Solution to pattern racking disputes

[Poolshootindon]

Bowling

Nobody in bowling is saying "hey, the game would be so much better if one of the players could randomly have the pins set up in the shape of Florida instead of the basic triangle"

I bowled for 20 years and bowling does have many random shot patterns. Its not as simple as just throwing the ball down the lanes.

Different oil patterns create difficult lane conditions. Just like ball placement in a rack of pool balls will create different layouts after the break.

Were not discussing changing the rack of pool balls to look like Florida. Just make it more random.

Don

 

[bdorman]

Bdorman..

I can see it now. Racker is over the balls placing them in the rack thinking "humm if I put the 2 ball here and the 6 ball here maybe the other player will exchange them with the 5 and 8 balls, which is really what I want.

HeHe my devious plan may just work after all. But maybe he/she will only swap the 2 and 5 balls that I have so cleverly placed. Rats. Foiled again".

Don

Exactly. I can imagine many scenarios in which the opponent says "Rack is fine, as is." Important that opponent has the Option, not the Obligation.

No his answer to pattern racking is more along the lines of dividing up a bag of weed when no one has a scale. I like it. It's quick, easy and fair.

JC

...and when no one has a gun. Or, when everyone has a gun. Same difference.

It's actually kind of like what's call a Mexican Auction in partnership agreements. If either partner ever wants to buy out the other partner, the rule is one partner (either one) sets the price, the other partner has his choice of buying or selling. The partner setting the price has to establish a fair price because he doesn't know if he's going to be the buyer or the seller.

 

[logical]

I bowled for 20 years and bowling does have many random shot patterns. Its not as simple as just throwing the ball down the lanes.

Different oil patterns create difficult lane conditions. Just like ball placement in a rack of pool balls will create different layouts after the break.

Were not discussing changing the rack of pool balls to look like Florida. Just make it more random.

Don

And what I'm saying is stop trying to make it random at all, make it the same pattern every rack and be done with it.

 

[Poolshootindon]

Thats Fine

And what I'm saying is stop trying to make it random at all, make it the same pattern every rack and be done with it.

My response was simply a way to eliminate pattern racking. Hell, 90% of us on here couldn't run 3 racks anyway under any racking condition.

But for the elite of our sport I would love to see it not become a game of racking but rather a game of table management and shot making.

Don

 

[Inaction]

I have been racking 8 ball the same way since about 1986. Alternate stripes and solids on the outside starting from the head ball, with the exception that the bottom corners are different. One corner ball is the same as the one in front and the other corner ball is the same as the one to the side. The two behind the 8 ball are placed so each ball is opposite of the nearest corner ball.

With rotation games and a rack, gather up the balls and quickly place them in the rack and then move the one and money ball.

Rotation games and the magic rack. After all the balls are on the table, line them up with your arm so they are all on the bottom rail. Pull the one and MB out and place the others in the rack in the same sequence that they are on the rail.

No picking and choosing what ball goes where. Easy to detect manipulation.

 

[bdorman]

And what I'm saying is stop trying to make it random at all, make it the same pattern every rack and be done with it.

That's a straight-forward solution but I think it runs the risk of making the game too predictible and boring. Table layouts could become too similar. With only one rack pattern, we'd soon settle on just one type of break.

I wish I could remember the AZer who said "9-ball on a bar box with the MagicRack isn't a game...it's a drill."