An introduction to straight pool patterns: The most valuable ball in straightpool

Straightpool_99 · Jun 28, 2016

Rule 2: Avoid having the keyball be frozen to a rail. We've allready seen an exception to this, with the ball "inside" the breakball on the rail. However, having a ball frozen on the rail greatly diminshes the control you have over the cueball, because you cannot bend the cueballs path before it reaches the rail. In effect you shrink the position zone that will give you a good shot at the keyball.

I'm going to show a setup of 2 balls and two choices on how to play it.

In the example bad pattern 5 we will see a triple no-no: The keyball is below the breakball, it's frozen to the rail, and you have to either draw the cueball or play some sort of incredible inside spin shot. If you get too far out with your cueball position you are pretty much doomed to do the latter, and you'd better hit it perfect. Had the breakball been further away from the keyball, you could actually stop the cueball and play a breakshot in the side. Stroking difficulties and the small position target makes this a questionable choice here.

Some will be tempted to draw and cheat the pocket because they get a bit to far out with their cueball position. DO NOT DO THAT. It's a common run-stopper, especially on tight tables. In fact you should forget about this pattern and do something different instead.

"Good" pattern 3 shows the correct way of playing this. Use the rail ball as the breakball and the other as the keyball. This gives you a HUGE area to play position for, and the rail ball is actually an ok breakball with a decent angle. We are using the rail balls limitations to our advantage. The cueball will follow or be close to the tangent line for a wide variety of angles and spins. The tangent line leads us straight into the rack (although you probably should hit a little below center for most positions).You are very unlikely to screw this up, UNLESS you chicken out and give yourself a flat angle. Don't do that.

Straightpool_99 · Jun 28, 2016

This thread is a lot more work than I thought. It might be a while until I update it. If anyone would like to contribute to it, feel free.

stevekur1 · Jun 29, 2016

These are great threads, and pretty spot on.. very nice work !

I would love to pitch in and help, though without a computer and Internet at the house it would be hard for me to work on the layouts.

I wish Chalky Sticks had a few more tweaks and was more user friendly as an App !!

Keep up the great work

k:
-Steve

center pocket · Jun 29, 2016

I would be hesitant to add my two cents, my high run is only 63 balls.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

stevekur1 · Jun 29, 2016

center pocket said:
I would be hesitant to add my two cents, my high run is only 63 balls.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

A high run is not the only way to rate the quality of a player, we are sure that you know your stuff and its always good to hear from everyone to get there take on things. this is the way we can all learn.

-Steve

acousticsguru · Jun 29, 2016

center pocket said:
I would be hesitant to add my two cents, my high run is only 63 balls.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

Don't! You're a Straight Pool player, in love with the game, your opinion is valuable.

One tends to forget that the purpose of threads like these is for all of us to learn and improve. Most of us know more than they can execute, because most of us are amateurs and not pro players.

Also, I know from personal experience that the same is true of teachers/instructors. There's a lot to learn watching others that one may or may not have the time, eyesight, hand-eye coordination or physical fitness etc. to put to practice - that doesn't mean one shouldn't continue to learn and share knowledge for the benefit of others.

The truth is, it takes time and effort to start or contribute to such a thread, which is why I'm grateful to the OP. I'm sure he'd be the first to tell you that any Straight Pool aficionado's input is welcome!

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

Straightpool_99 · Jun 29, 2016

A funny coincidence happened today. I was playing a good player and fighting through a tough rack. I ended up with the setup I described in "bad pattern 3". I played the position shot shown on the picture. I was kicking myself for not including the obvious solution to this setup in the original description, I somehow forgot to. This solution does have a couple of pitfalls. You need to hit the object ball accurately to control the angles and speed. On certain tablles you can end up scratching in the center after 2 rails. On a normal GC, you should be able to play this kind of route. (Route not accurately drawn, but the concept is valid).

