# What's the Proper Way to Rack Pool Balls (8-Ball Specifically)? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [July 6, 2007, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-way-to-rack-pool-balls-8-ball-specifically/410713 "2007-07-06T08:39:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Brother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/59ef9b/32.png) [@Uncle\_Brother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Brother)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-way-to-rack-pool-balls-8-ball-specifically/410713/21 "2013-10-22T02:29:11Z")
I’ve tried to find out or figure out what’s the ‘best’ or ‘fairest’ way to rack 8ball. After some thought, I’ve concluded that there are 10 ways to rack that are the “fairest” ways. That is, they are most likely to give a fair spatial distribution of solids and stripes. I made a video showing the 10 ways. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/UmteRWUihXw/maxresdefault.jpg "What's the Best (Fairest) Ways to Rack 8-Ball ?") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmteRWUihXw) Personally, I use the same method that PC Apeman showed (ignoring color). See comment #11. This is one of my 10 ways. However, I can’t really give a logical explanation of why the other 9 ways aren’t as good as that one. Maybe someone else can. ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-way-to-rack-pool-balls-8-ball-specifically/410713/22 "2013-10-22T03:16:18Z")
> [@Cepper](#): > > One other side-note: If you are playing 8-ball, don’t let them tell you that you must put the cue behind the head string on a scratch. You only have to do that on a scratch on the break. Any other time after the break, a scratch gets you “ball in hand” which means you can put the cue anywhere and shoot at any ball (of yours). It infuriates me how so many people play bar rules “always behind the head string”. No good organized tournament ever plays that way. Glad you brought that up. When I actually sat down, read and reread the rules it is quite clear. Preach the religion, Brother! ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-way-to-rack-pool-balls-8-ball-specifically/410713/23 "2013-10-22T03:23:35Z")
**Moderator Action** This belongs in the Game Room, which to be fair did not exist when this thread was started. Moving thread from General Questions to The Game Room. ---
**Author:** ![Glazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e57/32.png) [@Glazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glazer)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-way-to-rack-pool-balls-8-ball-specifically/410713/24 "2013-10-22T03:47:38Z")
I always started with the 1 ball. 8 in the middle. And assenting numerical order alternating solids and strips so that like colors are next to each other. 1 2 9 10 8 3 4 12 5 11 6 14 13 7 15 ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-way-to-rack-pool-balls-8-ball-specifically/410713/25 "2013-10-22T04:58:31Z")
Well hell! It seems that I’ve been racking them ‘wrong’ for the last 35+ years! :smack: I’ve always started with the 1 at the top, 8 in the middle and (starting with the 1 and going either cw or ccw, it doesn’t matter, they come out the same way) alternated solid, stripe, solid, stripe, etc. all the way around the outside. And now that I think about it, I can’t seem to recall anyone ever complaining or trying to correct me. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Brother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/59ef9b/32.png) [@Uncle\_Brother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Brother)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-way-to-rack-pool-balls-8-ball-specifically/410713/26 "2013-10-22T08:36:41Z")
That’s one of the [10 fairest ways](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmteRWUihXw) I talked about in my comment (#21). It seems like a good way to me. Though I don’t worry about color - just positions of solids and stripes. > [@Glazer](#): > > I always started with the 1 ball. 8 in the middle. And assenting numerical order alternating solids and strips so that like colors are next to each other. > > 1 > 2 9 > 10 8 3 > 4 12 5 11 > 6 14 13 7 15 ---
**Author:** ![Glazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e57/32.png) [@Glazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glazer)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-way-to-rack-pool-balls-8-ball-specifically/410713/27 "2013-10-22T10:37:15Z")
> [@Uncle\_Brother](#): > > That’s one of the [10 fairest ways](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmteRWUihXw) I talked about in my comment (#21). It seems like a good way to me. Though I don’t worry about color - just positions of solids and stripes. Sorry I didn’t watch your video earlier I had two TV shows downloading at the time. I like mine cause it’s east to remember from the rules and it’s pretty. I like pretty. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-way-to-rack-pool-balls-8-ball-specifically/410713/28 "2013-10-22T19:18:23Z")
> [@Cepper](#): > > One other side-note: If you are playing 8-ball, don’t let them tell you that you must put the cue behind the head string on a scratch. You only have to do that on a scratch on the break. Any other time after the break, a scratch gets you “ball in hand” which means you can put the cue anywhere and shoot at any ball (of yours). It infuriates me how so many people play bar rules “always behind the head string”. No good organized tournament ever plays that way. When I grew up, that rule was used only with the other “home” rule where if you scratched, one of your previously pocketed balls was returned to the head spot. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-way-to-rack-pool-balls-8-ball-specifically/410713.md?page=1)