Local Variants of 8 Ball With Different Rules

8/6/2008 2:51:47 AM

Local Variants of 8 Ball With Different Rules

I would like to introduce myself, I'm Don Akerlow. I live in Montana and love it here. I fish, hunt but mostly like to make straight lines out of curves on the highway with my corvette. I play a lot of pool. I have played VNEA, BCA, APA, TAP, Independent leagues at one time or another.

The VNEA I have played for 23 years. I am in the publishing business and publish a billiard magazine that comes out monthly. We also have a film company that films league players, pro and this past may filmed the VNEA Nationals.

I have been playing pool since I was 18 and that's over 40 years. I've won a lot and I have also lost ... a lot.

My philosophy in life is "Don't be the rock, be the water."

I have 3 kids, 5 grandchildren and a wife that I have been with for 37 years whom I love and adore.

My curiosity in pool goes to the different types of games you can play on the table with different rules.

One example here in Montana is called Madison Valley Rules, basically it is 8 Ball any league rule you want but before you can make the 8 you have to make one of your object balls in a side pocket. Your opponent makes it in the other side. The side pocket is determined only after you know whether you are stripes or solids.

Does anybody else have any other cue sport games out there that are a little different?

OTBnTV

This question relates to the following billiard rules:

8 Ball Rules

Local Variants of 8 Ball With Different Rules

Replies & Comments

Mitch Alsup on 8/8/2008 3:49:27 PM
We play a game down here in Austin, Texas that we call 1-15 (I think it is also known as Panama). Its like standard 8-ball, except that the 1-ball has to go in the left-hand side pocket as seen by the person breaking and the 15-ball has to go in the right hand side pocket. (we mark the pockets with chalk numbers 1 and 15). The 1 and 15 are placed behind the 8-ball in the rack opposite that of the pocket they must go into. If a shooter makes his object ball (1 or 15) in the wrong pocket--instant loss. If a shooter his opponent's object ball--loss of turn and game continues (and this aleviates the opponent from having to make his object ball). During the course of play (except on the break) if you cause you opponents object ball to move (directly or indirectly) it is loss of turn.

We play:: Open Break, No-Slop, Call shot,...

We find this generally about doubles the length of an 8-ball game for average bar pool players, and greatly increase the necessity to shoot well and position the cue.

Mudbell on 7/15/2015 5:10:57 PM
Yes this is an old thread. There's a couple of games worth mentioning. My motives for playing odd games comes up in practice. When you get bored with drills these different games can hone new skills in their own way and keep it interesting. On a table with drop pockets the game of "Golf" is the sh*t for a group of players. You can find the rules in a little book "Minnesota Fats On Pool". In the same book you'll find the game of Bottle Pool. I love to play it solo with a deck of cards to score, flipping one for each point. As a challenge to myself, I group bottle knocks in a separate pile then at the end check the ratio of the stacks.

In Orlando I saw a game being played that was just bizarre and probably wouldn't recommend it! To me, it would screw up regular play. If you know anything about it or have played it, give your opinion. The dudes were shooting what looked like a nineball game EXCEPT the goal was to scratch the cue ball off of each object ball in usual rotation. I guess the cue ball came up in the kitchen with the option of spotting the next ball. No thanks.

The last game I mention is one that I invented (I think, after all there's nothing new under the sun?). Call it Carom-Combo-Kick-or-Bank.

It goes like this. Regular eightball. Difference comes in here. Ignoring what drops on the break, you must shoot the first three of your group any chosen way. From there the remainder (including the eight) must be shot using either Carom, Combo, Kick or Bank. Call shot, no slop. Forget the transition---Foul, BIH. Nice game to force you to do what often does not come up in a normal game. Clusters and traffic get cleared early and helps keep things moving. Slows down those guys used to "break and run".

Local Variants of 8 Ball With Different Rules

Title: Local Variants of 8 Ball With Different Rules
Author: OTBnTV (Don Akerlow)
Published: 8/6/2008 2:51:47 AM