break and run: 8 and 9-ball
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I couldn't give you a ratio or nothing but 8 ball break and run is significantly harder than 9 ball. With a good break 9 ball becomes a much easier game. First it's hard to break 15 balls up, then you have at the most 7 of your opponents balls to get in your way. much more fun in my opinion 
I don't know which is harder because they are so different.
In 9 ball break and run, it gets easier as you go along because there a fewer balls in the way and fewer balls on the table to begin with. On the other hand, you do not have the choice of an alternative shot of you get out of line.
In 8 ball, the runout gets harder as you progress through the rack with fewer choices and more opportunities to get hooked by your opponents balls.
For me, neither is easy, but I'm not sure which is less easy.
In 9 ball break and run, it gets easier as you go along because there a fewer balls in the way and fewer balls on the table to begin with. On the other hand, you do not have the choice of an alternative shot of you get out of line.
In 8 ball, the runout gets harder as you progress through the rack with fewer choices and more opportunities to get hooked by your opponents balls.
For me, neither is easy, but I'm not sure which is less easy.
Well lets see, tonight I played in my APA8ball league. And the first game of my match, I broke and ran out lol. I took solids because i made 2 + 1 stripe ball. But the solids was alot easier, when I looked at the layout, and took my first shot.
But the rest of the games, I didnt have a BNR. Yet I still ended up winning my match 5-1.
Now in 9ball, sometimes I'll go few days without having a BNR lol. But I also dont gamble. And only practice playing the 9ball ghost, and I'll play 9ball in tournaments too.
But in 8ball when I first started playing APA8ball, It took me about 10 or so matches before I got my first BNR. But since then, I'll rack up one 8ball BNR in league about every 3rd match I play.
I also play in a weekly call pocket 8ball tournament, and get atleast 1 BNR in the tournament.
But the rest of the games, I didnt have a BNR. Yet I still ended up winning my match 5-1.
Now in 9ball, sometimes I'll go few days without having a BNR lol. But I also dont gamble. And only practice playing the 9ball ghost, and I'll play 9ball in tournaments too.
But in 8ball when I first started playing APA8ball, It took me about 10 or so matches before I got my first BNR. But since then, I'll rack up one 8ball BNR in league about every 3rd match I play.
I also play in a weekly call pocket 8ball tournament, and get atleast 1 BNR in the tournament.
hmmm now that my playing is evolving from day to day ( I seem to be playing better and better with each passing day..I hope its not gonna stop) I can get a few BnR in 9 ball during a night but I never got to 3 BnR in a row, 2 is my highest. For 8 ball, I find it harder sometimes because of so many obstacles but then again I can't do more than 2 BnR consecutively.
I don't play much 8-ball though
I don't play much 8-ball though
Pro stats indicate 9-ball B&R is about 30% while the IPT 8-Ball was around 40%. Bar box 8-Ball B&R is probably higher for pros.
The biggest difference is the break. Getting a ball on the break is significantly easier in 9-ball. Especially with tapped balls as used in Europe, where I suspect B&R is closer to 40%.
After a ball has been pocketed on the break, the pros go out in 9-ball about 40% and in 8-ball around 55-60% from IPT stats. Significantly lower than most people estimated before the events. With generous pockets this figure would climb.
For the average Joe, I think they are far more likely to make an 8-Ball B&R than they are to do so in 9-Ball (Not including 9s on combos).
That said, I think 8-ball requires a wider range of skills and more thinking than 9-ball to play very well. But the ease of winning always depends on the quality of the opponent. So there are no easy games.
Colin
The biggest difference is the break. Getting a ball on the break is significantly easier in 9-ball. Especially with tapped balls as used in Europe, where I suspect B&R is closer to 40%.
After a ball has been pocketed on the break, the pros go out in 9-ball about 40% and in 8-ball around 55-60% from IPT stats. Significantly lower than most people estimated before the events. With generous pockets this figure would climb.
For the average Joe, I think they are far more likely to make an 8-Ball B&R than they are to do so in 9-Ball (Not including 9s on combos).
That said, I think 8-ball requires a wider range of skills and more thinking than 9-ball to play very well. But the ease of winning always depends on the quality of the opponent. So there are no easy games.
Colin
I have always found 8 ball much easier to run out. Many people say 8 ball is harder because you have choices, but I think that makes it easier. I could pick out a run using a lot of stop shots long before I had the english skills to make the cue ball run around the table in 9 ball. However, racks of 8 ball have the possibility of being more complicated than racks of 9 ball. There are usually more clusters. If everything is opened up well, it is easier to run 8 ball than 9 ball, imho.
Colin Colenso said:
Where did you get this statistic for the IPT? They have B&R out of games won and B&R out of games played, and for both the average is nowhere near 40%. Check out this link: http://www.internationalpooltour.co...06_wo_8ball_open/statistics.asp?OB=BRG&O=DESC
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!!!!!!!!!!
My high run in 9 ball is one rack jumped the table on break on second rack. My high run in 8 ball is also one rack. I have many more break an runs in 8 ball but I either miss or hook myself. My favorite game is one pocket my high run is 5 balls but that is my favorite game. I love the strategy of one pocket its like I'm a brain surgeon involved in a difficult operation.
