Which is more difficult to master?

[Banks]

I am surprised people say 8 ball more difficult, 8 ball have all pockets available, and you get to choose another shot should you go out of line, in 9 game, that option is closed, so 9 ball is harder because it demands position control which is the hardest thing in pool.

The flip side is that you only have to hide the person from one ball and that you can win by slopping in the 9 or getting an early combo that is sometimes even lined up after the break.

As for the other arguments that people are making, they're all talking about very high level play. Most of the world could only dream of playing that well.

 

[CreeDo]

Maybe the question doesn't make sense because who's mastered 8 ball or 9 ball? Mastery means basically you're the ghost - if you get a turn, you 100% win. Nobody's "mastered" either.

One game requires great execution... for example kicking to hit the correct side of a ball and finding the speed that sends it to a safe place, even with limited traffic on the table to block. You could spend twenty years on execution and not play perfect 9ball.

One requires great tactics, finding a way to win when there's no shot and your opponent's gamewinning ball is hanging in the hole. You could spend twenty years on tactics and not play perfect 8ball.

 

[KMRUNOUT]

I'll probably get royally flamed, but I'm going to say 8-ball.

9-ball requires more difficult shot-making, but it requires almost no decision-making. "which ball are you shooting at first?...well, the 1-ball of course...and which ball are you playing shape for?...the 2-ball dummy!...and so on."

In 8-ball most of the shots are easier, but the decision-making (strategy) is much more difficult.

I also like how 8-ball gets harder as the game progresses, whereas 9-ball gets easier.

100% agree. 8 ball is a vastly more complex game than 9 ball. Here are the skill sets as I see it:

9 Ball:
--great shot making
--pattern style position...executing the same set of position routes over and over
--seeing the "angles" of position, and just getting close to that angle
--breaking with control
--identifying several basic safeties that recur over and over
--overall emphasizes the physical act of shooting the ball in with the correct spin

8 ball:
--far more decision making...ball selection is the difference between levels of 8 ball
--more *precision* cue ball placement required. you don't usually have "angles" and broad open position zones...you must play "point" position more often
--safety play is more complex. There are more balls to hide from. Also 8 ball emphasizes proximity safes more...where you play the cueball very close to your opponents ball to eliminate options. This is more dificult to execute properly
--deciding when to runout and when to wait...HUGE in 8 ball. This is why most APA players lose. They try to run out tables that are too tough.
--for the head ball break, typically requires a bigger break than 9 ball. For the second ball break, it is a very accurate and precise shot, I think a bit harder to execute well than the 9 ball break.
--overall, 8 ball focuses on the thinking aspect, decision making. It then requires quite a lot of finess and delicate perfect position play to execute.

To me, 8 ball is the more advanced game.

KMRUNOUT

 

[KMRUNOUT]

So when I saw Nick Varner play five consecutive safeties in a championship 8-ball match, he was playing 8-ball incorrectly?

My experience after 58 years of playing 8-ball is that even at the pro level, the strategist has the edge over the shooter.

Yeah, and watching Reyes and Bustamante play what must have been a 15 inning game of 8 ball...those guys are like APA 6's I think.

KMRUNOUT

 

[KMRUNOUT]

8 Ball. Regardless of table size.

The mathematics and multitude of opponent balls creating problems during any given game, are what will separate the two disciplines.

That said, pure rotation(1-15) would be on par of difficulty with 8 Ball due to the number of obstacles.

9 Ball allows avenues and methods to achieve contact with an object ball in the long run, than 8 Ball. This isn't measured by one or one hundred games, but thousands.

Study as much as possible, about 8 Ball on 7, 8, and 9 Ft. Tables, and you will see that % wise, it will be more difficult to run out continuous racks.

I have played a lot of Straight Pool(14.1) and have played a great deal of Big Table 8 Ball. Just my humble opinion based on my personal experiences.

Good Luck and Good Shooting.

cajunfats

The part about 15 ball rotation being on par with 8 ball due to the number of obstacles...this is not accurate. If you were playing *rotation* 8 ball, in which you must run out in numerical order, then yes I agree with you. Remember though that in 8 ball, when all 15 balls are out, you have 7 target balls, whereas in rotation you only have one.

Advantage in difficulty?: Rotation by a mile.

KMRUNOUT

 

[KMRUNOUT]

It's too bad name dropping does not substitute for content. You're a joker if you think 8 ball is comparable to rotation (15, 10, 9) in difficulty or complexity.

-roger

Buddha, I agree no comparison in difficulty. Rotation is WAY harder. However I would say 8 ball is quite a bit more complex. Rotation has a very simple runout path...you don't really have any options. On the complexity level, rotation is essentially the same thing as 9 or 10 ball when comparing to 8 ball. 8 ball is more complex because there are FAR more choices at every step. That is pretty much the definition of complexity in a game. But for SURE, 15 ball rotation is WAY more difficult.

KMRUNOUT