DrCue'sProtege said:

I keep talking about having a runnable rack. Tonight I went back over to the garage apartment to see if the new light bulbs would make things better and brighter. Was a small improvement. Anyway, I broke about a dozen racks and never had a chance. Then finally I got this spread and ran out. This diagram is what I am talking about - a runnable rack. I finally got one and I got out!

https://pad.chalkysticks.com/70072f2.png

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Sounds like you need to work on your break

I think most of this conversation is referring to 9-ball one pocket and 8 ball. Try playing straight pool with a really slow player. The first time I met Freddy the beard we played 9 ball. He beat me and I suggested straight pool, my best game.

I had not really noticed how slow he was playing during the 9 ball games until we were playing straight pool. I ran some balls right off the bat like 40 or 50 before playing safe. When Freddy got a shot, and I remember this like it was yesterday, he ran 89. It took like 45 minutes hardly two balls a minute.

I sat at the bar and had lunch. A chili dog and a Coke and some fries while he was still shooting.
It wasn't a perfect run. He banked a few balls here and there got a lucky roll here and there but he was at the table so long it was unbearable.
He won the game and although I had no fear of playing him straight there's no way I was playing another game.

I'll have to pull a YouTube video of him playing. I don't know how he played in later life. When he was young he had this habit of rotating the cue in his fingers between strokes. His delivery on every shot no matter how easy was very slow.

You know, part of the same conversation about slow play. One player who was constantly complained about for playing too slow was Buddy Hall.

In an era when you had guys like Ronnie Allen, Keith, Sigel and others who played fairly quickly, Buddy took a minute just walking around the table. His stroking routine was also very slow and deliberate. Once down on the ball though he hardly ever missed. I'm sure that annoyed them also.

iusedtoberich said:

Can you draw lines on how you played the 3, 4, 5, 6? That looks tricky as hell to me.

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I hope this makes sense.

Pocketed the 2B which was almost straight. That left me an angle on the 3B to stun over for position on the 4B. I just came up one rail from the 4B to get position on the 5B. This was the key shot. I had to get the right angle on the 5B so I could simple roll up for the 6B. If I came up short on the 5B I would have been hosed.

But I went slightly past the 5B which gave me perfect position to simply drift up and off the end rail for the 6B.

lfigueroa said:

Just wanted to give you the opportunity to demonstrate to all here the wonderfulness of those itty-bitty pockets you’re advocating.

Do or not do. Can do, or cannot do.

Lou Figueroa
wax on
wax off

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Not interested. I've left most of the details in various threads if anyone wants to learn.

SBC said:

Your stats prove it is averaging over 25%....

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I believe I said "about 25%" in my initial comment. Being as 27.4% is closer to 25% than is it to 30%, I'd say it fills the bill for "about 25%".

rexus31 said:

This dude is too concerned about breaking and running. There's soooooo much more to the game than that. The best players in the world break and run about 25% of the games on average. I'm not sure why he thinks his percentage should be equal to that for an amateur.

Spoiler Alert: Pool is hard.

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This.

Recent tournament, Race to 7, alternating breaks. I broke and ran 3 racks and had a 1-9 carom after the break in another rack. 4 racks, were my opponent didnt get to shoot. ....I lost 7 to 4. My opponent made some good (and lucky) kicks off my safeties and I sold out after most of his safes.

Breaking and running helps, but it doesnt guarantee winning a set. Sometimes a well played safe in one of those "un-runnable racks" will make that rack runnable.

This is something you will never learn if you don't leave your house.

Thanks to Digital Pool, I have this match video saved. You play in events at venues that have one of those Digital Pool Systems, you can always go back and watch how much of a donkey you are. I'm ripping a few form Digital Pool and putting them in unlisted youtube links. If Anyone wants to see them, send me a private message.

rexus31 said:

We are talking about two different things. You can't just bring up the elite players and say that's the norm. As a whole, say top 100 professional players in the world the average is around 25%.

