Where to see Cory Duel break that changed the rules?

O

Oregonmeds

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I keep hearing announcers mentioning the 3 ball beyond the head string rule change is because of what Corey Duel used to do. But I haven't seen it. What did he used to do, soft break and snooker every time? They don't say. Or better yet what matches can I see it in that would be on youtube?
 
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Oregonmeds said:
I keep hearing announcers mentioning the 3 ball beyond the head string rule change is because of what Corey Duel used to do. But I haven't seen it. What did he used to do, soft break and snooker every time? They don't say. Or better yet what matches can I see it in that would be on youtube?
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Let me guess, you are watching a Matchroom event?
 
Oregonmeds said:
I keep hearing announcers mentioning the 3 ball beyond the head string rule change is because of what Corey Duel used to do. But I haven't seen it. What did he used to do, soft break and snooker every time? They don't say. Or better yet what matches can I see it in that would be on youtube?
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He used to hit the head ball square and super soft, the one would just barely go in the side and balls wouldn't go much past the side. The balls would get congested and he would run out because his cue ball was so good. Most others couldn't fade having to play that precise of shape, he thrived on it......

Then they changed it to the 9 on the spot. Then three balls had to get a rail, then four..... Didn't matter what they did he figured it out. Just my opinion but the pool he played during that period was better than any human has ever, or will ever, play. If he is all about pool no one else is in his league.
 
Joe_Jaguar said:
Let me guess, you are watching a Matchroom event?
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Mosconi cup 2010. But I've heard this in numerous others as well. The common phrase seems to be "He single handedly changed the game of 9 ball". That phrase comes up with every single even possibly illegal break.

Thanks guys, I'll try to find my delorean so I can go back and watch this happening. I didn't just forget where I parked it, but when.
 
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Another example of a mastered soft break is Ronnie Alcano's break during the world championship that he won (2006). You can find it by searching youtube.
 
Great thread...entertaining and I did not know much about the topic and I am not a novice of these threads. All hindered on that break...Duel is great but seem his prime hit him far too early
 
Corey was playing supernaturally around the late 90s-early 2000s. He seemed so good that he was almost bored with the game, and took to playing more golf. Although he is a brilliant player he was on another planet then.
 
geocheren said:
here is the final rack of the 2001 US Open, where Corey Deuel defeated Mika Immonen 11-0.

http://www.billiardsdigest.com/new_30over30/11.php

Soft Break and run out.
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Changing the rules just because of this? That seems wrong. I figured he was doing something shitty like a straight pool break and leaving the opponent snookered every time. This was just good play and a good strategy and it worked, he wasn't doing anything wrong or really annoying like I had imagined.

If the other best players can't negotiate position with a crowded side of the table then they need to do some practice on it. Play some 8 ball, better yet 8 ball on a bar table against some chicks that never make a ball so all their shit is always in the way. :)
 
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The Saw said:
He used to hit the head ball square and super soft, the one would just barely go in the side and balls wouldn't go much past the side. The balls would get congested and he would run out because his cue ball was so good. Most others couldn't fade having to play that precise of shape, he thrived on it......

Then they changed it to the 9 on the spot. Then three balls had to get a rail, then four..... Didn't matter what they did he figured it out. Just my opinion but the pool he played during that period was better than any human has ever, or will ever, play. If he is all about pool no one else is in his league.
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Couldn't agree more.
 
Probably because it became really boring to watch for the 99% of the non-pool playing TV viewers? They want to watch bigger breaks.

The event organizers have a hard time recouping their investment as it is.
Can't blame them for changing the rules. If they don't, there's no one putting up the money to sponsor and no more big tournaments.
 
SplicedPoints said:
Probably because it became really boring to watch for the 99% of the non-pool playing TV viewers? They want to watch bigger breaks.

The event organizers have a hard time recouping their investment as it is.
Can't blame them for changing the rules. If they don't, there's no one putting up the money to sponsor and no more big tournaments.
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Well put. I'd like to see them tell a golfer they can't use their driver anymore, or whatever the equivalent would be. Golfers and fans would revolt. Unfortunately for us we just don't have that fan knowledge-base in pool.
 
Watch the entire 2001 US Open final against Mika. Many of the layouts were nearly identical after Deuels's break. In one game he made 4? balls with a super soft break. A genuine exhibition. And Mika was the reigning WPT champ and relegated to being a spectator.

Also watch the Deuel v Souquet match the same year. Duel's control of the table caused the usually unflappable Ralf to lose it mentally. At one point Ralf had a short straight in where he wanted to draw the cue ball 6" to a foot; he drew it 4 feet.

Corey was amazing for two or three year period.
 
Oregonmeds said:
Changing the rules just because of this? That seems wrong. I figured he was doing something shitty like a straight pool break and leaving the opponent snookered every time. This was just good play and a good strategy and it worked, he wasn't doing anything wrong or really annoying like I had imagined.

If the other best players can't negotiate position with a crowded side of the table then they need to do some practice on it. Play some 8 ball, better yet 8 ball on a bar table against some chicks that never make a ball so all their shit is always in the way. :)
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Matchroom added the '3 balls must pass the side pocket' rule then they figured a way to soft break and beat that rule, that prompted the '3 balls must pass the head string' rule. If you watch that final rack I linked to, you can see that soft break that Corey kept using in the final match to win 11-0. In that rack, the 1 barely makes it pass the side, and no balls pass the head string. Matchroom, who ran the WPC, didnt like soft breaking, because it was boring to watch, and watched people to use a powerful athletic break, so it implemented its 3 balls rules.

There was another match a few years ago where Corey was doing a soft break on a 10 ball rack that would leave his opponent snookered with the 1 near the side pocket and cue ball behind the rack. But matchroom hasnt run a 10 ball event yet, to the best of my memory.
 
I remember Corey in a Camel event back in 1997 - 1998 timeframe in my home room at the time Romine's in Milwaukee. I'm not sure if that's when he started it, but he was soft breaking against Earl and winning and Earl was NOT happy. If memory serves he made a huge deal about it, acted very tempermentally, and the tour wasn't happy about the bad press they were getting. I give Corey credit for figuring something out at a time when very few other people were playing with the break, typically just hitting them as hard as they could without scratching.
Scott
 
mholmes1218 said:
Watch the entire 2001 US Open final against Mika. Many of the layouts were nearly identical after Deuels's break. In one game he made 4? balls with a super soft break. A genuine exhibition. And Mika was the reigning WPT champ and relegated to being a spectator.

Also watch the Deuel v Souquet match the same year. Duel's control of the table caused the usually unflappable Ralf to lose it mentally. At one point Ralf had a short straight in where he wanted to draw the cue ball 6" to a foot; he drew it 4 feet.

Corey was amazing for two or three year period.
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I'll tell you, with 100% certainty, what has to stop in pool long before soft breaks or pattern racking; it is players whining about not shooting. I realize it is tough when you win day in and day out like a souquet to sit in your chair for an hour, but get real. Seriously. Any player who has ever complained about this is either pulling a huge move (because they can't stand losing), or isn't smart enough to know they are wrong. Either is unforgivable for a "professional."

Players need to stop whining about not shooting. Seriously. It is just part of our great game, and I don't hear any of them dishing out condolences when they relegate their opponent to the chair.
 
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