World Pool Series: Why Add More Randomness to 8-Ball?

I play a small money match every sat, BCA 8 ball race to 7
We are B players so not a lot of break and runs.
Open table if you make a ball on the break is a big advantage because you can select the best layout for what is going to be a multiple inning game.
If your break is working it's hard to lose.

I prefer you are what you make, It takes away the break advantage.

Why should there not be a break advantage? You lagged and won the break, so you have the advantage from winning the lag. You won the last game in winner break, so you get the advantage from winning the last game.

Why not just do alternate breaks if the goal is to negate the break, which WPS already does?

Being forced to take what you make ends up doing what the 3 balls past the headstring rule does, makes an otherwise good break an disadvantage due to the rules. I just watched a match where a player made FOUR stripes, and was hooked behind a solid for his next shot, the only ball he could hit and have even a low % shot at was a cross corner bank from across table. You want any player or yourself to look at the table after a break like that and realize you have to basically hand over the win even though you made 4 balls on the break? That is why I hate the 3 ball past headstring rule, you can easily make 2 balls on the break then because of hitting the points or collisions not send another ball past the line, thus giving up your turn. Same thing for take what you make. Although most of the time you will have a shot, in many cases you may not, or you may be forced into taking a suit that has more issues.

Let's leave punishing success for liberals.
 
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Why should there not be a break advantage? You lagged and won the break, so you have the advantage from winning the lag. You won the last game in winner break, so you get the advantage from winning the last game.

Why not just do alternate breaks if the goal is to negate the break, which WPS already does?

Being forced to take what you make ends up doing what the 3 balls past the headstring rule does, makes an otherwise good break an disadvantage due to the rules. I just watched a match where a player made FOUR stripes, and was hooked behind a solid for his next shot, the only ball he could hit and have even a low % shot at was a cross corner bank from across table. You want any player or yourself to look at the table after a break like that and realize you have to basically hand over the win even though you made 4 balls on the break? That is why I hate the 3 ball past headstring rule, you can easily make 2 balls on the break then because of hitting the points or collisions not send another ball past the line, thus giving up your turn. Same thing for take what you make. Although most of the time you will have a shot, in many cases you may not, or you may be forced into taking a suit that has more issues.

Let's leave punishing success for liberals.

I was thinking the same thing... Couldn't think of the words. Well said especially the last line:thumbup:
 
Screw it all and let's go back to real 8 ball with no stripes or solids.
:smile:
 
It's not "punishing success". It's a rule to make the game more difficult for elite players that would otherwise make it so easy as to be boring. It's to increase the entertainment level. That is something that has sorely been lacking in the pro game over the last 20 years as rule sets have gone more towards fairness and less towards making the game exciting. I'm a big free market conservative, but let's not it get twisted and think these rules have something to do with politics or socialism or something. It has everything to do with making it watchable and attractive to fans which seems to be working based on the results from the Unilad partnership at the last event.
 
A bit flawed reasoning based on what I think is your basic misunderstanding of the history of 8-ball and the games rules.

If 8-ball is "inherently a game of random inequality," what year would you say this inherent quality came about? 1948? 1975? 1986? 2010?

Each of these years would break your theory.
I'm talking about the game that they are currently playing. I can see that you have a lot to offer. I am not intellectually dishonest, so please enlighten me.
 
plus top level pool has become a game of the best breakers winning much of the time.
what has diminished is playing pool and thinking the rack through and outsmarting your opponent.

in 8 ball if you get an open rack it is too big an advantage. in 9 ball if the balls arent good for you, you dont get to shoot at another ball beside the one ball to start so you have an easy run out. so why 8 ball.

when pool had big money in prizes games were strategic and the audience was on edge waiting for mistakes and seeing how his favorite player would accomplish his run.
now the announcer just says easy layout , he should get out from here, and of course the good players mostly do. so why watch routine pool.
 
I think many fail to realize the "best breakers" are not punished anymore then their inferior opponents. As a matter of fact,they may benefit.
 
It's not "punishing success". It's a rule to make the game more difficult for elite players that would otherwise make it so easy as to be boring. It's to increase the entertainment level. That is something that has sorely been lacking in the pro game over the last 20 years as rule sets have gone more towards fairness and less towards making the game exciting. I'm a big free market conservative, but let's not it get twisted and think these rules have something to do with politics or socialism or something. It has everything to do with making it watchable and attractive to fans which seems to be working based on the results from the Unilad partnership at the last event.

I don't see how watching a player not win after a good break would be more entertaining, alternate breaks are fair enough I think. Stop playing pro events on 7 footers, setup real pro events in arenas with pro level equipment (no Kasson tables with rolls and funky pockets that spit out shots for example), 4.5 or 4.25 size pockets, proper ball sets, good lights, flashy colors, nice looking people in the crowd and as side eye candy on the floor. Basically IPT or Mosconi Cup but in a real multi city tour.

Aside from die hard fans, normal people would not care what the breaking rules are, they would not know the difference anyway. I once saw a couple of guys playing 8 ball with half a set of pool balls and half a set of snooker size pool balls. They had no idea half the balls where a lot smaller till I went over to put away the snooker balls and had to explain what they did LOL Does anyone really think they would know what alternate break or winner break means to the game? Or some funky 2.5 balls need to cross the first 2 feet but only if the table is in a tropical zone then 4 balls have to go 2 times around the table and 2 have to go 3 times break rule?
 
plus top level pool has become a game of the best breakers winning much of the time.
what has diminished is playing pool and thinking the rack through and outsmarting your opponent.

in 8 ball if you get an open rack it is too big an advantage. in 9 ball if the balls arent good for you, you dont get to shoot at another ball beside the one ball to start so you have an easy run out. so why 8 ball.

when pool had big money in prizes games were strategic and the audience was on edge waiting for mistakes and seeing how his favorite player would accomplish his run.
now the announcer just says easy layout , he should get out from here, and of course the good players mostly do. so why watch routine pool.

Good playing pool IS routine pool. That is why the good players win, they don't need to do banks and jumps every other shots like most of us dopes LOL I'd rather do something else to make the game not as easy for the pros. 10 ball for example instead of 9 or 8 or Rotation.

You can't get much more boring than watching 14.1, shoot any ball in any pocket. Yet for dozens of years that was the main pro game.

About good breakers winning most of the time, that is true in all games that have a setup done by the other player. Look at tennis, a lot of time games are won off the first few shots after the serve when you have a good server at the line.
 
My solution to this is you have the choice to accept those balls and keep shooting or you pass and your opponent has to shoot and take those balls.

It's either that or a push to tie up balls shot needs to be implemented. Either of those would be fair and likely welcomed additions
 
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