ten-ball

Ten-ball is a rotation pool game similar to nine-ball, but using ten balls instead of nine, and with the 10 ball instead of the 9 as the "" Although the game has existed for since the early 1960s, its popularity has risen since the early 2000s as a result of concerns that nine-ball has suffered as a result of flaws in its fundamental structure, particularly the ease with which players can often make balls from the break. The World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) standardized rules for ten-ball are very similar to those for nine-ball, but with key changes to increase the difficulty of the game. In contrast to nine-ball, it is slightly harder to any balls on the with the more crowded , the initial shooter cannot instantly win the game by pocketing the 10 on the break, all shots must be , and performing a string of on successive racks is statistically more difficult to achieve. Ten-ball is preferred over nine-ball by some professionals as a more challenging discipline than nine-ball. Racking The 10 balls are racked in a triangle, with the 1 ball positioned at the apex of the rack, the 10 ball positioned in the middle of the rack, and the other balls placed randomly throughout, with the apex ball on the foot spot. Some leagues and tournaments (such as the US Open 10 Ball) may stipulate that the 2 and 3 balls are to be at the back corners of the triangle.