how to rack 8 ball billiards

how to rack an 8 ball billiards, or at least this is how i do it.

[@ThePowerpipe1]

Ive been playing professional pool for 25 years everywhere from Las Vegas IPT finals to Germany doing world cup trick shots.I have officiated the womans 2003 & 2006 8 ball championships on ESPN. I have a Custom Cue Shop in Nashville Tenn and sell custom shop Cues.Im not insulting your knowledge here at all,just telling you that if you are in a place where the house rules are yellow at the head of a break,then you had better rack it that way. Official rules?This guy is correct.No yellow in front.

[@memestar5531]

This is the most bullshit story I've ever heard

[@eriks8382]

Where you also a navy seal with 15 years combat experience?

[@memestar5531]

@@eriks8382 25* years in the airforce

[@snakeclaw]

100% correct. In my house this is a quick fast way to get it done. If you are in a tournament you follow the rules of that tournament. They are different from tournament to tournament. There is no one right way to rack. But for casual play this is a fine method

[@quaddawg]

These comments are killing me! Why in the hell would you argue why wouldn't you just go Google it and find out that this person is correct! As long as the bottom two corners are alternating in the 8-ball is at the apex of the inner triangle. It's regulation. You don't have to believe itoh, you don't have to think about it's the way it's always been done or any damn thing else this man is correct..

[@snakeclaw]

i love these jokes! keep 'em coming. apparently there are several on this video.

[@ryuuchan07]

been playing pool since i was a kid. finally knows /thought of learning how to rack the balls. lol

[@snakeclaw]

@mattwiens123 i cant find any rule books that state the yellow one ball should be at the top so i kind of dont worry about it. it's a small issue anyhoo. the sharpie dot rules.

[@thelordofhellaz]

@snakeclaw There are variations of 8-ball where the 1 & 15 are supposed to be pocketed only in the side pockets, thus the 8-1-15 in the center of the rack as opposed to having any of those balls on the outside.

[@snakeclaw]

i dont like always having a solid at the top. in pro pool tournaments on tv, it seems the method they use is similar to mine. i'm not a fan of switching every other ball as that seems to take too long and is a bit fussy, and most importantly, it would never work as the corner balls would always be similar under such a fashion. the two rear corners must be different.

[@snakeclaw]

that comment has been mentioned before, but still, i love it every time someone mentions it.

[@snakeclaw]

@thelordofhellaz why 8-1-15? i know that it looks cool to do it that way, but i can find no rules that state it should be done that way. i think a simple stripe/solid behind the 8 ball is all that is required. maybe you have a link for me to read as i cant find one. thx.

[@toonsis]

thanks. I needed this

[@nedved1994]

@kevdog1148 the 8ball is racked going solid stripe solid stripe 15 ball is in the oposite side of its whole and vise versa for the 1 ball and the 8 ball is in the middle

[@TheBlaise123]

Dude should be on the radio with that voice.

[@kevdog1148]

good vid if you want to get any info on billiards in regards to rules the wpa has everything on their website and a 8 ball rack only requires the 8 ball behind the apex ball and opposite object balls at the foot corners. Its not an official rule for the row behind the 8 to be opposite but a really common rule of thumb

[@snakeclaw]

@superhornet69 thx. though i have seen people rack in the fashion that you describe, and certainly its legal to do so, but i can find no rule that says it must be done that way. personally, it seems kind of fidgety and time consuming to rack that way. i have no idea if my technique is even "legal" since there are so many variations in 8 ball rules depending on where you are playing and which tournament you might be playing in. i drink beer with friends when i play and its legal for us :)

[@snakeclaw]

i really enjoy a lot of the comments on my vids, including this one. everyone is so witty and sarcastic, just like me.

[@snakeclaw]

thx, and yes, certain tournaments may have certain rules to be adhered to, but in general, yellow is not required to be in front. your expertise is WAY beyond mine (though i'm sure i can shoot you a good game of pool), but there are many youtube vids of tournaments that illustrate that the yellow ball is not in front, and these are big tournaments with big names. and some tourneys have the yellow ball out front.

