Try breaking this 9-ball Rack! Solves pattern layout.

sjm said:
Nice post, Robin. I think there is a little more to it, however, because easy equipment not only allows a long package, but it devalues the skills of the straighter shooter, and I don't believe that's good for the game. In my opinion, easy equipment levels the playing field in a way that, too often, obstructs the cream from rising to the top, and that's just how it went at the recent World Pool Championships, in which far too many of the elite fell to players that shouldn't beat them.

If done on tough equipment, I'd love to see a seven pack, but otherwise it's not what I'm buying a ticket to watch. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Any event played on loose tables should use alternate break.
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I can agree with your statement that I bolded above because "at that top level" its fair to alternate the break on loose equipment.

I understand the perspective from which you base your thoughts and don't disagree from that perspective if excellence is what is being
sought. Pool it seems has many small shades of gray. Make one little change and you affect the outcomes of winner and loser and that matters to the pro player because it is their paycheck. Entertainment seekers don't always understand this but its an underlying fact players must deal with.
 
sjm said:
Nice post, Robin. I think there is a little more to it, however, because easy equipment not only allows a long package, but it devalues the skills of the straighter shooter, and I don't believe that's good for the game. In my opinion, easy equipment levels the playing field in a way that, too often, obstructs the cream from rising to the top, and that's just how it went at the recent World Pool Championships, in which far too many of the elite fell to players that shouldn't beat them.

If done on tough equipment, I'd love to see a seven pack, but otherwise it's not what I'm buying a ticket to watch. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Any event played on loose tables should use alternate break.
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It is hard to counter the points you and batman's buddy make!

To me, it is a lot like bike racing (!surprise!), where on a flat course, many will contend for the win...while on a very hilly one, the contenders are generally just a handful.

Both interesting conclusions.
 
Black-Balled said:
To me, it is a lot like bike racing (!surprise!), where on a flat course, many will contend for the win...while on a very hilly one, the contenders are generally just a handful.
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This is a perfect analogy. I recall watching the Tour De France pass by when I was on vacation in Blois, France in the Loire Valley in 1983. Finishing the race alone is a great accomplishment, but if the entire race over several weeks were on level ground, not all of a cyclist's riding skills would be tested. The World Pool Championship event is our sport's Tour De France and the test must be stiff and comprehensive to deliver the most worthy champion.

That said, Robin raises an interesting point that ensuring the test is stiff enough for the most elite in any sport can possibly be at odds with giving onlookers what they want to see. He has argued his point well.
 
With all of this said: Someone here proposed we turn the 9 ball rack sideways and put the either the corner ball or 9 on the spot.

We need a video of this! Come on guys. Let's see it!
 
One thing with all the racking changes, is that no matter what the break and rack rules are, it is mostly the same players in the final 16,8,4 as always. Shane won the US Open with how many changes done to it? Same as the other players that come in top 4.
 
sjm said:
Not many racks are ruin on either if there is a neutral racker and the table is set up in a way that befits the world's best players.

In the qualifying rounds at the World Pool Championships, which was 9-ball, the loose equipment had everyone putting together packages, and it randomized the results, making the elite far more vulnerable than is usually the case. Contrastingly, the World Pool Masters 9-Ball was a 24 player single elimination format in which the equipment was tough, so it took 23 matches to cut the field down to its champion, Alex Kazakis. In those 23 matches, there was not a single four pack run by anyone, and just a few three packs.

Everyone got to shoot at the World Pool Masters, with the tough equipment ensuring that the cream would rise to the top, and the final four had an average Fargo of 818. At the World Pool Championship. the final four had an average Fargo of just 788, a huge drop in quality that made the last part of the event less memorable.
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Great post. Something occurred to me while reading it though. This is not a critique of anything you said.

"World Pool Championship" vs. "World Pool Masters" I watched both, I'm a pretty okay fan. I pay for the pay-per-views and for the life of me, I could not tell you which event was which just by name. How will this sport ever catch the imagination of the casual fan. By that I mean, the number of people who watch the Super Bowl or the World Series or the Stanley Cup far exceed the number of people who watch the regular season or even the playoffs. Yet, in the billiards world, which tournament is the one that chooses the champion? We don't have a season. What we seem to have is a bunch of merchandise companies paying pool players to market their goods in a manner that is best for that particular company. Is this a sport or an entertaining infomercial? Imagine the Super Bowl leaving a championship team out of the playoffs because of the shoes they wear.

When asked who is the best pool player in the world, people try to use rankings or compare tournament wins or the racking rules format.

Anyway, this was just a random thought that floated through my head like the little ball in a whistle.
 
SlateMan said:
Great post. Something occurred to me while reading it though. This is not a critique of anything you said.

