How do you find your opponent's weakness?

This is one of the reasons old-school gamblers preferred two-shot rollout or pushout 9-ball to the one-foul BIH crap that is played now.

After a few games you could get an idea of which shots they would take or pass back after rolling out to certain places or shots on the table.
 
HawaiianEye said:
This is one of the reasons old-school gamblers preferred two-shot rollout or pushout 9-ball to the one-foul BIH crap that is played now.

After a few games you could get an idea of which shots they would take or pass back after rolling out to certain places or shots on the table.
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I dislike Texas Express. It makes a race to seven or nine seem like one game.

I did play B'rer Rabbit when playing roll out. Hand a shot back three or four times then when it matters, gotcha!

Hu
 
GoldCrown said:
If my opponent is hitting well and playing proper safes I'm the weak one. After a game or two the level shows. How do we know their weakness? It'll come right out....
What game(s) are you playing?
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I play one pocket almost all the time except at league which is 8 ball.
After a couple racks of one pocket, I have my opponent's skill dialed in.
In one rack of one pocket I will see safety play, shot selection, position play and banks.
And do they go for the low percentage shots.

If I'm playing someone for the first time, I may take a real hard long shot early for two reasons
#1- if I make it puts the fear in him on how he plays his next long safe
#2- if I miss it,it puts the fear in him that I will shoot long hard shots again also affecting how he plays long safes again.
A lot of one pocket play is getting into your opponent's head.

I play a guy that's a much better banker than I am so I'm real careful not to leave an easy bank, If I have no choice, I try to play safe where the bank is at an off angle.

Just a few of my thoughts, comments are welcome.
 
90% of the time people you gamble with have some of these flaws

choke more as the bet gets up
miss more when the bet is uncomfortable for them.
shoot more shots they shouldnt when stuck
tend to raise the bet when losing
tend not to quit early when losing
get upset and it affects their game when you do certain things. experiment.
 
maha said:
90% of the time people you gamble with have some of these flaws

choke more as the bet gets up
miss more when the bet is uncomfortable for them.
shoot more shots they shouldnt when stuck
tend to raise the bet when losing
tend not to quit early when losing
get upset and it affects their game when you do certain things. experiment.
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Takes most people a while to get comfortable playing pool for more and more. Need to let go of this "gotta win" drive. The upshot - at least with me is like, okay I'm good, I can do this. ESTD. If you haven't graduated from the process you're always functionally in over your head - and still believing you must win. The gravity - or even trying to ignore it, detracts from your game. You dog it and fall into the abyss.
Even if I had the time to "professionalize" my pool game, I wouldn't waste the time.
 
dzone said:
I always thought it was me against the table. But recently I was told by a stronger player that I need to find the weaknesses in my opponent's game. He didn't tell me how to do that. What are the best ways for me to actively test their limits during the early stages of a match?
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I usually check to see if they are using a magnetic or pocket pen chalk holder to test their weakness. If they are, I usually have nothing to worry about. Also, if they have APA patches on their shirt or case, I'm in the clear.

Honorable mention: if they are wearing a pool jersey on a normal week night and they are not part of a sports team, 9 times out of 10 I have nothing to worry about.
 
dzone said:
I always thought it was me against the table.
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Would you play the same way against a person who is playing pool for the first time v. a 700 Fargo player? For instance, a safe against a player who is playing for the first time only requires (a little) distance between the cue ball and object ball, where a safe against a 700 Fargo player is probably going to require hiding the cue ball. Another example: while playing 9-ball you have a tough shot on the 8-ball. If you are playing someone who can't make a ball, you can go ahead and take the tough shot, if you miss you will still probably have a 90% chance of winning the rack. Against a 700 Fargo player, if you miss the tough shot, you will probably lose 70% of the time, and as a result you might decide to play a safe to increase your chances of winning.

Against both the beginner and the 700 Fargo player, you shouldn't be just playing the table, rather you always should be considering your opponent's response.
 
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7stud said:
Would you play the same way against a person who is playing pool for the first time v. a 700 Fargo player? For instance, a safe against a player who is playing for the first time only requires (a little) distance between the cue ball and object ball, where a safe against a 700 Fargo player is probably going to require hiding the cue ball. Another example: while playing 9-ball you have a tough shot on the 8-ball. If you are playing someone who can't make a ball, you can go ahead and take the tough shot, if you miss you will still probably have a 90% chance of winning the rack. Against a 700 Fargo player, if you miss the tough shot, you will probably lose 70% of the time, and as a result you might decide to play a safe to increase your chances of winning.

