Depending on your league, there are other options even without the 3-foul rule. APA has a "stalemates" rule, where if neither player is able (or willing) to attempt a shot with Ball in Hand, the rack is drawn, reracked, and the previous breaker breaks again. Because APA tracks safeties and defensive play, I can tell you we've had matches with over 40 safeties played, and most of those were in one rack. I think a good safety battle is worth the time it takes to complete, and I agree that the 3-foul rule would just change the face of league pool entirely too much.
Three consecutive fouls rule in 8-ball?
- Thread starter mincho
- Start date
I would tend to disagree. Your "average leaguer" has been playing league pool for over a year, and is probably well-indoctrinated into safety play as a matter of course. The only people who really complain about safeties are the 6s and 7s who missed the 8 ball on a break'n'run who are now kicking at the 8 because their opponent, the 3, was smart enough to immediately play safeties. Those same 6s and 7s are more than happy to play their own safeties for the rest of the match, especially considering the 3 only has to win two racks to their 5 or 6!
The second group of league players who complain about safeties are the better bangers and shotmakers who are fairly new to league play, and think it's unmanly to play a defensive shot if there's a makeable shot on the table. I just write them off and shake their hands after I beat them. :thumbup:
When you say you "disagree" -- are you referring to just that one point about league'ers you excerpted from my post, or the use of the 3-foul rule in 8-ball in general?
I play in 8-ball leagues (in-house and traveling leagues, but not APA/BCAPL/VNEA/TAP) and have done so for a number of years. For a 3-year stretch, I used to run (operate/manage) the Boston Billiards' 8-ball league on two separate nights of the week for the now-closed Danbury, CT branch as well.
And it was amazing, too -- even folks that've been playing in leagues for 3 or more years, still complained about safety play. While it's true that
my use of "average league'er" may've had some collateral damage in including people that know and leverage safety play without complaint, it was amazing just how many did complain. Yes, you're right -- those 6s and 7s would whine and complain after a failed run-out with the lower-skill level players now using that against them (which, that 6/7 deserved, by the way; they should know better, and take their medicine for failing the commitment to run out).
Anyway, I still think 3-foul for league play would cause more ruckus than it would be worth.
Good points, though,
-Sean
Yes, but there are also a lot of APA 3's that will dink foul you 15 times in a row to prompt a stale mate. I learned to kick good, play safe, control whitey, etc.. and get punished by someone that spent their time learning to foul multiple times in a row to weasel out of a game, or to piss a good player off by fouling ten times in a row.... 3 foul 8-ball is a must.