American pool, despite the fact that it is seriously inferior in popularity to snooker today, is consistently the second largest type of loose billiards in terms of betting volumes. For those who have just started to get interested in betting on this sport, we tell you about the main things that should not be overlooked.
Pool types: eight, nine, and Straight
The most widespread rules are pool-9-the so-called nine, whose tournaments attract the attention of billiard enthusiasts in Britain, the United States, Japan, Australia and Asian countries. There are also major tournaments in the “eight” and straight. Let’s look at the basic rules and differences between these three disciplines.
In the “eight” game, the task of the game is to score all the balls of one group (there are only seven of them — either seven striped or seven solid), and then finish the game by playing a common black ball at number 8. Striped or solid colored balls are assigned to players according to certain rules after the initial hit.
If in the ” eight “on the table at the beginning of the game there are 16 balls at the same time (along with the” cue ball”), then in the pool-9 there are seven fewer of them. The game is more dynamic compared to pool-8, the goal is to score balls in a jam strictly in turn, from the first to the ninth number. This type of pool is used to host the largest number of professional tournaments.
Straight is the oldest type of pool that was once dominated by professionals. But over time, due to the sluggish gameplay, Straight lost the leading positions to the “nine”. As in the “eight”, there are 16 balls in the starting position on the table. Each ball is worth one point, and the game lasts up to the number of points set by the tournament rules. The game is played in a series of shots, the maximum series in the history of straight — 281 points in a row.
Major American pool competitions are held under the auspices of the World Pool and Billiards Association (WPA) or WPA-recognized organizations. These are, first of all, the stages of the World Tour, as well as the world championships in “nine”, “eight” and straight.
Types of bets on the American pool
On the outcome. Two coefficients for the player’s choice — the victory of the first or second billiard player. There is no draw in the pool.
For a head start. If two professionals of different classes meet, then there may not be a line for the outcome, or it will be presented in a stripped-down version. But you can bet on a head start: for example, if you bet with a head start of -2.5 on the favorite, you predict that he will beat the opponent with an advantage of at least three games.
On the total. Here you can place a bet on how many games will be played in a particular match in total-more or less than the bar set by the bookmaker. At the World Nine Championship, depending on the stage, they play to win in 9, 11 or 13 games, which corresponds to the maximum totals of 17, 21 and 25 games. The analysis in this case, as in betting on odds, is conducted on the basis of whether or not there will be a tight fight in the match.
On the results of the tournament. A popular line where you can try to guess the future winner of the entire tournament. In addition to the odds for absolute success, which is quite difficult to predict due to the large number of participants, the bookmaker often offers quotes for getting a participant to a certain stage of the competition.
Forecasting strategy: how to place bets on the american pool
To get a basic idea of the level of pool players, check out the WPA rankings. Before giving advice, let’s clarify: like all similar ratings in other sports, it doesn’t accurately reflect the real picture, but it can be useful in the early stages of learning about the pool. For example, a billiard player from the depths of the rating has a very slim chance of winning over the leaders of the classification.
Before betting on a tournament, carefully study the format, venue, and draw of the tournament. Some bettors choose several billiard players at once to predict their chances of winning the tournament, and in this case, analyzing the grid will help a lot, because the bet will not make sense if the favorites are in one half of it.
The location is particularly important when betting on Asian pool players. In recent years, Filipinos, Taiwanese and Chinese have been boldly taking the lead in the pool, and in their homeland, with the support of their audience, they show a particularly cool game.
When choosing a pool player for a bet, it is necessary to evaluate his past form and results. You need to understand that some professionals with big names are overrated in the line, and you should be on your guard if a well-known billiard player is not in the best mood. It is also better to refrain from betting on a participant without a stable game practice — it is difficult to guess in what condition they will arrive at the tournament.
Try to find the latest news from the world of pool, read English-language analytics and follow the pages of billiard players in social networks. There is not as much information on the Internet as in the case of snooker, but it is necessary to gain an advantage over the line — bookmakers form a line for the pool mainly based on the results of personal meetings, so any clue can be decisive.
Which bookmakers accept bets on the American pool?
Bookmakers ‘ offices “Leon”, “Liga Bet”, Winline,”Pari-Match and others quite rarely add American pool events to their paylines. This sport is not very popular in Russia, the volume is minimal, so the best BC in Russia for betting on the American pool is either 1xStavka BC or “Marathon”.
The biggest pool betting markets are located in Asia, where this type of billiards is particularly popular with local players, including thanks to the latest success of local professionals.
Games in American pool, especially in the “nine”, are more dynamic and sometimes more spectacular in comparison with the more popular snooker. Initially, pool developed as a form of billiards, more focused on the public than the “aristocratic” snooker, so betting on American pool can be a very exciting and exciting activity.
There are no win-win strategies, and you can hardly make a lot of money on this type of billiards: the pool betting limits in Russian offices are very low, and the margin is high. But for fun and a closer acquaintance with the American pool, a well-thought-out bet will definitely not be superfluous!