Back from the Dead
Which Open 9 Ball Tournament is the most prestigious, the most sought after title, draws the toughest competition, the hardest to win, the Holy Grail of all things 9 Ball?
U.S Open, China Open, World 9 Ball, International 9 Ball, etc.?
To me, an older player now....who finished 17-24 twice in the early 90's, here's my thoughts.
The format, the payout, rules, the full monty have to be looked at if you want to know ''which game is the best''.
Playing in the Open is like playing in a PGA event the first two dayz NON STOP....Just to Get In....THE US OPEN 9 BALL takes
THREE DAYZ ,
trying to make the cut.
With the winner break format and large packages, it's the true ''animal'' that works and makes this rotation game Fast/Loose/and Exciting....Winner now gets Paid Dbl from yrs past. 60K
Back in those days, an expression I used more than once in a good way. ''Assume the Position''. ''Your rackin''.
One thing I've learned about winner break play is this. When your doing All the racking/losing "(racktice)", what's your ONLY job? Make sure he doesn't make a ball, and if he does....which balls went in, and where were they within the rack? Then next rack, put then in a different order. Orcullo last yr. started smiling....when Niels b&r a 6 pack after the lag. Then he won 1, and lost the next two and started Laughing out loud. he's only down 8-1.
In winner breaks, I've seen Great players come back from the dead more than one time (Buddy Hall).
This format, when you've got a HUGE lead and someone comes back and beats you, is one of the best moments in this sport. This format offers that. No different that a PGA golfer getting hot and getting 9 birdies in a row, it can and DOES happen. It's different seeing a player win and loose in this manner than any other format....it puts the GAME back in the GAME. Alt break can become boring compared to this format.