Opponent Racks?

[Dennis "Whitey" Young]

I am so out of touch with main stream big town pool halls anymore, and it has been that way for decades,
but my question is; "do One Pocket Players ever much play the historical standard break of the Opponent Racking and a ball scored in the breaker's pocket counts"? Is it relevant in today's OP?
And,
what is the break that is the most commonly used in today's pool rooms?
thanks for your input! Whitey

 

[Ratamon]

I almost always play rack my own unless the opponent insists on the opponent racking in which case the breaker chooses the pocket after the balls have been racked.

I know at the Derby City they introduced a re-rack a couple of years ago if the ball goes on the break.

 

[darmoose]

The game was created to have the breaker break and the racker rack. Ne're the two shall meet. BTW, a ball on the break counts as does a scratch or any other foul. We have allowed the manipulators and the fanigulars to bastardize and complicate the game. You (the breaker) are perfectly free to inspect my rack, and if you don't like it I will gladly try again, as you will when you are racking.

AXIOM for gambling: thou shall not touch the balls and then shoot.....

 

[NH Steve]

The game was created to have the breaker break and the racker rack. Ne're the tow shall meet. BTW, a ball on the break counts as does a scratch or any other foul. We have allowed the manipulators and the fanigulars to bastardize and complicate the game. You (the breaker) are perfectly free to inspect my rack, and if you don't like it I will gladly try again, as you will when you are racking.

AXIOM for gambling: thou shall not touch the balls and then shoot.....

Traditionally when gambling, the players involved are free to make their own rules -- and that has often been a big part of the matching up

Most of the streamed head-t-head matches these days seem to go with rack your own, and re-break if you make one

 

[androd]

I always ask my opponent to rack for both of us. 90% agree.
I haven't found anyone slick enough to do anything to the rack. I'm not a believer.
P.S. No one agrees with this !

 

[cincy_kid]

I always play rack your own which I think is the fairest way IMO. Also, keep in mind this isn't 9 ball, so I feel that the break should be an advantage to the breaker because the balls are being pushed towards their pocket but not to make one and run 8 and out without the opponent getting to the table. This is one of the things I like about the game is that I know I will always get to the table at least once, so I have a chance to do something. Just like 1 ball one pocket, you cant shoot at your hole on the break. Similar philosophy for me.

 

[sheldon]

I've always played rack your own. Over the last couple of years, we've moved away from keeping balls made on the break, to re-rack if a ball is made.
I like rack your own for pretty much all games. Not because I want to gain any advantage, but because I am no longer responsible for any bad racks my opponent gets.
I even like it for 9 ball, and will negate the 9 on the break if people will agree to it.

 

[gulfportdoc]

I always ask my opponent to rack for both of us. 90% agree.
I haven't found anyone slick enough to do anything to the rack. I'm not a believer.
P.S. No one agrees with this !

Yeah, with a few possible rare exceptions, I agree with you. In one-pocket a guy can get the best spread by making sure all the balls are frozen. Therefore racking your own insures that. It's possible, either intentionally or unintentionally, to create a slug rack by leaving the head ball or other balls gapped, so racking one's own allows for a tight rack.

Many pool players are paranoid, so they see schemes where they might not exist. There very well may be rack mechanics among us, but I don't recall ever seeing any. If you're standing there watching a guy rack, it's extremely difficult for him to either tilt or gap the balls to his advantage.

 

[J.R.]

There are commonly 3 or 4 one-pocket tournaments yearly at Red Shoes Billiards in Alsip (Chicago southwest suburb), Illinois. The players field is always 30 players and 2 byes. John Lavin, the owner, goes over the rules. He has incorporated the rules used by onepocket.org / Derby City in his tournaments except one... the break. He plays the break the "old way." It's begins with either a flip of a coin or a lag for the break, the winner of the flip or lag breaks, the loser of the flip or lag racks, and any ball made on the break counts (so long as the ball made was in the breaker's pocket and not in his opponent's pocket). I've played both ways but I always prefer that any ball made on the break counts!

My answer to "Whitey's" first question is "yes, there are one pocket players who still play the historical standard break with the opponent racking and a ball scored in the breaker's pocket counts."

My answer to your second question is that it can be relevant in today's one pocket depending on the rules the players agree to use.

My answer to your third question is the usual one pocket break is to strike your opponent's side of the rack, clipping ever so slightly the side of the head ball, and into the second ball directly behind the head ball. The breaker strives to have the cue ball, with inside spin, come, off the side of the rack as it strikes the foot rail with enough speed that it will stop on or near the long rail between the 2nd and 3rd diamonds (from your opponent's pocket).

 

[lfigueroa]

My experience has been that it is better to rack your own.

The reason is that I have occasionally played guys who, because of the way they rack, there is an increase in the number of times the corner ball leaks out to their side. I have no doubt that it is unintentional but regardless, after a few games it is, for lack of a better word, aggravating.

So what is it about how they rack the balls that causes this you might ask?

What I have observed is that this phenomenon is most likely to occur with guys who rack using the thumb massage technique. IOWs they press the balls into the rack with their thumbs from the middle of the last row. I dunno if that creates gaps or what. This would be opposed to how I rack the balls, which is the fingers of both hands pressing in between the balls and the rack.

YMMV.

Lou Figueroa

 

[androd]

My experience has been that it is better to rack your own.

The reason is that I have occasionally played guys who, because of the way they rack, there is an increase in the number of times the corner ball leaks out to their side. I have no doubt that it is unintentional but regardless, after a few games it is, for lack of a better word, aggravating.

So what is it about how they rack the balls that causes this you might ask?

What I have observed is that this phenomenon is most likely to occur with guys who rack using the thumb massage technique. IOWs they press the balls into the rack with their thumbs from the middle of the last row. I dunno if that creates gaps or what. This would be opposed to how I rack the balls, which is the fingers of both hands pressing in between the balls and the rack.

YMMV.

Lou Figueroa

In my opinion the corner ball comes out because the breaker hits the head ball too thin, the extra force on the second ball drives the corner ball harder.

 

[lfigueroa]

In my opinion the corner ball comes out because the breaker hits the head ball too thin, the extra force on the second ball drives the corner ball harder.

Yes, but I was speaking of a properly hit break shot.

Lou Figueroa