Spotting the opponent a ball
- Thread starter livemusic
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You need to find a local pool hall, and play in their weekly handicapped 9 ball tournament. It sounds like you are getting the pool bug. Now go compete with other players:grin-square::grin-square::grin-square:
ps, you will find out what spotting a ball means at the tournament.
ps, you will find out what spotting a ball means at the tournament.
It means if you are playing 9 ball, whoever makes the 9 wins. But if player A is spotting player B the 7, then player B wins if he makes the 7 or the 9. Player A only wins if he makes the 9.
The larger the difference in skill between the two players, the lower the number of the spot. It usually stops at 5.
The larger the difference in skill between the two players, the lower the number of the spot. It usually stops at 5.
Correction if you are getting spotted the 7 ball you have to make all the balls before the 7 ball counts as a win. The way prior poster put that would be the wild 7 then if you madde the 7 or the 9 at anytime you would win the game.
I don't think anyone ever played that way (only counts when it's the highest ball) back when I was getting and giving ball spots at nine ball. If you were giving someone the "7 ball", it was assumed to be good at any time during the game except maybe on the break. If it counted on the break, that could be specified as the "wild 7". If you didn't want it to count on a slop shot, it was the "call 7" and it could be called and made on an early combination. If the call 7 was made by slop by the weaker player, it stayed down and the spot was gone.
A common lesser spot was the "safe 8" which means that if the weaker player makes the 8 at any time, he doesn't win then, but he cannot lose the game. If the stronger player then makes the 9, the game is null. Then there was the "call safe 8" which was nearly a negative spot.
Bottom line: different regions and eras likely have/had different standards and if don't know what the local standard is, you should clarify before the first break.
Which reminds me of a spot I almost gave someone....
Orville played nearly even with me. He also was described by Wayne, the manager of the PH, as having a heart the size of a streptocarpus seed. I don't know how Wayne knew about streptocarpus seed size because he never showed any interest in things botanical, but here are a thousand streptocarpus seeds about to be sown:
![CropperCapture[170].png](https://forums.azbilliards.com/data/attachments/368/368304-380781b708738b0cb4b251c044bfbf59.jpg?hash=OAeBtwhziw "CropperCapture[170].png")
... smaller than dust.
Anyway, nothing was happening in the PH one evening and I finally get Orville to agree to play some $5 nine ball with him getting the safe 8. We get to the table, flip the coin, he wins and as I go to rack, he says, "I quit."
Bob - That reminds me of something I posted in response to something Jay said about having to adjust when dealing with nits:
You ( to the nit ): You got the last 5, the breaks and the first 3 shots for 20 a pop. And I play opposite hand.
Nit: Bet it up!
( You win 2 games. )
Nit: Adjust!
You: You got the last 5, the breaks and the first 4 shots, plus, I break both my big toes with a ball peen hammer, then put on shoes 3 sizes too small. And I play opposite hand.
Nit: Bet it up!
( You win one more game. )
Nit: ADUST!!!
You: You got the last 6, the breaks and the first 5 shots, I play 1 shot and stop, plus I get a full frontal lobotomy. But you gotta bet 30. And I play opposite hand.
You start to rack...
Nit: ADJUST!!!
:grin-square:
Never even HEARD of it being played that way!
Edit: Now, I HAVE heard of having to make the 7 in rotation and not out of turn but the player getting the spot didn't have to make all the balls prior to the 7, which is how I read this. Sorry if I misinterpreted.
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