8-Ball on a bar table is getting to look almost ridiculously easy for really good players. It can't be just using rack templates as the second link below they are using a plastic rack. I think the use of Diamond 7' tables has a lot to do with it as pros can now play in multiple tournaments on consistent tables with rails and pockets setup the same way as the the 9' tables they play on in other big events. But it also has to be a question of them focusing their skills on where the money is, just like with the rise of Chinese 8 Ball on the international scene.
For example see this Shane Van Boening vs Josh Roberts match from 2016:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAYDqD25GgU
They are using the Magic Rack and playing BCA rules (rack yourself, call pocket, open table, alternating break, no restrictions on break position) Every single game out of the 15 played was a break and run except the one game where Roberts makes 4 balls but scratched on the break. Even if he hadn't scratched and run that rack out he could have easily ended up losing 9-8 just because he lost the lag given the quality of play from Van Boening.
I noted in that match that Roberts was using a classic alternating rack pattern (One stripe behind the solid head ball, two stripes on the bottom row, the rest alternating) whereas Van Boening was putting 4 solids on the fourth row and 4 stripes on the 5th row every time. Most of their spreads looked similar but there were one or two of Van Boening's with big ugly clusters from that 4/5th row set in the rack area.
It may be just me but when he is running out his 9th rack on the hill Van Boening looked like maybe the pressure of this achievement was getting to him just a bit. His stroke started to look just a little glitch towards the end of his run, although he still got out of course.
There's also this race to 30 with Earl Strickland where with the score tied at 22-22 Van Boening runs an 8 and out. I love how Strickland starts checked the racks Van Boening is giving himself, but note Van Boening also did this in his match with Roberts:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dee4fgxEC68
It seems figuring out the break is the most critical part of their game (Jay Helfert comments on this) and on a bar table the rest is just cake for them. Given they are checking each others racks it seems even the masters are eager to learn a trick or two from their opponent if they can.