9ball break

ddeuce said:
What's weird is that some nights at the bar, I'm killing it. Other days like last night, I might make a ball elsewhere, but not the wing ball. I remember seeing a video somewhere saying what to change, but I can't find it now and can't remember.

I'll experiment more on my table without the magic rack. On my table, when the wing ball doesn't go in, the ball pattern is different than the 7ft table. I don't get a lot of opportunity to practice on the 7ft table, so I'm not sure how I'm going to fix it. I asked a really advanced player last night, and he had no real advice. He said don't worry about it basically, and then I watched him dry break a bunch in his games.
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Learning the break is all good, but if you arent a strong runout player playing other strong runout players it won't decide sets too often.

As you become a better player, making a ball and having a shot after the break on the 1 is paramount. You can keep anybody in their chair. Make up a 3 game deficit and they don't even shoot. All these take serious dedicated effort. Having a table home can be a big help....unless you don't mind living in a pool hall.
 
Bob Jewett said:
The rules have a single infinitesimal point as the spot. It is not the area of some protective sticker. Not all players follow that rule. Templates make it easy to follow the rule.

On a related point, the official rules now place the nine on the foot spot for the nine ball rack.
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Who's official rules? Or, which, rather? What makes it official?
 
8cree said:
Who's official rules? Or, which, rather? What makes it official?
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They're the rules used by both the WNT and the WPA which includes the Eurotour. I'm pretty sure CSI plays by the point spot rule. A PDF is available on the WPA website.

What written set of rules says to use the full size of the spot sticker (if one is present)?
 
Watchin' Yapp break I was impressed.
His cue ball hit the long rail approx 1.5 diamonds below the side pocket with a draw sidespin.... as the cb came back off that severe angle towards the other long rail, the spin killed/allowing the cue to no longer track upward towards the side pocket scratch.
 
Bob Jewett said:
They're the rules used by both the WNT and the WPA which includes the Eurotour. I'm pretty sure CSI plays by the point spot rule. A PDF is available on the WPA website.

What written set of rules says to use the full size of the spot sticker (if one is present)?
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Thanks
 
T
SBC said:
Learning the break is all good, but if you arent a strong runout player playing other strong runout players it won't decide sets too often.

As you become a better player, making a ball and having a shot after the break on the 1 is paramount. You can keep anybody in their chair. Make up a 3 game deficit and they don't even shoot. All these take serious dedicated effort. Having a table home can be a big help....unless you don't mind living in a pool hall.
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I'm playing APA as a skill level 4. When my break is working, that really adds up. Win the last few points, break, knock in one or two more and get a shot on the one? I don't have to run out. That string of shots is a big confidence booster and it shifts the momentum. I lost a round in an APA doubles tournament. One of the other players was killing us on the break over an over. I really want to get better at it.
 
I'll keep practicing. Thanks for the comments. Now I'll practice without the magic rack. That comes closer to matching what I see on the 7ft tables, but it's still very different. It seems more random. Seems like the wing ball gets hit. Sometimes it goes into the end rail, some times high, some times tangled up with the ball behind it on the way to the pocket, sometimes on a rail straight to the pocket. On the 7ft, it seems much more consistent, hard, soft, moving the cue ball towards the center. Seems to always hit exactly at the same point on the side rail. I haven't figured it out.
 
ddeuce said:
T

I'm playing APA as a skill level 4. When my break is working, that really adds up. Win the last few points, break, knock in one or two more and get a shot on the one? I don't have to run out. That string of shots is a big confidence booster and it shifts the momentum. I lost a round in an APA doubles tournament. One of the other players was killing us on the break over an over. I really want to get better at it.
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I suppose sure since you are playing who makes the most balls.
If you are only scoring by who makes the money ball, the break is not much of a factor because there aren't a lot of run out players in APA.....though I know each area has their 7s that are heros.


What would help you more would be practicing playing safe and kicking....so you are controlling the table and getting more ball in hand situations than your opponents. Have to know your abilities and when to play safe if you are likely to miss or not keep the run going.
 
Its still worthwhile to practice with the magic rack, because you can see what moving the cb left or right a bit, or hitting harder or softer does, etc. It's so repeatable that you can actually learn that stuff. If you tried to learn that with the triangle rack, you wouldn't know if it was a change in technique, or a different gap in the rack, that resulted in different results.

It will all still apply to the triangle rack, just not as consistently.

Funny, I was gambling on a 9' GC3 a few nights ago. The balls were centennials, and must have been as old as the table. (40 plus years). The rack and balls were completely worn. There was not a chance in hell of getting an even remotely tight gap. About every other ball had a big gap. Well, wouldn't you know it, both me and my opponent were making several balls on the break, and breaking them wide open with no clusters. It was almost shocking.
 
with ball in hand and no pushout on the break, it is a disadvantage to break for most players.

challenge me if you like, but you are wrong.
 
Long ago and far away, 😉 well when Diamond 7 foot tables first arrived in my hometown, I found a 9 ball break that on occasion made the 9 ball in the side. Using a template rack and setting the cueball 2 inches off center and hit it square so that whitey comes straight back about 6 inches. The rear ball rebounds off the foot rail and returns to hit the 9 which stays unmoved till that contact. I found that the rear ball came back and moved the 9 ball towards the side or even the .corner. it wasn't a sure thing but when I played John Schmidt in a race to 2 nine ball tournament, it was worth a try .....and it worked. Making the 9 in the side on the snap was a fun way to open the match. 🤷‍♂️ As he repacked, I got "the look". Was that pure luck? Or did he know that break. Was how I interpreted the look. 🤷‍♂️ I knew it only worked on occasion but short cuts are my favorite strategy, especially against a stronger player.
 
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