3 Past The Headstring rule is BS

If this kind of break is what the pros want, then so be it. But then, it should be written down and followed in all tournaments from now on.

What hurts the game is constantly changing the break back and forth. Someone will eventually figure out this break as well and then they'll change it again. Screw that. Who do you want to win the tournament, the guy who runs the balls the best, or the guy who works mostly on figuring out breaks and gap racking?

I honestly think that 9 ball is best played the traditional way. I am a traditionalist a heart when it comes to pool.

HOWEVER, if you insist on changing the game in favor of the better player, how about turning the rack around (the one as the ball in the back of the rack, then make players kick the break? That would surely make the break a skilled shot, no speed requirement except 4 balls reaching the rail. I would make the break kind of soft (because hard breaks would jump off the table), but at the same time would require a very accurate hit. After a while this break would be figured out as well, but I doubt it would ever be as much of a "hanger" as the current one. It would probably also be the end of phenolic tips for breaking etc..
 
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JoeyInCali said:
Johnny Archer must have been the lower level problem then when he popularized the break/jump stick by Mace back then.
SVB plays with hard kamui.
Early used a break cue for a long time .
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If I was Johnny Archer, and sponsored by something, I'd come up with "break shoes", "break caps", break "chalk"...anything that would sell something and make me a dollar.

I use a $50 Players sneaky Pete for breaking and make as many balls as 99% of the A-level players here do with their $400 break cues. I'm 63 years old and some of them are 1/3 my age.

The only reason I use the break cue is because it has a thicker shaft than some of my playing cues. It is the same length and weight as my other cues. It doesn't have a SINGLE ding anywhere on it, except a little finish chip on the butt cap from it falling over or hitting the floor at one time.

If you bang up your cue, while shooting, you aren't doing something properly. I have cues that are as old as I am, with thousands and thousands of games on them and they don't have a single ding anywhere on them.

I started playing pool as a kid and worked in a pool hall for years. I was an A-level player when I was 14. Maybe people need breaking lessons and should quit buying shit until they learn how to hold and use the cue properly.
 
HawaiianEye said:
I agree. The constant rule changes are meant to appease the "losers".

The people who can't break always complain about the break.

The people who don't have a stroke want faster cloth and rails with lots of "bounce".

The people who can't kick want jump cues.

The people who can't break and run packages want alternate break.

Etc.

Etc.

Etc.
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And somehow the best players keep on winning.

Go figure. :wink:
 
BeiberLvr said:
And somehow the best players keep on winning.

Go figure. :wink:
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Are we talking "best" as in "best because they practice 24/7? Or "natural" best?

I can play once a week for a few hours and maintain a better than A-level game. If it takes you 40 hours a week playing to remain at an A-level, who is the better player? How about if I'm 63 and blind and you are 25? I've made more balls than 50% of people have ever even shot a ball.

If I played every day, would I play better?

If so, how well did I shoot when I shot 24/7 for dozens of years?

Who is the "best" is debatable on any given day.
 
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HawaiianEye said:
Are we talking "best" as in "best because they practice 24/7? Or "natural" best?

I can play once a week for a few hours and maintain a better than A-level game. If it takes you 40 hours a week playing to remain at an A-level, who is the better player? How about if I'm 63 and you are 25? I've made more balls than 50% of people have ever even shot a ball.

If I played every day, would I play better?

If so, how well did I shoot when I shot 24/7 for dozens of years?

Who is the "best" is debatable on any given day.
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I'm lucky to play twice a week, and consider myself a strong B. Maybe I could be an A if I played a little more?


To your last statement, true to an extent. There is obviously a group of players that can be considered the best over all others, and the best amongst them will rotate. The level between the very best is so close these days that there can't be a "best player". Long gone are the days of a single dominant player.

My point is that these rule changes aren't being made for the benefit of the weaker players. When's the last time you've seen a bad player win a major event with a field full of top pros?
 
JoeyInCali said:
They're not. Problem with breaking with your cues is, you harden the tip and you will ding your shafts.
A lot of people play with soft tips.
They don't stay soft when you break with it.
And you won't like breaking with soft tips anyway.
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I play with hard tips, Samsara on my Gulyassy Orange Crush. I've always used hard tips. I've never dinged a shaft breaking with any cue. Do/have you??
 
