Talk:Eight-ball

Differences between US and UK and AU

It states that the pockets on a US table are larger than the UK table. I seem to remember that the ball sizes are different too, including the size difference between the cue ball and the others. In the UK the cue is smaller than the other balls - I want to say it's the other way around for the US, would that be right? Can't quite remember. violet/riga (t) 19:00, 8 Feb 2005 (UTC)

It depends a lot on where you're playing. Most pool halls and bars in the U.S. have a cue ball slightly smaller than the rest so as to permit its return in the case of a scratch without returning the other balls to play. Tables that are not pay-per-play, however, seem to have a cue ball approximately the *same* size as the object balls. If it's any bigger, I can't tell, and I can see the size difference on the pay-per-play cues. —chris.lawson (talk) 00:13, 10 Feb 2005 (UTC)

In the UK, playing in pubs/clubs on the small table (generally 7ft X 4ft) the cue ball is slightly smaller for the same reason. So object balls are 2ins and the white 1-7/8ins (scottish8ball.com)

After a foul stroke in the UK, the offending player will miss a turn - known as the "two shots" rule. A common exception to this is "one shot on the black", that is a player who has only the black left to pot does not get this advantage. The "one shot on the black" rule doesn't appear in (EPA) World Rules or BAPTO Rules, anyone care to give a citation? (other than "my mate down the pub says...."). --129.67.127.19 00:32, 12 Feb 2005 (UTC)

A lot of people at Trinity Hall play it as such...it seems to be the kind of thing that's a common rule for social games but not in any of the official rules. 128.232.250.254 23:15, 23 May 2006 (UTC) darn forgot to sign before. So finding a published source for this may be difficult.[reply]

"If a player has two shots, and pots a ball with the first, he now has one two shot left." i think this should read

"If a player has two shots, and pots a ball with the first, he now has one shot left."

Mainland Europe seem to have cueballs much larger than the object balls. It's nearly always smaller in the British Isles. In UK pubs, the balls are nearly always (but not strictly) reds & yellows on a green cloth. The 8 ball was always numbered but I've seen plain black balls introduced in recent years. Other colour varients are on the increase to go with the seemingly varying cloth clours ie a red cloth may have blues and yellows. Stripeds & solids are still also found occasionally but the dimensions of the British pub table make it hard to play the extra games ie nine ball, meaning there's no advantage of having them. Home tables traditionally always had stripes & solids. It now varies by manufacturer and whether the table pays tribute to British or American tables in regard to size and pocket dimensions. You can get American style table in a few places here in Liverpool. Both tavern and taunament. I have to say they're much easier to pocket balls on then their British cousins. [Gary Parks]

I must also like to add that I've never heard the terms 'bigs' and 'smalls' to define ball caste in the UK. At least not here in the Liverpool area. Stripes are always stripes. Solids are alternatively called spots but as often as not are still called solids. [Gary Parks]

Despite what the main article says about "in England and Australia", having played 8 ball in Australia all my life I have never ever seen it played with unnumbered coloured balls. It is always numbered balls. The "bigs" and "smalls" is always used in Australia to decide which balls are yours and which are your opponents. However it never occured to me that this was because of the numbers - "bigs" are those with big white circles with the number in it, and "smalls" are those which small white circles with the number in it. Gtpdspin 14:14, 21 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Rule Changes

Check [1] for the new 2006 rules and their changes. They will be in effect until 2008. 70.111.251.203 03:12, 15 February 2006 (UTC)[reply]

picture of the rack

by my working, the 13 and the 4 should be changed in the rack. That is, excluding the front ball, the eight ball and the middle back row ball, the balls should go big-small-big-small-big-etc (or spotted-solid-spotted-solid etc). --Midnighttonight 04:24, 5 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I have never seen a rack set up as you describe. AFAIK, the setup in the article is correct. 129.67.126.51 17:46, 5 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Actually both forms of racking are correct. It can be the way shown or with the 13 and 4 balls switched, which forms a big check of balls and a little check of balls. The "big-check, little-check" version is the one in Blackball (see the bottom of the article). The one shown in the picture is from the EPA rule set I think, since they allow for both. In BCA rules, all that is required is 8-ball in the middle and the left corner and right corner balls to be one solid, one striped. 71.250.9.119 13:30, 25 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Blackball

Is there any more information on Blackball? I know it is relatively new, but how many people are adopting it and such? 71.250.9.119 13:31, 25 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Terminology Section

Is the Terminology section necessary? There is a whole article with just Pool/Billiard terms already. Either add to the list and mark a reference or link from that article to this one. 71.250.9.119 13:32, 25 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I added the regional term "English" as in "Use your English on that shot!" (Pygmypony 18:52, 17 April 2006 (UTC))[reply]

The Terminology article should be merged into this article. (Pygmypony 18:27, 24 April 2006 (UTC))[reply]