Here's how to "stop" the corner ball, rack a 6 ball rack and put the other three balls directly behind the middle ball, problem solved. I found the soft break with the ball going 90% while watching the finals BORING.
Corner Ball Every Time-New 9-ball Configuration
- Thread starter Island Drive
- Start date
Island Drive said:
That would be extremely tedious to rack it seems.
cuetechasaurus said:
In line and frozen behind the 9 is easy to do.
Why not make the players play blindfolded. That would be exciting. 14.1 used to have the softest break in the world. Brush the corner ball and try and make two balls go out of the stack and back in while the cueball floats up table to land on the end rail. You know what? In the USA during a 14.1 tournament back in "the day" the daily results of the top players used to be front page news.
Snooker has a soft break and they play for more money and have more of a following than pool does. I can't imagine much more boring than watching a snooker match yet it still draws great ratings and it's stars are national figures.
The fact is - Ronnie brought it all to win this - he figured out a break that worked for him and stuck with it. Kudos to him - if you were bored then that's your problem. I personally was waiting to see if he was going to be able to keep coming up with a shot using that break and he did. That was the exciting part of watching him use it. So different stroke for different folks I guess. I enjoyed the Ronnie show.
Snooker has a soft break and they play for more money and have more of a following than pool does. I can't imagine much more boring than watching a snooker match yet it still draws great ratings and it's stars are national figures.
The fact is - Ronnie brought it all to win this - he figured out a break that worked for him and stuck with it. Kudos to him - if you were bored then that's your problem. I personally was waiting to see if he was going to be able to keep coming up with a shot using that break and he did. That was the exciting part of watching him use it. So different stroke for different folks I guess. I enjoyed the Ronnie show.
Wait I have another idea to spice up the game. have the balls dumped onto the table with a bucket overhead so the layout is completly random - spin the player around three times - give them ball in hand and tell them they have thirty seconds to run the rack out. That ought to keep us on the edge of our seats. The first player who vomits forfeits the set.
Actually this sounds like a really fun way to play - I might see if I can gt any of my friends to try this as a drinking game.
Bummer for those of you who were bored. I was kept engaged because I felt the pressure on Alcano and Souquet.
Actually this sounds like a really fun way to play - I might see if I can gt any of my friends to try this as a drinking game.
Bummer for those of you who were bored. I was kept engaged because I felt the pressure on Alcano and Souquet.
And make the players drink a 7oz beer before each new rack is broken.Roadie said:Wait I have another idea to spice up the game. have the balls dumped onto the table with a bucket overhead so the layout is completly random - spin the player around three times - give them ball in hand and tell them they have thirty seconds to run the rack out. That ought to keep us on the edge of our seats. The first player who vomits forfeits the set.
Actually this sounds like a really fun way to play - I might see if I can gt any of my friends to try this as a drinking game.
Bummer for those of you who were bored. I was kept engaged because I felt the pressure on Alcano and Souquet.
Roadie said:
If you think the corner ball going in "every" time is acceptable that's your 'opinion' and so be it. I could care less about soft or hard break. I'm talking about seeing that ball go like a combination 'almost' EVERY break. 10 ball configuration has been accepted by allot of pros to address this wing ball issue. OK then rack a 6 ball rack with one more on each corner and freeze the ninth ball behind the nine. All I'm after is a dead wing ball sucks. I'm sorry I made any mention of the soft break, that was not my point.
Last edited:
We know who'll win it all then.bandido said:
I like 10-ball.
While we're at it, spot the fouled ball or shoot as it lays.
Fair enough, I guess I got caught up in the soft break debate and didn't read the part about the wing ball going every time.
The break is such mysterious thing. I think it takes tremendous talent to make the wing ball every time. Figuring out the break is one of the toughest things a pro has to do. Be it nine ball, ten ball, one pocket or straight pool, the break is key. In over 30 years of playing I have not reached the level where I can make the wing ball or the one ball in the side consistently even with a perfect rack each game. The professionals should not be punished because they have figured out the break and are consistent at it.
That's like changing the rules of Tennis just because a player comes along who has perfected the serve.
Tennis however brings up another issue. Perhaps it wouldbe better if the pros played on different equipment at each venue. Slow cloth, fast cloth, tight pockets, loose pockets, different balls, and so on. That would throw a wrinkle in things and show which players perform better under differeing conditions. Just like Tennis and Golf where the rules and the game is the same all over the world but the conditions are different. That might be the solution rather than changing the rules or the game all the time. It would also open the sport up to someone other than Brunswick, Simonis, and Aramith. Give the manufacturers a chance to compete for the rights to outfit the tournaments (which they probably already do to a degree) and give the players a consistent tour where the game and the rules stay the same and all they have to fade is learning the table. And the crowd if they are in Manila
The break is such mysterious thing. I think it takes tremendous talent to make the wing ball every time. Figuring out the break is one of the toughest things a pro has to do. Be it nine ball, ten ball, one pocket or straight pool, the break is key. In over 30 years of playing I have not reached the level where I can make the wing ball or the one ball in the side consistently even with a perfect rack each game. The professionals should not be punished because they have figured out the break and are consistent at it.
That's like changing the rules of Tennis just because a player comes along who has perfected the serve.
Tennis however brings up another issue. Perhaps it wouldbe better if the pros played on different equipment at each venue. Slow cloth, fast cloth, tight pockets, loose pockets, different balls, and so on. That would throw a wrinkle in things and show which players perform better under differeing conditions. Just like Tennis and Golf where the rules and the game is the same all over the world but the conditions are different. That might be the solution rather than changing the rules or the game all the time. It would also open the sport up to someone other than Brunswick, Simonis, and Aramith. Give the manufacturers a chance to compete for the rights to outfit the tournaments (which they probably already do to a degree) and give the players a consistent tour where the game and the rules stay the same and all they have to fade is learning the table. And the crowd if they are in Manila
Renegade said:
Better yet have a pro bumper pool tour.
RiverCity said:Best way to "fix" the 9 ball rack to make it less predictable, and stop the wing ball....... add the 10 ball.
Chuck
There is a possibility of using a Ten Ball rack for 9-Ball, by adding a ghost ball (an extra cue ball) for the break shot. This extra ball is removed after the break. Greg Sullivan came up with this one.
jay helfert said:
Gotta love em (Greg), he "always" comes up with 'another' interesting idea.
D
Danny Harriman
Guest
I agree totally with River City about playing ten ball, I once asked a promoter about why we could not simply change the game to ten ball. His answers was that 9-ball was considered the International game, I think this means that it is the politically correct game, but if the truth be known most all of the top players have graduated to playing ten ball. As for myself I like to see a player crack the break hard and park the cue ball, I know it shows more talent than that of reading the rack, soft breaking (wing-ball), and playing position on the one in the upper corner. When two players are playing on tv it looks more impressive to see them pocketing balls on the break, this is probably why the 9-ball remains, along with the five inch drop pockets they use. At a UpA event when it came time for my TV match with Earl they switched tables on us, the tables we had been competing on in the tournament were loose but not like the ESPN tables.
Anyone who will play in a nine ball tournament but not a ten ball event is either ashamed of their break or wants to try and cheat you on the rack.
Sincerely, Danny Harriman
Anyone who will play in a nine ball tournament but not a ten ball event is either ashamed of their break or wants to try and cheat you on the rack.
Sincerely, Danny Harriman