[@superrepublican170]

helpful, thank you much!

[@granthubbell5764]

Random ball placement forces you to be a better player.

[@snakeclaw]

I believe the concept in a evenly dispersed rack is do that neither the breaker or his opponent have a weighted advantage due to the ball position after the break. That makes for a more challenging game and a better player

[@snakeclaw]

@ColdToiletSeats yep, there is. look closely at espn when the pro's play. i dont believe they rack with that whole stripe/solid interval pattern. aside from looking cool, i think it takes too much time to do that between games and i've never found a rules book that said it had to be racked in such a fashion, and thus, i never bother.

[@snakeclaw]

@miller49dc in the first five seconds i believe i did state there are TWO ways to rack (my way and the wrong way).

[@snakeclaw]

@priyen1000 lol!!! you are right. i got in front of the dot about almost 1/2". nice observation. :)

[@snakeclaw]

LOL! i just watched it 3 times and saw it on the 3rd viewing. you are right! good catch

[@snakeclaw]

@thelordofhellaz that makes sense for different 8 ball games but for the standard 8 ball game i dont think it matters. i searched youtube to watch 8 ball championship games. seems they rack about how i do it. paste this in your youtube browser: 8 Ball IPT North American 8 Ball Open Las Vegas Marlon Manalo vs Torsten Hohmann final Part1 i like the rack in that vid. i need to get one of those.

[@Scythe_Voltage]

THANK U, had someone try and say it goes in numerical order 😂

[@snakeclaw]

That's unnecessary and takes too long. Even if you want to do solid-stripe pattern is nearly identical to this. Thx for the comment

[@snakeclaw]

@azoldtime09 i am always surprised about how many folks do not know how to rack an 8 ball rack. my hope is that i can save the world by demonstrating the proper way to do it. it's not just about where the balls go but its also about how to squeeze them into the triangle and remove the rack from the table w/o disturbing the balls. it's the little things in life....

[@3232mikeymike]

do you get beat up at bars?

[@kchiang4]

How come whenever I lift the rack up, the head ball always moves forward... i notice this happening especially on tables with a footspot label.

[@snakeclaw]

kchiang4 there is a worn spot where the head ball is from racking too much in the same spot. the felt is worn. all tables will do this in time. you have to rack the balls about an inch forward from where they should be to avoid this problem. or replace the felt

[@keyboardbeats]

1,9,2,10,3,11,4,12,5,13,6,14,7,15 and 8 in the center...starting from the left perimeter...that’s my way

[@snakeclaw]

In the spirit of my method it allows one to quickly rack without counting balls. I think your method and mine are one ball apart. The yellow never is required to be at the top

[@keyboardbeats]

@@snakeclaw rack em’ 😂

[@ColdToiletSeats]

@natedizzle1992 well I was taught to rack solid stripe solid stripe am I wrong?

[@drdrew3]

If you alternate in that manner then the corner balls on the back row will both be stripes (or both solids). That’s a rule violation

[@KevinCrosbySeattle]

Any chance you could reshoot this video with the right camera angle? A guy showed me how to properly rack the other night with me standing next to him for the proper perspective when racking.

[@snakeclaw]

i'm not sure if there is a better camera angle than directly on top. there are several ways to arrange the balls and some are tournament specific. the method i used here is very fast and is almost as random as it gets regarding ball location. what do you think is a better camera angle?

[@xpez]

A since, as you mentioned no three balls in a row rule, a simple rule of thumb is go solid stripe solid stripe around the triangle and for sake of purity and symmetry, start with solid at the top.

[@billylongnguyen2988]

if you do that. you would either get 2 solid in the back corer or 2 stripes in the back. a lot of poeple think it show you rack but its not . whoever breaks gets an advatage

[@natedizzle1992]

@ColdToiletSeats It is impossible to not have 2 stripes touching :\

[@snakeclaw]

@doublesdeuce now that is just silly, but i appreciate that. sounds like something i would have said.

