# 8 ball.... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 27, 2001, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-ball/63485 "2001-04-27T02:31:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Carl\_Winslow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Carl\_Winslow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carl_Winslow)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2001, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-ball/63485/1 "2001-04-27T02:31:44Z")
Does anyone know why it’s the 8 ball that was picked as the ball that you don’t want to hit? Wouldn’t something more sinister like 13 make more sense? ---
**Author:** ![Cabbage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@Cabbage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabbage)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2001, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-ball/63485/2 "2001-04-27T02:40:57Z")
I would think it’s simply because it’s the middle ball. One player is trying to sink all of the solid colored balls (1-7), the other tries to sink all of the striped ones (9-15), the 8 ball nicely divides the two groups. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2001, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-ball/63485/3 "2001-04-27T03:06:54Z")
In addition to being in the middle, it’s also clearly the “odd ball” because it’s the only one that isn’t a member of a striped-solid pair of the same color - no black-striped ball. You will note that the solid colors and stripe colors proceed in the same sequence, too, so that the striped ball of a given color is 8 plus the number on the solid of the same color. Of course, in 9-ball, the eight ball is one of the solid balls, and it’s the lone striped 9 that’s the special “money ball” (9 ball is played with the 1 - 9 only). I suspect the coloring and numbering arose the way it did so as to allow a lot of game variants. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2001, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-ball/63485/4 "2001-04-27T04:20:44Z")
In Snooker, it’s the 7 Ball which is coloured black. The numbered balls are numbered (1 each) 2 through 7, and the red balls (not numbered, total of 15 red balls) count for one point each. I’ve no idea what bearing this has on the 8 Ball being coloured black, but my WAG is “everything.” ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2001, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-ball/63485/5 "2001-04-27T12:30:10Z")
Y’know, the solids are actually stripes, just really wide ones. :D:D:D:D:D ---
**Author:** ![Morrison\_s\_Lament](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Morrison\_s\_Lament](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morrison_s_Lament)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2001, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-ball/63485/6 "2001-04-27T12:50:28Z")
Awww… I thought this was gonna be a coke thread… ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2001, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-ball/63485/7 "2001-04-27T13:07:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Morrison’s Lament \* > \*\*Awww… I thought this was gonna be a coke thread… \*\* I thought this was going to be a Magic 8 Ball thread. _Ask Again Later_… ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2001, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/8-ball/63485/8 "2001-04-27T13:49:43Z")
The last time I played eight-ball, my worthy opponent was not impressed with my protest that, technically, the cue-ball was a solid, and I should therefore not be penalized for sinking it.