Against both the beginner and the 700 Fargo player, you shouldn't be just playing the table, rather you always should be considering your opponent's response.
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I've had to argue this with plenty of people. If I draw SVB in a tournament, I need to be more aggressive. I'm going for the jump shot instead of intentionally fouling and tying a ball up. You just can't out move those guys. Always give yourself the best chance to win against THAT opponent.
 
straightline said:
Takes most people a while to get comfortable playing pool for more and more. Need to let go of this "gotta win" drive. The upshot - at least with me is like, okay I'm good, I can do this. ESTD. If you haven't graduated from the process you're always functionally in over your head - and still believing you must win. The gravity - or even trying to ignore it, detracts from your game. You dog it and fall into the abyss.
Even if I had the time to "professionalize" my pool game, I wouldn't waste the time.
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What is ESTD?
Thanks
 
I think you’re all overthinking this. Always try to play the best shot possible. If your opponent is great jumper, didn’t you try to get the safe as close to an object ball as possible or play the best safe anyway? Your opponents bad at breaking? You going to lose so he can break? IMO, play the percentages and that’s all you can do.
 
dzone said:
I always thought it was me against the table. But recently I was told by a stronger player that I need to find the weaknesses in my opponent's game. He didn't tell me how to do that. What are the best ways for me to actively test their limits during the early stages of a match?
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How to find weaknesses.... Be extremely aware of each situation.
It's why the Pinoys are so good.
If you miss and you don't eat that alone with either make you stronger, wiser, willing to learn or you'll quit or do the blame game.
Watch your opponent in other matches can help, and sometimes your playing someone your not able to beat. Losing, mistakes and missing are your teachers, if your not spending time trying to understand that part of your game as well as your opponents, then your dreaming.
 
Rodney said:
I think you’re all overthinking this. Always try to play the best shot possible. If your opponent is great jumper, didn’t you try to get the safe as close to an object ball as possible or play the best safe anyway? Your opponents bad at breaking? You going to lose so he can break? IMO, play the percentages and that’s all you can do.
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For sure. But the percentage that matters most is your percentage to win the game. Playing one pocket against a top player and they leave you a long shot where you're 15% to make the ball and smash open the rest of the balls, you better take that percentage every time if your percentage of outmoving them is less. Sometimes big risks give you the best chance to win.

If I'm playing a lesser skilled player, I don't take that shot.
 
dquarasr said:
So many possibilities:
- they can’t kick well
- they can’t bank well
- they can’t combo well
- they can’t jump well
- they can’t make loooonnnngggg shots well
- their CB control is not that good so they have trouble breaking up clusters
- they can’t deal with slow or fast play well
- they can’t shoot elevated over a ball well
- they can’t shoot frozen on the cushion well
- they are easily frustrated by safeties
- they are easily flustered by being down early in a match
- they get down on themselves when they dog a shot

All of these behaviors are exploitable to leverage if you pay attention to their body language, the things they say out loud or mutter to themselves, and their shot execution. Don’t play on your phone. Don’t watch the football game on the TV screen. Don’t talk up the cute server. Watch your opponent at the table.
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Excellent list. Thanks.
 
This thread highlights one of the great aspects of old-school rollout 9b: by rolling out in different scenarios you could quickly find out what the other guy does/doesn't like to shoot.
 
Rodney said:
I think you’re all overthinking this. Always try to play the best shot possible. If your opponent is great jumper, didn’t you try to get the safe as close to an object ball as possible or play the best safe anyway? Your opponents bad at breaking? You going to lose so he can break? IMO, play the percentages and that’s all you can do.
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Paying attention to and actually playing the percentages made a huge difference in my game.
 
dquarasr said:
So many possibilities:
- they can’t kick well
- they can’t bank well
- they can’t combo well
- they can’t jump well
- they can’t make loooonnnngggg shots well
- their CB control is not that good so they have trouble breaking up clusters
- they can’t deal with slow or fast play well
- they can’t shoot elevated over a ball well
- they can’t shoot frozen on the cushion well
- they are easily frustrated by safeties
- they are easily flustered by being down early in a match
- they get down on themselves when they dog a shot

All of these behaviors are exploitable to leverage if you pay attention to their body language, the things they say out loud or mutter to themselves, and their shot execution. Don’t play on your phone. Don’t watch the football game on the TV screen. Don’t talk up the cute server. Watch your opponent at the table.
Click to expand...
How did you get the blueprint of my game?? 😉
 
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