Playing by official rules.....

N

NineballTom

Member
I know there are some threads already about the strangest rules ever seen. I don't want to dig too deep into the list of crazy rules I've seen in my near decade of pool playing, although if yall want to post some they are entertaining to learn.

I just basically wanted to ask yalls opinion about the purpose of weird, wacky rules some establishments have. Personally, I believe the "extra" rules get enforced by exclusionary crowds that want to make it more difficult for newcomers........ if they don't understand the rules, it makes it easier for the people that play at that establishment to knock them out of the tournaments. If you take 2 players of roughly the same speed, the local player has a huge advantage if they know all the extra rules (or had a hand in making them.)

I try to avoid places like that. I don't care if we play by BCA, APA, etc. But there does need to be an OFFICIAL rule book for every establishment, not just making up random BS.
 
Texas3cushion

Texas3cushion

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
NineballTom said:
This is true. But I advocate very hard for a rule book, otherwise I'll find that people just make up rules as they go.
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Ask your opponent to play by either APA or BCA rules. Places that don't want to go by those rules usually is not a place you would want to play anyways.

I once won a tournament in a bar (under bar rules, which varies depending on bar) i got first place and it paid out around $360. but it was a negotiation just to get my money after i had already won the tournament.

My point is, go play somewhere else. You'll get better fast playing elsewhere too.
 
boogieman

boogieman

It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping.
NineballTom said:
I know there are some threads already about the strangest rules ever seen. I don't want to dig too deep into the list of crazy rules I've seen in my near decade of pool playing, although if yall want to post some they are entertaining to learn.

I just basically wanted to ask yalls opinion about the purpose of weird, wacky rules some establishments have. Personally, I believe the "extra" rules get enforced by exclusionary crowds that want to make it more difficult for newcomers........ if they don't understand the rules, it makes it easier for the people that play at that establishment to knock them out of the tournaments. If you take 2 players of roughly the same speed, the local player has a huge advantage if they know all the extra rules (or had a hand in making them.)

I try to avoid places like that. I don't care if we play by BCA, APA, etc. But there does need to be an OFFICIAL rule book for every establishment, not just making up random BS.
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Our local town wide 9 ball league makes you call the 9B and if you make it on the break, or without calling it, it spots. There's no penalty for calling the 9 on every shot and we have one guy who does just that. If you make the 9 on a legal hit without calling the 9 it spots and you continue shooting. It's really odd.
 
N

NineballTom

Member
boogieman said:
Our local town wide 9 ball league makes you call the 9B and if you make it on the break, or without calling it, it spots. There's no penalty for calling the 9 on every shot and we have one guy who does just that. If you make the 9 on a legal hit without calling the 9 it spots and you continue shooting. It's really odd.
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I've seen some strange rules along the way. Like using the butt of the cue to get a "spacing off the rail", scratch on the break is a loss, if you shoot down the rail you have to call the rail lol. I once played in an 8 ball tournament where you could accidentally make the 8 as many times as you wanted and it just spotted up until it was the last ball.
 
hang-the-9

hang-the-9

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
There is no "purpose" to the rules, the random banger rules you see are just rules passed down from players that don't know the rules to other players that don't know the rules and then half remember what they were told by the players that don't know the rules and end up making up some new half-assed rule to pass down to some new player. Eventually this turns in to "my uncle told me that you need to make the 8 ball go 4 rails into the side pocket while holding your breath".
 
hang-the-9

hang-the-9

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
boogieman said:
Our local town wide 9 ball league makes you call the 9B and if you make it on the break, or without calling it, it spots. There's no penalty for calling the 9 on every shot and we have one guy who does just that. If you make the 9 on a legal hit without calling the 9 it spots and you continue shooting. It's really odd.
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That is a very common rule, calling the 9 is used often to prevent a cheap luck win, but keeps the game closer to 9 ball than playing called shot 10 ball.
 
iusedtoberich

iusedtoberich

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
NineballTom said:
I've seen some strange rules along the way. Like using the butt of the cue to get a "spacing off the rail", scratch on the break is a loss, if you shoot down the rail you have to call the rail lol. I once played in an 8 ball tournament where you could accidentally make the 8 as many times as you wanted and it just spotted up until it was the last ball.
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Those are banger "rules". They have no clue and can't hold a stick. Ignore those players/places.
 
a1712

a1712

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
Was practicing one day, and of course, someone asks to play a few games. I ask what rules do you want to play by and he said it doesn't matter. I suggested BCA and he agreed. I broke, made the 2 ball, called and shot the 13, and he had a blow up. Said I shot the wrong balls and I was a cheat. Brian.
 
