A couple days later I was back at my local room. This time Larry the Lock (that’s what I called him, but his name was just Larry) was at the counter, watching reruns of Seinfeld on a tiny 10” tube screen.
“Hey, the champ is back,” he said, for no particular reason.
“Larry, listen, I had a dream.”
“A dream?” ”He gave me a cautious look. Like he forgot that happened. I got the feeling that Larry hasn’t had a dream in 35 years.
“Yeah, it was about a new pool game. Well, not new one I guess, but… yeah well sort of a new game. Willie Mosconi told me about it”.
“Willie, huh?” Now Larry was kind of looking at me, kind of looking under the counter for something.
“Can I show you on the table?”
He seemed like he didn’t want to, but said sure and came around the counter. This time he didn’t offer the good table.
“The way Willie explained it to me was that it combines eight-ball and rotation. It takes the most interesting parts of each and combines them into one game”.
“OK, I’m listening.”
“Here are the assumptions. The most interesting part of 8-ball is the beginning, where this is a lot of traffic and clusters that you have to work around. The most interesting part of rotation is really moving the cue ball around in a way you rarely have to in 8-ball, like putting high-inside and coming three rails around for short side shape on the next ball.”
Larry took a contemplative drag from his cigarette.
I continued. “The most boring part of 8-ball is when one side’s group is cleared, and the other guy just clears the his open group. And the most boring part of 9-ball is the beginning when you’re trying to get on the lowest ball, all safes and kicks.”
“Let me stop you there, “ Larry jumped in. “I don’t know how long you’ve been playing but I can tell you that what separates the men from the boys in rotation is the kicking aspect of it. Safes and kicks, are the thing, everyone at a high level can all make balls. Do you - I mean does he - have that in this game?”
“Not really. There is a kicking/safe aspect to it like in 8-ball but it is not emphasized like in rotation.”
“Well, the best part of rotation for me is the kicking game. That’s true skill.”
“Maybe so, but Willie made a clear distinction. He never said he took the best parts of each game. What he said was he took the most interesting parts. I mean really, for someone watching, is it really interesting to watch the safes, kicks, really?”
“OK, OK, I’m listening. So how’s it played?”
“It starts out like 8-ball. In fact, the first inning is 8-ball. No rule change here. You rack all 15 balls and break and it’s just the same. You can even play open-after-break or take-what-you-make, doesn’t matter. If nothing is made on the break, the second inning is exactly the same as 8-ball, no change here yet. The change comes in the next inning after someone makes one or more balls.”
“By inning you just mean a turn at the table, correct?”
“Right.”
“OK, so what’s the big difference? What’s the new rule?”
“Here it goes. 7 minus opponents remaining balls are the number of your LAST balls you have to sink in sequence just prior to the 8-ball.”
“Ned! come over here!” He yells. “See If you can explain it so Ned understands.”
“No really, that’s just the formal rule, it’s not that complicated. Once you get it it’s very simple, ” I say. “The number seven is just the total number of balls in each group, that’s all. And '7 minus opponents remaining balls' is just another way of saying 'the number of balls your opponent has down'.”
“Here’s a couple of simple examples, ” I continue. “Let’s say that person A breaks and makes a solid. He chooses solids and then runs out his group, just like normal 8-ball, but misses the eight. Person B comes to the table and has to run out all 7 of his balls in sequence (9 through 15) before shooting the eight. Going back to the formula again, ‘7-opponents remaining balls’ would be 7-0=7, so 7 is the number he has to run in sequence.”
Ned is nodding, so Larry asks him “Get it, Ned?”
He keeps nodding and says “I’ve heard of this before. It’s just 8-ball but you have to run your group in sequence.”
“Well, in this particular case, yes, but there is more to it than that, ” I say. “Here is a second example. Let’s say person A breaks and makes a ball. To keep it simple lets say again he makes a solid and then makes two more solids but then misses for a total of three solids down. Person B comes to the table. This time, going back to the formula, he has to make 7-4=3. So he has to make his last three remaining balls in sequence, however initially he can make any four of his balls in any order he wants. So he sees that the 15 is blocking the pocket for a few of his balls, so it makes sense for him to clear that first. His 11 is way down on the rail opposite the 8 so he makes that. He makes two more, say the 13 and 9, leaving his last three (10, 12, 14) in an easy way to make them in order.”
“Interesting, ” Larry says. “Never heard of anything like that.”
“So you see it’s like that game you mentioned Ned, sequential 8-ball, but it takes the luck out of it. That game sucks because it’s up to luck if you have a shot on your lowest ball, but here you have a choice to leave your last x number of balls in a way you can make them. But sometimes you don’t have a choice, and you have to make one of those shots that make rotation exciting, like length of table power-draw shot or three rail shape to get on next ball in sequence, ” I say.
I added “The idea is to keep a balance - as traffic is cleared (balls are pocketed) the emphasis shifts away from 8-ball towards rotation. That is how you get the most interesting parts of both games.”
“There is another important rule-” I continue, but the Lock interrupts me.
“Hold on, I have to check the temperature.”
I look at Ned, but he is just nodding. “Huh?”
“The owner makes me check the temperature every day… I have to put it in this ledger book… hold on... ”
He comes back inside, marks it down, then comes back around to the table.
“Need anything? Coffee? Hot dog? I’m asking him Ned.”
“No I’m OK.”
“Sure? I have to get those dogs off the rollers sometime soon. OK, nevermind, go ahead, you said something about a special rule.”
“Yes. Willie repeated this several times so I would remember. banks, kicks, combos and caroms are ALWAYS EXEMPT from the sequential rule.”
“Huh, ” Larry the Lock says.
“Actually, I’m not quite sure why but he said that it is very important to the game so I just wanted to emphasize it. He said he didn’t have time to get into it.”
“I see the wisdom in it, ” Larry says. “You said the game starts like regular 8-ball, correct?”
“Yes. And actually it stays like regular 8-ball, except for the sequential twist. Even with that, the rules don’t change to rotation rules, so if you don’t contact your lowest ball it’s not ball-in-hand, just your turn ends (however you still have to contact one of your balls though). Also if you make a ball out of sequence (in the sequential phase) it’s fine, your turn just ends. In fact, like regular 8-ball you can play a safety with any of your balls at any time (even in the sequential phase).”
“Right, so I think here’s why you - I mean he - added that rule. Suppose as you say you’re in the rotational or sequential phase or whatever, and you are stripes and and you have two balls left, say the 14 and 15. Now the 15 is hanging in the pocket. So your opponent plays a safe, hiding you behind one of his balls. Now it would be B.S. if you couldn’t kick at the 15, you know? It would just feel artificial.”
“Ah, yes, that makes sense.”
“Also, “ Larry says, “if you’re in sequential phase and say your 14 is in the jaws and the 15 is a few inches away. Again, it would be B.S. if you couldn’t just combo the 14 in.”
“True, ” I say.
“Hey listen, this doesn’t sound bad, but I’m a rotation player. We have an 8-ball APA league coming in later, pretty much the only people that come in here anymore, why don’t you run it by those guys? Just leave that dream stuff out of it, OK?”
