9-ball Cut Break - which side do you hit the head ball?

DeadStick

DeadStick

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I've always understood a cut break to mean you hit the head ball on the right side, if your CB is to the right of the headspot, with low right so the CB rebounds off the right side rail and back towards the center of the table... so that you can "create a more angled shot" to increase the chance of sinking the right wing ball in cases of having to stay within a break box.

Recently, however, someone whose opinion I value said that a cut break from the right of the head spot actually hits the left side of the head ball, and rebounds off the left side rail. I have a hard time imagining how this works, and why you wouldn't just set up the CB to the left of the headspot.

Who's right?
 
Conventional wisdom says you're right, but there's no harm in trying another approach. I think I'll try it tomorrow and see what happens.

The Reverse Cut Break.
 
Joe Tucker says to help make the wing ball on a cut break (assuming a tight rack) you want to move the cb to the edge of the break box and then hit that same side of the head ball. IOW to make the right wing ball set the cb at the right edge and hit the right side of the head ball. You're basically trying to recreate the energy transfer to the rack that would come with breaking from the side cushion.

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I didn't think of this when I replied earlier...but you can't line up on the right side of the break box and hit the left side of the one-ball. The most you'll be able to hit is the center-most section of the one-ball...unless you've got a monster masse stroke or kick off the left rail.

I guess you could hit the left side by just skimming the paint off the ball but I doubt you'd drive enough balls to the rail for it to be a legal break.
 
bdorman said:
I didn't think of this when I replied earlier...but you can't line up on the right side of the break box and hit the left side of the one-ball. The most you'll be able to hit is the center-most section of the one-ball...unless you've got a monster masse stroke or kick off the left rail.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Which is why I'm so confused by what this person is telling me.
 
I used the cut break you're talking about in a fairly big money match years ago.
I knew the guy was a rack mechanic, but I had a much bigger edge than
he realized and so I didn't want to start inspecting racks.

I put whitey where you would break for one-pocket, aimed low-ball and
skimmed off the one-ball.....because of his mud rack, the cue-ball was
coming back into lots of balls and I made many balls on the break.

If he gave me a tight rack, it wouldn't have worked so good, because the
balls scatter better.
 
Why do that? You're losing the shot at the highest percentage ball (wing ball), losing control of the cue ball, decreasing power transfer into the rack, and adding the possibility of a scratch in the opposite side pocket as well.
 
The cut break is an attempt to make the head ball in the side pocket. If you're breaking from the right, hit the right side of the head ball with low right English. That will shorten the angle the one ball leaves the pack, the cue ball hits the right hand rail and outside English causes the cue ball to bounce back up towards the middle of the table. Hitting the opposite side of the one will cause you to lose control of the cue ball and not give you a predictable chance to make the one ball.
 
You have it right DeadStick. See Joe Tucker's vids if you haven't yet.

If you break from the side, and hit square, you are causing the 1
to "thin cut" the ball behind it (on your breaking side).
At the same time it's hitting the OTHER ball behind it (the other 2nd-row ball) kind of fat.

The whole idea is to hit a 3-ball chain reaction and a 4-ball chain reaction at nearly the same time,
but the 4-ball chain reaction has to finish first (by just a few milleseconds).

Thin cutting the 3-ball chain is the only way to make that happen, otherwise as you
might expect, the shorter chain would normally finish first.

If you still haven't slowed it down enough (i.e. the wing ball keeps hitting high)
then you cut the 1 ball so its that 2nd-row ball on your side even thinner.
Back-cutting the 1-ball defeats the purpose and hits that ball fatter.
If you make the wing ball back-cutting like this, it means slowing down the chain
reaction wasn't really the problem. You could have started off with a squarer hit.

All of this assumes a perfect rack. Maybe your buddy thinks it works because
at your local pool hall, his favorite table has divots that make the backcut break work every time.
 
I use the 'cut break' whenever I'm not making balls on the side or head-on break. I place the cue-ball, usually a 'hand span' from the head spot and hit 3/4 of a ball on that side of the 1.

I will make balls a lot more, but controlling the cue ball is tough.
 
I have never seen anyone intentionally allow the cueball to slide across the head ball to the opposite side rail that you are breaking from. Really brings the side pocket into play for a scratch.
 
DeadStick said:
I've always understood a cut break to mean you hit the head ball on the right side, if your CB is to the right of the headspot, with low right so the CB rebounds off the right side rail and back towards the center of the table... so that you can "create a more angled shot" to increase the chance of sinking the right wing ball in cases of having to stay within a break box.

Recently, however, someone whose opinion I value said that a cut break from the right of the head spot actually hits the left side of the head ball, and rebounds off the left side rail. I have a hard time imagining how this works, and why you wouldn't just set up the CB to the left of the headspot.

Who's right?
Click to expand...

bdorman said:
Conventional wisdom says you're right, but there's no harm in trying another approach. I think I'll try it tomorrow and see what happens.

The Reverse Cut Break.
Click to expand...

In bowling that's called a Brooklyn. ;)
 
DeadStick said:
... Recently, however, someone whose opinion I value said that a cut break from the right of the head spot actually hits the left side of the head ball, and rebounds off the left side rail. I have a hard time imagining how this works ...
Click to expand...
Ask for a quick demo. If they hit the head ball on the "goofy" side (is Brooklyn goofy?), then they (1) haven't been watching how the pros do it, and/or (2) have pool table lysdexia.
 
I think the answer to this question is there is more than 1 way to accomplish a cut break. If you are trying to make the 1 in the side or a wing ball that is one thing.

But I use a cut break to get the 9 ball moving. Breaking from the left or right side. The cue ball hits the edge of the 1 then the opposite rail ( from where you broke) and the blasts right back into the middle of the rack at the 9 ball. If you hit it perfect the 9 screams in, if slightly off the cue goes 1 rail back to the middle most times.

This was a well known Pro's 9 ball break.
 
while I am certainly not a pro level player,, for the past couple of weeks I have changed the cut break somewhat by jacking up the cue and using just a little low inside and the CB hits the 1 ball head on and jumps up about 6-8 inches off the table and squats in the center of the table while many times making the wing ball along with another 1 or 2 balls. but I make a ball 9 times out of ten and the CB is in center of table. :grin:
 
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