I've always said 8 ball is the game to reach the general public. I don't know if there is a problem with the break ... just make the game call shot and use the straight pool safety break as the opening break and play pool.
The definitive solution to the 9 ball break
- Thread starter 3andstop
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I've always said 8 ball is the game to reach the general public. I don't know if there is a problem with the break ... just make the game call shot and use the straight pool safety break as the opening break and play pool.
Lets hope pool doesnt keep changing the rules to suit the (appx 200 ) 'pro-players'. Going from pushout to 1 foul was a joke. 1foul was invented to SPEED-UP the game for tournments! Not to make the game better ( it made it worse ) Texas-Express made the game even faster ( no balls spot, BIH on every foul, etc ) but made it worse. If the racking rule is changed, it will make the game harder for everyone, and its already hard enough for most players. Whats your break and run %? For most players, its very, very low. 9 ball and 10 ball are about making 'spreads' not break & runs. How often do you get out from the 4, or the 5, or the 6? Not as often as you think. Keep track next time you play for the cash. You'll be surprised.
pushout forever!
pushout forever!
Problem with this is the pro has already solved the puzzle for the shooter.
What he said.......too many keyboard pros..
Even so I would bet that the great majority would NOT run out. This is the whole point...... The table looks a lot different to the pro in terms of the relative difficulty of making shots and getting position.
Banks
Banned
Well, he ought to know. Same guy that said there's an SVB in just about every village in China - maybe he was talking about the internet.
9b may have been made into a different game, but when you're better at it than others, you still win more often. Part of that is the break, the same as in every other game.
That's a good estimate. For the CSI Invitational 8-Ball Championship played a few months ago, the player who came to the table after the break shot won 78% of the games. This was for 218 games and all top professionals.
The comparable figure for the 33 streamed matches (592 games tracked) at last month's U.S. Open 9-ball Championship was 65%.
In these games the breaker, obviously, was trying to make a ball. If he was not concerned about that, the win-with-the-break percentage might go even a bit higher.
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Thanks for the stats (again). It's also noteworthy, I think, that that 78% comes from a field of basically all world-class players, the 9-ball number might be slightly higher if it was the same field. I also think probably a better comparison in terms of the difficulty of running (or keeping control of the table) in 9-ball versus 8-ball is the 70% you calculated for the chances that the player who pockets the first ball after the break ends up winning the match. In 8-ball, you'd think a pro would pocket a ball on the first shot after the break close to 100% of the time, which means that, basically, control of the table at the outset is worth 70% of a game in 9-ball and 78% in 8-ball, give or take statistical error. Kudos again to all the work you've done on this.
The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that the way to go is to let the breaker shoot again even without making a ball, in both games. Instead of giving each player the same number of chances to break the balls open and roll the dice/read the rack, give each player the same number of racks where he starts with control of the table. Make it a pool contest, not a break contest. In 9-ball, I'd go even further, since just shooting again doesn't mean control of the table if the 1 ball is unmakeable. I'm thinking that the way to go here would be to let the breaker shoot any ball he wants ("nominate a ball" I think it's called in snooker) for the first shot after the break, and then start running in rotation after that.
I realize that the chances of any of this catching on are probably lower than peace in the Middle East. But, hey, it's my opinion. I also think that the NL needs the DH...
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CSykes24...or, if you become skilled enough, you play all games equally well (my personal definition of a pro player)...which then gives you the internal "drive", that keeps it from being boring! Those folks are few and far between!
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Gunn Slinger...Not true. The invention of Texas Express rules showed that you could make the game incredibly popular (which it did, with the Texas Express Group running 100+ tournaments a year, all over the country, for several years in row. These tournament averaged 80-100 players every week in almost every town. It's interesting to note that the current world standardized rules still include the main elements of the Texas Express rules.
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
dont put words in my mouth I said no such thing and nothing ever close.
lol. Pretty funny stuff coming from someone who does that very, exact same thing to others.
Lou Figueroa
how does it feel
Lou please point out where I put words in your mouth. Try again. You have defamed me constantly over the years. You called Stan a snake oil salesman or the equivalent.
Stop acting innocent. You are easily one of the biggest instigators on any pool forum.
There is a very big difference in paraphrasing someone and attributing concepts that they never brought up.
Do you deny having called him one or insinuated that Stan is a snake oil salesman? Do you deny all the remarks you have made insulting aiming systems and users with defamatory statements? Look up defamatory if you need to.
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Pro players playing 9 ball is a joke. Even if you made a rule that the break is call shot, it will be who gets the first open shot. The top pros runout because of there position play. Pros should only play15 ball rotation on the 9' table and 10 ball on the 7' box. Nine ball has become like drill to the pros on the box. It's not much harder on the 9'. Johnnyt