Break Stats -- 2019 World Pool Masters 9-Ball, March 2019

[AtLarge]

Here are some aggregate break statistics from the 2019 World Pool Masters event played March 29-31, 2019 at Tercentenary Hall, Victoria Stadium, in Gibraltar. This was an invitational 24-player, single-elimination 9-Ball event produced by Matchroom Sport and streamed free in the USA on Facebook. David Alcaide won the tournament, defeating Alex Kazakis in the final match.

Conditions -- The conditions for this event included:

• Rasson Victory II 9-foot table with blue Simonis cloth;​

• Aramith Tournament balls with a measles cue ball;​

• triangle rack;​

• referee racks with the 1-ball on the spot (except the 9-ball was racked on the spot in Match 1);​

• winner breaks from anywhere behind the head string;​

• jump cues allowed;​

• foul on all balls;​

• 30-second shot clock (60 sec. after the break), with one 30-sec. extension per player per rack; and​

• all slop counts.​

The 23 matches (247 games) in this tournament were as follows (listed in the order in which they were played). The stats are for all of these matches.

Fri. March 29

1. Alex Pagulayan defeated Wu Jiaqing 7-4​

2. Fedor Gorst d. Naoyuki Oi 7-2​

3. Albin Ouschan d. Jeffrey De Luna 7-2​

4. David Alcaide d. Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz 7-3​

5. Eklent Kaçi d. Earl Strickland 7-2​

6. Shane Van Boening d. Kelly Fisher 7-2​

7. Justin Sajich d. Petri Makkonen 7-4​

8. Matt Edwards d. Chris Melling 7-3​

Sat. March 30

9. Alcaide d. Niels Feijen 7-3​

10. Van Boening d. Han Yu 7-6​

11. Pagulayan d. Ko Pin-Yi 7-6​

12. Alex Kazakis d. Sajich 7-3​

13. Kaçi d. Jayson Shaw 7-2​

14. Edwards d. Konrad Juszczyszyn 7-6​

15. Ouschan d. Joshua Filler 7-6​

16. Skyler Woodward d. Gorst 7-4​

Sun., March 31

17. Alcaide d. Van Boening 7-3 (Quarterfinal)​

18. Kaçi d. Pagulayan 7-5 (Quarterfinal)​

19. Kazakis d. Edwards 7-1 (Quarterfinal)​

20. Woodward d. Ouschan 7-3 (Quarterfinal)​

21. Alcaide d. Kaçi 8-3 (Semifinal)​

22. Kazakis d. Woodward 8-1 (Semifinal)​

23. Alcaide d. Kazakis 9-8 (Finals)​

Overall results

■ Successful breaks (made at least one ball and did not foul) -- 80% (121 of 152) for match winners, 77% (73 of 95) for match losers, and 79% (194 of 247) in total​

​

■ Breaker won the game -- 73% (111 of 152) for match winners, 43% (41 of 95) for match losers, and 62% (152 of 247) in total​

​

■ Break-and-run games -- 37% (56 of 152) for match winners, 18% (17 of 95) for match losers, and 30% (73 of 247) in total​

Here's a breakdown of the 247 games (for match winners and losers combined).

Breaker made at least one ball and did not foul:​

Breaker won the game: 129 (52% of the 247 games)​

Breaker lost the game: 65 (26%)​

​

Breaker fouled on the break:​

Breaker won the game: 2 (1%)​

Breaker lost the game: 4 (2%)​

​

Breaker broke dry (without fouling):​

Breaker won the game: 21 (9%)​

Breaker lost the game: 26 (11%)​

​

Therefore, whereas the breaker won 62% (152 of 247) of all games,​

• He/she won 66% (129 of 194) of the games in which he/she made at least one ball on the break and did not foul.​

• He/she won 33% (2 of 6) of the games in which he/she fouled on the break.​

• He/she won 45% (21 of 47) of the games in which he/she broke dry but did not foul.​

• He/she won 43% (23 of 53) of the games in which he/she either fouled on the break or broke dry without fouling.​

Break-and-run games -- The 73 break-and-run games represented 30% of all 247 games, 48% of the 152 games won by the breaker, and 38% of the 194 games in which the break was successful (made a ball and didn't foul).