[@snakeclaw]

okay, ha2, please enlighten me. what is "the right way"?

[@Sebkarp0]

hahha this is so funny since I made a dot with my sharpie too! hahahahha Nice video :)

[@Equppednut]

I grew up with solid, stripe on the outside

[@DaCake2]

Same here and I played in tournament when I was younger. I’ve never seen anyone rack the way he’s doing it. And we always had the one at the head.

[@hypercubemaster2729]

@@DaCake2 Well, then your tournaments were not official, because the way he does it is completely legal in any of the major league associations, and none of them allow an all solid stripe pattern around the boundary: The rear corners must contain a different group. Don't believe me: look it up in the official rules to the APA, BCA, and WPA.

[@nachochannel5638]

Nice snooker balls🎱

[@internalinjectiontrulyhere6182]

Card pooler and orginal elbow spot crunck

[@azoldtime09]

@snakeclaw There is no worng way,the way you have it racked is the universal way, and theres also the bar way to rack an 8-ball game.

[@snakeclaw]

@kevdog1148 thx! funny, but i have those exact rules printed and near my table. what really pisses off some of my guests is they think that sinking the 8 ball on the break means that they've won. i'm sure at the ymca they did this as kids, but not so in wpa rules, and i strictly enforce wpa rules here on my own table.

[@hypercubemaster2729]

Well, pocketing the 8 ball on the break is considered a win in the APA, but like you said, in WPA or BCA rules, it's either a spot or rerack. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's only at the YMCA, though: Most people seem I've come across play according to APA rules when it comes to pocketing the 8 ball on the break, so in our games it's a win. I think APA is the only official ruleset that considers the 8 pocketed on break a win, but to me it makes sense, simply because in 9 or 10 ball, pocketing them on the break in their own respective games is a win, and it stay consistent with the other two games.

[@snakeclaw]

@@hypercubemaster2729 in 9 or 10 ball it makes sense to be able to win on the break. The rules of the game do not require all the balls to be pocketed in order to win. A simple combo shot or lucky break gives you a win. That's fine but classic 8 ball shouldn't have a winner because of a lucky break. The balls should be pocketed and a win should occur honestly. I believe the WPA rules agree with that spirit. I have friends that when I go to their house they do not play WPA rules. I think it's great going somewhere else and playing according to their house rules. I respect that but in my house it's WPA.

[@Agomongo1235]

so many references

[@AlQYu]

@doublesdeuce thumb isnt considered a finger : /

[@ColdToiletSeats]

you have 2 stripes touching?

[@cornonthecob1268]

He touched the 15 ball !! Na,na,na

[@snakeclaw]

Yup

[@azoldtime09]

@Ha2thabizzle They're 2 ways to rack a 8-ball game.

[@petroboy1]

Snakeclaw what rules do you play with?

[@snakeclaw]

i think the title is sufficient. google up what tules you are referring to as they are all different

[@petroboy1]

I know the rules are all different that's why I asked what rules you play with. The title doesn't mention what rule set you are using that's why I asked.

[@snakeclaw]

+petroboy1 i play WPA rules and there is very little explanation as to the order of balls in the rack. finding this insufficient, i made my own standard based upon what is quick and easy and logical. here is the quote from the rules book. 3.2 Eight Ball Rack The fifteen object balls are racked as tightly as possible in a triangle, with the apex ball on the foot spot and the eight ball as the first ball that is directly below the apex ball. One from each group of seven will be on the two lower corners of the triangle. The other balls are placed in the triangle without purposeful or intentional pattern..

[@petroboy1]

The wpa rule is all you need to know about racking. there is no order on how the balls in the rack go. to put them in an order is pattern racking and against the rules.

[@snakeclaw]

+petroboy1 actually, you missed the point about this video. lets review. 1. this is an instructional video demonstrating the quickest and most efficient technique to have a random array of balls in the rack and to compress and release the rack. 2. no where in the title of my video does it say "how to rack WPA 8 balls" despite you thinking it says that. in fact, it clearly states "this is how i do it". 3. although i play WPA rules, i think ensuring that the balls are evenly distributed in the rack captures the spirit of what the rules are stating. You state my rack is illegal because i ensured there was no "purposeful or intentional pattern" however that argument is a bit illogical.