BeiberLvr said:
And somehow the best players keep on winning.

Go figure. :wink:
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I guess you really buy into the sales pitch in the description of this year's US Open 9ball event...."149 of the BEST PLAYERS IN THE WORLD"....right? Do you agree with that or not? Because the way I see it, there's about 129 players that stand no chance in hell of ever winning this event in 10 lifetimes, let alone this year's event.....so, why are they playing in it.....if not just for the chance of checking their game against MAYBE some of the best players in the world, IF they're luck enough to get that draw! Trick rules, trick racks, trick breaks would NEVER be needed if ALL the players were in fact.....the 149 best players in the world.....so, why does the 9 ball in this event have to be changed so much AWAY from what 9 ball is suppose to be played like?....if NOT to slow the REAL Professional players down from just blowing their way through the filler crowd of players. The REAL Pros don't need the gimmicky rules to play, the AMATEURS need the rules changed to have at least a fighting chance against the REAL Pros!
 
realkingcobra said:
I guess you really buy into the sales pitch in the description of this year's US Open 9ball event...."149 of the BEST PLAYERS IN THE WORLD"....right? Do you agree with that or not? Because the way I see it, there's about 129 players that stand no chance in hell of ever winning this event in 10 lifetimes, let alone this year's event.....so, why are they playing in it.....if not just for the chance of checking their game against MAYBE some of the best players in the world, IF they're luck enough to get that draw! Trick rules, trick racks, trick breaks would NEVER be needed if ALL the players were in fact.....the 149 best players in the world.....so, why does the 9 ball in this event have to be changed so much AWAY from what 9 ball is suppose to be played like?....if NOT to slow the REAL Professional players down from just blowing their way through the filler crowd of players. The REAL Pros don't need the gimmicky rules to play, the AMATEURS need the rules changed to have at least a fighting chance against the REAL Pros!
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Great.
Let's cut the US Open roster to 20 players then.
You really think Pat Fleming and the people behind the US Open change the breaking rules so amateurs can win ?
Damn Pat and company! They're catering to the bangers.

When PBT instituted the break box, it must have been to give the bangers chances too.

And this break template must favor the bangers too. And the tight pockets.
 
BeiberLvr said:
I'm lucky to play twice a week, and consider myself a strong B. Maybe I could be an A if I played a little more?


To your last statement, true to an extent. There is obviously a group of players that can be considered the best over all others, and the best amongst them will rotate. The level between the very best is so close these days that there can't be a "best player". Long gone are the days of a single dominant player.

My point is that these rule changes aren't being made for the benefit of the weaker players. When's the last time you've seen a bad player win a major event with a field full of top pros?
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I'm not saying a "bad" player has ever won a major event. However, I've seen tournaments where players of lesser caliber than the elites have won.

A friend of mine, who isn't a pro and who doesn't even play one-pocket, beat Earl in the Derby, in a race to three, and put Earl in the losing bracket.
 
BeiberLvr said:
My point is that these rule changes aren't being made for the benefit of the weaker players. When's the last time you've seen a bad player win a major event with a field full of top pros?
Click to expand...

If the rule changes aren't being made to benefit the weaker players.....then why changes the rules of the game at all, the Pros never had a problem with the rules to 9 ball in the first place! And no, all these rules changes are not going to help an amateur player get past the Pros and win the OPEN, because no matter what the rules are, the Pro is still going to pocket the balls better than ANY amature is....so, WHY ARE THE RULES BEING CHANGED AT ALL.....if not to benefit the weaker players in the first place.....in order to make them feel like they have a better fighting chance to win....so they'll continue to pay that ever needed entry fee!!!!
 
JoeyInCali said:
Great.
Let's cut the US Open roster to 20 players then.
You really think Pat Fleming and the people behind the US Open change the breaking rules so amateurs can win ?
Damn Pat and company! They're catering to the bangers.

When PBT instituted the break box, it must have been to give the bangers chances too.

And this break template must favor the bangers too. And the tight pockets.
Click to expand...

