break and run % 9 ball vs 8 ball ( closed break )

L

lorider

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
its been said many times on here that its easier to break and run in 9 ball than it is in 8 ball....especially closed break 8 ball. i have always agreed with that .....however.

the other night i was rummaging all through the house looking for my motorcycle keys. i looked in just about every drawer and cabint in the house....no luck yet.

however while i was looking for my keys i was finding a shit load of apa patches in this or that drawer. i have a cigar box full in the closet so i have just been sticking them where ever .:grin-square: i decided in sticking them all in a shoebox.

i am not really a neat freak but i decided to organize them and found something quite surprising. i have almost twice as many 8 ball break and run patches than i do 9 ball.

i dwelled on that for a little while and i came to the conclusion that the reason for that is becuase my 9 ball break sucks.

my 9 ball break has always sucked except for a 2-3 week period back in the spring. for that short period my break was awesome. 1or 2 ball falling and had a look at the next ball every break.

i was raised to a 6 the week after this streak started. 2 weeks later my break started sucking again. last session i was lowered back to a 5.

that short stint is unexplainable . nothing about my break changed before ...during or after that brief period. same break cue...same tip...same velocity and same location all the time.
 
PoolBum said:
The B&R percentages among pros for 8-ball are significantly higher than they are for 9-ball.
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Really ?

I suppose you could be correct with pros using world standardized rules....open break.

I'm talking apa rules here.

Apa bashers er I mean real poolplayers complain apa rules inhibit better players from making break and runs. Hypothetically open break rules give you twice as many opportunities for b&r's because you have twice as many options as to what suit you pick

He k people on here often talk about them running a 2 or 3 pack in 9 ball but I never hear about it in 9 ball. People claim 9 ball b&r's are too easy nowadays. Never hear them say t about 8 ball
 
I never play closed break 8 ball, so really don't know if it would change my break and runs. In a race to 5 8 ball I will probably break and run 1 time.

In 9 ball it is 1-2 times. This is on bar tables, make it a 9ft and I'm lucky to get 1.
 
Closed break means you have to take the group you made on the break? Which rules call for that?
 
BRussell said:
Closed break means you have to take the group you made on the break? Which rules call for that?
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APA and another local league I play in (Missouri 8) require that.

Personally I think the World Standard Rules should be focused towards the better (pro) players and closed breaks would do just that.

It is humorous to hear the hypocrisy of the "purest people" here whining about soft rules of APA and other leagues, like accidentally touching an object ball not being a foul, yet they are perfectly fine with having a soft rule like open breaks and rack "fixing".

Pro players should always have the hardest and most difficult rules applied to them.
 
cubswin said:
This is on bar tables, make it a 9ft and I'm lucky to get 1.
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So along with less clutter, you have less accuracy on the bigger table?

Statistically speaking there is very little to no difference in the run out % on a 9' over a 7' table.
 
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Skippy27 said:
So along with less clutter, you have less accuracy on the bigger table?

Statistically speaking there is very little to no difference in the run out % on a 9' over a 7' table.
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Limited amount of 9ft tables to play on in my area, so it is rare I get to play on one. Closest one that I know is a hour away, and I don't play much in that room anymore. Get into spots where I have to reach or use a bridge, because I'm not used to playing on them. Forget about playing shape to avoid using the bridge, and don't practice with a bridge at all. Very rarely ever need one on a bar table.

When I used to play on 9ft tables more often I'd of agreed with you about there being little to no difference. Now that I play on one about once a year I will have to disagree.
 
I`m not a pro, but I find that I break and run about twice as often in 8 ball as in 9 ball. The main reason is that I almost always have a shot after the break in 8 ball, not so often in 9 ball.
 
Skippy27 said:
So along with less clutter, you have less accuracy on the bigger table?

Statistically speaking there is very little to no difference in the run out % on a 9' over a 7' table.
Click to expand...

We play league on Pro-Cut Diamond bar boxes. When these guys play on my Gold Crown with the same 4 1/2" pockets (Artemis cushions, modified sub-rails, Simonis 860) their break and run numbers go down quite a bit.
 
Skippy27 said:
So along with less clutter, you have less accuracy on the bigger table?

Statistically speaking there is very little to no difference in the run out % on a 9' over a 7' table.
Click to expand...

According to the stats from Dr. Dave, there was a 5-10% higher break and run rate on the 9 footer vs the 7 footer. I'd say that isn't "little to no difference".....statistically speaking :)
 
With closed break, I'd say higher in 9-ball because it's relatively easy to pocket a ball and play shape on the one. Even pros say (I'm specifically thinking Corey here) that playing closed 8-ball would cause less B&Rs and more safety battles.
 
I regularly play on 7' Diamonds as well as a GC with 4.5's.

My break and run % in 9-ball is substantially higher on the little Diamonds. I attribute this to several things: I find it easier to make the wing ball using a controlled break; my % of shots missed goes down, especially for banks, combos, and caroms; and finally I am less likely to play safe on a barbox - clusters are easier to break up, and your opponent figures to kick/jump more balls in on a BB, so safes just aren't as safe.

Playing 8-ball (I never play closed break, however), my BnR % goes up significantly on the 9 footer. I think the extra real estate seals the deal here - I just don't find myself in nearly as many spots where I have to slot the cueball into a tiny space to come up with a shot. I also think breaking up clusters is far easier on the big table - you have to be so mindful of your speed going into clusters on the barbox, as you can easily separate balls only to have them tie up other balls.

For me the comparison between games is highly dependent on the equipment. Last time I played 8-ball on my GC, I broke and ran 9 of 10 racks (open break), and I don't think I've strung more than 5 or 6 on the box. Conversely, I have produced much bigger 9-ball packages on the barbox than the 9 footer.

Aaron
 
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cubswin said:
When I used to play on 9ft tables more often I'd of agreed with you about there being little to no difference. Now that I play on one about once a year I will have to disagree.
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Disagree with me all you want, but you can't argue with the stats.
 
Shawn Armstrong said:
According to the stats from Dr. Dave, there was a 5-10% higher break and run rate on the 9 footer vs the 7 footer. I'd say that isn't "little to no difference".....statistically speaking :)
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You should have reviewed the link he posted a little closer.
8-Ball
7' - 44%
7' - 52%
9' - 49%
9' - 50%
9' - 54%

All of the 9 ball he had listed were 9' and varied from 16% to 37%.

Statistically speaking of course, it looks to me that 9' had the highest run out percentage by a 3% average.
 
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