[@everythingever9037]

Most of the times balls nb 1 2 3 are on the corners (it's optional tho). However, the 8 ball should be in the middle, and the rest are placed randomly but each striped ball should have a solid ball beside it

[@greenjelly01]

This is wrong. You cannot have solids on all the corners.

[@user-lb8do4ew6k]

Your pattern gives the breaker a massive advantage on lowballs if they know what they're doing. Sharks popularized your pattern in the 50s/60s with bar-casuals to make hustling them even easier.

[@Freedomfighter1990]

@snakeclaw it,s alright my friend . you,r right i am wrong tnx for remind me

[@jjenson2006]

1:40 I squeezed as hard as I can and I ripped the whole rack apart.

[@snakeclaw]

i'm not sure i'm wrong at all. i've looked at many sites for rules of pool and tournaments and i've yet to find a site that backs up your claim. i'm open minded though. please send me a link to where you found that rule.

[@natedizzle1992]

@ColdToiletSeats yes

[@jowdemanne]

@snakeclaw Official rules are: #1 on top and one solid and one stripe at the base on the edges, the rest is random

[@hypercubemaster2729]

That's not true. Official rules only require one of each group at the rear corners, and the 8 in the middle of the third row. Everything else is randomized.

[@sniperskills2921]

thanks snakeclaw (watching a bunch of tournament breaks, seems legit)

[@nuckingfuts6969]

hahahaha he said "tight rack"

[@tylerfudge510]

you touched the 15 ball

[@snakeclaw]

yes i did. everyone reminds me of it too. kind of funny. cheers.

[@Lookdownhereiam]

My brother was so adamant that the number one ball has to be at the point and I tried to argue that’s not true. I would love to show him!

[@snakeclaw]

Show your brother any espn 8 ball tournament on youtube. The one ball can be anywhere

[@Lookdownhereiam]

@@snakeclaw I will! I've been studying pool more because we keep disagreeing on everything! He just says, "I was a in a league." I just roll my eyes.

[@snakeclaw]

@@Lookdownhereiam i have a similar friend. Every tournament is slightly different. I downloaded and printed the WPA rules. They live next to my pool table and they are consulted anytime there is a dispute on the ruling

[@Lookdownhereiam]

@@snakeclaw Great idea! Thank you.

[@snakeclaw]

@CrazyDuck1996 interesting. most people offer a comment related to the subject matter of the video. i guess yours was not related to anything, aside from your pursuit to spend your time needlessly. well, good luck in your pursuit.

[@wingmanalive]

Playing pool for 30+ years. On 8 ball, the one goes in front, alternating balls in the back 2 corners, eight ball in the middle and everything else doesn't matter. 2017, planet Earth.

[@snakeclaw]

if years playing pool was the determination on which method is correct, i have you beat. i've been playing since i was 8, so that is a whopping 43 years ago. please understand that in the spirit of what i'm doing is to randomly disperse the balls in the rack. i'm well aware there are no "rules" that say it must be done this way but this method takes about 1 more second than the goofballs that do "stripe, solid, stripe, solid...." and no, you are incorrect about the yellow ball being in front. spend some time watching espn billiards in las vegas, or better yet, watch some on youtube. you will see that is clearly the yellow ball is not required to be in front. lots of people learn that in the YMCA when they were kids but its not how the game is played. google up WPA 8 ball rules sometime. different balls behind the 8 and in two rear corners is all that is required. my method is one step better than that and it takes all of one second to do.

[@wingmanalive]

www.wikihow.com/Rack-a-Pool-Table www.potblack147.com/pool/how-to-rack-up-in-pool-proper-pool-setup/ healthfully.com/rack-balls-billiards-2303318.html Just a few. I'm finding more info on placing the one ball at the apex than I don't. Pool is like poker or horseshoes, every table and court play by slightly different rules no matter what website or rulebook is sited. Regardless, placing the one at the apex doesn't violate any racking rules and for me and everywhere I've played is the traditional thing to do.

