponent had the option to shoot. If you scratched, it was ball in hand behind the head string. Scratch on the break, same thing, in the kitchen. These are the rules I learned to play with but when Texas Express was introduced, I liked it. I had been playing for a short period of time anyway so it wasn't that big of a difference to me. When Hard Times opened in 1988 it opened my eyes to how 9 ball was supposed to be played. There were so many champions in the place at one time that you really had to have no talent if you didn't learn. I think my game went up a ball every week. Peace, John. BTW, hope this helps.

 

[ceebee]

9-Ball, many yesterdays ago

I kind of liked 9b more before they changed it in the first place! Anyone remember how it was played 20 years ago?

As I remember... the game was played with a "two-shot rollout" format.

Safeties were still used as a defensive offense, but Jump Cues were not invented yet, so the Masse', the diamond system or the "rollout" prevailed.

Two shot rollout is called a "push shot" today. The Push Shot, today, can only be used just after the break.

Great shots were made by players, they had to make these great shots or perish.

 

[RSB-Refugee]

9 Ball is fine the way it is. Are there really that many unhappy pool players out there playing 9 ball thinking to themselves "Damn this game sucks, how can we change the rules so we can be a top pro too'? Practice more or quit if you're not as good as you would like to be. Changing the game isn't going to help you catch up to the top players, practice is. Is the game easy? Is that why there are so many trying to change it? I see a guy every day at the pool hall playing 3 ball, for hours. He rarely runs the 3 balls out and he's not running them in order! I asked him why he only practices with 3 balls. He says, "Because 9 ball is too easy." I couldn't believe it.
Oh well, change the game people, make it harder, make it easier, I don't care anymore. I'll tell my grandkids in 30 years that I used to play 9 ball when you had to actually hold a cue in your hand and stand at the table and shoot the balls in yourself. Ha Ha, they won't believe it either.

Tap Tap Tap

If someone wants to invent a new game, go ahead, but leave 9-Ball alone. It at least has rules that are known almost anywhere you go, unlike 8-Ball.

Tracy

 

[Snapshot9]

9 ball rules

I am an old timer, played through all the rule changes, and 9 ball is fine just the way it is except:

1) Like to see final pro matches (TV matches) racked in the same order
for each player. Personally going front to back, left to right, I like
1,3-2, 8-9-7, 5-4, 6 (for an even game with no spot).

2) How come women pros don't have to call the 9 and men do ...
perhaps it is just tournament format ...

3) I think good money matches (across the country) should
have to rack the balls in a particular order to be fair to
both players. How many times have you seen where, if
2 balls were exchanged with each other, it would dictate
whether the player could run the table or not ....

 

[sjm]

Texas Express nineball is the best from of nineball ever played.

I played nineball the old way for years. Why should you be allowed to push if you snooker yourself missing shape? Having to kick or jump is your penalty today, and that's as it should be. Postion play is sacred, and any rule that would reduce the cost of position play errors is not cool by me.

 

[bobroberts]

The only thing that I can see wrong with 9 ball is you can make 8 balls in a row and lose.There has to be some consideration for doing that.

 

[vagabond]

Before Texas Express rules came(around 1990) balls made on a illegal shot were spotted.Balls jumped out of the table were also spotted.
Vagabond

 

[vapoolplayer]

The only thing that I can see wrong with 9 ball is you can make 8 balls in a row and lose.There has to be some consideration for doing that.

i have considered it and come up with an answer.

answer: don't dog the 9 ball.

VAP

 

[Rude Dog]

The only thing that I can see wrong with 9 ball is you can make 8 balls in a row and lose.There has to be some consideration for doing that.

Unless you play a different type of 8 ball than the rest of us, you can make 8 in a row in that game and lose too.

 

[AceHigh]

I am an old timer, played through all the rule changes, and 9 ball is fine just the way it is except:

1) Like to see final pro matches (TV matches) racked in the same order
for each player. Personally going front to back, left to right, I like
1,3-2, 8-9-7, 5-4, 6 (for an even game with no spot).

2) How come women pros don't have to call the 9 and men do ...
perhaps it is just tournament format ...

3) I think good money matches (across the country) should
have to rack the balls in a particular order to be fair to
both players. How many times have you seen where, if
2 balls were exchanged with each other, it would dictate
whether the player could run the table or not ....

I know two guys that actually rack the same way every single time.

 

[chefjeff]

I know two guys that actually rack the same way every single time.

I do it the same way in league play because the odd numbered balls each count as a point, except the nine which is 6 points, so racking becomes an important weapon.

I make the point balls even numbered, and there are different reasons I have for the other exact placements.

Jeff Livingston

 

[JrockJustin]

Excellent advice...

Practice more or quit if you're not as good as you would like to be. Changing the game isn't going to help you catch up to the top players, practice is.

I think this statement is well put... enough said

 

[LastTwo]

9 Ball is fine the way it is. Are there really that many unhappy pool players out there playing 9 ball thinking to themselves "Damn this game sucks, how can we change the rules so we can be a top pro too'? Practice more or quit if you're not as good as you would like to be. Changing the game isn't going to help you catch up to the top players, practice is. Is the game easy? Is that why there are so many trying to change it? I see a guy every day at the pool hall playing 3 ball, for hours. He rarely runs the 3 balls out and he's not running them in order! I asked him why he only practices with 3 balls. He says, "Because 9 ball is too easy." I couldn't believe it.
Oh well, change the game people, make it harder, make it easier, I don't care anymore. I'll tell my grandkids in 30 years that I used to play 9 ball when you had to actually hold a cue in your hand and stand at the table and shoot the balls in yourself. Ha Ha, they won't believe it either.

I actually really like 9-ball the way it is, I just made that suggestion in another thread to perhaps make it have more appeal to the viewers on TV.

 

[sixpack]

I am an old timer, played through all the rule changes, and 9 ball is fine just the way it is except:

1) Like to see final pro matches (TV matches) racked in the same order
for each player. Personally going front to back, left to right, I like
1,3-2, 8-9-7, 5-4, 6 (for an even game with no spot).

....Stuff Deleted....

I remember reading somewhere that the WPBA did that in a tournament once. They player being interviewed said that it got boring because all the racks were strikingly similar. They decided to not repeat it.

Cheers,
Regas