Just curious, are either smaller or larger pin distances to the VAL more likely to cause roll out?  If so, which, and does it depend on the condition?

I ask because, barring short pin to PAP distances, higher pins place it closer to the VAL.  And those type of layouts, I've been told, have the ball spend the ball's energy in a shorter amount of time.  It seems like that makes the ball more prone to roll out if there's a lot of friction.

One of the pros will correct me on this if need be, but here's how I understand the basics of it...

1) Pin-to-PAP distance: Shorter rolls earlier, longer rolls later.
2) Pin-to-VAL distance: Shorter means quick transition, longer means longer transition.

Example: you can have a pin far away from your PAP, but closer to your VAL. Doing this means the ball will roll later, but when it does start to make its move, will make it abruptly. In other words, very snappy at the breakpoint.

This is the theory behind part of the "Tommy Jones" layout. You get the pin high above the fingers but close to the VAL, so when it transitions it makes a sharp move. I have a ball drilled this way (Dyno-Thane Threshold) and that's exactly the move it makes. There's also a MB component to the Jones layout.

Playing around with those two distances allows you to control your reaction characteristic at the breakpoint. If you have a MB ball, there's yet another element of control.

Jess