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The details of the BC Battle we mentioned in our last post are now settled.
We have worked everything through with all the parties involved, and at last we can make it official. Here it is!
This time, the game is “Count9” (Count Nine).
It is a little different from ordinary 9-ball.
In ordinary 9-ball, when you miss, your opponent comes to the table with the balls just as you left them.
In Count9, whenever the turn passes to your opponent, they get ball in hand (anywhere on the table) on every ball except the 9.
In other words, the only ball you can play safe on is the last one: the 9.
There is no safety on the 1 through 8. It is an attacking game.
Scoring
• Balls 1–8: 1 point each • The 9: 2 points
• Maximum 10 points per rack (on a full run-out)
• The first player to reach the target score wins
“Ball in hand makes it easy”? Not even close.
For B and C class players aiming for A class, two of the most important things are potting ability and a clear picture of the run-out.
“Ball in hand? You can put it anywhere. That’s easy.”
“Sounds kind of boring…”
Is that what you’re thinking?
If so, you couldn’t be more wrong.
So let us ask you.
With ball in hand, can you run out every time?
Are you confident about where you place the cue ball?
Starting with ball in hand has its own kind of difficulty.
A single placement can change how hard the whole rack becomes.
Commentary by top pros
Although this tournament is for B and C class players, from the last 32 onward it will run with commentary from top professionals.
Where do you put the cue ball?
Why there?
The pros will be watching exactly how you place it.
This is not to make light of safety play as a strategy.
But to open the road to A class, you absolutely need the strength to run out cleanly from ball in hand.
The thinking behind a run-out, the potting, and the cue control to bring it to life.
Show us all of it, freely, on this stage.
Powered by the “Billizone for Pool” digital scoreboard!
Our venue, POOL LABO, has a Billizone for Pool digital scoreboard on all 8 tables.
Billizone for Pool keeps score for 9-ball and 10-ball, of course, and also records points for 14.1 (straight pool) and rotation.
And yes, it supports this tournament’s game, Count9, too.
It runs on a tablet and is intuitive to use, so first-timers will have no trouble.
Don’t worry: we will explain how to enter scores carefully before the first match on the day.
One of Billizone for Pool’s best features is automatic video recording of play.
You can watch your own match back afterward, and post your best shots straight to social media.
You could even have a stronger player watch your play and give you advice.
If you are aiming for A class, looking at your own game objectively is essential.
This tournament should give you the chance to start.
▶︎ More about Billizone for Pool: https://justdoit.co.jp/lp/billizone-for-pool/
Why we want strong players to watch, too
“Why would I bother watching intermediate players?” If that’s you, you are exactly who we hope will watch this stream.
Because Count9 starts from ball in hand, each player’s way of thinking shows up on the table just as it is.
A placement no advanced player would ever choose.
A way of playing the rack that the textbook might call “wrong.”
And yet, somewhere in it, there may live an idea that hasn’t hardened into habit.
Choices that, over long years at the table, quietly became “the obvious ones.”
An intermediate player’s game may shake those fixed ideas loose, and leave you thinking, “Oh, you could look at it that way too.”
The better you get, the rarer it is to meet a fresh point of view.
This stream could be a place of discovery for players like that, too.
Tournament overview
Name: Yokohama BC Count9 Battle
Date: April 29 (Wed., public holiday)
Venue: POOL LABO
Entry fee: ¥5,000
Capacity: 64 players
Check-in time:
9:00 / 9:30 (two groups of 32, arriving at different times)
Format: single elimination, alternate break
Game: Count9
B class target: 40 points
C class target: 30 points
Prizes
🥇 Winner: a cue
🥈 Runner-up: cue case
🥉 Joint 3rd: gift certificates
Joint 5th: gift certificates
*There is no prize money.
For every participant
All 64 players are invited up to the 6th floor of the same building as POOL LABO, for a free session at DUYA CLUB (Chinese 8-ball tables)!
Eight players per block, 30 minutes of play each, starting from the winners’ side.
Entry and inquiries
The opening date and how to enter will be announced in a separate blog post soon!
Stay tuned.