[@iWaBaFET]

weight doesnt matter in a fight nor does height

[@snakeclaw]

oh, and that is a fact.

[@snakeclaw]

@CrazyDuck1996 of the half million views i have to date, that was one of the more uninspired replies of the hundreds i've received. it was intended to improve the racking techniique for most people who do not know how its properly done. sorry you missed that nuance.

[@chemmii]

Forgot, either get yourself a V- rack, or turtle rack...guaranteed tight racks, wood racks suck two sided racks dont.!!

[@snakeclaw]

This video is 13 years old mate. V racks came around 6 years ago. I've never used one. Equipment always improves. Thanks for your wonderful tone.

[@snakeclaw]

@afghan422 its not physically possible to have two balls the same in one place. the laws of physics do not allow for that to occur.

[@alonzoalston5620]

Why are people talking about him touching the 15 when he mentioned it himself and redid it just for our sake

[@noahlipsky6547]

1 in the front

[@snakeclaw]

lol. i'm 6'4 and 262 lbs. no one has wanted to fight me since 3rd grade.

[@Clay4legacy]

I'm 6'4" 285, and same here...

[@rambo565xd8]

the 9-ball was hard! :( .............. but the 8-ball is too easy

[@miller49dc]

@snakeclaw you said there is 2 ways to rack

[@quentinnailsare.2024]

Why do people get so upset the way its right.high and low balls on the end

[@snakeclaw]

Dunno. People think because they played at the YMCA as a kid or played one tournament at a bar that they know all the rules

[@ElderKingpin]

@tboy221 numerical doesnt matter in 8 ball

[@RCbeastly]

The official way is what was shown between 00:15 and 00:25. All the other balls can be in any order - there is no set pattern.

[@snakeclaw]

+RCbeastly which is why it clearly states "at least this is how i do it". that title was added on the very day that i uploaded it. and if you want to get nit picky, the rules change from tournament to tournament, so your assertion that there is one set of rules to govern all 8 ball billiard games doesn't apply

[@snakeclaw]

no, i watch a lot of MMA and boxing. It is not my opinion that matches and opponents are determined by weight. It is a fact. Everyone who is reading this strain thinks you are silly. And sure, Bruce Lee (135 lbs btw) can kick most people's asses in movies. But if Bruce fought andre the giant, smart money is on Andre. Once andre grabbed him. the fight would be over. A ring is only so big. Even bruce couldn't outrun Andre.

[@doublesdeuce]

You said to squeeze with ALL 4 fingers... How would I do it if I have 10 fingers?

[@nunyabizness9544]

Wow you have 10 fingers.... do you have 2 thumbs as well? It must be hell buying gloves for you.

[@sherrie5910]

U way is the way

[@snakeclaw]

nice comment, justin bieber

[@FiTFRecords]

Not a rule in 8 Ball, just a habit of a lot of people.

[@FarhanMasud85]

he touched the stripey brown!!!

[@calanfraser199]

I see three solids blue purple pink

[@snakeclaw]

funny but diagonal balls dont count.

[@kiddhitta]

@zackhunt86 i see what you did there.

[@matrix101redorblupill4]

I rather play the wrong way then. 35 years in the SAS

[@snakeclaw]

You could turn on ESPN and watch nearly any game. It's quite similar. But you don't have to.

[@mattwiens123]

Wrong way, Nice Sharpie dot. HA. Always have solid yellow #1 at top.

[@hypercubemaster2729]

You're 100% wrong. The 1 ball at the front is not a requirement for any major official league ruleset.

[@iWaBaFET]

I love how you were wrong. The legal rack consists of the #1 ball in front not a stripe. Also, except for the 8 ball, and corner balls, everything is random because you cannot predict where each ball will land on the break.

[@hypercubemaster2729]

Show the official APA or BCA rules on that one. He wasn't wrong in the slightest, but you are.

