A shot where the player hits the object ball and pockets any other ball is sometimes called a . The winner is the player who pockets the nine-ball, even if doing so by a combination shot. Each rack begins with the object balls placed in a rack and one player playing a . The object balls are placed in a diamond-shaped configuration, with the 1-ball positioned at the front on the , and the 9-ball placed in the center. The rack used to position the balls may be either triangle-shaped, as is used for eight-ball and other pool games, or a specific diamond-shaped rack that holds only nine balls may be used. Racks are usually made of wood or plastic. A template that lies on the table during the break has also come into use. The break consists of hitting the 1-ball, with the attempt to pocket any ball. If the nine-ball is successfully potted, the player automatically wins the rack. This is sometimes known as a . Additional rules in some tournaments exist, such as a number of balls having to reach the , and players can be chosen to break alternatively or whoever won the preceding rack. The break is often the most crucial shot in nine-ball, as it is possible to win a rack without the opponent having a single shot. This is often called a , or running the rack. Earl Strickland holds the record for break and runs, after he successfully ran 11 consecutive racks in a tournament in 1996. The first break of a match is sometimes decided by a flip of a coin, but often by playing a , with both players playing a cue ball down the table, the closest to the top rail winning the initial break. After the break, if no balls were pocketed, the opponent has the option to continue the rack as usual, or to play a . The rules on a push out are different to those of a regular shot, as the shot does not need to hit a rail or ball. Any balls pocketed are returned to the table, including the nine-ball. After the push out, the breaking player has the option to play the shot that has been left, or to force the opponent to play on from that location. In early versions of nine-ball the push out could be called at any time during the game, but is now only for the shot after the break. The ideal position to leave the balls in after a push out is to leave a shot that the player believes they can pocket, but that their opponent would struggle with.