A new 9-ball break format

Were you taking any kind of medicine, when this epiphany came to you. Maybe if you just dealt with the 9 Ball Rack, like most of us do & just practiced breaking, so you are ready for the test & see how that comes out. That's what I've been doing for 24 years, my second time around. The first twenty years, I just hit the cue ball as hard as I could, while standing on my tippy toes & hoped for the best. Free advice is still free.
 
PoolIsScience said:
Why change the game? Learn how to break correctly and learn how to map out 3 shots ahead. If you can't break, we don't need to change the game because of it. Why do you think Shane does nothing but breaks for 2 hours at a time?
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If we go back to 1 ball on the spot and a tight rack, anyone can break well. That was the start of the current problem. It began when we started to have mostly tight racks at nine ball, around 1995.
 
Swighey said:
I couldn't agree more. But I'm not sure how this is relevant to a discussion about whether or not the rules of the game, in this case related to the break, should stay the same or not.
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I've stated this several times before, but I think variety in the rules is actually a good thing. I don't see why we need everything in pool to be absolutely 'consistent' or standardized. If we go to that extreme, then we'll need to completely standardize the tables (pick one table manufacturer only), cushions, pocket size, balls, room humidity, etc. for every single tournament. IMO, that will make pool boring.

The main thing is that the rules and conditions are the same for both players involved in a match...which they are. If one tournament allows for a soft break and another tournament does not, then so be it. If one tournament allows a magic rack and another requires a wood rack, then have at it. And God forbid if a tournament wants 10-ball to be call shot.

...and I'd still love to see an 8-ball tournament using 21 balls.
 
sjm said:
Ten ball fixes nothing. The ten-ball break is just as broken. As a game, ten ball is a little harder but will remain less fan friendly as long as it remains call shot with golden breaks don't count. When it's ten-ball last, as it sometimes is, it's even less fan friendly. There is no evidence of any kind that ten ball produces worthier champions than nine ball.

What's needed now is consistency and if the current Matchroom break rule remains unchanged for an entire year, it will be grounds for celebration. The time for tweaking has past. At long last, players need not scramble to find out the break rule that will be in use in the next Matchroom event. That serves the interests of fans and players alike.
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10 ball on the break should count and add the same electricity that a 9 on the break does.
So rare someone makes a 10 on the break compared to a 9.
 
I wouldn't wanna go into a bunch of bars, with this kind of attitude. You won't get to enjoy your evenings... AND if that applied to the other rules too... I think I'll leave my cue home .... & maybe stay home too.
 
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Swighey said:
I couldn't agree more. But I'm not sure how this is relevant to a discussion about whether or not the rules of the game, in this case related to the break, should stay the same or not.
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Basically saying, if we change rules nonstop because a group complains, then another group won't be happy. Everyone thinks this game should benefit them so that's why I said participation trophy. As a high ranked player once told me, "get good bro, or watch from the sides". Best believe I learned how to break real quick.
 
I thought they fixed 9 ball with 10 ball. Personally I think 9 ball is a good game, and it doesn't need fixed in any way.
 
Swighey said:
With the development of the "soft break", rules were changed because a particular break gave a player who had mastered it a huge advantage.
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I've only watched Corey Deuel use it in the finals of the US Open. I don't like that they changed the rules because one guy found an advantage no one else had exploited, but that was a boring match. From a spectator perspective, that took all the entertainment out of the game.

I just watched several of the matches from the World Pool Masters. There were not a lot of break and runs, honestly too few in my opinion. That's just 4 or 5 matches from one event so no conclusions. It's better than a lot of the matches from the 90s when it seemed like nobody ran less than three racks in a row.
 
jsp said:
I've stated this several times before, but I think variety in the rules is actually a good thing. I don't see why we need everything in pool to be absolutely 'consistent' or standardized. If we go to that extreme, then we'll need to completely standardize the tables (pick one table manufacturer only), cushions, pocket size, balls, room humidity, etc. for every single tournament. IMO, that will make pool boring.

The main thing is that the rules and conditions are the same for both players involved in a match...which they are. If one tournament allows for a soft break and another tournament does not, then so be it. If one tournament allows a magic rack and another requires a wood rack, then have at it. And God forbid if a tournament wants 10-ball to be call shot.

...and I'd still love to see an 8-ball tournament using 21 balls.
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I couldn't agree more! No two golf courses are the same. Formula 1 has 23 different tracks, 6 different dry tires, and with the pace of development and customization for each track, they never race the same car twice.

poolnut7879 said:
Winners breaks from wherever cue balls lands after pocketing 9 ball. Case closed.
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I want to see this. If the ball is too close to the rack, you could move it to a mirrored location on the other end of the table, or slide it up past the headstring.
 
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