Just one time, print out a copy of the rules and try this game.
There are a lot of "option" type rules that help eliminate luck and force you to think in any "iffy" situation.
It's not just some gimmicky version of normal rotation (whatever that is). And it's not 10 ball with 5 more balls.
It's got a completely different feel. Running out balls until you can't anymore is not gonna cut it.
You gotta play and plan carefully.
Some interesting quirks:
Your opponent can pass back on any miss. Whether a ball dropped or not.
So yeah, no 2-way shots. But what this means is if you kick with an uncertain outcome,
you may want to call safe rather than calling the nearest logical pocket.
If fail to do this and the cue ball is hidden (which is the usual hope when kicking) the other guy
can make you shoot again, and he gets ball in hand if you whiff your kick.
So if you play a shot from a kick, you'd better be sure.
Not only is there no slop, if you slop in a ball, your opponent gets the points for it.
At the same time, if you hate the leave, you can just pass it back to him like you would
with any miss. But then you forfeit those bonus points and give them back to him.
So you have some incentive to just accept the shitty leave and keep your free points.
Maybe do your best to kick safe instead of passing it back.
If you scratch on the break, they get credit for all the balls you made.
Last 5 balls count double, so it's not the end of the world if they run a lot of balls early.
You start out every rack with ball-in-hand after the break. Making a ball is not required.
So the break is just a way to spread them. The exception is the very first break where you must play
the cue ball in position and if you break dry, the other player comes to the table.
So there's still a little luck of the break, but only for one rack. The game is played for several racks usually.
Ball-in-hand in this game after the break is not like a free win or a huge opening lead.
Even a pro doesn't have to get out with BIH and 15 balls cluttering the table. And a miss/hook is likely on the first few shots.
The other guy might make a fantastic run of 10 balls, dog it on the 11 ball, then you make 11-15.
This would actually be a tied rack - 10 points for his run. 10 points for your run, since the last 5 balls count double.
So if you're in a tough situation near the end of the rack, it's critical not to dog it and risk a miss.
And early in the rack, it's not the end of the world if you only run 3 balls with ball in hand, and then are forced to safe.
Three fouling gives you a unique advantage, though not an automatic win
You get "double ball in hand"... one free shot on ANY ball (so you will logically take one of the 2-pointers, though
maybe you use it to solve a troublesome cluster and help run out). Then you get ball-in-hand again with
the normal rules in effect (i.e. must shoot the lowest ball).
Take a break from the usual games and just try this sometime. It's a really good game with
really interesting, carefully thought out rules.
There are a lot of "option" type rules that help eliminate luck and force you to think in any "iffy" situation.
It's not just some gimmicky version of normal rotation (whatever that is). And it's not 10 ball with 5 more balls.
It's got a completely different feel. Running out balls until you can't anymore is not gonna cut it.
You gotta play and plan carefully.
Some interesting quirks:
Your opponent can pass back on any miss. Whether a ball dropped or not.
So yeah, no 2-way shots. But what this means is if you kick with an uncertain outcome,
you may want to call safe rather than calling the nearest logical pocket.
If fail to do this and the cue ball is hidden (which is the usual hope when kicking) the other guy
can make you shoot again, and he gets ball in hand if you whiff your kick.
So if you play a shot from a kick, you'd better be sure.
Not only is there no slop, if you slop in a ball, your opponent gets the points for it.
At the same time, if you hate the leave, you can just pass it back to him like you would
with any miss. But then you forfeit those bonus points and give them back to him.
So you have some incentive to just accept the shitty leave and keep your free points.
Maybe do your best to kick safe instead of passing it back.
If you scratch on the break, they get credit for all the balls you made.
Last 5 balls count double, so it's not the end of the world if they run a lot of balls early.
You start out every rack with ball-in-hand after the break. Making a ball is not required.
So the break is just a way to spread them. The exception is the very first break where you must play
the cue ball in position and if you break dry, the other player comes to the table.
So there's still a little luck of the break, but only for one rack. The game is played for several racks usually.
Ball-in-hand in this game after the break is not like a free win or a huge opening lead.
Even a pro doesn't have to get out with BIH and 15 balls cluttering the table. And a miss/hook is likely on the first few shots.
The other guy might make a fantastic run of 10 balls, dog it on the 11 ball, then you make 11-15.
This would actually be a tied rack - 10 points for his run. 10 points for your run, since the last 5 balls count double.
So if you're in a tough situation near the end of the rack, it's critical not to dog it and risk a miss.
And early in the rack, it's not the end of the world if you only run 3 balls with ball in hand, and then are forced to safe.
Three fouling gives you a unique advantage, though not an automatic win
You get "double ball in hand"... one free shot on ANY ball (so you will logically take one of the 2-pointers, though
maybe you use it to solve a troublesome cluster and help run out). Then you get ball-in-hand again with
the normal rules in effect (i.e. must shoot the lowest ball).
Take a break from the usual games and just try this sometime. It's a really good game with
really interesting, carefully thought out rules.
