Perfectly centered break of a perfectly aligned pool ball rack

Re:Perfectly centered break of a perfectly aligned pool ball... by manglav on Sunday February 02, 2014 @10:37PM (#7168679)

While this is great for a theoretical model, most professionals also try to put forward spin on the cue ball, to offset the collision and break apart the rack further. You may have noticed small white burn marks from the heat generated by the cue ball spinning on the felt, from the location where most people break.

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Re:Perfectly centered break of a perfectly aligned pool ball... by a_soncodi on Sunday February 02, 2014 @11:31PM (#7168850)

This is mostly incorrect. The chosen spin depends on several factors including the breaking position (as in breaking from "the box") and ball count. In this case it appears to be Eight Ball.

The burn marks are caused by the downward force due to an inclined cue. Similar marks occur when performing a legal jump. This is why many tournaments provide a cloth scrap for breaking.

Furthermore, the cue ball may hop to the rack and impact the head ball above its equator, causing the cue ball to jump in the air, reducing the likelihood of being kicked into a pocket. Top spin or forward roll is not required for this.

Source: I play pool semi-professionally.

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Re:Perfectly centered break of a perfectly aligned pool ball... by manglav on Sunday February 02, 2014 @11:54PM (#7168929)

Agree on the spin, I was assuming a perfectly vertical break.

Abou the burn marks, see here http://www.pooldawg.com/article/pooldawg-library/table-maint...

http://www.cuesight.com/types-of-pool-table-felt.html

Yeah, I hate it when the ball pops up, but my opponent looks cool catching it, heh. I also play pool. Best game for lounging I feel.

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