Here are some aggregate break statistics from the 2023 Alfa Las Vegas Open 10-Ball event played February 22-26 at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Law Vegas. Streaming was free on Billiard TV and on YouTube. This was the first of the 5 events planned for this year's CSI/Predator US Pro Billiard Series. The main commentators were Jim Wych, George Teyechea, Tim De Ruyter and Mark White. Wiktor Zielinski won the event, defeating Sanjin Pehlivanovic in the final match, thereby successfully defending the title he won in this event last year.
186 players entered this event out of 192 available slots, but about 10 entrants apparently were no-shows, making it 176 players. The format was double-elimination down to 64 players (32 on the winners' side and 32 on the one-loss side). A random draw then matched one player from each side against each other, with single-elimination play from that point to the conclusion. In the double-elimination portion, each match was two races to 4. If the same player won both races, he won the match. If the two races to 4 were split, a shootout determined the winner. In the single-elimination portion, each match was the best two out of three races to 4, with a shootout determining the winner of the the third set (and, therefore, of the match) if that set was tied at hill/hill (3-3).
The 15 matches (236 games) I tracked were all from the single-elimination portion of the event -- the last 64 players -- and were streamed on the two feature tables (Tables 1 and 2). Only 4 of these 15 matches ended with a shootout. These 15 matches represented 24% of the total of 63 matches played in the single-elimination portion of the event.
The conditions for the streamed matches included:
The 15 tracked matches (236 games) were as follows.
Friday, February 24, 2023 (all from the Last 64 round)
Sat. Feb. 25
Sun. Feb. 26
Overall results
Breaker won the game:
Break-and-run games on all breaks:
Break-and-run games on successful breaks (made at least one ball and did not foul):
Here's a breakdown of the 236 games (for match winners and losers combined).
Break-and-run games -- The 36 break-and-run games represented 15% of all 236 games, 31% of the 116 games won by the breaker, and 31% of the 118 games in which the break was successful (made a ball and didn't foul).
The 36 break-and-run games consisted of 5 2-packs (2 by Zieliinski and 1 each by Yapp, Makkonen, and Van Boening), and 26 singles. No one in these 15 matches broke and ran more than 2 games in a row.
One match contained 5 B&Rs, two matches had 4, 5 matches had 3, 2 matches had 2, 4 matches had 1, and 1 match had no B&Rs.
10-Balls on the break -- 1 (0.4% of the 236 breaks); it was spotted.
Minutes per Game -- The average for all 236 games was 6.4 minutes per game. The elapsed time for each match was measured from the lag until the winning ball was made in the last game played (i.e., shootouts not included), so it includes time for racking and commercial beaks. These breaks, about one minute for some and two minutes for others, often occurred after every two or three games and between races. The match highest in average minutes per game, at 8.3, was Pehlivanovic d. Wu Kun Lin. The match lowest in average minutes per game, at 5.2, was Van Boening d. Juszczyszyn.,
The average elapsed time for the 4 shootouts in these 15 matches (excluding the commercial breaks that preceded some of them) was about 5.6 minutes, or about 44 seconds per shot for the 30 shots taken in those shootouts.
186 players entered this event out of 192 available slots, but about 10 entrants apparently were no-shows, making it 176 players. The format was double-elimination down to 64 players (32 on the winners' side and 32 on the one-loss side). A random draw then matched one player from each side against each other, with single-elimination play from that point to the conclusion. In the double-elimination portion, each match was two races to 4. If the same player won both races, he won the match. If the two races to 4 were split, a shootout determined the winner. In the single-elimination portion, each match was the best two out of three races to 4, with a shootout determining the winner of the the third set (and, therefore, of the match) if that set was tied at hill/hill (3-3).
The 15 matches (236 games) I tracked were all from the single-elimination portion of the event -- the last 64 players -- and were streamed on the two feature tables (Tables 1 and 2). Only 4 of these 15 matches ended with a shootout. These 15 matches represented 24% of the total of 63 matches played in the single-elimination portion of the event.
The conditions for the streamed matches included:
- Predator Apex 9-foot table (4¼" corner pockets);
- Predator Arcadia Reserve Tournament Blue cloth;
- Predator Arcos II balls, including a black-triangles cue ball;
- Predator Arena lights;
- referee racks using a Predator Aerorack triangle rack, with the 1-ball on the spot (2-ball and 3-ball need not be on the back corners);
- winner breaks from anywhere behind the head string;
- call shots (but not safes), with the opponent having a choice of shooting or passing it back after a ball is pocketed illegally;
- early combinations or caroms on the 10-ball, if called, are game winners;
- a 10-ball made in any pocket on a break is spotted (not a game win);
- jump cues allowed;
- foul on all balls;
- 3-foul rule in effect (occurred once);
- 30-second shot clock (60 seconds after the break and after a push out) with one 30-second extension allowed per player per game; and
- lag for opening break.
