Old 8 ball rules

[Jim1]

I just started playing pool and I play with some older guys who sort of remember the rules from the 60s and 70s. Playing 8 ball (and only the devil would use BIH anywhere). Different guys have different memories and I'm trying to make peace with their various rules and memories.

If anyone remembers those days...when 8-ball fouls gave you ball in hand behind the headstring...

1. If you scratched the cue ball, and one of your balls was sunk, did the ball come up and get spotted?

2. If you scratched the cue ball, and one of your balls was not sunk, did one of yours come up anyway?

3. If the answer to 2 is yes, and you had no balls already sunk, did you "owe a ball" to come up later?

Thanks

 

[Rimfirejunkie]

In my experience no to both.

 

[David in FL]

No surprise that you’re finding different rules. If you went to 10 different bars or rooms, you might find 10 different sets of rules, even in the same general area.

In my experience, most often no to both though, because most of my pool back then was played in bars on coin op tables…

 

[ShootingArts]

Rules sometimes varied depending on the table you were on. Obviously on a coin op you could not spot the ball made on the same shot as a scratch. On a regular table we did put it on the spot. However, we never owed a ball for a foul. If we owed a ball for a foul we would put the ball(s) that were pocketed back on the table plus one for the foul and that wasn't how we played.

After a scratch, if all of your balls were in the kitchen sometimes it was tough you had to cross out of the kitchen and back in, sometimes the ball nearest to the line was put on the spot.

There were many different rules and sometimes you could drive a couple miles and find completely different rules. I was playing a guy from Houston in Baton Rouge. He didn't like the rules. "This isn't the way we play in Houston!" I just looked at him, "You aren't in Houston." I might have been slightly more respectful had I known he was a recently retired pro boxer!

Hu

 

[lorider]

No surprise that you’re finding different rules. If you went to 10 different bars or rooms, you might find 10 different sets of rules, even in the same general area.

In my experience, most often no to both though, because most of my pool back then was played in bars on coin op tables…

I played in many bars from south florida to south georgia during the late 70's to late 80's and the rules were always the same everywhere i went. .

Well you did occasionally encounter last pocket 8 ball and bank the 8 but that was. mainly in south florida due to the latin imfluence.

It was not until the late 80' s i started enountering gaffe rules such as you didnt call the tip and shit shots such as intentionally scratching when your opponent had the 8 ball in the kitchen. Most of those changes i encountered were due to the proliferation of snowbirds moving south. When they called some crazy rule i stated i never heard such shit...where you from ? Always heard such places as new york or Ohio or some other northern state.

 

[DynoDan]

I just started playing pool and I play with some older guys who sort of remember the rules from the 60s and 70s. Playing 8 ball (and only the devil would use BIH anywhere). Different guys have different memories and I'm trying to make peace with their various rules and memories.

If anyone remembers those days...when 8-ball fouls gave you ball in hand behind the headstring...

1. If you scratched the cue ball, and one of your balls was sunk, did the ball come up and get spotted?

2. If you scratched the cue ball, and one of your balls was not sunk, did one of yours come up anyway?

3. If the answer to 2 is yes, and you had no balls already sunk, did you "owe a ball" to come up later?

Thanks

Before coin-op bar tables appeared, a ball made on a scratch was spotted, then cue-ball-in-hand from the kitchen.

 

[garczar]

There were NO standard rules to 8b back then. Every spot had their own variation. If it was a bar/tavern you better get it right or a fight WAS gonna happen.

 

[HNTFSH]

No surprise that you’re finding different rules. If you went to 10 different bars or rooms, you might find 10 different sets of rules, even in the same general area.

In my experience, most often no to both though, because most of my pool back then was played in bars on coin op tables…

Agreed completely. And come to my house and you'll find you can't use the opposing balls in anyway to make yours. And you'll not only need to call the pocket but all the rails you use.

Balls never come out.

 

[MitchAlsup]

I just started playing pool and I play with some older guys who sort of remember the rules from the 60s and 70s. Playing 8 ball (and only the devil would use BIH anywhere). Different guys have different memories and I'm trying to make peace with their various rules and memories.

