Pool Ball Question

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amp88

amp88

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If you're playing pool (8 Ball) on a standard table with 7 reds, 7 yellows and a black ball and you pot a ball on the break (not the black) but you don't see the colour of the ball you potted, what's the minimum number you have to count to to ascertain what colour of balls you should now go for?

There is a fairly obvious answer to this and possibly a few more less obvious answers.

edit: Corrected wrongly-worded question.
 
rualeb
Why don't you just check the pocket?
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Yep, this is the simple answer. Look in the pockets (or in the side of the table if potted balls are collected there).

Other answers?

@Duck, you can do it in less than 7.
 
You don't actually have to "count" You could get away with just glancing; it's funny how the brain can do that.
 
6

however this may be wrong
 
Amp, you must play 8-ball a lot different across the pond.

You'd only need to count 1 ball to see if you should continue play; the 8-ball. If it's not on the table, game over.
 
He specified that the 8 ball was not potted. Read the question again.
 
Whoops. That's what I get for reading multiple things at once. But, yeah, once is still all you need. If you're shooting red, and you spot a red ball on the table, why do you need to count any more balls to know that you need to pocket that red?

edit: Oh my god, I must be retarded tonight. Sorry about that, haha. I think I'll go to bed or something.
 
You need to count a minimum of six, however, you said that you didn't see the colour. Does that mean that you may possibly have missed the exact number of potted balls?

As for what colour, most would just go for the lesser populated colour. But a good player would choose the colour which offers the best positioning for the next shot, not just the lesser colour.

FormulaGT
 
I've just realised that I worded the question wrongly. It should read:

"If you're playing pool (8 Ball) on a standard table with 7 reds, 7 yellows and a black ball and you pot a ball on the break (not the black) but you don't see the colour of the ball you potted, what's the minimum number you have to count to to ascertain what colour of balls you should now go for?"
 
amp88
"If you're playing pool (8 Ball) on a standard table with 7 reds, 7 yellows and a black ball and you pot a ball on the break (not the black) but you don't see the colour of the ball you potted, what's the minimum number you have to count to to ascertain what colour of balls you should now go for?"
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1. It could have been the white..... :dunce:
 
oooooooh, daan you trippa! I think you may have it!
 
No, it wasn't the white. It's not a trick question. You've potted either a red ball or a yellow ball. What's the minimum number you have to count to to find out which you potted?
 
If you potted a yellow there will only be 6 yellows left on the table, if you potted a red there will only be six reds on the table, so you'd count 6 balls, that's if only 1 ball went down. That actual mnimum number would be 1, sine you just count the ball i the pocket but there will 6 of whatever colour you did pot left..


keef
You don't actually have to "count" You could get away with just glancing; it's funny how the brain can do that.
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Your brain is still counting.
 
live4speed
If you potted a yellow there will only be 6 yellows left on the table, if you potted a red there will only be six reds on the table, so you'd count 6 balls, that's if only 1 ball went down. That actual mnimum number would be 1, sine you just count the ball i the pocket but there will 6 of whatever colour you did pot left..
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There'll also be six of the other colour left - it's just that there'll also be a seventh. Until you count the seventh one you don't know which colour is missing one...

Speaking of missing things, I feel I'm missing something here... 'Fess up, amp.
 
If there is no seventh yellow for example, it's likely that you will count the reds as well, but you only need to count one set of colours if only one ball went down and if you count the right colour first then you only have to count 6, you'll look for the seventh but if there's not one you can't count it. But yeah, this question isn't making much sense because both 6 and 7 have already been given as answers.
 
As Famine pointed out, this doesn't make much sense. The question was worded badly when I started and I didn't do a much better job with the revision.

Last night I was playing pool and a ball was potted off the break. I didn't see what it was so I asked my mate. We often ask silly questions and have pointless debates on trivial matters so I asked what was the minimum number he'd have to count to to find out what ball I potted. I was thinking 6 at the time (if you know only one ball is down and you only count 6 reds with no more on the table you know you potted a red). However, he thought for a couple of seconds and said 3. If you count three reds, call that one group of reds then start counting another three reds you've counted to 3 twice. Then if there's another red on the table you're yellow, if not you're red. You've done it only counting to a maximum of 3.

It's difficult to explain and there isn't much point to it. I don't think it translated well from real life to the forum.
 
If you count three reds as one group of reds you've still counted 3 reds, and then another 3 reds which is six. I understand that your brain can quickly group a number of together very quickly so you can just glance and say that group + that group, theres only 6, but at the end of the day your still counting 6 balls.
 
So you count 6 balls, but cut the job in half!

Count 3, go to the bar, toilet break, come back, count 3 more.

That was a useless question!
 
The revision was from "what's the minimum number of balls you have to count" to "what's the minimum number you have to count to".
 
Well how about 1?

There's one....


There's another one.....


Another one.....


etc.....
 
At the end of the day though, couting groups means your counting more numbers, your counting the three in each group, then your counting the group so thats 4 counts, then another three, then then another group, now you've counted 8 times. By the same theory you used, you could just count to groups of six, then look for the one reaining ball, it doesn't work like that.
 
amp88
You'll have six groups of one though, so you're actually counting to 6.
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Well one group of 6 then, it just doesn't work like that, by counting in groups your counting more because your counting each ball in each group, then the group as a whole.
 
live4speed
Well one group of 6 then, it just doesn't work like that, by counting in groups your counting more because your counting each ball in each group, then the group as a whole.
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It's not the minimum number of times you have to count, it's the minimum number you have to count to.

daan has it right though, what a load of balls.
 
Just do it the easy way, which is what I do: count all of them. Just to be sure. Hell, you'll have all night if you're down the pub.

daan
Count to 3 twice? What a load of balls....
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And that's the cue for the jokes to start...
 
amp88
It's not the minimum number of times you have to count, it's the minimum number you have to count to.

daan has it right though, what a load of balls.
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Yeah but if your counting two groups of three your still counting six balls, so it's still six, you've just split it into two groups, so alternatively you can just count one group of six balls. No difference, your still counting six balls however you do it ;).
 

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