Why not use a 2nd ball break in 1p or 14.1?

M

MuchoBurrito

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I apologize if this is a terribly stupid question, as I know very little about these games. I don't play them, and have only watched a few matches online.

But, if you have a stellar 2nd ball break (like Corey Duel for instance), and can reliably pot the wing ball in the corner pocket, why wouldn't you open a rack this way to start off a match of 14.1 or 1p?

It seems to me like if you made the wing ball, you'd be almost guaranteed to run out. But if you missed, you'd be almost guaranteed to get run out.

So if you can pocket that wing ball say 70% of the time, isn't it the correct play?

Again, I do apologize if this is a dumb question.
 
Even if you can guarantee the wing ball 70% of the time, that means at the professional level you are likely guaranteed to lose 30% of the time. They will either run out on you or get a 30-50 ball lead out of the gate.

Furthermore, making the wing ball 70% of time, you can still scratch or end up with a tough shot or no shot. So ultimately it's better to play the percentages and perfect a controlled break shot.

Corey did initially play a hard break in one pocket and won some matches. But he has since moved to a traditional break shot.
 
Pertaining to 1 pocket: I play by rack your own rules and if you make a ball on the break it's a re rack. That pretty much takes care of that.
 
billiardthought said:
Pertaining to 1 pocket: I play by rack your own rules and if you make a ball on the break it's a re rack. That pretty much takes care of that.
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And as for straight pool there are already at least three standard out-of-a-full-rack shots. The corner ball straight in the corner depends on having either no gaps or exactly the right gaps in the rack.

There is a youtube video of someone in the European 14.1 championships playing the head ball into the side pocket. He hit it thin and relatively softly and got position.
 
Bob Jewett said:
And as for straight pool there are already at least three standard out-of-a-full-rack shots. The corner ball straight in the corner depends on having either no gaps or exactly the right gaps in the rack.

There is a youtube video of someone in the European 14.1 championships playing the head ball into the side pocket. He hit it thin and relatively softly and got position.
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oh yes, here it is, at 1:00 ---> Mario He vs Huidji See (1 7) - EPC2010 Straight Pool QF
 
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Pushout said:
I agree. I don't get not allowing a ball made on the break, it happens very, very seldom, in my experience.
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No one said you have to get it. It's the rules I prefer to gamble by. If we are playing for 20 or 200 a rack, you're going to have to move your way to that payday. The reason one pocket is the greatest game is because you always have your chance at the table to impose your will. It seldom happens yes I agree. I have a friend who practices racking and breaking one pocket more than anyone else I know. He gets very lucky on his breaks.......
 
MuchoBurrito said:
I apologize if this is a terribly stupid question, as I know very little about these games. I don't play them, and have only watched a few matches online.

But, if you have a stellar 2nd ball break (like Corey Duel for instance), and can reliably pot the wing ball in the corner pocket, why wouldn't you open a rack this way to start off a match of 14.1 or 1p?

It seems to me like if you made the wing ball, you'd be almost guaranteed to run out. But if you missed, you'd be almost guaranteed to get run out.

So if you can pocket that wing ball say 70% of the time, isn't it the correct play?

Again, I do apologize if this is a dumb question.
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If you don't know, it's a great question. It's all about percentages. It's no different than a straight in shot. At what point does the distance between the cue ball and object ball and the pocket...make the shot not 100% makeable. As your distance increases your % go down. Introduce more variables, like your example means your outcomes have more going on and more chance of failure. I all my years of seeing the greats play 14.1....even with the larger pockets, the players like Crane/Lassiter/Balsis etc NEVER took a risk, because many in this pool could/would run 125 or 150 and out in one or two innings.
 
My guess is they dont hard break in 14.1 because the only time you would use the full rack of 15 is on the opening break. The rest of the time you are pocketing a ball while opening the rack.
 
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