Three foul rule...Keep it or toss it?

the420trooper

the420trooper

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Some say that if you commit 3 consecutive fouls, you deserve to lose...

Some say that pool is a primarily offensive game, and that winning on 3 consecutive safeties is a chickensh*t way to win...

I like the 3 foul rule, personally. I think if you can force your opponent to foul on 3 separate occasions, you've proven yourself to be a better all around player in that rack.

What's your opinion?
 
keep it. its what seperates the men from the boys...

9 ball is very different today then say 1990. tables being harder may factor in but if you watch archer and earl ect in the early 90's they fired at everything. today is all % and playing safe. taking little chances as possible. not all racks can be ran out. there should be a way to show your better.

offense wins games but defense wins championships. who said that??? lol

id much rather play a runner then a lock up artist. runners give me a chance lock up guys put you in spots that the 2 times you get a shot in a rack your kicking...

also i feel anyone can get hot and run a 5 pack but its the saftey battles, fist fights cat and mouse that builds tough skin.

i feel there arent many players around here that can out shoot my out move me and out play me. in other words its much harder to bead a 3 tool player


BTW... a guy that hides is not a lock up player. there is a huuuuuge difference.
 
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dave sutton said:
keep it. its what seperates the men from the boys...

9 ball is very different today then sat 1990. tables being harder may factor in but if you watch archer and earl ect in the early 90's they fired at everything. today is all % and playing safe. taking little chances as possible. not all racks can be ran out. there should be a way to show your better.

offence wins games but defense wins championships. who said that??? lol

id much rather play a runner then a lock up artist. runners give me a chance lock up guys put you in spots that the 2 times you get a shot in a rack your kicking...

also i feel anyone can get hot and runa 5 pack but its the saftey battles, fistfights can and mosue then build tough skin.

i feel there arent many players around here that can out shoot my out move me and out play me. in other words its much harder to bead a 3 tool player
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I agree!!!!
 
I love it. I played in an unfamiliar weekly tournament a couple weeks ago and was very surprised by my opponent's response when I asked if we were playing three fouls, considering he was a decent player: "What's that?" ;)
 
dave sutton said:
keep it. its what seperates the men from the boys...

9 ball is very different today then say 1990. tables being harder may factor in but if you watch archer and earl ect in the early 90's they fired at everything. today is all % and playing safe. taking little chances as possible. not all racks can be ran out. there should be a way to show your better.

offense wins games but defense wins championships. who said that??? lol

id much rather play a runner then a lock up artist. runners give me a chance lock up guys put you in spots that the 2 times you get a shot in a rack your kicking...

also i feel anyone can get hot and run a 5 pack but its the saftey battles, fist fights cat and mouse that builds tough skin.

i feel there arent many players around here that can out shoot my out move me and out play me. in other words its much harder to bead a 3 tool player


BTW... a guy that hides is not a lock up player. there is a huuuuuge difference.
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Excellent post, Dave.

I feel that if I scratch on the break, and my opponent plays two VERY good safeties, where I can't even hit the ball, I deserve to lose.

I consider myself a pretty good kicker, and if someone locks me up to the point that I don't have an easy (or even POSSIBLE) escape, they deserve to win, esp. if they do it 2 or 3 times in a row.

Like you said, some racks just can't be run, and there needs to be another alternative to win...imo.
 
dave sutton said:
keep it. its what seperates the men from the boys...

9 ball is very different today then say 1990. tables being harder may factor in but if you watch archer and earl ect in the early 90's they fired at everything. today is all % and playing safe. taking little chances as possible. not all racks can be ran out. there should be a way to show your better.

offense wins games but defense wins championships. who said that??? lol

id much rather play a runner then a lock up artist. runners give me a chance lock up guys put you in spots that the 2 times you get a shot in a rack your kicking...

also i feel anyone can get hot and run a 5 pack but its the saftey battles, fist fights cat and mouse that builds tough skin.

i feel there arent many players around here that can out shoot my out move me and out play me. in other words its much harder to bead a 3 tool player


BTW... a guy that hides is not a lock up player. there is a huuuuuge difference.
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what more can be said, your 100% right!!!:)
 
The fact is, if there was no 3-foul rule, the game would change completely and it's not easy to say what it would end up looking like. When a player is left safe, they're forced to try and make contact or lose. They're automatically in a bad place. Without it, there remains the option to tie up balls without consequence, rearrange the balls to create a more difficult run, you can still do things defensively that will prolong the game.

I'm not sure taking away the 3-foul rule would make things better. Things would definitely be different but not always better. Besides, how often do you see a professional player tell another professional they're on two? It's really a rare occurrence once you reach a certain level.
 
