Snooker has been on our minds a lot lately. Yet, it is about time to go back to good old 8ball, or at least introduce you to the rap artist who is named after the popular pool game.

Along with MJG, 8ball is renowned as one of the ancestors of Southern rap, (a sub-genre of hiphop characterized by its heavy-bass grooves and hard-partying lyrics). Started out in the early 90s in Memphis, Tennessee, and reached the Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart in 2004 with You Don’t Want Drama, from Living Legends, their first album on Big Boy Records.

8ball & MJG second album on Big Boy Records, 2007 Ridin’ High had a restrainer commercial success. Most recently the due has announced its departure from their former record label to Grand Hustle Records. At the same time, 8ball worked on independent projects separated from his partner, including forming his own label named 8 Ways Entertainment, which released several Southern rap compilations.

The Billiard Congress of America (BCA), the biggest non-profit pool association in the US is celebrating its 60^th anniversary. To mark this event, the BCA is updating the official rules of several pool games including 8ball and 9ball and the recently added 10ball pool game.

The updated version of BCA official billiard games rules is all wrapped and up for sale (via the BCA website, for example) in a special BCA 60th Anniversary Edition of Billiards: Official Rules & Records Book. The book includes the latest version of 8ball pool, 9ball, 14.1 continuous, one pocket and 10-ball rules, this year record breaking achievements in cue sports as well as billiard tips, tournaments results, biographies of the BCA hall of famers and more.

In short, what’s new in 8ball and 9ball pool games:

8ball rules - If a player pockets the opponent’s object ball, then the opponent is required to declare a foul prior to his next shot; otherwise, the other player will take over his group of object balls. 

9ball rules – a new category "Stalemate" has been added: the referee can decide a stalemate if non of the players can win from the current position, and allow each of the players to play three additional turns at the table. If both players are still not rescued from their dead end positions, the balls will be re-racked and the breaker will break again.

The World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) has finally released of the official rules of ten ball pool. In addition, the first WPA World Ten Ball Championship is currently in production. 

Ten Ball Pool Rules in Short

The pool game of ten ball commences with the opening break shot, in which the breaker plays with the cue ball behind the head string. To perform a legal opening break shot, the breaker must either pocket an object ball or cause at least four balls to hit the rail. If a player pockets the 10-ball on the break (without calling a shot), he wins the game.

After a legal break shot, the player may announce a push out. The players must call on every shot, except on the break shot. When a player pockets a ball legally, he/she may continue for the next shot. When a player fouls or fails to pocket a ball, his/her opponent plays from the position left on the table. When the 10-ball has been pocketed legally, the player wins the game.

On top of being highly respected Olympic sports, billiards traditionally belongs to the family of drinking games or pub games. These drinking or pub games involve sipping large amounts of beer, as penalize for foul, declaration of victory or any other part of the game rules. Since lots of pubs include a pool table (or more) as part of their setting, many variations of standard pool games were reinvented as drinking games. 

Stripes and Solids, for example, is a drinking variation of 8 ball pool. As all drinking games, it doesn’t have an obliging set of rules and it rules may vary from one place to another. 

In short, the group of solid balls is placed in the normal location of the rack. The striped balls are organized along the side rails of the pool table. The goal of the pool-drinking game is to pocket all striped balls. When a player pockets a ball he must drink the number of the pocketed ball. All pocketed solid balls are being re-spotted, as long as there are still striped balls on the table. When the last of the striped balls is pocketed, the game is over. 

Another drinking game inspired of the billiards world is Shot Pool, which is a drinking variation of snooker. To play the game you must have the standard snooker equipment, beer, red bull vodka, black Russian and a steal liver. The game is played according to ordinary snooker rules with some drinking additions. Each time a player pots a red ball he has to drink the red drink and when a colored ball is potted, the player swigs beer. The winner of the game swallows a dose of black Russian, or orders the losing player to drink it.

