I’m only speaking as a fan being entertained by the upper echelon of elite professional 9-ball.
I emphatically prefer the WNT rules. I want matches with drama. I want high caliber play. Tension that anything can happen.
My #1 pet peeve is watching matches where players have too much control over the break. I don’t want to see the combination of a guaranteed ball down (like the wing ball), control where the lowest ball will be (like the 1 ball), and control where the cueball will be where the players are manifesting the same opening shot after every break for a very cookie cutter layout and runout.
Keep in mind that the Corey Deuel soft break era was the worst of that. But that’s also some 20 years ago and had been addressed. But the game has evolved and players have developed chased that evolution with techniques to still assert too much control.
I assumed at the China Open with no break box they’d make wing ball, control the 1B and control the CB. Surprisingly they are making the wing but they’re also trying to make the 1B. So there’s no guarantee they’ll have a cookie cutter look at the 2B. So on paper I don’t mind this format. But breaking from the rail does mean they don’t have to set the CB free. They can keep it in a central zone quite easily with a good chance for a look at the 2B. The runouts are not cookie cutter but they are generous.
WNT with a tighter break box forces the players to let the CB run a bit more. Don’t get me wrong, they’re starting to master that too. And depending where the 2B is racked some are recreating cookie cutter layouts. But it’s not all that generous for runouts. There’s just enough randomness and more variables to control. You get streaks of packages and those are big moments. But you also get a lot more pushes, jumps, kicks, and safes off the break. You see more of a tactical moving game. You see more pool skills on display. And I’m for it.
Because the runouts aren’t generous, I like seeing winner breaks because big moments and momentum shifts happen. Not because of an easy format but because the players are working a little harder to get it. The finals of the last few WPC, US Open and other WNT Opens has have produced those swings and moments. Pass me the popcorn.
But for me alternate break only keeps tension if players are both holding serve or both giving chances. When runouts are just a tad more generous (like China Open) sometimes it feels like even a small lead becomes insurmountable if things are going a bit too easy. You lose some tension and entertainment.
