Winner Breaks..

sjm

Older and Wiser
Silver Member
Relagging when hill-hill is totally pointless and goofy. Work out the possibilities in a race to two that goes hill-hill. There are only two possibilities of wins and losses: WLW and LWW for the winner. The player who won the initial lag will always have exactly one more break than the other player in a hill-hill match. The only thing that the relag might do is take the break away from the person who lost the lag in the first place.

Here is how that works:
A wins the lag
A breaks and wins, score 1-0
A breaks and loses, score 1-1, hill-hill score, time to relag
Relag, A wins the lag
A breaks for the third time because he won the relag. Maybe he wins and maybe he loses the game, but he got all the breaks.

Does anyone really think that's fair?
I've never seen relagging at double hill in a race to less than 11.
 

justnum

Billiards Improvement Research Projects Associate
Silver Member
Has anyone considered a win by 2 rule?

Its common for basketball pickup games.

Hill-Hill is competitive, but win by 2 is a rule that I haven't seen much in billiards.
 

sjm

Older and Wiser
Silver Member
Has anyone considered a win by 2 rule?

Its common for basketball pickup games.

Hill-Hill is competitive, but win by 2 is a rule that I haven't seen much in billiards.
It has been tried on occasion, but it doesn't work, adding great variability to match length, which doesn't work for the fans. Win by two in pickup basketball typically adds a few minutes to the game. In pool, you might be adding an hour or more.

A variation that wasn't too terrible was used in the final of the 2013 US Open 8-ball. Race to 10, win by two, but 12-12 would be double hill, but I can do without it.

I would also argue that fans love hill-hill matches, and any rule that reduces their rate of occurrence is bad for the game.
 

Pin

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
If I get up 10-0 on you in a race to 11, then from there after each game we ask the following question.

##PLAYGAME

Did Mike win the game?
If YES, then go to ##MATCHOVER
If NO, then Mike is loser and so gets next break
go back to ##PLAY GAME

##MATCHOVER

For you to win the match, we need to cycle through 11 times, 11 wins for you all off of my break.
But for you to get 10-0 up, you've won at least 9 straight off the other guy's break, so fair's fair...
 

Clusterbuster

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I watched a match in Olathe, it was alternating break, race to 11. Both players ran the rack, after making a ball, for 9 racks each. This was almost a perfect match, it was great playing. Player A breaks dry Player B runs out, Breaks & runs out. for the win.

What a match... The match was won with the break....
Do you remember who played in it?
 
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