Strategy and "safety pockets"

Dan White said:

. How about a safety pocket?

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Interesting term. I think many people create safety pockets without putting a name on it, for example in your layout it would probably occur to me to clear out the 12 asap because it might be in the way of one or more of the 3 balls along the foot rail (it turns out you used the other corner pocket for these)

As far hierarchy I think a safety ball is probably more valuable than a safety pocket. If you got out of line, you would more likely have a shot on the 11, than a shot into the upper corner pocket (passing thru the space occupied by the 11)

14-13-12-3-9-4-15-11-5

Good thing about that layout is if you get out of line there are other options. You aren't wedded to one pattern.

Bob Jewett said:

I usually clear balls near each other so a ball like the 3 gets pocketed during the end rail clearance.

I can see how it would be useful in a difficult rack since if you leave the cue ball near either foot pocket (not straight in, not too close to the side rail, and not too close to the 3) you can take the cue ball nearly anywhere. The 3 is also not a bad key ball for a standard side-of-the-rack break shot. It's also a break shot if you screw up the rest of the rack.

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My understanding of leaving a ball on the foot rail is until the rest of the balls are open. First, while breaking a cluster the cue ball could end up below the rack and the ball on the foot rail becomes an insurance ball. Second, once all the balls are open the ball on the foot rail may be the best break ball available.

Almost impossible to mess this up if one left the 11 for key ball and 14 for break ball, starting with the 5 (or the 4, if that's got a full pocket and the cue ball is guaranteed not to collide with the 9 - which is why I'd probably stay away from the 4). One might say the 5 is the superior break ball (and if one were left-handed, it might definitely be), but either way the cue ball would be going through the weak part of the rack (the three balls the form either bottom corner of the triangle). In fact, the 5, being closer to the rack and where drawing the cue ball off the stack is asking for experience and feel, so that I'd personally prefer to be able and shoot it with follow, requires more accurate position than the 14, which one can hammer with follow any way one likes. Personally, I'd go with the easier pattern - and that to me starts with the 5 and ends with the 14.

But on to your question. Note my/our term for those safety valves is "insurance ball", no doubt the same thing. If the 5 were my break ball, the questions raised above concerning the 4 passing etc. would seem even more pertinent, since the 14 could serve as the K2 (key-to-the-key) to the 15, unless your plan is to use either the 9 or 3 as the key ball. If that were my plan, then the 11 would nonetheless be the lead ball to the 14. If so, how does one get to the 9 straight-in without disturbing anything unless, again, one shot the 4 first? Which, without having a real-life look at it from nearby, I've already mentioned I'd prefer not to shoot…?

So, unless the 4 passes the 12 easily, and with no risk of the cue ball colliding with the 9, if one insists on the 5 as break ball, the only other safe route would be starting with the 14, in which case I would not leave the 5 as key ball (even with the 11 as K2, too much speed control involved for two shots in a row. Again, no reason to start with the 11, except it would be useless given 14, 5, 4 13, 9, 3 work as well with as without it. But then, I like neither the 3 nor the 11 as key balls for the 11, as there is no guaranteed pattern to get to either of them (especially the innocent-looking 3 as key: way too easy to mess that one up).

Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________

„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti

alstl said:

14-13-12-3-9-4-15-11-5

Good thing about that layout is if you get out of line there are other options. You aren't wedded to one pattern.

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How does on get from the 14 to the 13 guaranteed no to collide with neither the 4, nor leaving oneself an angle (too high) where one risks bumping the 9? If one did that, one might as well shoot the 14 and go to 12 directly - no more risk involved there. Either way, speed control/feel required, which to me rules out either option.

Using the 11 as key ball really isn't the end of the world, having said that, there's no pattern to get to it with absolute precision. That would be different if the 11 were the key ball to the 14 - much more room for error there.

Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________

„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti

Any comment on this, or am I just blathering?

FWIW, my sequence was: 4, 12, 3 draw, 9 draw, 13 follow to left rail, 11, 14, 15 stun over for break on 5, miss the 5 and bang head on table.

