THE U.S. Open 9ball LAG, 1ball and 5ball, why?

A

asbani

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
it really hits me yesterday and the day before that and I literally kept thinking for hours, miserably to figure out, why would it be that the lag would be played with the 1 yellow ball, and the 5 orange ball, out of all the balls, I mean why not the 2 and 4, why not the 6 and 7 ball, for what reason have they choose to always lag with the 1 ball and 5 ball, it is very interesting thing to me, I know it might be nothing , but it could be something, until we figure this out, its a mystery, and I love mysteries.

orange, and yellow, and tv table, hmmmmm. (yes I'm a little drunk) lol.
 
Yes, just visibly easier for the players, audience and TV. Same with the historical racking of the corner balls in straight pool.
 
DogsPlayingPool said:
Yes, just visibly easier for the players, audience and TV. Same with the historical racking of the corner balls in straight pool.
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I believe this is the reason,as you say,and also if the lag is very close,maybe it would make it easier to determine which ball is closer to the rail using yellow and orange colors,the eye can seperate them better.
 
I would guess, like DPP mentioned, probably just a bleed over from the other games. Straight pool uses the one and five to lag because by rule they are racked in the corners.
 
brandoncook26 said:
I would guess, like DPP mentioned, probably just a bleed over from the other games. Straight pool uses the one and five to lag because by rule they are racked in the corners.
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That procedure is no longer actually written into the rules, at least not the World Rules, but I believe it used to be and there are still a lot of us who rack them that way out of tradition.
 
DogsPlayingPool said:
That procedure is no longer actually written into the rules, at least not the World Rules, but I believe it used to be and there are still a lot of us who rack them that way out of tradition.
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This is correct about 14.1...the gentlemen's game. In the 2006 WORLD STANDARDIZED RULES: 14.1 CONTINUOUS, the 1B-5B rule was in effect. In 2008, it was removed. I, too, rack with the 1B & 5B on the corners out of respect for my opponent. :thumbup:

I am 100% sure the lag uses the 1B & 5B for the very same reason traditional 14.1 did...visibility. As stated above, it would be easier to sight close lags.
 
mosconiac said:
This is correct about 14.1...the gentlemen's game. In the 2006 WORLD STANDARDIZED RULES: 14.1 CONTINUOUS, the 1B-5B rule was in effect. In 2008, it was removed. I, too, rack with the 1B & 5B on the corners out of respect for my opponent. :thumbup:

I am 100% sure the lag uses the 1B & 5B for the very same reason traditional 14.1 did...visibility. As stated above, it would be easier to sight close lags.
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This is correct. The 1 and 5 balls are the two brightest colors in the entire rack's palette of colors, and, 14.1 traditions notwithstanding, are the easiest colors to sight against the backdrop of the table cloth. TV also has a lot to do with this choice as well -- even on the poorest TV screen, you can never mistake the 1 and 5 balls for any other ball in the rack (save for their striped sisters, especially if the stripe is turned toward the camera).

As a possibly interesting side-note for other games, I like to extend the "easy on the eyes" courtesy to my one pocket opponents, by placing the 1 and 5 balls in the second row of the rack, with a very dark head/apex ball (e.g. 4, 7, or 8 ball). The contrast between the very dark head ball, and the second row of the two brightest balls in the pack, offer my opponent (or even myself, if we're playing rack-yer-own) the optimum conditions for an accurate opening break.

-Sean
 
At first I thought this was just a bizarre, if not silly question.

Instead, I actually learned something new today. I had never heard about the 1 and 5 deal with 14.1. I have never extended this courtesy to my opponent while playing this game. I will for now on. That's also an interesting idea for one-pocket.

Cool stuff.
 
BasementDweller said:
At first I thought this was just a bizarre, if not silly question.

Instead, I actually learned something new today. I had never heard about the 1 and 5 deal with 14.1. I have never extended this courtesy to my opponent while playing this game. I will for now on. That's also an interesting idea for one-pocket.

Cool stuff.
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BasementDweller:

Yep, gotta love AZB! Just FYI, Wikipedia had not been updated since the BCA's rule change (the rule change that removed the mention of the 1 and 5 ball courtesy), so here it is, in all its glory:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight_pool
220px-Straight_Pool_Rack.jpg

You can still find mentions of this courtesy all over the Internet, on various old sites that borrowed from the BCA rules. Of course, you'll no longer find this on the BCA site itself, and IMHO, that's a shame. Long live courtesy!

-Sean
 
sfleinen said:
As a possibly interesting side-note for other games, I like to extend the "easy on the eyes" courtesy to my one pocket opponents, by placing the 1 and 5 balls in the second row of the rack, with a very dark head/apex ball (e.g. 4, 7, or 8 ball). The contrast between the very dark head ball, and the second row of the two brightest balls in the pack, offer my opponent (or even myself, if we're playing rack-yer-own) the optimum conditions for an accurate opening break.

-Sean
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Sean you are a better man than I. I usually use the 2 as the head ball, with the 8 & 6 in the second row :)

<---- Needs all the help he can get (being facetious just in case someone inevitably thinks I'm an asshole).
 
mosconiac said:
This is correct about 14.1...the gentlemen's game. In the 2006 WORLD STANDARDIZED RULES: 14.1 CONTINUOUS, the 1B-5B rule was in effect. In 2008, it was removed. I, too, rack with the 1B & 5B on the corners out of respect for my opponent. :thumbup:

I am 100% sure the lag uses the 1B & 5B for the very same reason traditional 14.1 did...visibility. As stated above, it would be easier to sight close lags.
Click to expand...

In "The Official Rules of the BCA Pool League" it is still a rule that the 1-ball and 5-ball must be racked in the back two corners. There are two reasons for this as has been stated. One, the visibility of the balls and two, it has been that way historically.

FYI, CueSports International is in the beginning stages of bringing back the US Open Straight Pool Championship. We are planning to bring it back in 2013 when the BCAPL National Championships move the the Rio. No other information is available at this time as we are in the planning stages.

Bill Stock
 
Bill S said:
In "The Official Rules of the BCA Pool League" it is still a rule that the 1-ball and 5-ball must be racked in the back two corners. There are two reasons for this as has been stated. One, the visibility of the balls and two, it has been that way historically.

FYI, CueSports International is in the beginning stages of bringing back the US Open Straight Pool Championship. We are planning to bring it back in 2013 when the BCAPL National Championships move the the Rio. No other information is available at this time as we are in the planning stages.

Bill Stock
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Bill,

Where are the BCAPL straight pool rules? Where are the 1 Hole rules for that matter? On the website under downloads the "Complete Rule Book" only covers 8 & 9 Ball.

Thanks.
 
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