Anyone who plays billiards is familiar with the triangle. It’s the pyramid-shaped jig used to properly align and place the balls for a game of 8-ball. 8-ball isn’t the only game played on a billiards table, however, and not every game uses the triangle rack.
The Triangle Rack
A triangle rack can be made of many different materials and is shaped like its namesake, the triangle. It’s very important for the rack to be firm, so that the balls themselves will be firm once the jig is removed. The triangle rack is used in 8-Ball, Bank Pool, Crossover, Kelly Pool, One Pocket, One-Fifteen Ball, Straight Pool, and Convergence Pool:
The Games
1. To rack for 8-Ball, arrange the balls in the triangle rack with the 8-ball in the center, the 1-ball in the top corner, a striped ball in one corner, and a solid-colored ball in the remaining corner. Position the rack so that the 1-ball, in the apex of the rack, rests on the foot spot. After the rack is placed properly on the table, snug up the balls so that all the balls touch one another; then carefully remove the rack.
2. Bank Pool also uses a triangle rack, but you may place the balls in any order you wish. Make sure that one corner of the rack points to the far end of the table, and that the lead ball, in the apex of the rack, rests on the foot spot.
3. In Crossover, the balls must be placed in such a way as to ensure that the 1-ball and 15-ball are not in any of the three inner positions of the rack. That being the only stipulation, you can then arrange them in any order you wish.
4. In Kelly Pool, the balls may be arranged in any order you choose, so long as the apex of the rack rests on the foot spot.
5. In One-Pocket, you can arrange the balls in any order you wish, so long as the apex of the rack rests on the foot spot.
6. The rack formation for One-Fifteen Ball is more complicated than most other games. In this game, the 8-ball is placed in the center of the rack formation. One of each type of ball, a stripe and a solid, must be placed in the rear corners of the rack formation. The 1-ball must be placed immediately behind the 8-ball to the right, and the 15-ball is placed immediately behind the 8-ball to the left. The rest of the balls may be arranged in any order, with the apex of the rack resting on the foot spot.
7. The balls in Straight Pool are arranged so that the 1-ball is in the left rear corner, and the 5-ball is in the right rear corner with the apex of the rack resting on the foot spot.
8. The balls in Convergence pool are arranged so that the 1-ball is at the apex of the rack with the 15-ball in either of the rear corners. The remaining balls may be arranged any way you wish.
Not all billiards games utilize triangle racks. Some use diamond-shaped racks, some use circular racks, and some don’t use any rack at all. For instance, in Cowboy Pool, there are only four playing balls, including the cue ball, and no rack is needed. In 9-Ball, only nine balls are used, and the ball formation is a diamond shape. This shape is achieved by the use of a diamond-shaped rack. In Seven Ball, a circular rack is used with the 1-ball at the apex of the rack and the rest of the balls running clockwise in numerical order 1-6. The seven ball is placed in the middle of the rack.
