Your thoughts on a "rack your own" format.....

F

fathomblue

Rusty Shackleford
Silver Member
I play in a state-wide league that currently operates with the "opponent racks" rule. We also use alternating breaks, fwiw.

We're currently in our off-season. There have been some players, including myself, that would like for our league to go to "rack your own" for next season. I don't think we have that many players that know enough to engage in shenanigans with this type of format. And if they did know, even less of them would ever actually do it.

What are your thoughts on "rack your own"? Any good, bad or other results from going to this?

If anything, if people start slugging themselves a few times, maybe they'll learn how to rack properly.

BTW, I've have never seen any league satellite locations use anything but a standard plastic or wooden rack.

Another, btw, I use the Slug Doctor at home and it's the nuts. I just can't seem to get anyone in the league interested in using it.
 
I'd rather rack my own. I might not break better, but it will be in my head that I had a good rack so there is no excuse for a lousy break.:thumbup:
 
It's WAY too easy for an opponent to screw you over with the rack...it's a high artform. With rack your own, it's all up to you and the utter definition of a level playing field, even more fair than having a referee rack.
 
I would think if I rack it and I'm satisfied with it and the opponent chooses not to look at it.....then they can't gripe and we're good. If they look at it and don't like it, I'll rack again. But, at least when I walk away with us both satisfied and break, I know that I did it and if I get slugged, it's my own damn fault.

Just trying to think of little things that will reduce complaints, since this will be my 1st season on the league board. I know there are always going to be complaints, but they can be reduced down to a point.
 
FWIW, the format for the mens singles 8-ball in BCAPL National was rack your own with alternating breaks using the magic rack. From what I saw, no one had a complaint on this aspect of the game.

I like the slug doctor. Right off the bat it has two advantages over the magic rack. 1, it can't be tilted. 2, it can't be stolen off the table. This was a concern I had, as a purse was stolen from one of the players.
 
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fathomblue said:
I play in a state-wide league that currently operates with the "opponent racks" rule. We also use alternating breaks, fwiw.

We're currently in our off-season. There have been some players, including myself, that would like for our league to go to "rack your own" for next season. I don't think we have that many players that know enough to engage in shenanigans with this type of format. And if they did know, even less of them would ever actually do it.

What are your thoughts on "rack your own"? Any good, bad or other results from going to this?

If anything, if people start slugging themselves a few times, maybe they'll learn how to rack properly.

BTW, I've have never seen any league satellite locations use anything but a standard plastic or wooden rack.

Another, btw, I use the Slug Doctor at home and it's the nuts. I just can't seem to get anyone in the league interested in using it.
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Haven't read the whole thread but why not use magic rack? Then it doesn't matter who is racking the balls. Problem solved.
 
Many people I've talked to in the league don't like the Magic Rack.

I personally use the Slug Doctor, which works perfectly.

Just trying to find a happy medium here between old school thinking and accepting racks with minimal *****ing.
 
fathomblue said:
I play in a state-wide league that currently operates with the "opponent racks" rule. We also use alternating breaks, fwiw.

We're currently in our off-season. There have been some players, including myself, that would like for our league to go to "rack your own" for next season. I don't think we have that many players that know enough to engage in shenanigans with this type of format. And if they did know, even less of them would ever actually do it.

What are your thoughts on "rack your own"? Any good, bad or other results from going to this?

If anything, if people start slugging themselves a few times, maybe they'll learn how to rack properly.

BTW, I've have never seen any league satellite locations use anything but a standard plastic or wooden rack.

Another, btw, I use the Slug Doctor at home and it's the nuts. I just can't seem to get anyone in the league interested in using it.
Click to expand...

I love it,your opponent like yourself has the right to check the rack and if you don't like it they have to re rack
 
I'm a proponent of RYO when playing 10 ball and 8 ball. Watching guys like Donnie Mills and Corey Deuel has scared the hell out of me for RYO 9 ball. I would be comfortable playing with the magic rack for 9 ball.

Overall, I know I can give myself a good rack. There is no reason to gaff my own rack.
 
I'm a big fan of RYO. I have a player on my team that slack racks his own teammates in practice. It's pathological. :mad:
 
RYO is the best option in most cases.... The magic rack is fine for 10ball for most players.. Just don't start crying when I am making 2 balls almost every break......

Magic Rack in 9ball is stealing if you have used it at all and are marginally better or even slightly worse than your opponent if they have never practiced using it......

Slug Doctor gets rid of some issues but the dots come off too easily.. Not sure if the original from Asia has the same issues or even uses the 3m reinforcers... I keep looking for the one from Japan to see if it's better than the knockoff but I have had zero luck...

Slug Doctor for now is as good as you can get as far as fair racks go without much effort and it kind of tickles me that someone here stole an idea from them for a change =)

All I can say for now is that something is in the wind.... Don't be surprised if after July there is another option........
 
fathomblue said:
I play in a state-wide league that currently operates with the "opponent racks" rule. We also use alternating breaks, fwiw.

We're currently in our off-season. There have been some players, including myself, that would like for our league to go to "rack your own" for next season. I don't think we have that many players that know enough to engage in shenanigans with this type of format. And if they did know, even less of them would ever actually do it.

What are your thoughts on "rack your own"? Any good, bad or other results from going to this?

If anything, if people start slugging themselves a few times, maybe they'll learn how to rack properly.

BTW, I've have never seen any league satellite locations use anything but a standard plastic or wooden rack.

Another, btw, I use the Slug Doctor at home and it's the nuts. I just can't seem to get anyone in the league interested in using it.
Click to expand...

absolutely no problem with rack your own but if you are playing 9 ball make sure the 9 in either foot corner pocket on the break gets spotted and is not a win.
 
I'd much rather rack my own than give my opponent the chance to intentionally or unintentionally give me a bad rack. In rack your own, you have nobody to blame but yourself for a bad rack.
 
I would rather rack my own, then I don't piss off the racker when I inspect it. Although, I never say anything to them. Just deciding where and how I will hit it.
 
The Renfro said:
RYO is the best option in most cases.... The magic rack is fine for 10ball for most players.. Just don't start crying when I am making 2 balls almost every break......

Magic Rack in 9ball is stealing if you have used it at all and are marginally better or even slightly worse than your opponent if they have never practiced using it......

Slug Doctor gets rid of some issues but the dots come off too easily.. Not sure if the original from Asia has the same issues or even uses the 3m reinforcers... I keep looking for the one from Japan to see if it's better than the knockoff but I have had zero luck...

Slug Doctor for now is as good as you can get as far as fair racks go without much effort and it kind of tickles me that someone here stole an idea from them for a change =)

All I can say for now is that something is in the wind.... Don't be surprised if after July there is another option........
Click to expand...


I am not sure what the slug doctor is but as far as the magic rack goes I don't see the problem. You get a perfect rack each time and they are almost exactly the same. How is that a bad thing?!?
 
quadrary said:
absolutely no problem with rack your own but if you are playing 9 ball make sure the 9 in either foot corner pocket on the break gets spotted and is not a win.
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Very nice idea. I've heard of that in some leagues around the country, but never actually played under that format.

I don't think anyone wants to completely remove luck from the game of pool. Sometimes it's the most magical part of a rack when something happens that no one has an explanation for.

But, removing the bottom 2 pockets for a quick win would negate most of the "tampering", I would think. After that, a random kick of the 9-ball to the top 4 corners means that.....well, it was just "meant to be".
 
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