Pinocchio
My high run in 9 ball is one rack jumped the table on break on second rack. My high run in 8 ball is also one rack. I have many more break an runs in 8 ball but I either miss or hook myself. My favorite game is one pocket my high run is 5 balls but that is my favorite game. I love the strategy of one pocket its like I'm a brain surgeon involved in a difficult operation.
Pinocchio
with a really good break either.. If your break is weak, Id say 9 ball, because like someone said, its easier to pocket a ball. This is also what seperates the Pro's from the Joe's ,I find when I get a break like Efren my run out percentage is High, when I break like a Joe, its not only low, its basicaly non exsistant.
The racks also play a big role, its fairly easy for whom ever is racking to give you a $**t rack, and thats never good.
SPINDOKTOR
The racks also play a big role, its fairly easy for whom ever is racking to give you a $**t rack, and thats never good.
SPINDOKTOR
Well, 8-ball has a lot more traffic, especially at the beginning of the run. Then again, during the beginning stage when you're navigating through 14 or 15 balls and breaking up clusters, you have options and "insurance balls", and the luxury of being able to play position on multiple balls at once and then plan based on which ball you fell best on.
9-ball has fewer clusters, but breaking them up is often much more challenging to accomplish, because you have to play position on one specific ball while shooting your break-out shot, and playing accurate position while bumping balls is exceedingly difficult. Furthermore, if you botch position in 9-ball, there's no possibility of lucking out by falling well on a different ball. You have to shoot the low one, no matter what kind of look you left yourself.
Defense is generally easier in 9-ball, but not always. You only have one ball to hide your opponent from, but then again, that ball is the one you have to hit on the safety shot, meaning most safeties have to involve some speed to separate the OB and CB. This is in contrast to many (most?) 8-ball safeties, where you tap a solid to stay behind it, blocking any shot on the stripes, or maybe shoot a stop-shot, not having to be super careful about where the OB goes because it's not the ball you're hiding them from.
And then there's the break. If you break in 8-ball, sink two solids and a stripe, and get a good spread, your out is likely to be significantly easier than a 9-ball run where you've sunk two balls and gotten a good spread. This is because in that 8-ball run-out, someone with good pattern play probably never has to move the CB much, whereas the low-ball rule in 9-ball means you're probably going back and forth from one end of the table to the other from shot to shot at some point in the run.
On the contrary, if you break weaker and get a little less spread and maybe only make one ball, the 9-ball rack might only have one cluster, whereas the 8-ball rack will have several and the run-out will become next to impossible.
So I think 9-ball break and runs are always a little tough to fairly tough, whereas 8-ball break and runs can be super easy or almost impossible depending on the layout. I think only compiled statistics can really tell the tale as to which one is "easier on average".
-Andrew
9-ball has fewer clusters, but breaking them up is often much more challenging to accomplish, because you have to play position on one specific ball while shooting your break-out shot, and playing accurate position while bumping balls is exceedingly difficult. Furthermore, if you botch position in 9-ball, there's no possibility of lucking out by falling well on a different ball. You have to shoot the low one, no matter what kind of look you left yourself.
Defense is generally easier in 9-ball, but not always. You only have one ball to hide your opponent from, but then again, that ball is the one you have to hit on the safety shot, meaning most safeties have to involve some speed to separate the OB and CB. This is in contrast to many (most?) 8-ball safeties, where you tap a solid to stay behind it, blocking any shot on the stripes, or maybe shoot a stop-shot, not having to be super careful about where the OB goes because it's not the ball you're hiding them from.
And then there's the break. If you break in 8-ball, sink two solids and a stripe, and get a good spread, your out is likely to be significantly easier than a 9-ball run where you've sunk two balls and gotten a good spread. This is because in that 8-ball run-out, someone with good pattern play probably never has to move the CB much, whereas the low-ball rule in 9-ball means you're probably going back and forth from one end of the table to the other from shot to shot at some point in the run.
On the contrary, if you break weaker and get a little less spread and maybe only make one ball, the 9-ball rack might only have one cluster, whereas the 8-ball rack will have several and the run-out will become next to impossible.
So I think 9-ball break and runs are always a little tough to fairly tough, whereas 8-ball break and runs can be super easy or almost impossible depending on the layout. I think only compiled statistics can really tell the tale as to which one is "easier on average".
-Andrew
Takumi4G63 said:
Well, it was winner breaks and lag for 1st break, so it's pretty safe to assume that the no. of games won is very close to the number of breaks made by each player.
Colin
I can't begin to count the number of times I've made a ball, but had no reasonable shot on the one, in 9-ball. This eliminates the BNR chances much more often than in 8-ball, assuming you make a ball on the break. However making a ball on the break is perhaps more difficult in 8-ball.
Over all I think 8-ball is easier to BNR. Bangers with no sense of positional play can run out racks once in a while, but rarely if ever can fluke position all the way through a 9-ball rack.
Over all I think 8-ball is easier to BNR. Bangers with no sense of positional play can run out racks once in a while, but rarely if ever can fluke position all the way through a 9-ball rack.