The 73 break-and-run games consisted of 1 four-pack (by Kaçi), 3 three-packs (2 by Kazakis and 1 by Woodward), 11 two-packs, and 38 singles.

9-Balls on the break -- The 73 break-and-run games included 2 9-balls on the break (0.8% of all breaks).

 

[AtLarge]

Miscellany from the data for the 2019 World Pool Masters 9-Ball event:

• The most balls made on a single break was 4, done just once, by Ouschan; he ran out from the break.

• The average number of balls made on the break was 1.3 (this includes dry and fouled breaks). On successful breaks (made at least one ball and did not foul), the average was 1.6.

• 51% (125 of 247) of the games ended in one inning – 30% (73) won by the breaker (B&R) and 21% (52) won by the non-breaker. Thirteen percent (32 of 247) of the games lasted more than 3 innings.

• 36% (89 of 247) of the games were run out by the player who was at the table following the break. These run-outs were:

- By the breaker after successful breaks (B&R games) – 38% (73 of 194)​

- By the non-breaker after fouls on the break – 67% (4 of 6)​

- By the non-breaker after dry breaks – 26% (12 of 47)​

• The player who made the first ball after the break:

- Won the game in that same inning 64% of the time (157 of 245)​

- Won the game in a later inning 14% of the time (35 of 245)​

- Lost the game 22% of the time (53 of 245)​

[Note -- total games used here are 245 rather than 247 to eliminate the 2 games in which no ball was made after the break.]​

• The loser won an average of 3.5 games in the 20 races to 7 (excludes semifinal and final matches). Five matches went to hill/hill, including the final match; two matches finished with just one game for the loser.

• The average elapsed time for the 20 races to 7 was 70 minutes, averaging 6.6 minutes per game. Adding in the races to 8 and 9 as well as those to 7, the average minutes per game was 6.8. The elapsed time was measured from the lag until the winning ball was made (or conceded), so it includes time for racking and commercial breaks. Commercial breaks were significant in these matches, generally occurring after every 3 games in a match, and lasting about 3 minutes each.

• Excluding the final race to 9, the match that was both longest in elapsed time, at 106 minutes, and highest in average minutes per game, at 8.2, was Van Boening d. Han 7-6.

• The match that was both shortest in elapsed time, at about 49 minutes, and lowest in average minutes per game, at 5.5, was Van Boening d. Fisher 7-2.

• Breaking fouls averaged 1 for every 41.2 games, other fouls 1 for every 5.1 games, and missed shots about 1 for every 2.0 games. Breaking fouls were extremely low in this event.

• About 42% of the games involved one or more safeties.

 

[AtLarge]

Let's compare some results from this year's event with those from last year. The conditions were essentially the same for the two years.

Successful breaks (made at least one ball and did not foul):
2019 -- 79% (194 of 247)
2018 -- 60% (108 of 181)

Breaker won the game:
2019 -- 62% (152 of 247)
2018 -- 56% (102 of 181)

Break-and-run games, on all breaks:
2019 -- 30% (73 of 247)
2018 -- 24% (43 of 181)

Break-and-run games, on successful breaks:
2019 -- 38% (73 of 194)
2018 -- 40% (43 of 108)

Runouts by the player at the table following the break:
2019 -- 36% (89 of 247)
2018 -- 36% (66 of 181)

Games won by the player at the table following the break:
2019 -- 64% (159 of 247)
2018 -- 57% (103 of 181)

Games ending in one inning (by B&R or on non-breaker's first visit):
2019 -- 51% (125 of 247)
2018 -- 45% (82 of 181)

Approx. % of games involving safeties:
2019 -- 42%
2018 -- 43%

Average number of balls made on all breaks and on successful breaks:
2019 -- 1.3, 1.6
2018 -- 0.9, 1.5

Average number of minutes per game:
2019 -- 6.8
2018 -- 6.1

 

[skip100]

Successful breaks (made at least one ball and did not foul):

2019 -- 79% (194 of 247)


Interesting - the first few matches I watched seemed to have a lot of dry breaks. They obviously figured out the table.

 

[pt109]

Successful breaks (made at least one ball and did not foul):

2019 -- 79% (194 of 247)


Interesting - the first few matches I watched seemed to have a lot of dry breaks. They obviously figured out the table.