I’m sure you can all recite by heart how to break in 9-ball, but what about the 8-ball break? There you go, the ultimate beginners’ guide to breaking in 8-ball ball pool: 

When breaking in 8-ball, you should break open the rack with the cue ball behind the head string and pocket a ball or at least drive four balls (not including the cue ball) to the rails of the table. Moreover, you should do this without scratching, jumping any ball of the table not to mention pocketing the 8-ball. 

1. Your target is the apex ball, in this case the 1-ball (solid yellow ball). Therefore, shoot directly in front of it (imagining a straight line from the cue ball to the yellow ball sometimes helps in aiming).
2. Grip the cue stick lightly; yet get ready to move your body powerfully to perform the power break (yes, as opposed to any other strokes in pool, when breaking the body has to move along with the arm to intensify the stroke).
3. When you are finally ready to shoot, move the weight from your back foot to your front foot and give all you have to give. 

Did it turn out to be something like this?

Please, send us videos, pics, stories or any other documented evidence of your 8-ball breaks!

In a recent interview, Rona Bareket, Play89’s new protégé had stated that as opposed to what’s expected of her, she doesn’t plan to quit snooker in favor of pool. In other words, she says that the big money offered to women pool players will not tempt her to replace snooker with 9-ball.

Rona Bareket’s statement raises two questions. First, you must wonder why winning in pool tournaments is more profitable than in snooker. Secondly, we all know that the world’s top ranked men snooker players make millions of pounds, how come the world’s top ladies snooker players have to cross the continent to play pool?

Let’s take a look at Allison Fisher as an example. She won the first World Ladies Snooker Championship at 17 and even came in the Male Snooker ranking, but since her progression in snooker, she left her homeland of England to blend in the American 9-ball pool scene. As a pool player, Fisher aka The Duchess of Doom quickly became one of the highest earning players in the field, regardless to her sex. Where would she be now if stayed in the English snooker circuit?

Suppose you are having your friends over for a pool game, what would be the suitable refreshment? If you thought of beer and snacks, subtract one point of your score.

Eight ball zucchini is, at least as far as I know, the only vegetable named after a pool game. The eight ball zucchini is a relatively new variant of the summer squash. Due to its rounded shape and delicate flavor it can be staffed with lots of stuff from rice and beef to Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs.

Stuffed Eight Ball - Basic Recipe

Eight Ball Parmesan and Breadcrumbs

Stuffed Zucchini with Rice and Ground Beef

Stuffed Eight Ball - Basic Recipe

Cut the eight ball in half longwise and scoop out the pulp so only about a quarter inch thick shell will remain. (don’t throw the pulp, you could use in the stuffing).

Boil the eight ball shells until partially cooked and put them aside to drain.   

Eight-Ball Zucchini Stuffed with Parmesan and Breadcrumbs

Ingredients: (4 servings)

4 eight-ball zucchini

1 garlic clove

1 small onion

1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs or 1/2 slice of yesterday’s bread, torn into small pieces

1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

1 spoon of cooking oil

Salt and pepper

Optional:

Basil leaves, parsley sprigs

• Peel and chop the onion, garlic coves and the eight ball pulp
• Heat cooking oil in a medium frying pan and stir fry the onion, garlic and zucchini pulp for about 5 minutes
• Remove from the heat and mix the breadcrumbs in
• Fill each cut zucchini with the pulp mixture
• Cover each half eight ball with grated cheese
• Bake in the oven until the cheese melts

Stuffed Eight Ball with Rice and Ground Beef

Ingredients: (4 servings)

4 eight ball zucchinis   

1/2 onion

1/2 red pepper

1 lb. ground beef  

1 cup cooked rice

1/4 cup tomato sauce

2 teaspoon cooking oil

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt and pepper 

• Chop the onion and the pepper
• Heat oil in a heavy frying pan and saute the vegetables for about 5 minutes or until they are partially cooked
• Remove the vegetables from the pan and start cooking the ground beef until it’ll be browned
• Add garlic, salt and pepper to the cooking beef
• Mix the vegetables, the beef and the rice
• Fill the zucchinis with the mixture and put them in the oven for about 20 minutes