If all them rule changes were NOT to benefit the lesser skilled players....then why not.just group Pros ONLY in events of their own....no amateurs allowed, and play under the normal rules!
 
realkingcobra said:
If all them rule changes were NOT to benefit the lesser skilled players....then why not.just group Pros ONLY in events of their own....no amateurs allowed, and play under the normal rules!
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Why don't you talk to Pat Fleming ?
Go watch the Dennis vs SVB finals video of a Hard Times tournament .
Dennis pattern racked SVB and SVB had no prayer .

This is called the US OPEN.
OPEN. Go find the meaning of that word.

Normal rule ?
Do u even have a clue how many times they've changed the 9-ball rules?
 
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It took a racking AID for Cory to expose the flaws in a perfect rack, Cory never had a soft break before the Sardo rack AID. Get rid of ALL RACKING AIDS and go back to the triangle racked by hand, with human error....and you just solved all the problems with making the 1 ball on the break every game.

PS, pattern racking don't work either when the balls are racked without a racking AID!!!
 
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realkingcobra said:
It took a racking AID for Cory to expose the flaws in a perfect rack, Cory never had a soft break before the Sardo rack AID. Get rid of ALL RACKING AIDS and go back to the triangle racked by hand, with human error....and you just solved all the problems with making the 1 ball on the break every game.

PS, pattern racking don't work either when the balls are racked without a racking AID!!!
Click to expand...

Corey can't beat SVB with a triangle either.
 
HawaiianEye said:
If I was Johnny Archer, and sponsored by something, I'd come up with "break shoes", "break caps", break "chalk"...anything that would sell something and make me a dollar.

I use a $50 Players sneaky Pete for breaking and make as many balls as 99% of the A-level players here do with their $400 break cues. I'm 63 years old and some of them are 1/3 my age.

The only reason I use the break cue is because it has a thicker shaft than some of my playing cues. It is the same length and weight as my other cues. It doesn't have a SINGLE ding anywhere on it, except a little finish chip on the butt cap from it falling over or hitting the floor at one time.

If you bang up your cue, while shooting, you aren't doing something properly. I have cues that are as old as I am, with thousands and thousands of games on them and they don't have a single ding anywhere on them.

I started playing pool as a kid and worked in a pool hall for years. I was an A-level player when I was 14. Maybe people need breaking lessons and should quit buying shit until they learn how to hold and use the cue properly.
Click to expand...
Guess what?
SVB is using a break cue. lol
 
Johnnyt said:
They want to take the luck out of 9 ball...I get it. Make it no 9 anywhere on the break counts as win. I don't know how many games and matches were lost because the UNLUCKY player had balls on the kissed from going over the line. These guys travel with $1000 in their hand from all over the world. Not fair losing because of not enough balls go in or past a line. I can't see where that rule is fan friendly either. The MR, 9 on spot, 2 ball in back of rack, very small break box, and no soft breaks would do a better job. Of course doing away with 9 ball altogether and play 10 ball or 15 ball rotation would be even better. Johnnyt
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Well for a 50k payday it's not supposed to be easy , all sports bar none have a element of luck attached to it , yet somehow getting to the end many of the usual suspects are there at the end funny how that works

1
 
realkingcobra said:
It took a racking AID for Cory to expose the flaws in a perfect rack, Cory never had a soft break before the Sardo rack AID. Get rid of ALL RACKING AIDS and go back to the triangle racked by hand, with human error....and you just solved all the problems with making the 1 ball on the break every game.

PS, pattern racking don't work either when the balls are racked without a racking AID!!!
Click to expand...

LOL do you honestly believe for one second Cory can't rack by hand and get a desired result

1
 
one stroke said:
LOL do you honestly believe for one second Cory can't rack by hand and get a desired result

1
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No, not on broke in cloth! When the cloth gets broke in it changes everything, the balls start sitting in little divits in the cloth, a few of the balls just won't stay frozen to the others....and the break becomes more luck rather than the 1 in the side on the break. The magic rack being used keeps the balls from sitting in those little divits, and keeps the balls frozen together....which give the breaker once again a predictable shot on the break. Why do you think almost everyone running tournaments today are using a rack AID? If you want to know what's wrong with 9 ball, just look at how much the rules have been changed, how much the cloth has changed, the pockets have changed.....all them changes are not always for the best.
 
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