Pattern racking

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Dockter

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Although I don't want a huge is it bad debate as I've seen it 100 times on here I have a question on it.

As I've stated a couple times I tend to bring new players into the league just because I like getting people interested in pool. I recently brought in my brother in law and a friend and they don't know the rules all that well. We play 8 ball in a TAP league and rack our own. Normally the rack is Solid stripe ect with the one of each in the corner and 1 of each in mid center. Last night my buddy was playing and his opponent had the break. He racked 5 solids top, 1 bottom and one corner. Without asking me he told the guy he did it wrong. The team we were playing was a pretty good team and have been around awhile so of course he and I both knew it was not technically against the rules. Captains got together and blah blah and I told him technically it's not against the rules but pattern racking is a pretty grey area. He asked me what a normal rack in this league looked like and I explained as above solid-stripe ect. He asked me isn't this pattern racking too then... He kind of stumped me and I didn't really know what to say lol. So is that considered pattern racking or is it just the bar mindset that people have so they use what they first learned?

I don't really see it as a huge issue in 8 ball anway as the breaks are a bit harder to control than 9 ball but just wanted others opinion on this one. On a side note on the break he did make a solid but the layout was terrible.
 
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ChicagoJoe

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
A ref got me last weekend for "racking with purpose". Everytime I rack, i rack as you said, with solid stripe, solid stripe, one of each in the middle and one of each on the corners. He said the balls can't be moved once in the rack except for the 8.

It was rack your own and on my next break, I did as he said. All the stripes ended up on one side of the rack and all the solids ended up on the other and I broke dry. My opponent couldn't have had an easier run out. Needless to say, I was not happy.
 
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Dockter

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Uggg, this is such a sloppy rule and so subject to one refs opinion compared to another who may see it different. As much as I hate to say it I wish they would just come out with a standard layout so there is no question on it. So basically by his reasoning you should just throw all the balls on the table and throw the rack over it and only move the 8? I guess I don't mind it if it's enforced everywhere but as slow as pool moves at times I don't see that happening.

Thanks for the input.
 
K2Kraze

K2Kraze

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
It always depends on the RULES, folks. Simple. BCA and World Standard (to name only two that say this exact sane thing) specifically state that other than the apex ball on the foot spot, eight ball in the center and one from each group on the lower corners, that "all other balls are placed in the triangle without purposeful or intentional pattern". The no-brainer interpretation is place all balls in the triangle and ONLY move the eight ball to the center and make sure the corners are opposite groups. ALL other balls must stay where they lie. It doesn't matter if all solids "happen" to be on one side or they alternate. If anyone purposefully moves any other balls, it's against the rules.
 
K2Kraze

K2Kraze

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'm assuming of course that those are the rules to play by. Most league rules read the same way. By all means, I'm only stating the obvious - to make sure the rules of the games we play are played by the rules.
 
D

Dockter

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'll have to bring this up with the LO because there isn't one player in my area that I've seen abide by this. Thanks for all the input!

Edit: This is the way our rule reads. We play VNEA

2. The balls are racked in a triangle at the foot of the table with the 8-ball in the center of the triangle, the first ball of the rack on the footspot, a stripe ball in one corner of the rack and a solid ball in the other corner, as the above illustration shows.
 
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tony frank

tony frank

THE TRAPPER
Silver Member
YES alternate high and lows - 8 ball. To tough to understand. How about forgeting about 9 ball - dump off these rack mechanics and get back to the art of pool / billiards. 10 ball just fine for a real contest. Even 8 ball is getting to be BS on the bar tables - shooters work more at missing / safeties / dirty sharks then playing to win as a skilled expert. Not good at all for future. Leave this crappy dealing to the politicians.

Trapper
 
ShootingArts

ShootingArts

Smorg is giving St Peter the 7!
Gold Member
Silver Member
racked a "C" shape for years

Somebody gave me a book of rules for all games, "According to Hoyle". The cover of the book showed an eightball rack with the stripes, I believe, forming a "C". The second row was stripes then the first ball for a couple rows and on around. Turned out that somebody doing cover photography liked that pattern, never saw anyone else use it!

Random can't be enforced, I can throw balls in a rack and get them all where I want them or very close every time as I suspect most regular players can. A pattern can be enforced and even with the disadvantages I think a few patterns should be the only acceptable way to rack each game that requires balls to be shot off in a certain manner.

Obviously one pocket and 14.1 don't have these issues although a move in one pocket is to have the breaker shooting at the eight ball if it isn't rack your own. Typically harder to see exactly where you are hitting. Put a bright ball to cause a little bloom next to the eight ball for maximum effect! Always a way to get over if somebody wants to the way current rules are.

Hu
 
Atlatlien

Atlatlien

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Any way you rack that is not random is a pattern.

For 8-ball, I just throw them all in the rack, switch the middle ball with the 8 ball, and if they're not different suits on the corners, I'll switch one of them with the closest ball of a different suit. It's about as random as it gets.
 
captainjko

captainjko

Kirk
Silver Member
ChicagoJoe said:
A ref got me last weekend for "racking with purpose". Everytime I rack, i rack as you said, with solid stripe, solid stripe, one of each in the middle and one of each on the corners. He said the balls can't be moved once in the rack except for the 8.

It was rack your own and on my next break, I did as he said. All the stripes ended up on one side of the rack and all the solids ended up on the other and I broke dry. My opponent couldn't have had an easier run out. Needless to say, I was not happy.
Click to expand...

If the ref says you can't move the balls, which is crazy, I would just lay the rack on the table and place balls in rack one at a time as desired to prevent such happenings............
 
C

ChicagoJoe

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
captainjko said:
If the ref says you can't move the balls, which is crazy, I would just lay the rack on the table and place balls in rack one at a time as desired to prevent such happenings............
Click to expand...

Guy on my team, who just so happened to be a ref as well, racked like that. I wonder if that's the reason why.
 
T

takeitdown

Banned
ChicagoJoe said:
A ref got me last weekend for "racking with purpose". Everytime I rack, i rack as you said, with solid stripe, solid stripe, one of each in the middle and one of each on the corners. He said the balls can't be moved once in the rack except for the 8.

It was rack your own and on my next break, I did as he said. All the stripes ended up on one side of the rack and all the solids ended up on the other and I broke dry. My opponent couldn't have had an easier run out. Needless to say, I was not happy.
Click to expand...

The ref is an absolute idiot. You have to separate them in 8 ball.
 
tony frank

tony frank

THE TRAPPER
Silver Member
ShootingArts said:
Somebody gave me a book of rules for all games, "According to Hoyle". The cover of the book showed an eightball rack with the stripes, I believe, forming a "C". The second row was stripes then the first ball for a couple rows and on around. Turned out that somebody doing cover photography liked that pattern, never saw anyone else use it!

Random can't be enforced, I can throw balls in a rack and get them all where I want them or very close every time as I suspect most regular players can. A pattern can be enforced and even with the disadvantages I think a few patterns should be the only acceptable way to rack each game that requires balls to be shot off in a certain manner.

Obviously one pocket and 14.1 don't have these issues although a move in one pocket is to have the breaker shooting at the eight ball if it isn't rack your own. Typically harder to see exactly where you are hitting. Put a bright ball to cause a little bloom next to the eight ball for maximum effect! Always a way to get over if somebody wants to the way current rules are.

Hu
Click to expand...
Speaking of rules - just looked at 55 rules for APA 8 ball. DUHHHHHHHH Rule 55 said - HAVE FUN !!!!! WT HAY ??????
 
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