

Well, there are two tricks you can use to get the balls to stay put so you can play. No matter how many times you roll the balls back and forward, they won’t stay together when you move the rack. On some tables the balls just don’t want to stay put. It’s an inexpensive way to get a great rack every time. Once the break is done you can remove the magic rack and continue playing. You then break with the plastic piece still in place on the table. You simply place the balls in the holes around the perimeter and once you have all the balls on the rack they lock into place. If you can’t seem to keep the balls touching when you rack in the traditional manner, you may want to invest in the Magic Rack.Įssentially the Magic Rack is just a paper-thin piece of plastic with holes in it where the balls go. You usually have to use your knuckles when racking 10-ball with a standard triangle rack. You can also use this tactic when racking 9-ball or 10-ball, although it’s a little harder to do on 10-ball.

Once the rack is no longer touching the balls, you can lift it off the table from the back with a slight forward movement.If the balls did move, simply place your fingers back in the rack, pull it back, then push it forward and try again. If no balls have moved, you can gently push the triangle rack forward so that it is no longer touching any of the balls on any side.Once you’re happy with the placement of the apex ball on the foot spot and the bottom of the rack parallel with the foot rail, you can slowly and gently remove your fingers while watching for movement.Push your four fingers forward, making sure the balls are all touching.Use your thumbs to push the rack up so the apex ball is directly over the foot spot.Once you have all the balls in place, stick the four fingers of each hand between the base of the triangle rack and the bottom line of balls.Put all the balls in the rack behind the foot spot.If they didn’t have the extra room, you would have a hard time getting the rack off the balls! So you need to use your fingers to keep the balls together. You can’t depend on the rack to keep the balls touching because all racks are made with a little extra room for a reason. When the balls aren’t touching, some of them usually end up clustered, which can give one player a distinct advantage. When done correctly, the balls will spread all around the table. This allows the energy to travel through all the balls when a player breaks. The key to a good rack is to make sure the balls are touching each other. When you do it randomly, the chances of this happening are fairly slim, but it’s something to keep in mind. That said, you don’t want to end up with a bunch of solids or stripes gathered together. The other balls don’t need to be in any particular order and arranging them is really just a waste of time and energy. A solid in one bottom corner of the triangle and a stripe in the other.Apex ball (doesn’t matter which one) on the foot spot.You simply need to meet the basic criteria of a rack as far as the ball placement is concerned: You don’t need to alternate solids and stripes when racking for a game of 8-ball. You can get a perfect rack in a minute or two if you know what you’re doing. Although there’s an art to racking, it doesn’t have to take very long. If you’ve ever played with someone who takes five minutes to rack the balls, you’ve probably wondered just what the heck they were doing. But if you don’t care about wood or plastic, you can save a little money buying a cheap plastic triangle rack. Wooden ones are the best but not for any particular reason they just look good. Most pool tables come with triangle racks, but if you don’t have one you can purchase one for cheap. It’s hard to get the balls tight and keep them touching if you don’t have a diamond rack to use. Invest in RacksĪlthough it’s possible to rack a game of 9-ball with a triangle rack, it’s better to do it with a diamond rack. So read on to learn 9 tips for racking pool balls perfectly. And believe it or not, there’s an art to racking. A poor rack, on the other hand, can give one player an advantage if some of the balls are clustered for easy pickings. A good rack can ensure a level playing field, giving both players a chance to win the game. No matter what billiard game you’re playing, racking can affect the whole game more than you may realize.