Straightpool_99 · Jun 29, 2016

center pocket said:
I would be hesitant to add my two cents, my high run is only 63 balls.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

I welcome your input.

john coloccia · Jun 29, 2016

duplicate post

john coloccia · Jun 29, 2016

This is great stuff, thank you. Guys like me who are just starting out can really have a hard time seeing the path through the balls. It's so different than 9 ball and shot making really just doesn't get you very far.

Dan White · Jun 29, 2016

Well, as long as all posters are welcome, let me throw in a tidbit I realized about a year ago. I think it relates to the most recent examples of key ball problems that Straightpool has shown.

The idea is this: You don't have to get a perfect break shot in order to successfully make it into the next rack. I realized at one point that I was obsessing over saving that perfect break ball and doing all sorts of maneuvers to save that ball. However, it dawned on me that maybe I could just shoot that ball and accept a lesser quality break shot, such as having the break ball frozen to the bottom rail, for instance. I realized that if you have decent cue ball control, you can use a less than ideal break shot to go into maybe just the corner of the pack, and break out 4 or 5 balls. This is very often plenty to get you through that rack. In fact, Arnaldo has a recent post where he shows Johnny Archer achieving the same thing, although a more extreme example of what I am talking about.

So the point to take away is sometimes it is less stressful and safer just to accept a lesser break shot and rely on good position skill to get through that rack. Realize that you can get through a great many racks with only a few balls broken out initially.

Straightpool_99 · Jun 29, 2016

Dan White said:
Well, as long as all posters are welcome, let me throw in a tidbit I realized about a year ago. I think it relates to the most recent examples of key ball problems that Straightpool has shown.

The idea is this: You don't have to get a perfect break shot in order to successfully make it into the next rack. I realized at one point that I was obsessing over saving that perfect break ball and doing all sorts of maneuvers to save that ball. However, it dawned on me that maybe I could just shoot that ball and accept a lesser quality break shot, such as having the break ball frozen to the bottom rail, for instance. I realized that if you have decent cue ball control, you can use a less than ideal break shot to go into maybe just the corner of the pack, and break out 4 or 5 balls. This is very often plenty to get you through that rack. In fact, Arnaldo has a recent post where he shows Johnny Archer achieving the same thing, although a more extreme example of what I am talking about.

So the point to take away is sometimes it is less stressful and safer just to accept a lesser break shot and rely on good position skill to get through that rack. Realize that you can get through a great many racks with only a few balls broken out initially.

Thank you for your insights. I can relate to what you are saying, however, I do also disagree with some of it.
If you have to shoot a low percentage shot to keep your breakball, then I'd ordinarily advice against that. It's usually possible to improvise something. HOWEVER, this is the exception and not the rule. With a good breakshot in the rack prior and good planning and patterns, it should be possible to keep a breakshot.

Not being a super strong shotmaker, I often choose to hit the breakball rather softly and pick around the balls, then as my confidence grows I start laying into the shot more and more. It's not a style of game I'd recommend to a strong shooter. I often end up having to improvise and manufacture breakballs etc to keep the run going, as well as relying on very accurate positon. In some cases I end up having to play safe and trying to outmaneuver my opponent that way, which is probably my strongest asset in the game, but this is an offensive game. You can't win if you can't string the racks together. My best runs usually occur when I throw the caution to the wind (a bit) and lay into the breakshots.

IMO you absolutely SHOULD smash the breakshot if you have the skills to do so consistently. This is the modern style of play, and one that is condusive to running a lot of balls often, which is frequently needed in modern competition. It will give you easier patterns, and a possibility of planning out your end pattern early. The advantage this gives you can be compared to that of a good break in 9- or 8ball. It just makes everything a lot easier.

Pool is both about improving your skils, and getting the most out of what nature gave you. Obviously my ideas are based on my own experiences, which may very well differ from yours. You may also have different strengths and limitations than I do. I've tried my best to describe why I do the things I do, so that anyone can decide for themselves if that approach is right for them. My goals for this thread was to show people an easier way of doing things. I think the way to do that is to keep it simple and play the best percentage layouts. Obviously, improvising and being creative is another way to extend those runs, so I'm always looking for new ways to do things and I'm hoping for creative ideas to be added to the thread.

