Agreed. Once one's pocketing reaches a certain proficient level in 9-ball, there's little incentive / low reward, in refining it, compared to working on breaking, kicking, safety, shape play etc. Aspects that I find less enjoyable to practice, hence I've pretty much given up on 9 and 10 ball events.
Though 8 ball is pretty much a breaking competition, at least there are regular times when a player becomes committed to going out and being able to shoot a great shot here and there is important. Same goes for 2 foul.
Never actually played 2 foul 9 ball, other than experimenting practicing by myself. I've never seen an 8 ball tournament for pro level players that I felt would be a fair test of skill between these kinds of players. Doesn't mean that I don't think it should be played. As a tv game, the IPT got it right. 8 ball on tight, slow tables would be the ticket for Mr. Everyman to start watching pool. But on fast tables it essentially it becomes a breaking contest like you said. I don't feel those rare shots outweight this fact at all.
I'm not so familiar with the rules and strategies of 15 ball rotation and how they might effect the incentive to take on harder pots.
Well, I'm no pro, but I have played a lot of straight rotation with friends from the Phillipines, Latin america (where they play it completely differently) and my experiences are:
You need great allround skills, especially at kicking, caroming, combinations...SHots that you may never need to take in 9 ball become routine after a while. I feel that rotation is the best allround test of pool skills there is. You can't usually duck your way to a victory as easily as in 9 ball. Usually your first shot after a safe will be at least medium difficult, rarely will it be an actual hanger. No ball in hand is a huge deal. Even if your shot is somewhat difficult, rarely will you keep ducking if your shot is at least somewhat makeable, as you are not likely to get a lot better of a shot. In essence I feel you want a game where people are slamming in balls on a completely open table. I prefer the tactical nip and tuck (with great shots in between) of a crowded 9 or maybe 10 footer. I want the opportunities to be earned as an organic part of the game, and not handed to you on a sliver platter. Ball in hand anywhere on the table is one of the many modern inventions that contributed to ruin pool as a competitive game. What we have now is a sort of competitive training drill, instead of a duel of minds and abilities. You want a boxing match where the two fighters take turns punching each other without a guard and to see who passes out first. I want an actual boxing match, complete with clinches, circling each other and with the odd knockout punch out of the blue. Every punch should not be a haymaker to the jaw either..
I enjoy playing several games that are ball in hand after opponent misses, including versions that require 2 rails to be hit on each shot. These reward accurate shooting and some advanced shot making.
Ball in hand after a miss is IMHO silly and completely removes a huge part of the game, which is tactical. Why not set up spot shots instead? Besides, much of the skill factor involved in straight rotation is that you rarely ever get ball in hand. In essence you earn every shot in this game, sometimes taking shots on that you would have passed back to your opponent in any other game.
For the ultimate pocketing / shot making experience, I recommend 11 ball rotation on a 12' snooker table, ball in hand after opponent misses
I normally don't approve of BIH after miss rules, but on a tight snooker table, shooting balls in rotation it would be a must, I agree..
, 2 rails must be hit each shot to continue the visit
Why in Gods name would you have this rule. Completely remove any finesse there is?
, 1 point per ball. Break shot is free with BIH after break (eliminates much of the luck factor of the break). Whoever pockets the last ball gets the break.
These are reasonable on the snooker table, especially since you are probably a huge underdog to actually make a ball on the break (just a guess)..
The same game works well on any table, but the 12 footer is the ultimate challenge.