Is 10-ball the New 9-ball?

9-ball became the new cue sport of choice back in the mid-nineties when Matchroom Sport started promoting the Mosconi Cup, World Pool Championships and the World Pool Masters. Since then the game has seen some growth in the UK but it has not really reached the heights that were anticipated.

9-ball is a very easy game to get to grips with especially if you have a decent background in snooker or English pool, the only thing that lets traditional players down is the break. The break has caused a number of disputes over the last few years with many top pro's saying that the game has become too easy. The main point of contention is allowing players to break from the side rail. This (on decent tables at least) means that a player can make a ball almost every break. What is wrong with that? Well nothing apart from the game becomes more about the break than potting balls, especially at the highest level.

This bone of contention has meant that a large number of high profile 10-ball tournaments have been popping up both in the UK and abroad (the first World 10-ball Championships is on at the moment.)

What is the main difference? Well literally one ball, the game of 10-ball has exactly the same rules as 9-ball the only difference is you are racking in a small triangle rather than a diamond. This makes it a lot more difficult to make a ball on the break regardless of where you are allowed to break from. This makes for matches that are a lot closer and more based on the potting prowess of the player rather than the power in their break.

10-ball is an exciting and rewarding game tournaments are popping up over the UK at present look out for them!