This is an excerpt from AtLarge's stats for the 2026 European Open
.View attachment 895284

This is an excerpt from AtLarge's stats for the 2025 China Open
View attachment 895288
This is an excerpt from AtLarge's stats for the 2025 US Open

View attachment 895289

This is an excerpt from AtLarge's stats for the 2025 UK Open
View attachment 895290

This is an excerpt from AtLarge's stats for the 2025 Florida Open
View attachment 895291

I will concede, some events have break and run percentages in the 30% range but it seems in the 20's is more prevalent. I'd say the stats above are a pretty good representation of break and run stats across multiple events over the course of about a year. The average from these 5 events is 27.4%, in line with my "around 25%" estimate.

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Your stats prove it is averaging over 25%....

straightline said:

You doubt the feasibility of it? What would me doing it have to do with anything? I'm not pool Jesus. You'd learn, I was able or I wasn't able. That's pretty ridiculous for cut and dried requisites for the up and coming.

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Just wanted to give you the opportunity to demonstrate to all here the wonderfulness of those itty-bitty pockets you’re advocating.

Do or not do. Can do, or cannot do.

Lou Figueroa
wax on
wax off

SBC said:

There are levels to everything.

Among the elites the percetages are much higher.

Gorst has had break and run percentages of 39 and 41% in long races.

SVB has crested 40% in many of his long races.

Orcullo, Filler, Bergman....

I know short stops who break 25% routinely.

Even with break rules changes....pros gave adjusted and their runout percentages have increased.

Click to expand...

We are talking about two different things. You can't just bring up the elite players and say that's the norm. As a whole, say top 100 professional players in the world the average is around 25%.

This is an excerpt from AtLarge's stats for the 2026 European Open
.

This is an excerpt from AtLarge's stats for the 2025 China Open

This is an excerpt from AtLarge's stats for the 2025 US Open



This is an excerpt from AtLarge's stats for the 2025 UK Open


This is an excerpt from AtLarge's stats for the 2025 Florida Open


I will concede, some events have break and run percentages in the 30% range but it seems in the 20's is more prevalent. I'd say the stats above are a pretty good representation of break and run stats across multiple events over the course of about a year. The average from these 5 events is 27.4%, in line with my "around 25%" estimate.

overlord said:

I think you made the right choice.

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No doubt, had played Wayne in LV.

Lou Figueroa

lfigueroa said:

So, “new school” why don’t you post up some video of you playing the 9ball ghost on a table set up the way you describe.

I’m sure we’ll all learn something.

Lou Figueroa

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You doubt the feasibility of it? What would me doing it have to do with anything? I'm not pool Jesus. You'd learn, I was able or I wasn't able. That's pretty ridiculous for cut and dried requisites for the up and coming.

lfigueroa said:

Went many times while my mom was living in Ventura.

Sometimes I’d play 1pocket, other time 3C with the league guys, played Richie there. I think once the house guy wanted to call Wayne to play me but I had to get back to Ventura.

Lou Figueroa

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I think you made the right choice.

Brookeland Bill said:

I getting more out of my game using low English on stop shots, draw and even position on shots that are at various angles. I don’t fully understand why unless I’m eliminating a loot ov variables that affect my contact with the object ball.

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Low english is the only way to get stop/draw.

pj
chgo

Here is the Hoosier Tour handicap chart

overlord said:

I don't recall seeing you in that room.

I do remember scuttle butt about you dodging a game with Wayne back in the day.......

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Went many times while my mom was living in Burbank.

Sometimes I’d play 1pocket, other time 3C with the league guys, played Richie there. I think once the house guy wanted to call Wayne to play me but I had to get back to Burbank.

Lou Figueroa

There are a few spots left. A great event for a great cause,

overlord said:

If you played at SMHB on the first three tables in front of the gallery 11,12 and 13 you were playing on 4 inch pockets.

Ernesto has tightened the pockets on tables all over S. Cali.

Tight pockets in one pocket is the norm in S. Cali although action is dying.

Crenshaw has very tight tables for one pocket.

Sherman Oaks has tight pockets.

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Played on those, perhaps before Ernesto got to them.

Lou Figueroa

straightline said:

That's the old school bucking the new school.

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So, “new school” why don’t you post up some video of you playing the 9ball ghost on a table set up the way you describe.

I’m sure we’ll all learn something.

Lou Figueroa