Personally nothing infuriates me more on this game than some coward playing for the 3 consecutive foul win in 9US!

Clearly not good enough to actually play properly, why bother playing at all? Stupid rule, stupid people! Rant over! -_-

Personally its easier for me to clear, then to snooker. As out of the 3 times, the opponent will most likely fluke his way out. I think it is a good rule to be used when in desperate times or that you know your playing someone much better than yourself. It's sort of like snookering in UK 8 ball when you have an opportunity to clear but just want that second cushion of shot. Once you foul in UK and if your playing some1 good, the game is over...At least in 9 ball it gives u 3 chances to redeem yourself...which isn't hard to do!

Its a tactic, if my opponent has fouled early on the thought to play for 3 fouls crosses my mind.
I think the 'dirty' play in 8buk and blocking up pockets is worse

People- sometimes myself included.

Win at all costs....you obviously join the game to win....hense win at all costs.

Tactical decisions come into play whether we like it or not,yes iv done the 3 foul in 9 ball..yes iv tipped in UK.i usually attack but i do what i have to do depending on the circumstance in front of me.

I'm not talking about the odd safety ball, I am referring to people tapping EVERY shot starting from the break, even when there is an easy clear they go for the consecutive fouls, I think it is just plain dirty.

8UK doesn't bother me with pocket blocking as you can get out of it, but I hate being constantly snookered in 9US, I can get out of some snookers, but where is the fun in just tap tapping every shot?

You should feel proud of somone snookering you, says they are scared of how you play...

I am rubbish though

it takes a lot more skill, than to play a good snooker or a containing safety than what it does to aimlessley whack balls around the table when there isnt anything obvious on, theres many times when ive got people on 2 fouls then cleared up, its all about taking the right option at the right time, the style in which i play, lessens the luck element of the game, which people should like, its a game, not a game of flukes

I do it in tournies every time... I also love when people start crying about it. Funny thing is, all you pretty much have to do is smash the pack! Makes it harder to get a snooker when the balls are all over the place. I swear if the people that moan about the 'tap' break had brains they'd be dangerous!

yup pixie_dust it's a 'urine bubbler'

tbh i don't think i'd think of the 3 foul rule til the 2nd foul had been commited.
playin the other day, i was reminded in 8 us how a foul counts for nothin. deliberate fouls are not penalised, and, they are used to make it a lot more difficult for you to clear up (obviously dependant on where is available to place Cue Ball)

agreed 'tippy-tappy play' in 9 us is frustrating, but like 2hot said.......ya must be scary

keeeeeeeeeeep errrrrrr litttttttttttttttt!!!!

It annoys me when it is done as a safe break, i am not easy to snooker though and usually have my angles down enough to know how to get out of a situation. I had a game the other day in the final of 9US marathon, by the time the guy had his third break he went straight into smacking them as he had failed twice trying to get me to consecutively foul.

I am not really a safety player though so 98% of the time i will go for a clearence rather than snooker. I don't think snookering on 9US involves any kind of skill at all, its called fluke ball for more than one reason...

I think it's the best way to win- a bit like stabbing someone in a shooter game.
It takes a lot more skill to snooker someone three times. More importantly, you can't tap safe in 9-Ball since a ball has to hit the cushion. So every safety is a 'legitimate' one.

Also there are certain situations in 9-ball when the remaining balls are tied up, where it would be an advantage for someone to foul on purpose (so that opponent doesn't get to clear the rest). That has to be punished.

But anyway, it's a rule in real 9-ball, so I'm all for it.

Every so often I'll play about with the 3 snookers to win as a way to practice for when I need to snooker in agame, most of the time it's against someone I know though and they don't really mind. Also, as whocares said, it takes way more skill to get 3 snookers in a row (especially against a top player) than it does to run-out, most of the time.

Snookering is part of the game. Not a fan of it myself but it is needed sometimes, when a player isn't the best attacker, or the clear isn't on. If everyone played attack it would be boring. However I'm not a fan of safety players who consider themselves to be great because your not. It's true some safety is indeed a fine art, but your not even halfway good if you can't do a clear. A good player is capable of both and knows when to play the percentages.

I would never say safety play requires more skill than getting a runout though. That's just ridiculous.

I think it's plain foolish myself, especially if they're giving up a chance to take the frame with not too much difficulty. If they're that awful, eventually they will ruin it for themselves with a weak snooker that you can get out of, leaving them with (probably) a lost chance to clear up.

The other side of it is this; if you've been snookered and you commit the first of the three in a row, and you've been snookered a second time, and it will be easy to snooker you the third time, maybe smash everything to make sure there isn't a big pack of balls to snooker you behind, thereby giving you a great chance to get out of the third snooker.

9 ball is all about position, if u cant get a ball safe then your not going to be very good as u can't pot every ball and you can't just go around smashing it when u haven't got a pot on.

It's nice to clear but say u got a bit if luck and u cleared, what would u have learnt?

Not much as u can't replicate that bit of luck u had, best thing to do in 9 ball is stay in control of the white and you'll be fine.

Not a fan of the tap break i have never used it, i no a few that use it against me but tbh it's never won them the frame and plus u would never have a chance at a runout if u done that every game lol.

Its all part of the fun tho, only thing that annoys me is those darn flukes!!

I personally never said safety play, I said 3 safety plays good enough to draw 3 fouls (especially against a top player).

I could play lethal_lures 20 times, 10 times trying to snooker him, 10 trying to runout. I'm almost sure I'd get more runouts than safety wins.

Safety play is far superior to a hit and hope. Winning is the object of the game, not popularity.

ive played more 9 ball games on this site than anybody on here i do believe and i frankly think its hog wash to tipp tappin to get 3 foul win. if you got a shot and your good enough you can setup for the next 1 but if not than use the snooke rif needed not to carry on the 3 fouls when not needed , its called to me a sissyfied way of winning. if you want to play that kind of pool , what do you think snooker is for/ have agood 1 people

You have played 6

Jimfaebod is probably the person who has played the most he has 30+ thousands wins alone in it