9-Ball needs to be fixed

Rack them with the 1 ball as a wing ball, rotate the rack 90 degrees so that the one is on the spot and the “diamond” is running east to west instead of north to south
 
bradsh98 said:
Personally, I'd find far more enjoyment in watching an alternate break format, with both players breaking and running all the way to hill-hill.
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The pros (who have always been split on this) appear to be leaning pretty close to "going back" to alternate breaks over winner breaks.
 
wrldpro said:
I gave an interview concerning this along with Billy Incardona in November at the International and we both agreed.
Why was the break changed to putting the 9- ball on the spot for breaking? Simple answer is the wing ball or 3rd ball in the rack was going in on the break shot 90% of the time. So now most tournaments the correction is to put the 9 ball on the spot instead of the 1 ball. The problem is the 1 ball goes in the side pocket over 90% of the time and players are almost able to play position on the 2 ball and if they don’t have a pocket for the 2 ball then most of the time they have a very good safety to play.
Next issue is a template rack. If the 9 ball is gonna be on the spot for the break get rid of the template and use a rack or if there has to be a template use an Outsville template that gives variance to how the balls separate from the rack area. I see Predator events using a rack instead of a template and the 1 ball only goes in the side pocket on the break about 30%.
Last option which I like the best is ban the cut break and make players hit the rack square from a break box. This is what me and Billy agreed upon.
The game shouldn’t be decided by a dead ball on the break or the break itself.
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This discussion about 9 ball being a broken game is over 2 decades old at this point. It is what it is 🤷🏻‍♂️.
 
Saw this picture on Reddit earlier.

This is the position of the cue ball and 2 ball for every rack from the SVB/Gorst match overlaid on top of each other. Obviously the 1 ball isn’t shown on this graphic but even if you assume it was made 100% of the time, this graphic shows that players aren't making the 1 ball and controlling the cue ball / 2 ball off of the break like the OP stated in the first post.
1783963734921.png
 
DieselPete said:
Yeah, I'd also like to hear what issue people have with 10-ball last, given that it is a favorite game of top players when they are in action matches.
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It eliminates some of the most entertaining shots in the game as well as some of the most thoughtful. Combos and caroms on the money ball, especially when played two ways, represent the highest height of tactical brilliance and the fans love the instant-win shots. The fans also find money ball on the break to be exciting, but WPA 10ball rules take it away.

Ten ball last is an example of when event producers willingly sacrifice the entertainment value of the pro pool product to pander to some pros who like to complain about "that time when ..."
 
sjm said:
It eliminates some of the most entertaining shots in the game as well as some of the most thoughtful. Combos and caroms on the money ball, especially when played two ways, represent the highest height of tactical brilliance and the fans love the instant-win shots. The fans also find money ball on the break to be exciting, but WPA 10ball rules take it away.

Ten ball last is an example of when event producers willingly sacrifice the entertainment value of the pro pool product to pander to some pros who like to complain about "that time when ..."
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That's a fair answer.

It also explains why top players favor it when they gamble, I suppose. They want to increase the skill required to win, decrease the luck (or perception of luck) and, most importantly, they have no need to be entertaining. That's one of their lowest priorities.
 
skor said:
Not only that.
If someone will actually have the chance to try this break under the same conditions with 4 inch pockets and new cloth and balls, they will find that it is very hard to find the right spot of contact and speed.
And in many times there is no shot on the 2 ball when the 1 is made.
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The club I play out of is 4 inch pockets and has break boxes. I found I could pot the 1 fairly consistently when I put the cue ball towards the edge of break box, but I had the issue you said about no shot on the 2 as I'd always end up with the cue ball near the bottom of the table which pretty much guaranteed there was an object ball blocking my shot on the 2. Moved the cue ball more towards the centre and can now get it to land more near the centre of the table after the break which gives me more chance of getting a shot on the 2, problem is now I hardly ever pot the 1. It really is tricky to master.
 
Scrunge19 said:
Saw this picture on Reddit earlier.

This is the position of the cue ball and 2 ball for every rack from the SVB/Gorst match overlaid on top of each other. Obviously the 1 ball isn’t shown on this graphic but even if you assume it was made 100% of the time, this graphic shows that players aren't making the 1 ball and controlling the cue ball / 2 ball off of the break like the OP stated in the first post.
View attachment 916930
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that's really interesting, but it can't be every rack as there are only 25 cue balls there? Was it maybe every Fedor break from the first day?
 
wrldpro said:
I gave an interview concerning this along with Billy Incardona in November at the International and we both agreed.
Why was the break changed to putting the 9- ball on the spot for breaking? Simple answer is the wing ball or 3rd ball in the rack was going in on the break shot 90% of the time. So now most tournaments the correction is to put the 9 ball on the spot instead of the 1 ball. The problem is the 1 ball goes in the side pocket over 90% of the time and players are almost able to play position on the 2 ball and if they don’t have a pocket for the 2 ball then most of the time they have a very good safety to play.
Next issue is a template rack. If the 9 ball is gonna be on the spot for the break get rid of the template and use a rack or if there has to be a template use an Outsville template that gives variance to how the balls separate from the rack area. I see Predator events using a rack instead of a template and the 1 ball only goes in the side pocket on the break about 30%.
Last option which I like the best is ban the cut break and make players hit the rack square from a break box. This is what me and Billy agreed upon.
The game shouldn’t be decided by a dead ball on the break or the break itself.
Click to expand...
Put balls in a 5 gallon bucket and pour em out on the table.

The game of 9 ball is entirely too easy for top players.
 
sjm said:
It eliminates some of the most entertaining shots in the game as well as some of the most thoughtful. Combos and caroms on the money ball, especially when played two ways, represent the highest height of tactical brilliance and the fans love the instant-win shots. The fans also find money ball on the break to be exciting, but WPA 10ball rules take it away.

Ten ball last is an example of when event producers willingly sacrifice the entertainment value of the pro pool product to pander to some pros who like to complain about "that time when ..."
Click to expand...

In modern 9 ball, I don't see many players go for exciting/risky caroms or banka on the 9, you mostly see it when it's a safe option that an APA 3 could make.

Plus, ten ball last adds another potential tactical layer ; you can still legally shoot at it but have to play position to get yourself on the lowest numbered ball afterwards.
 
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