New US Open breaking rules

[hang-the-9]

Chris Renfro (from Outsville) posted this on Facebook


From the players contract:
"APPENDIX II
The Break Rules
1. Over the first three days of the Event, during the double elimination rounds, a racking device will
be used.
From the round of 16 onwards, the following conditions on the break shot:
1. The balls will be racked with the 9 (nine) ball resting on the spot.
2. The balls will be hand racked by the referee into a wooden rack. Some balls may be tapped to
‘hold’ the rack.
3. Players will be permitted to inspect the rack but cannot ask for the balls to be re-racked, repositioned
or moved."


So there is "double elimination rounds" which leads us to think there will be single elimination at some point?

Racking rules are changing in the middle of a tournament? Eh?

At least they don't seem to be using the 3 balls past the headstring rule. But 9 on the spot is not very effective, the corner ball and/or the 1 are still pretty easy to make as anyone that watched tournaments should know (like the people making the rules).

Seems to me they are trying to skew the rules towards the European players who break with the 9 on the spot in many more events than US players. Funny how the one thing that almost all players agree on, no jump cues, is still not being used.

 

[Eric.]

What you are seeing is the evolution of the "Matchroom era" of the US Open. Starting the tournament with double elimination (or round robin), then moving to a single elimination, knock out round is very similar to the WPC 9 ball championsips, in the past.

Racking the 9 ball on the spot makes the wing ball much tougher. I'm guessing most players will go to the cut break and try to make the 1 in the side pocket (which is easier with the 9 on the spot).

Then again, going to a "second format" in the knockout stage could be because Matchroom wants to make it more TV and spectator friendly? Maybe, make the tournament more like the WPC format, which might be more familiar to Sky Sports viewers?


Eric

 

[PhilosopherKing]

I'd say the template is being used to keep racking time to a minimum under the time crunch.

 

[PhilosopherKing]

I think they switch for production-value and because the refs have to earn their paychecks and to avoid a fiasco like what happened with Shane and Dennis or Dechaine and Grabe in Qatar in the past.

 

[hang-the-9]

I'd say the template is being used to keep racking time to a minimum under the time crunch.

But they are changing to a triangle for the last part of the tournament, as well as going to single elimination. Why not just same racking rules the whole match? That is the odd part. If anything, if they want to prevent any racking complaints by the players, use the same template rack the whole time.

 

[justadub]

But they are changing to a triangle for the last part of the tournament, as well as going to single elimination. Why not just same racking rules the whole match? That is the odd part. If anything, if they want to prevent any racking complaints by the players, use the same template rack the whole time.

They did say that when they go to triangles, it'll be done by a ref, with no re-rack requests, which is a positive

 

[Ken_4fun]

Round Robin

I got to spend a little time with Ray Martin, and he told of when he played in alot of tournaments they were Round Robin type.

So you played EVERY player once, and the one with highest number of wins was the winner.....so nobody got an "easy" draw or wasn't seeded, you played everyone.

Just imagine that.

Ken

 

[Buckzapper]

They need another rule; You touch any racked ball with your finger, automatic loss of 1 point and foul.

 

[Poodle of Doom]

They did say that when they go to triangles, it'll be done by a ref, with no re-rack requests, which is a positive

I agree with this. There were a number of conflicts over little things. Just let the refs do it. If you don't agree with a non-bias third party, you may have issues other than the rack.

 

[PhilosopherKing]

But they are changing to a triangle for the last part of the tournament, as well as going to single elimination. Why not just same racking rules the whole match? That is the odd part. If anything, if they want to prevent any racking complaints by the players, use the same template rack the whole time.

The template gets trapped under balls and you get controversy over moving and repositioning balls, or you have guys putting the template on the rail with overhang and opponents crying "foul" when a ball skims it.

The other changes are for added production-value during the meat and potatoes of the event.

Plus, Matchroom comes from a snooker background and pros racking their own or for each other is an abomination and for savages only.

 

[Paul Schofield]

On and on......More contortions to save the ball on the break. Get rid of it.

 

[hang-the-9]

The template gets trapped under balls and you get controversy over moving and repositioning balls, or you have guys putting the template on the rail with overhang and opponents crying "foul" when a ball skims it.

The other changes are for added production-value during the meat and potatoes of the event.

Plus, Matchroom comes from a snooker background and pros racking their own or for each other is an abomination and for savages only.

I don't think you caught the part that the start of the tournament will be done with a template rack, and the lat part (which changes to single elimination which is also a huge change for US Open) is done with a triangle. That is about as silly as saying "first half of event we are playing on 7 footers, then going to 9 footers for last 16".

 

[PhilosopherKing]

I don't think you caught the part that the start of the tournament will be done with a template rack, and the lat part (which changes to single elimination which is also a huge change for US Open) is done with a triangle. That is about as silly as saying "first half of event we are playing on 7 footers, then going to 9 footers for last 16".

In an ideal world, I'm sure MR would prefer to have a ref racking on every table, but that's just not going to happen, so, this is the compromise.

They also seem to like big names battling for titles in "Sudden Death" matches.

A compromise was again needed to keep the field full and to somewhat maintain the spirit of the event.