The next level of 8 ball.

Snapshot9

Snapshot9

son of 3 leg 1 eye dog ..
Silver Member
I have frequently practiced a game that I have always called Dakota 8 ball, or it could be called Rotational 8 ball. It is actually a combination of 8 ball and 9 ball somewhat.

I have been thinking about trying to start a league for advanced players to play the game. I would like some opinions, and for you to try the game, on how well it might go over.

It is played the same as BCA 8 ball is played now, except:

1) Scratch on break gives ball in hand anywhere on the table.
2) After the break, player must chose to shoot the lowest numbered solid or stripe and continue shooting in rotation until their group is gone.
3) 8 ball is shot last as normal.
4) All other 8 ball rules apply.

Believe me, after practicing this game, regular 8 ball becomes pretty easy.

I feel this is the next progression for the best players to graduate to, and would love to see the pros playing this form of 8 ball.

Try it, and then tell me your opinions. Like I said I would like to start a league for advanced players playing Rotational 8 ball (I still like Dakota 8 ball for the name).
 
This sounds like 1/2 of a rotation game, would be pretty challanging.

I messed around with a bit of a similar game when practacing. I'd play and 8-ball rack, then run ( or at least try to :) ) the remaining balls in rotation.
 
I do this all the time against players that arent very good i try to shoot out my group in rotation, makes it more challenging. Another thing they do around here for tournaments is sometimes you must bank two balls in order to win also good cause it helps you with banks and last is last pocket.

I think it would be nice to have a league like that with those kind of eightball rules but it wouldnt fly around here lol.
 
We played that game when I was a kid. We just called it eight ball rotation. One of the variations on the game we called eight ball high-low: on your first shot you picked whether you wanted to shoot your balls in order from low to high, or from high to low.

Either way, it certainly made the game a lot tougher.
 
Hey,

I'd like to thank you for posting this variation of the game! I've only played it in practice but I can tell already that it's an awesome game and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a little more challenge.

I would like to know what you guys think the best way is to rack for this game? Obviously the location of the 1 & 9 balls is important but I would argue the 2 & 10 are important as well. You could hide them behind the 8 ball to increase the odds of getting a cluster, or locate one of them in the outside so it's a potentially easier run.

Maybe put the 1 & 9 behind the head ball and the 2 and 10 in the corners, alternating solids/stripes between. I'll have to mess around with it some more and see what looks good.

Eric
 
Played this game many times, but never heard of the high/low option.

Have to give it a go.
 
It is definitely a challenging, and fun, version of 8 Ball. The problem with making a league with this format is one of time. Whether the league format is races like APA or individual games like BCA, each game can be expected to take a lot longer than regular 8 Ball - beginning with analyzing the layout after the break, before the first shot is attempted. I'm in a 5 player, 4 round BCA league (each player plays 4 games) and it usually runs over 4 hours.

If you can resolve this issue and can find enough skilled players that this would appeal to, it could be fun. Maybe a good way to test the waters would be to hold a tournament within the league, with short races, and see how it plays out time-wise.
 
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So here's a slightly different variant of the game.

I call it Odd/Even 8-Ball.

Same rules as BCAPL except... each player's inning starts with them choosing to shoot at either an odd numbered or an even numbered ball in their group.

If they pocket it legally, they then must make the opposite even or odd ball next. It is what you make, not what you first contact with the cue ball.

If a player successfully makes a second ball in their inning, they alternate back to the opposite even/odd ball in their group... and so on until all of their group is gone. The 8-ball is played as in any other game of 8-ball.

If a player ends up with all or odd or even numbered balls in their group, then they can make them in any order.

The difficulty level of this game is not quite as high as that described by the OP... but it is definitely an advanced version of 8-ball.

Try it... it's fun.
 
I've been playing 8-ball Up and 3-pocket 8-ball recently. Both pretty fun. Different trains of thought required.

8-ball up you can play bar rules, or APA, doesn't matter. Player breaks, then place the 8 ball on a piece of chalk. If you knock the 8-ball off the piece of chalk while playing, you lose. I shoot the ball off the piece of chalk after all your balls are pocketed, but that isn't required. When you can't knock the 8 ball around you tend to ease up and choose better patterns. Playing this for a week I was back running packs on 8 ball, and it felt easy, lol.

8-ball 3-pocket, pretty self explanatory. You choose one side of the table after you break, or before, doesn't matter. You get the 3 left or right pockets to pocket your stripes (or solids) in, then the 8 must go in one of the three pockets. You can up the difficulty by playing the 8 in same pocket your last object ball is pocketed in.
 
As of last year, BCA 8-ball rules changed from behind the kitchen to BIH if you scratch on the break.

This could help extend the handicap range for 8-ball. Imagine a lower rank player (APA 2) playing normal 8-ball, while a higher ranked (APA 9) having to shoot his/her group in rotation order.

Snapshot9 said:
I have frequently practiced a game that I have always called Dakota 8 ball, or it could be called Rotational 8 ball. It is actually a combination of 8 ball and 9 ball somewhat.

I have been thinking about trying to start a league for advanced players to play the game. I would like some opinions, and for you to try the game, on how well it might go over.

It is played the same as BCA 8 ball is played now, except:

1) Scratch on break gives ball in hand anywhere on the table.
2) After the break, player must chose to shoot the lowest numbered solid or stripe and continue shooting in rotation until their group is gone.
3) 8 ball is shot last as normal.
4) All other 8 ball rules apply.

Believe me, after practicing this game, regular 8 ball becomes pretty easy.

I feel this is the next progression for the best players to graduate to, and would love to see the pros playing this form of 8 ball.

Try it, and then tell me your opinions. Like I said I would like to start a league for advanced players playing Rotational 8 ball (I still like Dakota 8 ball for the name).
Click to expand...
 
I've played this before and will provide some input.

Adding the rotational aspect to a high congestion game increases the difficulty level to a point that too high for the majority of players. You need some other balancing factor because otherwise, you can have games that just go on forever.

It is better to balance the game by giving the player ball in hand after your opponent misses a shot. To keep the tactical side, the player is given the option to call safe but if you call safe and pot your lowest ball, your turn still ends.
 
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My buddies and I call the game 9-8. One twist we put on it is call your next shot. As you can imagine there is a lot of safety play.
With that being said we have brought the same game to league directors and players alike and get the same response. It is too advanced for the regular folks to play. Say you are an APA SL4, you will have no chance at this game and may not have the skills to learn it. Just me two cents.
 
I would think that you need a rule which says that safeties are not allowed and an attempt to pocket the lowest numbered object ball must be made on each shot.

JoeyA
 
Several years back, I was having a hard time getting to sleep and actually
visualized this exact game in my head. I was so excited by the difficulty factor
that I hardly slept at all that night.

Since that time, I have tried and tried, without success, to interest my fellow
players in this type of 8-Ball game. It is too frustrating for most players, as
the majority in my area play 9-Ball at the Pool Halls and standard 8-Ball on
the Bar Boxes.

You have renewed my interest and I will try again to get something going.

Maybe with a little momentum it will take hold.
 
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