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Racking For 8 Ball And 9 Ball Billards Games

The frame used for organizing the balls onto a pool table is called a rack and may be made of wood or plastic and very rarely metal. Racks are sometimes referred to as a triangle since it is the most common shape used to rack the balls in a 5-4-3-2-1 pattern. Triangular racks are used for playing 8-ball, one-pocket, straight-pool, snooker and bank-pool among others. Diamond-racks using the pattern 1-2-3-2-, are used for the 9-ball game, many use the triangular rack for 9-ball too.

Arguments arise with differences of opinion on racking the correct way for 8-ball and 9-ball games. Generally used simple methods include:

For 8-ball game rack, the rack is set in the center of the table with the 1-ball at the top corner. 2, 2-balls go below and so on until the fifteen balls for the 8-ball game are placed.

The 8-ball must be in the center of the rack, making it the second ball in a row of three balls.

Almost always the 1-ball or sometimes the first ball must be at the top location, which is the front of the rack, making the center of that ball to be directly above the table's foot spot.

A stripe and a solid must make up the two corner balls. Theoretically, this pattern provides a chance to sink a solid and a stripe as the corner balls can get pocketed on the break.

The rest of the balls, except the 8-ball and corner ball can be randomly placed.

The balls must be racked tight without gaps to allow for a good break.

In 8-ball amateur games a different racking is used. Here the a pattern of alternating solid and stripe for the outer edge is created, which results in either solids or stripes into the two corners.

Another rack consists of placing the balls numerically in order beginning at the triangle top, following from left to right and on downwards numerically, ending the last row with stripes 11 and 15 at the two corners.

Nine-ball uses a different rack as only 9 balls are used. Special 9-ball racks are available though many just use the 8-ball rack. A diamond shaped rack is used, with one ball at the top of the diamond and nine in the middle.

Amateurs often put the balls numerically beginning at the top of the triangle and following left to right and down excluding the 9. The game also allows for all balls to be randomly placed except the 1 and the 9.

All players must make a tight rack, despite the variation being played. The rack must be rolled to make sure the 1-ball is in the center of the pool table dot. This can be done by using all eight fingers and pushing the back ball roll and pressing them tightly into the 8-ball rack while maintaining the 1-ball on the table dot. A tight rack makes it difficult for the opponent to bag a ball on the break.

Racking correctly for the variation being played is of utmost importance in getting a good game.

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