Difference of Playing 8 Balls and 9 Balls in Billiards
When playing pool, it is generally believed that there is a big difference between 8-ball and 9-ball. This article investigates the differences of them mainly from three aspects: difficulty of pocketing balls, difficulty of running out and psychological factors. Difficulty of Pocketing Balls: Although both 8-ball and 9-ball are played with fifteen balls, the number of stripe balls is eight in 8-ball and nine in 9-ball. At first glance, one would think that it is easier to pocket the stripes than solids because there are less solids left due to one less ball. However, this is not necessarily true. If you have a good break shot, the cue ball would usually come off the rack with speed and hit the head ball perfectly. If there are two stripe balls on either side of the head ball, it is almost impossible to pocket any one of them with a straight-on shot because all stripe balls are frozen to each other. On the contrary, if you have a good break shot in 9-ball, the cue ball would come off t