If anyone remembers those days...when 8-ball fouls gave you ball in hand behind the headstring...

This is known as "Ball in Kitchen".

1. If you scratched the cue ball, and one of your balls was sunk, did the ball come up and get spotted?

Spotted.

2. If you scratched the cue ball, and one of your balls was not sunk, did one of yours come up anyway?

Depends on who I was playing.

3. If the answer to 2 is yes, and you had no balls already sunk, did you "owe a ball" to come up later?

No, we always considered that zero was as few balls in as possible.

 

[garczar]

I've played all-slop to everything called. If it was everything called you better call EVERYTHING like some drunk a-hole going to the shitter while you shoot.

 

[joninnorfolk]

In high school I volunteered at the State veteran's home and that was among my first opportunities to play. The eight ball variation I remember playing had the one and fifteen balls racked behind the eight and each had to go in the opposite side pocket from where it was racked. The eight then had to be made in the same side pocket as the one or fifteen.

 

[Fatboy]

I just started playing pool and I play with some older guys who sort of remember the rules from the 60s and 70s. Playing 8 ball (and only the devil would use BIH anywhere). Different guys have different memories and I'm trying to make peace with their various rules and memories.

If anyone remembers those days...when 8-ball fouls gave you ball in hand behind the headstring...

1. If you scratched the cue ball, and one of your balls was sunk, did the ball come up and get spotted?

2. If you scratched the cue ball, and one of your balls was not sunk, did one of yours come up anyway?

3. If the answer to 2 is yes, and you had no balls already sunk, did you "owe a ball" to come up later?

Thanks

When I started playing in the very early 80’s we played a ball came up on a scratch and behind the line.

Regarding #3 if you didn’t have a ball down you did NOT owe a ball. (Seems kind of odd now for some reason)

the “express” rules of BIH anywhere came around in the late 80’s best I can remember

 

[maha]

it seemed the worse the players were in the bar, the more restrictive the rules were. figure that.

 

[hang-the-9]

One thing I find with people that use the behind the line rule on fouls, they always ignore or are not aware of the second part of that rule. If the only ball you can legally hit is also behind the line, the closest of your balls to the line gets spotted so you can shoot at it without having to kick. It amazes me that people think scratching to make someone kick is a valid rule. How dense do you have to be to not know that a foul should be a negative to the player, not a benefit to have the other guy kick. I explained this rule to several bangers, some took it as a good idea, some could not get past stubborn sticking to the rules some drunk guy explained to them 3 years back.

 

[ShootingArts]

One thing I find with people that use the behind the line rule on fouls, they always ignore or are not aware of the second part of that rule. If the only ball you can legally hit is also behind the line, the closest of your balls to the line gets spotted so you can shoot at it without having to kick. It amazes me that people think scratching to make someone kick is a valid rule. How dense do you have to be to not know that a foul should be a negative to the player, not a benefit to have the other guy kick. I explained this rule to several bangers, some took it as a good idea, some could not get past stubborn sticking to the rules some drunk guy explained to them 3 years back.

You are right that the scratch being an advantage is crazy. On the other hand, there were places I played for over a decade that stuck by that rule. Of course intentional scratches and safeties were unmanly so they had to be accidental! One of the funniest compliments I ever got was when a fellow regular in a bar quit playing me after a few months. He said he was the better player but he couldn't outrun my luck!

I went up through Arkansas, Tennessee, northern Alabama, and a big loop down to the gulf and home along the gulf roads. I got into more crazy rules on that trip than I ever encountered before or after! Calling everything including kissing a rail you were running down and the inside rails of a pocket. The rule was the eightball had to go clean, that included not touching inside rails!

Agreed completely. And come to my house and you'll find you can't use the opposing balls in anyway to make yours. And you'll not only need to call the pocket but all the rails you use.

Balls never come out.

I would hate not being able to use balls as we usually do. Those are alignment tools! I wanted to crossbank my ball last night. It was about one inch off the rail and had another ball about one inch from it. While fussing about going to hit it coming off the rail and missing my shot I suddenly saw plan "B". Forget the rail, hit my ball into the other one so that the tangent line went directly to the side pocket. The carom was at least as easy, maybe easier than the bank. The kind of shots people give up because they don't see them.

