Nine Ball? Breaking on 10' Tables?

[smashmouth]

Perhaps some of the more seasoned members can enlighten me.

In today's era where Nine Ball has been the dominant pro game,
where nine foot tables are utilized, and where players use specialized
equipment, there are still many, many pros who struggle with
the break.

How did the players of yesteryear negotiate their breaks on the
larger ten footers? You read about the great Nine Ballers of past
generations and yet wonder what kind of spreads they were
achieving on the larger tables.

Did they use soft breaks? Did some of them recognize the benefits
of a different cue and/or a flatter tip? Or did they just run out
with the balls all clustered?

 

[Russ Chewning]

Perhaps some of the more seasoned members can enlighten me.

In today's era where Nine Ball has been the dominant pro game,
where nine foot tables are utilized, and where players use specialized
equipment, there are still many, many pros who struggle with
the break.

How did the players of yesteryear negotiate their breaks on the
larger ten footers? You read about the great Nine Ballers of past
generations and yet wonder what kind of spreads they were
achieving on the larger tables.

Did they use soft breaks? Did some of them recognize the benefits
of a different cue and/or a flatter tip? Or did they just run out
with the balls all clustered?

Remember, the game would not have been Texas express. It was "push out" 9 ball. I don't think players were as likely to string 6 or 7 racks back then on ten footers. Players like Eddie Taylor had a huge advantage in "push out", as after getting hooked, they could push out to a bank that the other player didn't want to take, but could not give to him.

The break didn't become such an important part of the game until the Texas Express rules came to the forefront. To tell you the truth, Tex Ex is the great equalizer. It allows a player with less overall skill to compete against more well-rounded players.

I don't know a lot of players who would be able to beat Reyes playing push out rules.


Russ

 

[unknownpro]

Perhaps some of the more seasoned members can enlighten me.

In today's era where Nine Ball has been the dominant pro game,
where nine foot tables are utilized, and where players use specialized
equipment, there are still many, many pros who struggle with
the break.

How did the players of yesteryear negotiate their breaks on the
larger ten footers? You read about the great Nine Ballers of past
generations and yet wonder what kind of spreads they were
achieving on the larger tables.

Did they use soft breaks? Did some of them recognize the benefits
of a different cue and/or a flatter tip? Or did they just run out
with the balls all clustered?

I think they just played straight pool. When was the first nine-ball tournament?

unknownpro

 

[RiverCity]

It wasnt a tournament game in the era of the 10' tables, just played for cash. From what Ive always heard Don Willis and Wimpy reigned supreme at 9 ball on the big slates.
Chuck

 

[pdcue]

Perhaps some of the more seasoned members can enlighten me.

In today's era where Nine Ball has been the dominant pro game,
where nine foot tables are utilized, and where players use specialized
equipment, there are still many, many pros who struggle with
the break.

How did the players of yesteryear negotiate their breaks on the
larger ten footers? You read about the great Nine Ballers of past
generations and yet wonder what kind of spreads they were
achieving on the larger tables.

Did they use soft breaks? Did some of them recognize the benefits
of a different cue and/or a flatter tip? Or did they just run out
with the balls all clustered?

Not personally 'seasoned' enough to remember first hand,
the 10' era, but I can recall 9 ball as it was played in the early 60s

5 x 10s were pretty much limited to the top rooms
in large cities of the north - the haunts of straight poolers,
who mostly wouldn't be caught dead playing nine ball

9 ball was purely a hustle game and usually played in the ring version.
Great players did play head-to-head, but only to gamble
the idea of a nine ball tournament was virtually nonexistant
untill the Jansco brothers at Johnston City, a self described Hustlers tournament

similarly 'push out' was unheard of prior to the JC competition.


in those days, the serious players played 'shoot to hit'
you had to make an "honest" effort to contact the
object ball, if you failed, your opponent could make you shoot again from where the ball came to rest.

The break:

no soft breaks, but even the very best breakers of that era
were no match for the power of today's average pro,
even if they were to use the same cues

it wasn't till the 80s and The Color of Money, and the apparantly
universal opinion that our entire culture had become hyperactive,
that 9 ball emerged as the dominant tournament game.

Dale