OK...here goes my two cents...

I COMPLETELY agree....3 fouls you're done...period, no questions asked..If I give you 3 chances to make a legal shot and you can't...you don't need to be in this game with me. I'm better and I win.

Society and the "gimme now" mentality is destroying things...9 ball is the publicized came of choice for broadcast...it's fast and loose...great for TV.

Mr. Sutton you said it perfectly.."offense wins games but defense wins championships"

Herein lies the rub....85% (maybe a bit low) of the viewers of a televised pool match see safety play as boring....not good for viewership. Me personally, I love to watch a back and forth 14.1 safety battle.

We want this game we all love so much to be more mainstream, and the only way to get there is TV coverage. But, the only way we can get TV coverage is if it's full of offensive action...

AAAAHHHHH....If God is all powerful, can he make a rock so big that he himself can't move it?

3 fouls and you're done will ALWAYS be played in my house...I've taught my wife and 10 year old daughter that's the way to play.

Spread the gospel. :)
 
Besides, how often do you see a professional player tell another professional they're on two? It's really a rare occurrence once you reach a certain level.
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100% accurate...but what percentage of players are professionals? EVERY professional, without question, was a "D" player at some point or another.

We all need to do our part in shaping the future world beaters...

Again, in my house, you foul 3 times in a row you're done. You've got some work to do.
 
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Keep it! 3 foul rule really helps the game. It also forces you to concentrate on your kick safeties.
 
mattiefingaz said:
100% accurate...but what percentage of players are professionals? EVERY professional, without question, was a "D" player at some point or another.

We all need to do our part in shaping the future world beaters...

Again, in my house, you foul 3 times in a row you're done. You've got some work to do.
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I think we're on the same page. In my opinion, though I could be wrong, not having a 3-foul rule could prolong cluster games since neither player will be forced to take a chance. This has the potential to happen on EVERY level but especially lower levels.
 
a few friends and i play 3 foul out set from time to time. takes a long time. race to 3

fouls carry over from rack to rack. that means if i have a guy on 2 and only the 8 and 9 i can run out rerack and play another safe

its hard to get to 3 lol

if you dont practice safes they wont be there when its time to use them...
 
Toss it. More garbage rules for what was once a strategic game, now a tactical farce.
 
I think you need it to keep games from getting too defensive.

It does get annoying though when playing some lower level amateurs, when they always go for the three foul even if they have a clear run out opportunity. Not that they get me on it, just that it becomes a nuisance when they try to make every bloody game into a defensive battle. One set of that and I'm done, no interest in playing that game.
 
you gotta keep it because its just another way of getting punished for scratching on the break or making the cue ball fly off the table. besides if it wasnt there what if you got clusters everywhere and you cant exactly get out... are you just going to bump the balls open till the table is open???

my opinion is keep it... besides it keeps the old timers in the game still since they cant seem to make the ball to well, they can sure hide it and its more experience for the lesser players on kicking... believe me
 
here is the best way to handle three fouls.

first, you need the three foul rule because in 9-ball if the one ball gets jammed into a pocket blocked completely by two other balls, then the players just foul back and forth, and starting a game over is not an option in my opinion.

second, the only problem i have with the three foul rule is when the first foul is from the break. a guy breaks perfect, scratches, then there is a hanger safety. now the guy is on 2 and he has done nothing. so just make it so the break can not count as one of the three fouls. im sure we can handle this even though i know we are just pool players.

thats the best, fairest way to handle it i think.
 
Keep it, and toss the jump cues !

I say the 3 foul rule should stay and the jump cues should go away.
If you can't jump with your playing cue than you can't really jump.
To many players these days depend on equipment and technology than just having talent.
There's nothing I enjoy more than going to a weekly tournament and grabbing a house cue of the wall and snapping off the tournament against these equipment junkies carrying huge cases full of every kind of cue.
I've done this countless times, never gets old.
Oh, I kind of got of the thread topic.
The 3 foul rule adds to the game.
pool has and is changing for the worst.
 
I know the majority of people seem to be fans of the 3 foul rule...but i can't seem to wrap my mind around someone being able to win by not getting out. Yes, playing safeties takes great skill - I won't deny this and no other half decent pool player will either. However, I believe the whole point of playing a great safety is so one can get BIH, and control of the table - and use it to get out...that to me is the way the game should be played. I absolutely agree that safety-play is an art in itself, but to me it is a tool that should be used to get control of the table, make balls - AND GET OUT! :cool:
 
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