LESS LUCK IN HEADS' UP NINE BALL!!
Gary Ives
to post this. First, I'd like to say I've hated one-foul-ball-in-hand
nine ball from the get go. I don't think nine ball was anywhere near
the luck game it is today before the rules were changed for tv. Why
they've stuck is beyond me. My kid could hide the cue ball when he
was about 8. In the local Sunday night tournament one of my losses
came when my opponent missed and snookered me about 4 times in a row.
In one rack!! It wasn't intentional. And before you tell me to
practice kicks, I've been told by good players that I kick very well.
I hit the ball when I was stuck Sunday night many times and have in
other games, matches, and tournaments. I don't mind so much being
played safe on, it's the unintentional stuff that's hard to fade.
I don't know how to make tournaments less luck involved but you DON"T
have to play that way heads up.
Try this when playing heads up: Opponent breaks, makes nothing, you
have no shot at the 1. You push out, thinking: A-Shall I push out to
a shot or a safe? B-If a shot that I can make, can he make it?
C-Will he take the shot or make me shoot it? D-If a safe, where will
the balls end up and will he push, shoot, or play safe? If no foul
has been committed on the previous shot, you ALWAYS have the option to
push.
If your opponent shoots after your push and scratches, then you have
bih anywhere on the table. Any 2 consecutive fouls gives the incoming
player bih. If the breaker scratches on the break, incoming player
has bih behind the head string. Balls made on the break are spotted
and if the one is behind the string, it is also spotted. Incoming
player also has the right to make the breaker shoot again in this
case.
After the break, balls made on scratch shots stay down except the ball
before the money ball. During the game if a player scratches,
incoming player has bih behind the string and has the option of making
the offender shoot again. Numerically low ball or balls behind the
string are removed from the table and lowest ball beyond the string is
the "on" ball.
A legal shot or a safety after a foul makes the foul not count. We
never played that the fouls had to be made by the same player. ANY
TWO CONSECUTIVE FOULS RESULTE IN BIH ANYWHERE ON THE TABLE.
Failure to hit the lowest numbered ball is the same as a push.
Opponent has the option of shooting the shot as it lies or making the
offender shoot again, remembering the two foul rule giving bih.
A push does not have to be declared, just shoot.
No three foul-loss of game rule!!
I think that's about it, as best I can remember. I haven't played
this way myself in several years, but I would like to. If you've
never played this way, try it. I've taught people to play this way
who cut their teeth on one foul and they loved it. It's a lot less
mindless, in my opinion. If you don't like it, fine. I was told this
game favors the better player, but what game doesn't?
This game tends to last longer than one-foul-ball-in-hand games.
That's why the rules were changed for television, and became, in my
opinion, CHICKEN SHIT!!
Also not good for ring games, if you give bih anywhere on the table in
a ring game for money, you're nuts! But I've seen it done.
bp
wrote:
This is how I used to play way back when. We called it two foul ball
in hand everything stays down except the ball before the money. Or
many times we would spot any slopped in shots, and we called that "two
foul ball in hand everything spots" Duh!
It really does take a lot of luck out of the game but others will say
it take away from the game because you don't have to kick and bank as
much. (i'm not saying who ;-)