Miscellany from the data for the 2026 U.S. Open Pool Championship (9-Ball):
[This relates only to the 12 streamed matches I watched, not to all matches in the event.]
■ The most balls made on a single break was 3, done 7 times The breaker won 5 of those 7 games, 3 by B&R.
■ The average number of balls made on the break was 1.2 (this includes dry and fouled breaks). On successful breaks (made at least one ball and did not foul), the average was 1.3, and the distribution was 73% 1 ball, 22% 2 balls, and 4% 3 balls.
■ Number of innings:
• 43% (85 of 198) of the games ended in one inning – 59 games on the breaker's first inning (B&Rs) and 26 games on the non-breaker's first inning.
• 29% (58 of 198) of the games ended in the second inning.
• 28% (55 of 198) of the games went beyond the non-breaker's second visit to the table. The game with the most visits to the table ended on the non-breaker's 8th visit.
■ 35% (69 of 198) of the games were run out by the player who was at the table following the break. These run-outs were:
• By the breaker after successful breaks (B&R games) – 36% (59 of 166)
• By the non-breaker after fouls on the break – 50% (6 of 12)
• By the non-breaker after dry breaks – 20% (4 of 20)
■ The player who made the first ball after the break:
• Won the game in that same inning 64% of the time (127 of 197)
• Won the game in a later inning 16% of the time (31 of 197)
• Lost the game 20% of the time (39 of 197)
[Note -- total games used here are 197 rather of 198 to eliminate the 1 game in which no ball was made after the break.]
■ The loser won an average of 5.7 games in the 11 races to 10 (excludes the longer final). One match went to hill/hill; the most lopsided was 10-1.
■ The average minutes per game for all 12 matches was 6.8. The elapsed time was measured from the lag until the winning ball was made, so it includes time for racking, player timeouts, and commercial timeouts (last match).
■ The race to 10 that was longest in elapsed time, at about 134 minutes, and highest in average minutes per game, at 7.4, was Capito d. Gorst 10-8. The final match, with 7 commercial breaks, was 210 minutes, or 8.4 minutes per game.
■ The match that was shortest in elapsed time, at about 68 minutes, was Van Boening d. Baoanan 10-1. The match lowest in average minutes per game, at 5.5, was Filler d. Holem 10-3.
■ Breaking fouls averaged 1 for every 16.5 games, other fouls 1 for every 6.4 games, and missed shots about 1 for every 2.0 games.
■ One or more safeties were played in about 48% of all games and in 68% of games that were not B&Rs.
