HELP - 9 Ball going on the break 20% of the time

AuntyDan

AuntyDan

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I have a 9' table at home. The 9 has started going in way too often . Last week in 44 racks between a friend and I it dropped 7 times. We both usually break a few inches off the left rail and it consistently drops in the bottom right corner. If it does not drop at least 75% of the time it ends up within 1 diamond of the corner, often setup for a combo with another ball. At 4 3/8" the corner pockets are not buckets.

IIRC correctly Cappelle's "Play Your Best 9 Ball" estimates the 9 ball goes about 2% of the time in Pro matches (1 in 50) so there's clearly something odd going on. It's unbalancing our game to the point I need to fix it.

Any one else ever had this problem? Can small gaps in the rack in the right places cause this? Should I put the 9 on the spot instead of the 1.

Thanks.
 
Usually when the 9 ball moves towards the corner it is due to a gap between the two balls behind the 9 ball. Make sure there is no gap and if it still keeps going in that often try racking the 9 ball on the spot. :cool:
 
Same for me on my cheap table at home. If i break one diamond from the right long rail at a medium speed the 9 ball always moves towards the left corner and will go in unless some other object ball kicks it away. Usually if there are gaps between the 9 ball and the 4th row of balls the 9 will move a lot.
 
Play call pocket? The cheeze spots, if it goes on the break?

Or, you could replace it with the 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, or 15. That'll keep the 9 from going, yes?!?!?:D
 
Get Joe Tucker's racking secrets DVD. Like mentioned above, make sure the two balls below the 9ball are frozen to the 9ball.
 
AuntyDan said:
I have a 9' table at home. The 9 has started going in way too often .

Any one else ever had this problem? Can small gaps in the rack in the right places cause this? Should I put the 9 on the spot instead of the 1.
Click to expand...

There is one table (of 7 9' National tables) at the pool hall that gobbles up 9s in one of the corner pockets. It is so well known that we have a local rule in the league, "no playing on 13 all the time" (there's bonus money for most 9 ball breaks in a season). Of course the 'all the time' is discretionary, and some have little discretion it seems :mad: . I've seen 4 in a row on that table, and 6 in a 9-8 race, 3 or 4 is not uncommon. I have no idea what causes it to happen.

Dave
 
AuntyDan said:
... Any one else ever had this problem? Can small gaps in the rack in the right places cause this? Should I put the 9 on the spot instead of the 1....
Click to expand...
This has been a fairly common topic in RSB over the years. See http://www.sfbilliards.com/onthebreak/house_rules.txt
for a related story.

Your rack isn't tight. Try racking at the other end. Train your table. If all else fails, use Kip's House Rule.
 
Just another confirmation to me that sinking the 9ball on the break is a silly rule to be counted as a win.

You didn't earn the win, you just bashed the balls well and the 9 just happened to go in.

There may be a problem with the table, but the fundamental problem is with the game of 9ball. The condition of the table (or rack) shouldn't matter.
 
Thanks for all the feedback. I know that the first 2 rows of balls in the stack are frozen, but I will start looking carefully for gaps in the other rows to see if I can identify the problem area.

I also like the "Spot the 9 Ball on the break" house rule, this could work for an interim measure.
 
try brushing the cloth before you play and again after a few. you could also rack the 9 on the spot or at the other end of the table like someone suggested. oh and dont leave the balls on the table overnight
 
Gaps behind the 9-ball are the culprit.

You can see this defined in my book, "The GREAT Break Shot" or Joe Tucker's (Racking Secrets) DVDs.
 
AuntyDan said:
I have a 9' table at home. The 9 has started going in way too often . Last week in 44 racks between a friend and I it dropped 7 times. We both usually break a few inches off the left rail and it consistently drops in the bottom right corner. If it does not drop at least 75% of the time it ends up within 1 diamond of the corner, often setup for a combo with another ball. At 4 3/8" the corner pockets are not buckets.

IIRC correctly Cappelle's "Play Your Best 9 Ball" estimates the 9 ball goes about 2% of the time in Pro matches (1 in 50) so there's clearly something odd going on. It's unbalancing our game to the point I need to fix it.

Any one else ever had this problem? Can small gaps in the rack in the right places cause this? Should I put the 9 on the spot instead of the 1.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
I've heard and seen this before, it is referred to as the nine ball getting into a track. Many times after cleaning the table with a vacuum, this does go away.
 
DanielM said:
Just another confirmation to me that sinking the 9ball on the break is a silly rule to be counted as a win.

You didn't earn the win, you just bashed the balls well and the 9 just happened to go in.

There may be a problem with the table, but the fundamental problem is with the game of 9ball. The condition of the table (or rack) shouldn't matter.
Click to expand...

I couldn't agree with you more. I say all should be call ball.
 
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