Hu

 

[HNTFSH]

I would hate not being able to use balls as we usually do. Those are alignment tools! I wanted to crossbank my ball last night. It was about one inch off the rail and had another ball about one inch from it. While fussing about going to hit it coming off the rail and missing my shot I suddenly saw plan "B". Forget the rail, hit my ball into the other one so that the tangent line went directly to the side pocket. The carom was at least as easy, maybe easier than the bank. The kind of shots people give up because they don't see them.

Hu

Yes, but 8 ball, not 9 ball. It's not like we forget the caroms or everything on the table playing 9 ball.

 

[Fatboy]

it seemed the worse the players were in the bar, the more restrictive the rules were. figure that.

Weak players seem to have the most complex rule……

 

[jay helfert]

I just started playing pool and I play with some older guys who sort of remember the rules from the 60s and 70s. Playing 8 ball (and only the devil would use BIH anywhere). Different guys have different memories and I'm trying to make peace with their various rules and memories.

If anyone remembers those days...when 8-ball fouls gave you ball in hand behind the headstring...

1. If you scratched the cue ball, and one of your balls was sunk, did the ball come up and get spotted?

2. If you scratched the cue ball, and one of your balls was not sunk, did one of yours come up anyway?

3. If the answer to 2 is yes, and you had no balls already sunk, did you "owe a ball" to come up later?

Thanks

By far the most universal Eight Ball rule that was changed for some unknown reason was that making the eight ball on the break wins the game. No more now, since some genius decided it was too easy. Compare that with 9-Ball where making the nine on the break still is a win. A helluva lot easier and happens far more often than the eight ball on the break. Just saying.

As for the myriad of other Eight Ball rules that vary from league to league and geographical areas, I guess I've played with a couple of dozen different sets of rules depending on where I was, and that's all on bar tables, be it 7' or 8' (the Northwest). I liked to watch a few games first and familiarize myself with the local rules before getting on the table. That's how I rolled.

 

[straightline]

it seemed the worse the players were in the bar, the more restrictive the rules were. figure that.

It is true that people who can't maintain a 2 ball run insist on the kiss or clean distinction. After futilely pondering this I came to the conclusion that the level of comprehension is right around, "the ball goes in the hole" and most games come down to a handful of balls. Intellectualizing this process consists mostly of blocking your opponents shot. Clearly, accidental caroms and tickys defeat this strategy hence, call every detail.

If there is a row of bikes out front, be prepared.

 

[ShootingArts]

By far the most universal Eight Ball rule that was changed for some unknown reason was that making the eight ball on the break wins the game. No more now, since some genius decided it was too easy. Compare that with 9-Ball where making the nine on the break still is a win. A helluva lot easier and happens far more often than the eight ball on the break. Just saying.

As for the myriad of other Eight Ball rules that vary from league to league and geographical areas, I guess I've played with a couple of dozen different sets of rules depending on where I was, and that's all on bar tables, be it 7' or 8' (the Northwest). I liked to watch a few games first and familiarize myself with the local rules before getting on the table. That's how I rolled.

I liked to just wade in amongst them! As you know, it wasn't that uncommon for some creative rules making to take place when you are a stranger from afar anyway. When that happens the locals are usually snickering a bit about how dumb the stranger is. They usually laugh out load when I catch my opponent with his own made up rule later in the match up though!

The road has been calling me lately. Not really just the road, old times in general. Fill the truck up with gas, stick a twenty in my pocket leaving the rest of my cash tucked away and on the road for a few days, maybe a few weeks. Once in awhile a few hours! Maybe you ought to come down. We could head to Acadiana, find us a couple of cajun queens of the female variety and party till the sun comes up. Sleep until two or three PM and do it all again! Play enough pool or cards to finance all the trouble we could get into and see if there is anyplace left where english is still the second language. That is the only way for a girl to get a real cajun accent, something that still makes my heart go pitter-patter.

Ah well, I can dream. Nothing is like it used to be, including me!

Hu