rail or no rail

Popeye31

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was playing at a spot andthe guy I was playing banked the 8 he called his shot one rail into the corner . so he hits the cue ball down the table hits the 8 ball on the head rail and it comes all the way back towards the foot rail and hits the long rail between corner pocket and the first diamond and pockets the ball. I said that was two rails he said no the part of the rail between the corner pocket and the first diamond is not considered a rail when banking. Now Ive seen these guys play this way before and Im an out sider in this bar so I go with it . but was that two rails or one.
 
i'd say 1. i know when playing bank pool the area between the first diamond and the pocket is considered incidental contact and doesn't have to be called unless you're playing a 3 rail kick in a bank ring game.
 
i'd say 1. i know when playing bank pool the area between the first diamond and the pocket is considered incidental contact and doesn't have to be called unless you're playing a 3 rail kick in a bank ring game.
I'd say you can hit anywhere on the adjacent rail (so all the way up to the side pocket).

pj
chgo
 
One in reality. If you want to play in a bar situation, where they basically make up the rules, you have to expect that kind of thing. If you did it, he'd probably have called it two rails.
 
One rail, as I understand your description.

I don't consider slight contact on a rail as a ball is heading toward a corner pocket to be a 'rail' when calling a bank.

Otherwise, one could claim a 'bank' every time the OB hit any part of the pocket facing, or grazed the point of a pocket on the way in. A ball that dribbles several times back and forth on the facings could then be a five rail bank? Not likely.

I live in a town that has never had league play, so the 8-ball rules are pretty scary and extremely variable depending on who is playing. At first, most guys say 'no slop, call every kiss and carom," but the first time their OB grazes another ball on its way into a pocket they usually lighten up and play the normal "call the ball and pocket." But if there is an obvious uncalled bank, carom or kiss these locals expect the shooter to lose his turn, as long as they are not the shooter :smile:
 
I am having a hard time deciphering what you wrote, but if he grazed the rail with 8 on the way to the pocket I would not consider that a second rail. I am assuming you were playing call SHOT and not call BALL & POCKET? Answer this, if you shot a regular object ball on the final line that the 8 went into the pocket would you consider the shot a bank shot?
 
I think it's a ridiculous way to play and would never play a serious match using "bar" rules. If I'm drinking and just playing for fun I wouldn't get too caught up in the rules. As soon as anything other than quarters are at stake any sanctioned rules (TAP, APA, BCA) will be part of the negotiation.
 
...if you shot a regular object ball on the final line that the 8 went into the pocket would you consider the shot a bank shot?
That's a good way to look at it: if the last rail wouldn't count as a one-rail bank, then it doesn't count as an extra rail. By that definition the ball could theoretically hit the long rail all the way up by the other corner pocket and still be good.

pj
chgo
 
I was playing at a spot andthe guy I was playing banked the 8 he called his shot one rail into the corner . so he hits the cue ball down the table hits the 8 ball on the head rail and it comes all the way back towards the foot rail and hits the long rail between corner pocket and the first diamond and pockets the ball. I said that was two rails he said no the part of the rail between the corner pocket and the first diamond is not considered a rail when banking. Now Ive seen these guys play this way before and Im an out sider in this bar so I go with it . but was that two rails or one.

Are you kidding, of course you don't call that a second rail. Using your logic every time a ball touches a rail going into the pocket it is a miss if it was not called.
 
That's a good way to look at it: if the last rail wouldn't count as a one-rail bank, then it doesn't count as an extra rail. By that definition the ball could theoretically hit the long rail all the way up by the other corner pocket and still be good.

pj
chgo

I did say "final" & "line". I know when I draw a line it does not look like a "V'.
 
I am having a hard time deciphering what you wrote, but if he grazed the rail with 8 on the way to the pocket I would not consider that a second rail. I am assuming you were playing call SHOT and not call BALL & POCKET? Answer this, if you shot a regular object ball on the final line that the 8 went into the pocket would you consider the shot a bank shot?

Why are call shot and call pocket not the same? They always have been, are now and always will be. Those who say different tend to make up their own rules.
 
I think the general rule of thumb here is you should never have to include the two (out of 6 total) rails that are adjacent to the pocket at the end of any shot in called shot rules. Any other rail contacts should definitely be called.
 
I don't play in bars, this is one reason, but what the hell ever happened to simply calling your pocket, and disregarding any specks of lint the ball may run over along the way?

I'm sure the ball hit the inside jaw of the short rail too before it fell. Wouldn't that make it a three rail shot?

People that play pool might confuse that shot, but there isn't a pool player on the planet that would.
 
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