11-14-15-5, this is the end sequence I saw as well. The five seems the better break ball.

acousticsguru said:

How does on get from the 14 to the 13 guaranteed no to collide with neither the 4, nor leaving oneself an angle (too high) where one risks bumping the 9? If one did that, one might as well shoot the 14 and go to 12 directly - no more risk involved there. Either way, speed control/feel required, which to me rules out either option.

Using the 11 as key ball really isn't the end of the world, having said that, there's no pattern to get to it with absolute precision. That would be different if the 11 were the key ball to the 14 - much more room for error there.

Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________

„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti

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The reason I would play it that way is because the 13 only goes in one pocket and you have an excellent opportunity to get rid of the 13 right away. It shouldn't be hard for a competent player to get the correct angle on the 13 but if you botch position and get out of line there are other insurance balls.

I understand the potential downside of side pocket key balls but in this case the 11 is close enough to the pocket to allow room for error.

Bob Jewett said:

Maybe I'm seeing it wrong, but it looks like the 4 is exactly where you want the cue ball for the 13. There are other options if you end up blocked but the chance of getting blocked makes me want to try a different plan.

How about a bottom of the rack break shot here? Lots of possibilities -- just leave most of the balls down there to the end.

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We are seeing it differently. On my screen it looks like the 4 doesn't have a full pocket and you would have to go forward one rail with inside to get on the 13. Doesn't look like you could hold it there with a stop shot.

Below the rack break shot is an option but for me the 5 is a better option.

Bob Jewett said:

Maybe I'm seeing it wrong, but it looks like the 4 is exactly where you want the cue ball for the 13. There are other options if you end up blocked but the chance of getting blocked makes me want to try a different plan.

How about a bottom of the rack break shot here? Lots of possibilities -- just leave most of the balls down there to the end.

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As mentioned earlier, I'm not sure the 4 has a full pocket (which to me will rule out shooting it before the 12 is gone, let alone first given the angle - but maybe I'm misinterpreting the screen shot), and while I like bottom of the rack break shots, my favorite candidate there would be the 13, so this depends on whether the 9 passes the 3 into the right foot corner (left from our perspective - it looks to me as if it doesn't).

Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________

„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti

Dan White said:

I can comment on the position of the 4 and the 12. The 12 was blocking the lower part of the pocket, but just a little. Since the 4 was nearly straight in and the shot wasn't too long, I felt comfortable shooting into the upper part of the bocket. Again, only a little bit of the pocket was obstructed.

The 4 was at a slight angle. On a follow shot the cue ball rolls to about the first diamond. If you wanted to come off the rail for the 13 you wouldn't need any inside english.

I still like my original pattern, assuming you agree with shooting the 4 past the 12.

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That changes everything (as mentioned several times), as one gets to the two problems (the 12 blocking a pocket, and the group of three balls on the foot rail) immediately, and also, it makes the whole pattern play more easily. Looks different from the camera angle (so in case of doubt I feel one should always heed Jim Rempe's advice: "Never shoot a shot you could miss!").

In this scenario, leaving the 11 and choosing either the 5 or 14 would all seem a matter of preference to me.

(Having said that, when I teach the game, I will always point out to students that they'll make long runs more consistently if they learn to ignore the "nicer" break ball but instead learn to opt for the one associated with the foolproof end pattern - provided there is one.)

Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________

„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti

Dan White said:

I can comment on the position of the 4 and the 12. The 12 was blocking the lower part of the pocket, but just a little. Since the 4 was nearly straight in and the shot wasn't too long, I felt comfortable shooting into the upper part of the bocket. Again, only a little bit of the pocket was obstructed.

The 4 was at a slight angle. On a follow shot the cue ball rolls to about the first diamond. If you wanted to come off the rail for the 13 you wouldn't need any inside english.

I still like my original pattern, assuming you agree with shooting the 4 past the 12.

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Do you have a video of you running this layout?