Marking the straight pool triangle on your table?

[christopheradam]

I am getting tired of trying to visualize the rack area or putting the rack over the area to see how close a break ball is to being inside the rack so I am going to mark the rack area.

Should I mark it with Pencil? Should I rack the balls properly on the spot and then just trace around the balls with a straight edge? I know if I just trace the rack it will be too large.
Any tips for marking the rack area or any certain specs for doing so?

 

[macguy]

I am getting tired of trying to visualize the rack area or putting the rack over the area to see how close a break ball is to being inside the rack so I am going to mark the rack area.

Should I mark it with Pencil? Should I rack the balls properly on the spot and then just trace around the balls with a straight edge? I know if I just trace the rack it will be too large.
Any tips for marking the rack area or any certain specs for doing so?

Why would it be to large, that is where the rack goes?

 

[christopheradam]

Why would it be to large, that is where the rack goes?

Maybe the wooden rack I have is just kinda thick. I remember on my old cheap sears table I use to have, I marked the area by tracing the rack and it didn't give me an accurate idea of how the balls would be when they were racked.

 

[pawnmon]

marking the rack

Many years ago there was a device for marking that boundary you're talking about. It was made from a heavy guage sheet metal and we'd use that as a template to mark the space the racked balls would occupy. In the pool hall I played at we had two tables that were only for straight so the owner traced around that steel template with a magic marker. This solved the problem you describe. That steel form was too small to use to rack the balls. I haven't seen one (or even thought about it) in probably 40 years.

 

[Snapshot9]

Marking ...

Because some racks have lips curving outward on them.

You mark with pencil solidly on the inside of the rack
because that is the outside edge of balls racked.
Anything touching the line would then be considered
in the rack area.

 

[macguy]

Because some racks have lips curving outward on them.

You mark with pencil solidly on the inside of the rack
because that is the outside edge of balls racked.
Anything touching the line would then be considered
in the rack area.

How are you to rack the balls, you would have to move the 15th ball and then replace it. You can't do that. It is either touching the rack or it isn't.

 

[Bob Jewett]

... Should I mark it with Pencil? Should I rack the balls properly on the spot and then just trace around the balls with a straight edge? I know if I just trace the rack it will be too large.
...

Draw an outline around the outside of the traiangle -- the whole thing. Any ball that is overlapping that outline or within the outline is considered to be interfering with the rack. Use pencil if you want.

The size of the outline varies with the kind of triangle you use. Some plastic ones have lips on only one side, and then I suppose you have to decide which end to have up when you mark the outline.

I'm startled that anyone would have tried to mark the inside of the triangle. The first time the last ball is 1/16 of an inch from the racked balls, it will be clear why that can't work (unless you are willing to mark and respot the 15th ball, which is never done).

 

[Gerry]

On my GC I marked the rack area as explained here, then I made a solid line across the kitchen head spot from rail to rail for those questionable base of ball shots, and a line from the foot spot down the foot rail to the center diamond. This eliminated any question when spotting balls, especially in 1-pocket....G

 

[Snapshot9]

Then ...

Draw an outline around the outside of the traiangle -- the whole thing. Any ball that is overlapping that outline or within the outline is considered to be interfering with the rack. Use pencil if you want.

The size of the outline varies with the kind of triangle you use. Some plastic ones have lips on only one side, and then I suppose you have to decide which end to have up when you mark the outline.

I'm startled that anyone would have tried to mark the inside of the triangle. The first time the last ball is 1/16 of an inch from the racked balls, it will be clear why that can't work (unless you are willing to mark and respot the 15th ball, which is never done).

If you mark the outside of the rack, considering some wood racks are
fairly thick, then a 15th ball could be outside of the actual balls racked
and not get to stay there which would change the game since if it
stayed there could be a break shot and allow a player to continue
running the balls. Bob, I don't know about you, but I am old school,
and we would, when close, would lick our finger, mark the cloth with
a wet spot at the base of the 15th ball, rack the other 14, and then
try to determine if the 15th ball would spot back exactly as it was
before without running into the racked balls. If not, it went to the head
spot, if it did, it stayed there. I could be wrong about this, but I believe
in the old days, that a referee in a staight pool tournament did it this same
way as I described. I played most of my straight Pool in early 60's.

 

[Bob Jewett]

... Bob, I don't know about you, but I am old school,
and we would, when close, would lick our finger, mark the cloth with
a wet spot at the base of the 15th ball, rack the other 14, and then
try to determine if the 15th ball would spot back exactly as it was
before without running into the racked balls. If not, it went to the head
spot, if it did, it stayed there. I could be wrong about this, but I believe
in the old days, that a referee in a staight pool tournament did it this same
way as I described. I played most of my straight Pool in early 60's.

I have played 14.1 since 1963. I was the National Collegiate champion at a time when the game played was straight pool. I played in the 1975 US Open. The first US Open I saw was in 1969 at the Sahara, and the last was in 2000 at the Roseland Ballroom in NYC. I watched the 1976 World 14.1 in Asbury Park and played there the next year. In the 1980 World 14.1 (Roosevelt Hotel, NYC) I refereed 24 matches in eight days, including matches with Joe Balsis, Jean Balukas, Irving Crane, Richie Florence, Lou Butera, Cisero Murphy, and Frank McGowan.

In all of those situations, the outline was around the outside of the rack.

The currently proposed revision of the BCA/WPA rules say about the 14.1 rack, in part:

The outline of the triangle will be marked on the table to assist players in deciding whether an intended break ball is in the rack area. ...

When the cue ball or 15th object ball interferes with racking 14 balls for a new rack, the following special rules apply. A ball is considered to interfere with the rack if it is within or overlaps the outline of the rack.

 

[Williebetmore]

but I believe
in the old days, that a referee in a staight pool tournament did it this same
way as I described. I played most of my straight Pool in early 60's.

Snapshot,
I think Bob Jewett is absolutely correct. The mark goes AROUND the OUTSIDE of the rack as far back as Greenleaf. Yes, its a larger area, but "thems the rules." Decisions as to whether a potential break shot are then made before racking. If the ball isn't touching the line, then it is fair game for a break shot; and this is decided without using the rack as a marking tool; you just look at the line. If the size of the rack area bothers you, then buy a skinnier rack.

I strongly recommend using a regular #2 lead pencil, medium sharp. Every type of magic marker/Sharpie I ever tried just bleeds to some degree. The pencil lines look sharp; but unobtrusive to the casual observer. Three cheers for Eberhard-Faber.

I also recommend a pencil line from the foot spot to the center spot on the foot rail. Helpful for spotting balls after scratches, and for assuring that the balls once racked are not tilted one way or the other (and when you are playing 9-ball its easier to catch the rack mechanics).

P.S. - If YOU are the rack mechanic, you may want to forget the perpendicular line.

 

[kyle]

Chris,
I've heard of people using tailors chaulk to mark tables it's white and won't bleed.