How can I rate myself using a 10-ball “playing the ghost” drill?

The drill below offers a simple and fast way to obtain an approximate player rating (based on offensive skills). However, 10 racks of 10-ball is not enough to get a representative score. There is too much variability from one rack to the next, and there is a luck factor involved. A better approach is to do 30 racks and drop the 10 highest and 10 lowest scores. This would give a more representative score and rating.

Scores and videos for a wide range of AZB users can be found on the AZB BU thread.

A better system for determining and monitoring a player’s level of ability is the FargoRate rating and handicapping system. If you don’t have a FargoRating, you can approximate your rating with playing-ability tests like the Runout Drill System (RDS) or the Billiard University (BU) Playing Ability Exams. They assess a wide range of important pool skills in a methodical, thorough, and consistent way. They also provide a numeric and descriptive rating. The BU rating comparison chart shows how the BU rating correlates to other commonly used rating and handicapping systems, including the ABCD rating system:

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from Eric.:

Joe Tucker has a thing he uses that proves to be pretty accurate. It goes like this:

Rack up some 10 ball. Break from anywhere. After the break, take ball in hand and run out, in rotation (1, 2, 3, etc…) All balls made on the break count. Any balls made on a scratch are spotted. [Added by dr_dave: A scratch incurs a 2-point penalty.] Once you miss, the rack is over. You should shoot 10 racks and count the total balls made for each rack. After 10 racks, take your total and compare it to this chart:

30-35 D+
36-40 C
41-45 C+
46-50 B
51-55 B+
56-60 A
61-65 A+
66-70 A++
71-up Pro

I’m not sure if it matters what size table. I like this rating system because it takes a lot into account as far as player ability i.e. shot making, position play, cluster breaking, break skill. It makes no difference if you play 10 ball or not, the results are very close to reality.

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