[@firefighterlloyd]

I rack solid in every corner.. 1 in fro t and eight in middle and the 2 balls directly below the eight ball is a solid and stripe. And solid stripe solid stripe all the way around... That's how I always rackem at my house...

[@hypercubemaster2729]

That's fine for your house, but the two rear corners must be different groups in any official tournament.

[@punjabijatt4511]

Bruh 11 years ago

[@snakeclaw]

Yes, and half a million views

[@revenantpneuma3636]

520k views but only 1k likes... I don’t get it

[@snakeclaw]

I guess you are new to KZbin? I never made this video to get likes. I only did it to help out the pool community who mostly doesn't know how to rack. I guess when this vid didn't support how they did it some got butthurt? I'm not sure nor do I care. This is a quick and effective way to rack. Apparently you place more value on likes than I do.

[@revenantpneuma3636]

@@snakeclaw I was complementing you... idk why you went on a pointless rant

[@snakeclaw]

you do realize that in boxing, wresting and MMA, weight IS the variable that decides whom you fight. if it makes no difference, then why have weight classes? do you think that a bantam weight fighter would have a prayer against any heavy weight fighter? the fight would last 10 seconds. you do know you are being kind of silly, right?

[@internalinjectiontrulyhere6182]

Position neph

[@thelordofhellaz]

The middle should be 8-1-15

[@tony855252]

dah

[@manojkumar-er8iq]

Please mere saath khelo I'd Sharmil3804s

[@ryderinblack]

Nice Tight Rack (y) Camerawoman?

[@techerteto]

not know

[@billiardsfun7862]

think Racking rule is bogus , i tell people randomly rack them at Community Center as long 8 ball in middle they all break differently every breaks anyway

[@everythingever9037]

Racking does matter. Each solid ball should have a striped ball beside it otherwise it won't be a fair game

[@billiardsfun7862]

@@everythingever9037 check out my random breaking title tell me if all ball break different . it make no different how it rack randomly .

[@hypercubemaster2729]

@@everythingever9037 Not true. In order to be a legal rack by any official league competition standard, i.e. APA, BCA, or WPA, all that needs to be present to satisfy rules are opposite grouped rear corners, and the 8 ball in the middle of the third row: Everything else can be randomized.

[@njcsparkle86]

Ohh so you have four fingers in the rack

[@colomblanco]

If you stop the video at 0:32, that's all you need.

[@billycaudill8600]

All 8 of your fingers??

[@snakeclaw]

I was deformed at birth. Only 8 fingers. I had therapy all my life to get over the stigma. Now im self conscious about it as you've shamed me. I guess im going back to therapy again.

[@abgamingslime204]

😂😂😂

[@nistasnicim3684]

unfortunately the balls aren't properly aligned

[@hustler3of4culture3]

I'm a hater. jk do one with straight pool rack with one ball missing

[@markjett899]

Hes wrong that rack is not acceptable in any bar or league on the planet , the front top is always solid because theres 1 more solid than stripes some ppl use the 1 ball but thats optional, then its 8 in the middle and solid then stripe all the way around and only 1 spot has 2 stripes next to each other and this spacing allows for both stripes and solids to be evenly spaced and gives them all a even chance of going into a hole on the break.

[@snakeclaw]

Watch Pro pool tournaments on ESPN sometime. Or in fact get on KZbin and watch billiard tournaments from Las Vegas or anywhere else. You might learn a few things

[@hypercubemaster2729]

One more solid than stripe? You sound like you are either miscounting, or don't know that the 8 ball is not a solid. Also, you are completely wrong in your assessment of the way he racked the balls. He did it one hundred percent legally, and if you actually played in any official APA, BCA or WPA league, you would know that. Look up the official rules: All of them state that in order for a rack to be legal, both back corners need one solid and one stripe, and the 8 ball goes in the middle of the third row. That's it. Everything else can be legally randomized, although some layouts are far more beneficial for the breaking player than others. Where do you people even get your information from?