Poll: Winner Break, Loser Break, Alternate Break?

Which Break?

  • Winner Breaks

    Votes: 94 60.6%

  • Loser Breaks

    Votes: 4 2.6%

  • Alternate Breaks

    Votes: 57 36.8%
  • Total voters
    155
Pushout

Pushout

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Due to some remarks made recently about "fairness" in competition, I've made up this poll for breaks in rotation games, mainly 9 ball and 10 ball.
A remark was made about how the US Open is a "dinosaur" for playing winner breaks. Not bad, for a dino that will enter it's fortieth year next year. Since then, I've discovered that Derby City 9 ball is also winner break. I haven't checked on what other "major" tournament formats are. I've personally never talked to a pro or pro caliber player who favored alternate breaks. I don't myself, personally.

Edit: Since someone asked, let's make it from a player's point of view.
 
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Pushout said:
Due to some remarks made recently about "fairness" in competition, I've made up this poll for breaks in rotation games, mainly 9 ball and 10 ball.
A remark was made about how the US Open is a "dinosaur" for playing winner breaks. Not bad, for a dino that will enter it's fortieth year next year. Since then, I've discovered that Derby City 9 ball is also winner break. I haven't checked on what other "major" tournament formats are. I've personally never talked to a pro or pro caliber player who favored alternate breaks. I don't myself, personally.
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I personally like winner breaks but I really like having whoever is breaking rack. There is rarely a bad rack. It speeds up the game.
 
From which point of view, watching or playing?

I would want winner breaks if I was playing, but I think alternate breaks can add some drama to a match for a viewer. I was watching some of the 8-ball matches from the last Accu-stats Make-It-Happen event and it was interesting to see if someone who got down a game or two could "break serve" to even things up.
 
I did this exact same poll @ 2 years ago and it received a fair # of votes. It ended up @ 55% in favor of winner breaks.

I think the better players prefer winner breaks as IMO it gives them an added advantage. I prefer watching pro's play alternate because I don't want to invest my time & $ on an 11-3 blow-out.
 
KoolKat9Lives said:
I did this exact same poll @ 2 years ago and it received a fair # of votes. It ended up @ 55% in favor of winner breaks.

I think the better players prefer winner breaks as IMO it gives them an added advantage. I prefer watching pro's play alternate because I don't want to invest my time & $ on an 11-3 blow-out.
Click to expand...

I figured someone had done it before:o
 
It depends on the game and the players. If professionals are playing 8-ball and 9-ball I'd opt for alternating break...especially if they're using a Magic Rack (heck, if they're using a magicrack they should play call shot on the break :D)

I'd recommend Winner Breaks for 10-ball. It's a much more difficult BnR and there should be a reward for it.

In either case, the real culprit is short races. A race to 5 isn't a good measure of the better player regardless of breaking rotation.
 
In 14.1 you don't alternate breaks!? And if you run 150 and out you deserve to win. If you run 21 racks in a row. you should win! This is a game of pressure, skill, motivation. what more can I say...
 
breakandrunrob said:
winner breaks LOSER RACK! hate rack your own!
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Same here.
I dont where the notion of everybody getting an equal chance to win such as alternate break came from, but its akin to every kid getting a trophy whether they win or not. Part of pool has always been you MIGHT not get a shot. Thats the game, its been that way for a long long time. Pool for a lot of people is a rhythm game, how can you maintain a rhythm with alternate break? Answer..... You cant.
But in todays society changes are being made to the game that IMO will prove to be detrimental in the long run. There are games like equal offense and bowlliards if thats your thing.
Chuck
 
Winner breaks... the legendary matches are the ones where someone gets a big lead and the other guy strings together a bunch of racks and makes a game out of it. The game is never over until the the final ball drops and you just don't get that with alternate breaks. And I just love watching all those huge packages (being run)!

Oh I see you said "players point of view"... As a player, I still prefer winner breaks. At the amateur level no one is running out sets in any game, so there is no need for alternate break and players should get rewarded for winning a rack with the chance to continue their run.
 
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As a viewer, I like to see alternate breaks. If the match goes hill-hill, the winner of the lag has the advantage of breaking the final rack. I also like to see a referee racking the balls in professional level tournaments/matches. I think that the referee should rack the balls to what he/she deems as an acceptably tight rack, then the player breaking should be allowed to read/review the rack but no re-racks should take place once the referee finishes racking the balls.
 
KoolKat9Lives said:
I did this exact same poll @ 2 years ago and it received a fair # of votes. It ended up @ 55% in favor of winner breaks.

I think the better players prefer winner breaks as IMO it gives them an added advantage. I prefer watching pro's play alternate because I don't want to invest my time & $ on an 11-3 blow-out.
Click to expand...

That's really it. The better players want to play winner break to increase their advantage; the lesser players want alternate breaks to slow down the runaway train.
 
Solomon said:
As a viewer, I like to see alternate breaks. If the match goes hill-hill, the winner of the lag has the advantage of breaking the final rack. I also like to see a referee racking the balls in professional level tournaments/matches. I think that the referee should rack the balls to what he/she deems as an acceptably tight rack, then the player breaking should be allowed to read/review the rack but no re-racks should take place once the referee finishes racking the balls.
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Yes, but as a player?
 
For me... It depends on whose racking as well. If you are racking your own then it should be alternate. If its winner breaks then opponent racks, with breaker having the right to check the rack. If referee or a third party racker, then winner breaks.
 
Pushout said:
Yes, but as a player?
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As a player I can live with alternate breaks or winner breaks. I wouldn't want to play a match where loser breaks. If I had to pick one, I would prefer winner breaks using an old fashion wooden/plastic rack (no magic racks). I like magic racks, but it gives the breaker too much of an advantage in a tournament/match where winner breaks. Would still prefer a ref/third party rack the balls (with no re-racks), but I know that that isn't always an option.
 
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Poll Winner Break

Alternate break was develop for all the losers so they would enter the tournament knowing they could break a few times and knowing if it was winner break they had no chance to win. This would brought more money into the tournament.

Winner break is the only way to go. The argument in a short race is that it was possible for a player to run 5, 6 or 7 racks thereby not allowing the opponent to have a turn at the table. I say if a player can run a 5, 6 or 7 pack you standup and applaud this person for a great match and not whine about not have a chance to play. How many times have you actually seen this happen? Maybe once or twice in the last 20 years?

Winner break also brings back the excitement of a rotation game. See packages ran is great to watch. Watching alternate break is boring to say the least and I feel it is killing the game. If you want to see both players play a lot then play one pocket.
 
While I do prefer winner breaks, its not the only way to play pool. It gives the game a little variety. As for alternate break, being hill/hill with a break to win the match is not always an advantage. Not even for SVB! That break could very easily turn ugly. Then your opponent gets up and runs it for you. It happens to all of us, no matter how good some people on AZ think they are. Just figure variety is the spice of life and play the game lots of different ways. You will be better for it.
 
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