The first match with Alex and Wu......their breaks were the most unsuccessful....
...the 9-ball was being racked on the spot.
..this convinced me that pro tourneys should be racked 9-ball on the spot.
The wing ball looked like a hanger when the 1-ball was racked on the spot.

 

[AtLarge]

Successful breaks (made at least one ball and did not foul):

2019 -- 79% (194 of 247)


Interesting - the first few matches I watched seemed to have a lot of dry breaks. They obviously figured out the table.

Yes, breaking results in the Friday afternoon session were drastically different from those thereafter.

Successful break percentages (made at least one ball and did not foul) and wet break percentages (includes wet but fouled breaks) -- separated by a comma:

■ By session of play

Fri. afternoon (Matches 1-4) -- 38% (15 of 39), same
Fri. evening (Matches 5-8) -- 77% (30 of 39), 82% (32 of 39)
Sat. afternoon (Matches 9-12) -- 93% (43 of 46), same
Sat. evening (Matches 13-16) -- 87% (40 of 46), 91% (42 of 46)
Sun. afternoon (Matches 17-20) -- 88% (35 of 40), same
Sun. evening (Matches 21-23) -- 84% (31 of 37), 89% (33 of 37)
Total -- 79% (194 of 247), 81% (200 of 247)​

■ By referee

Rees (9 matches) -- 81% (83 of 102), 83% (85 of 102)
Walker (7 matches) -- 80% (57 of 71), 82% (58 of 71)
Rusko (7 matches) -- 73% (54 of 74), 77% (57 of 74)
Total -- 79% (194 of 247), 81% (200 of 247)​

Notes:
- I am not sure of the spelling of the female referee's last name.
- Rees mistakenly racked the 9-ball on the spot in the first match, but the breaking results (4 of 11 successful breaks) were consistent with the others in that session.

 

[AtLarge]

The first match with Alex and Wu......their breaks were the most unsuccessful....
...the 9-ball was being racked on the spot.
..this convinced me that pro tourneys should be racked 9-ball on the spot.
The wing ball looked like a hanger when the 1-ball was racked on the spot.

Successful breaks by match on Friday afternoon:
Match 1 -- 4 of 11
Match 2 -- 2 of 9
Match 3 -- 5 of 9
Match 4 -- 4 of 10

 

[AtLarge]

... pro tourneys should be racked 9-ball on the spot.
The wing ball looked like a hanger when the 1-ball was racked on the spot.

Yes, if the 1-ball is on the spot and they are allowed to break from the side, the successful break rate can be ridiculously high, especially if a breaking template is used.

But even with the 9-ball racked on the spot, successful breaks can be quite high. At this year's DCC (template, 9 on spot), the successful-break rate was 69% for the streamed matches.

Edit: 76% at the 2016 Mosconi Cup (triangle rack, 9 on spot)

 

[skogstokig]

■ By referee

• Rees (9 matches) -- 81% (83 of 102), 83% (85 of 102)
  Walker (7 matches) -- 80% (57 of 71), 82% (58 of 71)
  Rusko (7 matches) -- 73% (54 of 74), 77% (57 of 74)
  Total -- 79% (194 of 247), 81% (200 of 247)

that was a factor, yes.. or rusko was, rather.

the case could be made for templates here. but triangle racking by ref is second best because even if there will be slug racks, atleast they are impartial. and it is more aesthetic for the tv viewers

 

[pt109]

Successful breaks by match on Friday afternoon:
Match 1 -- 4 of 11
Match 2 -- 2 of 9
Match 3 -- 5 of 9
Match 4 -- 4 of 10

Been a while since I played in a real tournament....it’s coming back now.
First day on new cloth, I used to break close to center...at 80% speed....
...as the cloth broke in, I’d keep moving whitey closer to a side rail...and hit harder.

 

[RichSchultz]

Here are some aggregate break statistics from the 2019 World Pool Masters event played March 29-31, 2019 at Tercentenary Hall, Victoria Stadium, in Gibraltar. This was an invitational 24-player, single-elimination 9-Ball event produced by Matchroom Sport and streamed free in the USA on Facebook. David Alcaide won the tournament, defeating Alex Kazakis in the final match.

