8-Ball vs. 9-Ball

Which should be the pro game?

Your Opinion

Over the last few months I’ve posed the following question to visitors on the web site:

If men’s pool were on live TV 25 times a year, which game would have the best chance to help the game grow?

After 596 votes the results were:

9-Ball – 61.41% - 366 votes

8-Ball – 38.59% - 230 votes

Even though 9-Ball is the TV game at present, 8-Ball managed to capture a substantial share of the vote. In this column below I’m going to present my case on why I agree with those who chose 9-Ball. My viewpoint assumes that pro 8-Ball would be played on a regulation sized table (as it has been in previous World Championships).  I also want to make it clear that I do not suffer from a bias towards 9-Ball. Both games have much to offer and I enjoy playing either game immensely.

The Capelle Perspective – 8-Ball vs. 9-Ball

Point #1

The Balance Between Offense and Defense

What largely makes pool so fascinating is the balance between offense and defense. When the game becomes too lopsided in favor of either, it loses the interest of many viewers. That’s why 1-Pocket (which is heavily weighted towards defense) and Straight Pool (which is heavily weighted towards offense) are not as popular among viewers in general as 9-Ball.  1-Pocket and Straight Pool are both great games to play, and knowledgeable fans enjoy watching them, but their numbers are far fewer that with 8-Ball and 9-Ball.

9-Ball – The Ideal Balance of Offense and Defense

I conducted a study of 500 games of pro 9-Ball. It showed that the pros broke and ran 141 times (28.2%). The average game lasted 3.03 innings. The 359 games that did not end on the breaker’s first turn lasted an average of 3.83 innings. Those innings were comprised of safeties, kick shots, go-for-broke shotmaking and all of the elements that make the battle for control of the table such a pleasurable part of watching pro 9-Ball on a big table.

8-Ball – Offense Rules in Big Table 8-Ball

I also ran a study of the 2001 Accu-Stats 8-Ball Invitational.

The round robin tournament featured Efren Reyes (the winner), Roger Griffis (the runner up and a superb 8-Ball player), Mika Immonen, Francisco Bustamante, Johnny Archer and Troy Frank. I highly recommend the series of tapes as it shows how the pros plan and play patterns. There are also some excellent maneuvers and strategic gems that can be applied to any sized table.  

The results showed that pro 8-Ball on a big table is skewed heavily towards offense.

The 195 game study showed that the pros broke and ran 44.1 % of the time and that the average game lasted only 2.08 innings. Another 18.5% of the games ended with a second player runout when the breaker failed to make a ball on the break. That means 62.6% of all games were total offense. Largely absent was the fight for control of the table, the moves and strategy that make 8-Ball such a fascinating game when played at the amateur level and on the bar table.

Point #2

Which Game is Most Easily Understood

9-Ball – Pool By the Numbers

9-Ball is simple for most folks once they understand the rules. Once the casual viewer discovers that 9-Ball is pool by the numbers, they probably know more about shot selection in 9-Ball than they do in their game (8-Ball). 

8-Ball – What to Do Next?

The hordes of casual players that the pool industry would like to convert into money spending enthusiasts mostly play 8-ball. But they don’t really “know” 8-Ball. They play at it, but they probably don’t know any more about 8-Ball strategy than 9-Ball strategy even though they may have never played a game.  The casual viewer of 9-Ball knows that the balls are shot in order until the 9-ball has been pocketed. In 8-Ball, they most likely don’t have a clue why, for example, the 7-5-2-8 pattern is better or worse than 2-7-5-8. Too much thinking for the novice.

Point #3

Pro Pool Is the International Pro Game

The PGA Tour is the most important of all golf tours, but other pro tours flourish in Europe, Asiaand all over the world. And where you find golf, you’ll find Corporate America and their sponsorship dollars. I suspect that pool will some day relatively soon become like golf, a darling of Corporate America. And when it does, 9-Ball tournaments will lead the way.

9-Ball – The International Game

The World 9-Ball Championship held annually in Wales is shown all over the world (except, oddly enough, the US). It has been won by players from the US, Europe, and Asia. Clearly pool is an international game, so any big time tour has to address that fact and meet the needs and demands of a global market. And 9-Ball is the International tournament game. It is the common denominator of a sport that is comprised of a variety of games. It would now be next to impossible for 8-Ball to take it’s place as the global game of choice.

8-Ball – Limited Professional Competitions

8-Ball has seldom been played by the pros in the US , much less overseas. For it to take the place of 9-Ball as the pro game worldwide, much less in the US is simply next to impossible to envision at this time.

Point #4

History is on 9-Ball’s Side

Much of the color and validity of a sport comes from its sense of history. When you tune into any meaningful sporting contest on TV,  references are made to prior great players, contests, shots, plays, rivalries and so forth. Who are the new champions? Whose records can they break? Who was, is, and will be the best ever? No doubt about it, the history of a sport plays a big part in the color of a well-produced sporting event on TV.

9-Ball – A Quarter Century of History

9-Ball has been the most prominent tournament game since the late 1970s as evidenced by the record books and results posted in leading billiard publications. The US 9-Ball Open has now been played every year since 1976 when Mike Sigel won the inaugural event. The World Championship in Wales dates back to 1990 when Earl Strickland captured the first of his three world titles. It now boasts a star-studded list of winners from around the world.

A large part of the history of 9-Ball over the last 15 years has been documented by Accu-Stats. Their library of tapes represents a rich resource for the game that could be woven into a big time telecast to give it additional flavor.

8-Ball – A Legendary Game Except in the Pros Record Books

I leafed through the BCA Rule Book, which has an extensive records section. I could not find one pro 8-Ball record. However, the pros played in a few world 8-Ball championships in the 90s in Las Vegas. 

Point #5

Picture Quality on TV

HDTV and plasma screens are now available but most people still watch their pool on a regular television. And unfortunately the balls still don’t show up as clear as we’d like. That’s one reason why the 4-ball (purple to pink) and 7-ball (maroon to brown) have changed colors for some telecasted events, including the World Championships. The “what ball is it” problem is even worse when viewing the stripes. So from the viewpoint of production quality, 9-Ball once again gets the nod.

Point #6

Core Audience in Place

I personally have little doubt that in due time a top quality live pool telecast would draw a sizeable audience, one that would please the advertisers who live and die by the Nielsen ratings. But to get the ball rolling, it would be assuring to those footing the bill that there is already a core audience upwards of a couple million people who devour the reruns of pro 9-Ball on ESPN. The same cannot be said for 8-Ball.

Point #7

Graduates from the 8-Ball Leagues

A large percentage of pool players get their start in 8-Ball. But at some point a sizeable portion add 9-Ball to their repertoire and many, in fact, give up 8-Ball. These tend to be, generally speaking, players who have become even more serious about their game, the kind who will spend even more money on the game. And players who increase their commitment to the game and allocate more of their leisure time budget to pool are just what advertisers are after.