I was curious as to what game did you guys have your first run out in from the break? Specifically 8 ball or 9 ball.

I've been playing for just over a year now and had my first run out in 9 ball from the break just the other night. I've run out in 8 ball from the break several times before, so I'm assuming most of you will answer 8, but the conversation came up between me and some bar regulars so I was curious.

Hasn't happened yet for me. Got so close so many times in either game. It'll probably be 9 ball though. I've been playing that and straight pool exclusively (suck at straight pool. Highest run was 10) and my pattern recognition's gone to hell.

I started playing pool with some legit players, so I was playing a lot more 9ball than 8ball to start. I still remember my first 9ball run against a guy named TJ in a $500 set. Funny how much action I got when I was horrible at the game.

8 ball for me, and I'm guessing unless you started on 9 ball near exclusively it will be 8 ball for most people - so much less skill required to clear a table.

It's about 10x more difficult to run out a 9-ball game on the break. In 8-ball a decent player should do it pretty frequently. That same player may not ever do it in 9-ball.

I ran out in 8-ball first, but 8-ball is played almost exclusively on small tables in Australia.

Variance: Ran my first 3 racks of 9 ball on an American table, ie. The first time i'd ever played. Amazing how much wider those pockets are after a season of snooker. Only discovered later in the session that 9 ball wasn't always that easy.

I have had a similar experience to sorrow playing mostly 8ball on tight english pub pool tables. never run out from the break but got close a few times, mostly late on missing easy pots focusing to hard on position for the next ball.

then I meet some friends in a pool hall, they were playing 9 ball on an american table, I played 2 racks, I broke then nearly run out missing a tricky 4 down the rail (with the remaining balls in open play, lucky my oppo screwed up his position on the 9 leaving me a really simple shot). next rack he broke missed the 3 then I cleared up.

I found american tables to be much easier to play on then the english pub pool tables I normally get.

Wait, does it count as a break and run if you sink 1 on the break, run a couple balls then combo the 9? If yes, I've done that a few times.

9 ball

if you play 8 ball alot on proper english tables to begin with then 9 should be easy ive only played like 10 frames on 9 ball but "ran out" one frame, couldnt say how many at 8ball spent 3years playing constantly so in the hundreds

neither yet need to start playing more seriousy

It should!

I broke and ran a rack of 9 ball before then the following two games snapped the 9 on the break.....I went around telling people I ran a 3 pack!

I should have been more specific. I have done that before, but what I meant was, getting something(s) on the break, and running out the rest of the table 1 at a time sequentially. But hey, winning in one inning is an awesome feeling no matter what

Similar experience just before I had my first run out and posted here. I was at a bar with a couple of my pool buddies that go there and the tables were opened for us. I just beat one friend in 9 ball and it was the other's turn.

He racks the balls, I break, sinking the 9 on the break. He was laughing and said that he believed we need a quick rematch before he gets off the table. That 2nd game, I break sinking 2, and go run out for the first time ever. He was stunned . He was getting cynical and re-racked saying he's not gonna get off the table until he at least shoots once. The third game, I break sinking the 1, take one more, and have a glorious 3 to 9 combo. He walked off to get a drink lol. Best 3 games of pool I've played in my life

Think it would have to be 8-ball first.

Mine was 8ball, but only because I had not played any 9 ball before that happened. Now I would say 9 ball racks are easier to run out without a doubt.

My first was 9ball, but I started playing 9 before 8.

yea, it's easy to fluke an 8 ball runout, much more difficult to runout in 9ball..

I still remember how fluky my first 9 ball runout was I couldn't even draw the ball properly then and the rack just lined up such that all I used was slow follow with no side to runout. It was like a year before I ranout another 9 ball rack.

Like most others my first run-out was in 8-ball. I played 8-ball exclusively for the first year or so when I began and my first was actually in the finals of a local tournament so I was super stoked lol.

So I had my first break and run if it can be called that. It was straight pool. I don't know what happened but I found the sweet spot for the break shot so I could pocket the break ball and spread the pack like somebody broke it 8 ball style. Left myself a side pocket break shot. Sank the break ball but completely whiffed the pack. So high run, 15.

8 ball 1st...didn't even play 9 ball until about 6 months after first picking up a cue. 8 ball is easier to run out since you can shoot the balls in any order so if you play bad shape you have more bail out shots.

8 ball cos thats what I played more. Funnily enough, first time I ran out I repeated it in the next two games and then of course thought I was God. And it was on UK 8 ball tables, which is not so easy. But it turned out he didn't exist after all and I couldn't get close to even a 6 ball run for months.

I've got a question about the UK 8 ball tables. Curved pockets, smaller pockets, but also smaller table. I've only played on them once or twice when I was in Europe and I don't remember much of but I don't remember them being spectacularly difficult. I played 9 ball on a 9 ft Diamond table against a guy who played UK 8 ball at a very high level before. I'm pretty sure that wasn't the first time he played 9 ball but it's definitely not his regular game. However, my ass was handed to me on a silver platter and he commented that the pockets are so large he couldn't miss and he was making the long range shots like they weren't a problem. Wouldn't the shortness of the table offset the difficulty caused by the tightness of the pockets and vice versa? Pros have disgustingly good cue action and a lot of experience so I guess an extra 3 feet wouldn't matter so much but for normal people, wouldn't the difficulty levels be similar, just the things that are difficult have changed?

The UK 8 ball tables are definately more difficult than 9 ball. The distance difference really doesn't matter as much since it's still really manageable, the pockets being tougher make a much bigger difference.

We mostly have UK 8 ball and snooker tables to play in India and I remember the first time I played on a US 9 ball table how much easier potting was, specially when cutting the balls along the rail I felt like I couldn't miss. If anything my weakness was that I was too conservative with my shot selection and I didn't even attempt some balls I could easily make..

The tables are quite different. The "rail first" shots that you can make on "US" tables can't be done on "UK" tables. And throwing is much easier on US tables. On US tables I will often use throw to make difficult shots, with a fair amount of success. I wouldn't even consider it on a UK table.

UK tables are essentially small versions of snooker tables and most versions of UK pool rules were, until the 90s, snookerised versions of American 8 ball rules. Snooker tables used to be found in pubs and some pubs even had a separate room with 2 or maybe 3 tables. It was more profitable to put a 7 or 6ft bar table in as it takes up less drinking space than a 12 footer. Coin-op snooker tables with 10 reds (and different sized white and colours so they would come back out when potted) didn't take off so most pubs went for pool. The game is over fairly quickly and then someone else dumps some coins in the slot. Nowadays in many towns it's hard to find a pub with a pool table because they want to cram in as many standing customers as they can on Friday and Saturday night to maximise profits.

By coin-op snooker tables I mean mini 6ft tables.