Bob Jewett

Bob Jewett

AZB Osmium Member
Staff member
Gold Member
Silver Member
a1712 said:
Was practicing one day, and of course, someone asks to play a few games. I ask what rules do you want to play by and he said it doesn't matter. I suggested BCA and he agreed. I broke, made the 2 ball, called and shot the 13, and he had a blow up. Said I shot the wrong balls and I was a cheat. Brian.
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I guess you could carry around a copy of the rule book. Or maybe keep it on your phone. Then you could have scrolled down to...

1716839901574.png

Probably a lot in that one paragraph that would have confused and angered him.
 
T

tomatoshooter

Well-known member
Texas3cushion said:
I once won a tournament in a bar (under bar rules, which varies depending on bar) i got first place and it paid out around $360. but it was a negotiation just to get my money after i had already won the tournament
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What is there to negotiate if they have acknowledged your win?

iusedtoberich said:
Those are banger "rules". They have no clue and can't hold a stick. Ignore those players/places.
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It's silly how people cling to rules that make the game worse. And it's not like they are running so many racks that the game got boring. I think a lot of those people are on the HOA board, complaining about people planting the wrong color flowers.
 
Texas3cushion

Texas3cushion

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
tomatoshooter said:
What is there to negotiate if they have acknowledged your win?
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Tournament director tried to say I cheated by playing safe and pushing the 8 ball up table into the kitchen.

The rules were no safes allow and/or you must make an honest attempt to shoot at your pocket.

Playing bar box 8 ball race to 1 I had a ball blocking the 8 ball into the corner so I caromed my object ball of another ball. ( And I called it like this) Which in turn the 8 ball got bumped up table by accident/happenstance.

Those bar rules just don't make sense and can be manipulated in ways that are pretty sneaky.

I would say the tournament director was unhappy he didn't win his own tournament. It was weird but I didn't let him try and BS me out of the money.

I asked him why he didn't call the foul when it happened and he had no words. I got paid and tbh I would still probably play in the tournament again. I had fun regardless if I won/lost
 
J

Justaneng

Registered
Texas3cushion said:
Ask your opponent to play by either APA or BCA rules. Places that don't want to go by those rules usually is not a place you would want to play anyways.
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Even saying “BCA” now doesn’t completely clarify an 8-ball rule set. It could either mean WPA rules, or if someone plays “BCAPL”, it could mean CSI rules - as the BCA pool league is no longer associated with the BCA.

Key question to ask is if it’s BIH anywhere or BIH from the kitchen if there’s a scratch on the break.
 
boogieman

boogieman

It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping.
hang-the-9 said:
calling the 9 is used often to prevent a cheap luck win
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Is there such a thing? I mean, I suppose if it were by the single game, but in sets that kind of "luck" rarely wins a match. 🤷‍♂️

I like 9B because I can do a 2 way shot on the OB that gives the 9B a chance and leaves the CB safe. I like that. I call it "ride and hide." I understand the purpose of the rule, but it changes the dynamic. 9 ball is a really creative game once you get onto 2 way shots, learn your caroms, all the little tricky billiard shots, 14:1 type cluster shots, all your kicking systems etc. There's a lot of things I see people decry luck but it's just because they don't understand what they just witnessed, and I personally let them believe it.

Yes, you did see a caromed CB long rail cross-bank the 3B into the 9B and cut it into the pocket. Sure it was a low percentage sucker shot but it happened just like I imagined in my head. 9B without the risk of a wild 9 at anytime just kind of takes the immediacy of the game away.
 
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