I get the evolution. It’s happened over time right in front of our eyes. There were reasons each step of the way. Some of those reasons stood the test of time and some of them didn’t.
It’s real fun for a player to exploit a format flaw and call it “mastery”. Ask Corey in 2001 or Filler at this year’s Derby. But once everyone is savvy you have unwatchable events.
And in this day and age you have fans (and ideally promoters too) that are capable of spotting these issues in their early stages because this game has become so mature through time. You can’t go backwards or try to put the toothpaste back in the tube.
We are living in 2025 right now. Not every event needs to be a Matchroom clone. But any promoter should at least take notice of how many spectacular moments they’re creating back-to-back-to-back. Something as simple as “the 2 ball needs to be in one of the three wings and cannot be consistently racked in the same position repeatedly” is worth it.
Because yes, the break is a skill worthy of mastery. That is a big part of where champions are made. But as an industry we are trying to avoid players controlling the break to the level of having the same look at the same starting shot every time they break. We are trying to bring a bit more luck and randomness into it. Especially for the rotation games because they’ve seen the worst of it. We know bigger moments come when the break is met with a variety of runouts, jumps, kicks, safes, and pushes. As fans we get more “pool” for our buck.
Lots of people will say the bigger pockets and winner break format make the game too easy and no fun to watch.
I am the opposite.
If they think it is too easy, extend the number of games in a match rather than make it harder to pocket balls.
If it is easier to pocket balls, it should speed up the time of play and counter the argument that more games in a match take too much time.
Now, here are two different people with 2 entirely different opinions of a situation. Matt, you call what Corey and Joshua did in the examples you bring, “exploiting a flaw in a format”. I’m not in agreement with that. You have an idea of what you find “watchable and unwatchable”. It seems from the gist of your posts, that you prefer a player not be able to utilize the skills they have developed to control the table and dominate a match. That you find a display of talent leading to large packages unwatchable, or at the very least, not as appealing as watching a match full of safety’s, jumps, etc. more entertaining.
Hawaiian Eye on the other hand, likes watching a player exhibit their skills they’ve honed. Those matches where all the work a player has put into their game all comes together and they control the table and dominate a match.
I’m of the same opinion as Hawaiian Eye. Some of the most memorable matches I’ve seen in person, or watched through a stream or video, are matches where players gave a dominating performance.
Efren’s 9 pack against Bustamante after starting being down 3-1 in the WPC. Corey’s performance against Mika in the 11-0 final. Watching Jason Shaw completely dismantle Mika at Turning Stone in a little over 20 minutes, leading to a hall of fame player throwing his cue to the ground and pouting like a child. Efren’s match against Wetch at the DCC where Wetch got 3 shots the whole match. To me, like Hawaiian Eye, these are the most watchable type of matches.
It’s a simple difference of how each person perceives it. A good example is 2 of the matches I note above. Jimmy Wetch had someone say some kind words after Efren bulldozed him and Jimmy just responded, “he played great”. When Jason dismantled Mika, I believe Mika embarrassed himself and the sport, sulking, throwing cues, demonstrative displays for the camera. He’s always been known for that, he did it again in last years DCC when Pia Filler played almost perfect and handed him his ass.
The moral of the story? Some prefer pool in its classic form, some prefer it to be altered, to change the game, to make it into something they like, what you refer to as “the evolution of the game”.
Who’s right? I guess it all depends on what camp you’re in. Some like fast paced action and 9,10 ball in their original forms provides that. For those such as yourself, the discipline needs to change, 15 ball “61” rotation takes the break out of it and leads to seeing all the little nuances you like, the “more pool for your buck” you note.
