Bad Beat----The Golden Break

Island Drive

Island Drive

Otto/Dads College Roommate/Cleveland Browns
Silver Member
For all you pros and TD's running major events consider this.

Many of us have been beaten in this manner, and it takes your heart out especially if you've come back from nowhere and your now hill/hill.... Also, I feel winning in this manner diminishes the greatness of our sport.

If you make the 9 on the break ANYWHERE leave it down, NOW the 8 becomes Game Ball.

Make the 10 on the break, the 9 becomes Game Ball.

It'll also inadvertently speed up some matches.
 
That would be like taking away an ace, hole in one, hail mary, last second shot from half/full court.

The problem is, golden breaks happen more often.

Solution...just make it harder to get. Which pocket(s) does the 9 go in the least? Make it only count there. All other pockets, it gets spotted.
 
For one of their matches, Mosconi played Fats call pocket for EVERYTHING, including the break. It was very strange...sink 2 balls on the break, spot both of them, and keep shooting. :)

Personally, I'd like to see the 9 spotted if you make it off the break. 9 ball is inherently a game where a little bit of luck and slop count, though I think it actually takes a lot of skill to capitalize on it. It's no mistake that great players seem to get lucky rolls all the time. They play their shots at the proper speeds and with the correct position so that they have a decent chance of getting lucky if something goes wrong. But it does seem like sinking the 9 on the break is just pure slop and luck, and it should probably just officially go away for good. It's also very hard to do with a good, tight rack. It's usually only going to have a real chance with a sloppy rack, and it's stupid that a bad rack should somehow lead to an instant win.
 
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All I can say is....drive 1,000 miles + hotel etc. costs and come back from the grave and your tied 10-10 and your opponent breaks the 9 in, that will never feel fair.
 
ChopStick said:
It all evens out in the end. There will be times when you will do it to someone else.
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Bill;

I think I have to agree with Chop on this one.

The golden break is also, imo, part of the excitement of the game.

I wouldn't be averse, however, to taking the bottom 2 corner pockets out in 10b and spotting if the 10 goes in either of them on the break, as they do in some tourneys.

And, as Chop says, these tend to even out over time.

best,
brian kc
 
I understand, but...,

Island Drive said:
All I can say is....drive 1,000 miles + hotel etc. costs and come back from the grave and your tied 10-10 and your opponent breaks the 9 in, that will never feel fair.
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So would you get rid of alternate break?
 
Corwyn_8 said:
How is two people feeling something is unfair, better than only one?

Thank you kindly.
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I know your comment was aimed at Chop but I will add my take on your question.

The rules are set in advance and we all have the option to play or pass on the tourney. Once you sign up then you're basically agreeing to the rules in place.

It may not feel good having the scenario happen to you that Bill paints in his op but you knew going in it was a possibility.

I don't see it as any better or worse than playing 9b at hill-hill and having someone luck in the 8b that otherwise would have given you the match, but again, that was the rule so you just have to unscrew, shake hands, and look forward to your next chance.

all imo, of course. :)

best,
brian kc
 
What if a guy makes one on the snap, gets out of line and shits in the game ball? You gonna whine then too? Are you going to make a provision where the 9 doesn't count at double-hill? If you want to stop the luck factor play 10ball.
 
Kickin' Chicken said:
I know your comment was aimed at Chop but I will add my take on your question.

The rules are set in advance and we all have the option to play or pass on the tourney. Once you sign up then you're basically agreeing to the rules in place.

It may not feel good having the scenario happen to you that Bill paints in his op but you knew going in it was a possibility.

I don't see it as any better or worse than playing 9b at hill-hill and having someone luck in the 8b that otherwise would have given you the match, but again, that was the rule so you just have to unscrew, shake hands, and look forward to your next chance.

all imo, of course. :)

best,
brian kc
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I agree with this that there's nothing inherently "unfair" about it. Everyone plays by the same rules. If you're hill-hill, and someone sinks the 9 on the break, it's ultimately still your fault for not playing better and getting in that situation in the first place.

But I'd personally still like to see it re-spotted simply because it's really not supposed to go anywhere with an actual, tight rack. It usually only goes when the rack is sloppy. Maybe if everyone used template racks, it just wouldn't even be an issue anymore.
 
Whenever you make rules to take the bad luck out of it for the players, you're also taking the excitement out of it for spectators. We should be focusing on making pool more interesting to watch so outside money comes in.
 
Back in my college days, my roommate and I used to play a little 9 ball at Prescott's one pool hall. Nice little place with a bunch of 9 ft tables.

Anyway, we were playing a race to 11, and he jumped out to a 6-1 lead. I had the break after my first win and proceed to drop the 9 on the snap five times in the next 6 games. I had never had a run like that before, and haven't come close since. It was just rolling in for me (and he was racking).

I don't remember many matches from my past, but that one obviously stands out.

I think changing the 9 ball break to not be a win would detract from the excitement of the game.
 
With a tight rack you can make that nine move. I was playing a match a couple of weeks ago where my opponent was a master of this break. I know how to rack and know the racks were tight. In the first game the nine rattled in the corner that is how fast it moved toward the pocket, he ended three fouling me on the one ball. Game two he breaks the nine. Game three the nine misses the corner by an inch, after a he takes a flyer on the one nine combo and leaves me safe, one nine for the win. Fourth rack, nine misses the corner by an inch he ended up leaving me a carom off of the three for the win. Score was three to one with maybe six balls being made, all with tight racks. I actually had to turn to rack mechanics to stop this BS. He broke the nine in the final rack of the set, after I again gave him a nice tight rack. Who the heck enjoys playing a set of nine ball fading a nine sitting in the corner the whole time. That is not fun at all.
 
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erhino41 said:
With a tight rack you can make that nine move. I was playing a match a couple of weeks ago where my opponent was a master of this break. I know how to rack and know the racks were tight. In the first game the nine rattled in the corner that is how fast it moved toward the pocket, he ended three fouling me on the one ball. Game two he breaks the nine. Game three the nine misses the corner by an inch, after a he takes a flyer on the one nine combo and leaves me safe, one nine for the win. Fourth rack, nine misses the corner by an inch he m is the the leaving me a carom for the win. Score was three to one with maybe six balls being made, ask with right racks. I actually had to turn to rack mechanics to stop this BS. He broke the nine in the final rack of the set, after I again gave him a nice tight rack.
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Just so you see it, here's what it looks like when everything is really frozen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BMNnL_WJR8

That's not to say the 9 never goes in - sometimes another ball knocks into it. You usually don't see the 9 ball rocket into a corner, though. I'm sure your racks are good, but they're not frozen. Play your opponent with a template rack. He won't sink one 9 ball the entire match.
 
ChopStick said:
It all evens out in the end. There will be times when you will do it to someone else.
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Agreed. I think it should stay. Sure it's shitty to lose like that and sometimes it's shitty to win like that, but it adds excitement.

Take this away and then what after that, take away 1-9 combos?
 
john coloccia said:
Play your opponent with a template rack. He won't sink one 9 ball the entire match.
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You're right, he will just snap the wing ball and play shape on the 1 every rack.

Templates are good for practice, but that's it IMO.
 
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