Conditions -- The conditions for this event included:

• • Rasson Victory II 9-foot table with blue Simonis cloth;
  • Aramith Tournament balls with a measles cue ball;
  • triangle rack;
  • referee racks with the 1-ball on the spot (except the 9-ball was racked on the spot in Match 1);
  • winner breaks from anywhere behind the head string;
  • jump cues allowed;
  • foul on all balls;
  • 30-second shot clock (60 sec. after the break), with one 30-sec. extension per player per rack; and
  • all slop counts.

The 23 matches (247 games) in this tournament were as follows (listed in the order in which they were played). The stats are for all of these matches.

Fri. March 29

• 1. Alex Pagulayan defeated Wu Jiaqing 7-4
  2. Fedor Gorst d. Naoyuki Oi 7-2
  3. Albin Ouschan d. Jeffrey De Luna 7-2
  4. David Alcaide d. Francisco Sanchez-Ruiz 7-3
  5. Eklent Kaçi d. Earl Strickland 7-2
  6. Shane Van Boening d. Kelly Fisher 7-2
  7. Justin Sajich d. Petri Makkonen 7-4
  8. Matt Edwards d. Chris Melling 7-3

Sat. March 30

• 9. Alcaide d. Niels Feijen 7-3
  10. Van Boening d. Han Yu 7-6
  11. Pagulayan d. Ko Pin-Yi 7-6
  12. Alex Kazakis d. Sajich 7-3
  13. Kaçi d. Jayson Shaw 7-2
  14. Edwards d. Konrad Juszczyszyn 7-6
  15. Ouschan d. Joshua Filler 7-6
  16. Skyler Woodward d. Gorst 7-4

Sun., March 31

• 17. Alcaide d. Van Boening 7-3 (Quarterfinal)
  18. Kaçi d. Pagulayan 7-5 (Quarterfinal)
  19. Kazakis d. Edwards 7-1 (Quarterfinal)
  20. Woodward d. Ouschan 7-3 (Quarterfinal)
  21. Alcaide d. Kaçi 8-3 (Semifinal)
  22. Kazakis d. Woodward 8-1 (Semifinal)
  23. Alcaide d. Kazakis 9-8 (Finals)

Overall results
■ Successful breaks (made at least one ball and did not foul) -- 80% (121 of 152) for match winners, 77% (73 of 95) for match losers, and 79% (194 of 247) in total

■ Breaker won the game -- 73% (111 of 152) for match winners, 43% (41 of 95) for match losers, and 62% (152 of 247) in total

■ Break-and-run games -- 37% (56 of 152) for match winners, 18% (17 of 95) for match losers, and 30% (73 of 247) in total

Here's a breakdown of the 247 games (for match winners and losers combined).

Breaker made at least one ball and did not foul:

• Breaker won the game: 129 (52% of the 247 games)
  Breaker lost the game: 65 (26%)

Breaker fouled on the break:

• Breaker won the game: 2 (1%)
  Breaker lost the game: 4 (2%)

Breaker broke dry (without fouling):

• Breaker won the game: 21 (9%)
  Breaker lost the game: 26 (11%)

Therefore, whereas the breaker won 62% (152 of 247) of all games,

• • He won 66% (129 of 194) of the games in which he made at least one ball on the break and did not foul.
  • He won 33% (2 of 6) of the games in which he fouled on the break.
  • He won 45% (21 of 47) of the games in which he broke dry but did not foul.
  • He won 43% (23 of 53) of the games in which he either fouled on the break or broke dry without fouling.

Break-and-run games -- The 73 break-and-run games represented 30% of all 247 games, 48% of the 152 games won by the breaker, and 38% of the 194 games in which the break was successful (made a ball and didn't foul).

The 73 break-and-run games consisted of 1 four-pack (by Kaçi), 3 three-packs (2 by Kazakis and 1 by Woodward), 11 two-packs, and 38 singles.

9-Balls on the break -- The 73 break-and-run games included 2 9-balls on the break (0.8% of all breaks).

or she...han yu packed a great break

 

[AtLarge]

or she...han yu packed a great break

Thanks, I changed "he" in post #1 to "he/she."

Speaking of Han Yu's breaks, she was successful on all 7 of her breaks but never had a shot after the break. She pushed once (and played safe when Shane returned it), played safe 5 times, and fouled on a safety attempt the other time. Still, she managed to win 4 of those 7 games.