"World Pool Championship" vs. "World Pool Masters" I watched both, I'm a pretty okay fan. I pay for the pay-per-views and for the life of me, I could not tell you which event was which just by name. How will this sport ever catch the imagination of the casual fan. By that I mean, the number of people who watch the Super Bowl or the World Series or the Stanley Cup far exceed the number of people who watch the regular season or even the playoffs. Yet, in the billiards world, which tournament is the one that chooses the champion? We don't have a season. What we seem to have is a bunch of merchandise companies paying pool players to market their goods in a manner that is best for that particular company. Is this a sport or an entertaining infomercial? Imagine the Super Bowl leaving a championship team out of the playoffs because of the shoes they wear.

When asked who is the best pool player in the world, people try to use rankings or compare tournament wins or the racking rules format.

Anyway, this was just a random thought that floated through my head like the little ball in a whistle.
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Interesting position.

There just isn't enough cake for us peasants to eat, I guess.
 
sjm said:
The racking problem has already solved in competition. Tight pockets, referee racks with the triangle. Rack your own is already on death row, and as far as I'm concerned, it can't die fast enough. If you think anyone can overpower the table playing this way, re-watch the 2021 World Pool Masters, a candidate for the best tournament ever staged.

I don't mind 10-ball, as long as it's not call shot. Played Texas Express, as it is at the Derby City Bigfoot Challenge, 10-ball is a great game. With call shot, it's a step down from nine ball. I have always and will always believe that call shot, which required a referee to announce the shooters intent before every single shot, was a significant factor in prompting the end of the straight pool era nearly forty years ago. No call shot game should ever replace nine ball. Snooker, a far more difficult game than pool, does not require calling your shot, so why on earth do we need it in pool?
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I like TE 10b but with call-the-10b only. Great way to play imho.
 
SlateMan said:
Great post. Something occurred to me while reading it though. This is not a critique of anything you said.

"World Pool Championship" vs. "World Pool Masters" I watched both, I'm a pretty okay fan. I pay for the pay-per-views and for the life of me, I could not tell you which event was which just by name. How will this sport ever catch the imagination of the casual fan. By that I mean, the number of people who watch the Super Bowl or the World Series or the Stanley Cup far exceed the number of people who watch the regular season or even the playoffs. Yet, in the billiards world, which tournament is the one that chooses the champion? We don't have a season. What we seem to have is a bunch of merchandise companies paying pool players to market their goods in a manner that is best for that particular company. Is this a sport or an entertaining infomercial? Imagine the Super Bowl leaving a championship team out of the playoffs because of the shoes they wear.

When asked who is the best pool player in the world, people try to use rankings or compare tournament wins or the racking rules format.

Anyway, this was just a random thought that floated through my head like the little ball in a whistle.
Click to expand...
This is a wonderful post. In fact, one of the distinguishing characteristics should have been conditions at the World Pool Championship that ensured that the cream would rise to the top. Building the brand of each event is a big challenge for Matchroom, but this year, the World Pool Masters, played on equipment befitting the most elite players, felt more like the World Pool Championship, which was played on loose equipment.
 
two types of tournaments

one where it is set up so the absolute best tend to win it and a true test to see who is best.

another where lots of players can have a great day or get lucky and win.

the last one will get the most entries and have a tournament that will grow in entries. the best players will ultimately win and win the most cash.
each has its advantages.
 
hang-the-9 said:
How about racking it sideways with the 1 still in the front, then 9 directly behind it.
I am actually going to try this and see how it opens up LOL

View attachment 602159
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In this case, when you hit the 1, the balls spread less efficiently (no matter what angle you break from), making pocketing a ball harder but still doable. This also makes the 3-point rule pointless, as very rarely will three balls be pocketed or driven to the head string. You can get the 9-ball to move quite a bit with the right speed and angle, but it is still very difficult to make the 9. The wing balls also make the rack break differently from a seven-ball rack Diamondball (coin operated table-friendly version of nine-ball that I invented) uses this setup but with the 9-ball on the spot instead of the 1.
 
For about the fourth time, Phone App.
256bit randomizer tells you where to place the balls. One ball can be anywhere. Contact rules per players per...
One ball in the middle - win/loss/irrelevant determined by players. Spread rules, none to infinity.
 
Back in the late 60s while privately practicing, I tried the 9B sideways rack.
Everyone breaks differently and will get different results. But I found the balls tend to REALLY scatter around the table. Also the 9B had a very high chance of dropping due to the rear center ball returning back from the rear rail & (depending on English) drive directly on the 9B & making either 2 sides or head-string pockets.
As for placing the 9B on the spot, yes it offers slightly different patterns, key word: slightly.
Any variation of drastically angling the rack unprotected the 9B.
.
My personal choice when racking 9B is no 2 consecutive numbered balls may touch one another around the perimeter. 9 & 1 in there respective places. Helps to eliminate consecutive numbers staying together. M preference is a well scattered pattern. Otherwise run-outs can be easier.

.
 
Here's why . . .
6 ball goes straight back then
forward, hit's the 9 Ball.
9 Ball RACES to the pocket.
Ya, it's online pool but this
game is near exact to real actions
including ball and rail reaction
to spin and friction.

zzz cutthroat rack TEST .png
 
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