The 15 tracked matches (236 games) were as follows.
Friday, February 24, 2023 (all from the Last 64 round)
1. Shane Van Boening defeated Jeremy Seaman 4-0, 3-4, 3-3, shootout
2. Joshua Filler d. Jeffrey DeLuna 4-2, 1-4, 4-2
3. Tyler Styer d. Alex Pagulayan 4-3, 3-4, 3-3, shootout
4. Petri Makkonen d. Aloysius Yapp 2-4, 4-1, 4-0
Sat. Feb. 25
5. Van Boening d. Eklent Kaçi 4-2, 4-0 (Last 32)
6. Ko Pin Yi d. Fedor Gorst 3-4, 4-2, 4-2 (Last 32)
7. Van Boening d. Konrad Juszczyszyn 3-4, 4-0, 4-2 (Last 16)
8. Chang Jung-Lin d. Filler 4-3, 0-4, 3-3, shootout (Last 16)
9. Bader Alawadhi d. Mika Immonen 4-1, 4-1 (Last 16)
10. Sanjin Pehlivanovic d. Wu Kun Lin 4-2, 1-4, 4-2 (Last 16)
11. Duong Quoc Hoang d. Van Boening 1-4, 4-1, 4-2 (Quarterfinal)
12. Wiktor Zielinski d. Chang JL 4-2, 4-2 (Quarterfinal)
Sun. Feb. 26
13. Zielinski d. Hoang 4-3, 1-4, 3-3, shootout (Semifinal)
14. Pehlivanovic d. Daniel Maciol 3-4, 4-2, 4-2 (Semifinal)
15. Zielinski d. Pehlivanovic 4-3, 4-1 (Final)
Overall results
Successful breaks (made at least one ball and did not foul):
Match winners -- 52% (67 of 129)
Match losers -- 48% (51 of 107)
Total -- 50% (118 of 236)
Breaker won the game:
Match winners -- 57% (73 of 129)
Match losers -- 40% (43 of 107)
Total -- 49% (116 of 236)
Break-and-run games on all breaks:
Match winners -- 19% (24 of 129)
Match losers -- 11% (12 of 107)
Total -- 15% (36 of 236)
Break-and-run games on successful breaks (made at least one ball and did not foul):
Match winners -- 36% (24 of 67)
Match losers -- 24% (12 of 51)
Total -- 31% (36 of 118)
Here's a breakdown of the 236 games (for match winners and losers combined).
Breaker made at least one ball and did not foul:
Breaker won the game: 72 (31% of the 236 games)
Breaker lost the game: 46 (19%)
Breaker fouled on the break:
Breaker won the game: 0 (0%)
Breaker lost the game: 8 (3%)
Breaker broke dry (without fouling):
Breaker won the game: 44 (19%)
Breaker lost the game: 66 (28%)
Therefore, whereas the breaker won 49% (116 of 236) of all games,
He won 61% (72 of 118) of the games in which the break was successful (made at least one ball and did not foul).
He won 37% (44 of 118) of the games in which the break was unsuccessful (fouled or dry).
Break-and-run games -- The 36 break-and-run games represented 15% of all 236 games, 31% of the 116 games won by the breaker, and 31% of the 118 games in which the break was successful (made a ball and didn't foul).
The 36 break-and-run games consisted of 5 2-packs (2 by Zieliinski and 1 each by Yapp, Makkonen, and Van Boening), and 26 singles. No one in these 15 matches broke and ran more than 2 games in a row.
One match contained 5 B&Rs, two matches had 4, 5 matches had 3, 2 matches had 2, 4 matches had 1, and 1 match had no B&Rs.
10-Balls on the break -- 1 (0.4% of the 236 breaks); it was spotted.
Minutes per Game -- The average for all 236 games was 6.4 minutes per game. The elapsed time for each match was measured from the lag until the winning ball was made in the last game played (i.e., shootouts not included), so it includes time for racking and commercial beaks. These breaks, about one minute for some and two minutes for others, often occurred after every two or three games and between races. The match highest in average minutes per game, at 8.3, was Pehlivanovic d. Wu Kun Lin. The match lowest in average minutes per game, at 5.2, was Van Boening d. Juszczyszyn.,
The average elapsed time for the 4 shootouts in these 15 matches (excluding the commercial breaks that preceded some of them) was about 5.6 minutes, or about 44 seconds per shot for the 30 shots taken in those shootouts.