Dan White · Jun 29, 2016

Straightpool_99 said:
Thank you for your insights. I can relate to what you are saying, however, I do also disagree with some of it.
If you have to shoot a low percentage shot to keep your breakball, then I'd ordinarily advice against that. It's usually possible to improvise something. HOWEVER, this is the exception and not the rule.

I pretty much agree with your reply here. I don't want to overstate my case, though. I'm not suggesting to throw away a good break ball for a crappy one. I'm just saying that a player should keep in mind that they can take a lesser quality break ball and still be fine. So maybe you have to take a break ball that is 6 inches farther away from the rack than that perfect one. As long as you can get a decent angle, you'll be just fine with that ball, rather than risk losing control of the table by insisting that you are not going to shoot that perfect ball.

Straightpool_99 · Jun 29, 2016

Dan White said:
I pretty much agree with your reply here. I don't want to overstate my case, though. I'm not suggesting to throw away a good break ball for a crappy one. I'm just saying that a player should keep in mind that they can take a lesser quality break ball and still be fine. So maybe you have to take a break ball that is 6 inches farther away from the rack than that perfect one. As long as you can get a decent angle, you'll be just fine with that ball, rather than risk losing control of the table by insisting that you are not going to shoot that perfect ball.

Agreed.:smile:

acousticsguru · Jun 30, 2016

Dan White said:
I pretty much agree with your reply here. I don't want to overstate my case, though. I'm not suggesting to throw away a good break ball for a crappy one. I'm just saying that a player should keep in mind that they can take a lesser quality break ball and still be fine. So maybe you have to take a break ball that is 6 inches farther away from the rack than that perfect one. As long as you can get a decent angle, you'll be just fine with that ball, rather than risk losing control of the table by insisting that you are not going to shoot that perfect ball.

Agree wholeheartedly, as what you're pointing out doesn't seem like going for the inferior option, but an easier pattern leading to a workable break shot: how could taking the long-term perspective ever be wrong in Straight Pool? IMHO, it would be best to throw any such residual doubt overboard. Straight Pool isn't about getting cute. It's about doing the right thing. It takes courage to do it, but courage will breed courage - and longer runs.

In Straight Pool matchplay it's never advisable to shoot a shot one could miss - I'd go so far as to say that on average, one is going to win more games running out of options/shots (because one shoots off all balls that lend themselves to breaking the next rack) and playing safe than to attempt low-percentage shots and leave the table on a miss. Having said that, never lose sight of the larger picture: depending on the competition or the score, to play safe may not be one's best option etc. Also in the long run, a conservative or cautious playing style may lend itself to self purpose and keep one from fulfilling one's true potential. Ultimately, one can't duck one's way to a championship, as Nick Varner once observed. There's that element of "going for for the shot" that one should keep aspiring to in order to keep improving.

In case of doubt, look for the simplest thing to do, but if there's nothing simple, throw caution to the wind, and go for the aggressive option full throttle. In other words, if you lose, do so picking what you feel is the right shot, no matter the outcome. We all miss, it's not the end of the World. I strongly believe that psychologically, we should strive to be able and say to ourselves that we would do the exact same thing again rather than to get intimidated.

In a game recently I shot a ball a former student of mine felt was a lower-percentage choice than the alternative I'd also looked at, and asked why I did that and how to cope with that extra pressure. All I could say in my defense is that "it helps if you're convinced it's the right thing to do."

What that means is that the "safer" or simpler option is only good if indeed, it truly is safe or simple, and if we fully adopt it in our mind as the correct choice! If the safe route is likely to end one's run, be sure to play that to perfection, ending the run with a safety that will have your opponent take three fouls on purpose. Don't do it halfheartedly!

In a nutshell: don't let the decision-making process affect your confidence level, which in turn is only going to affect one's decision-making process etc. The mind is like a plant that needs watering. In the long run, great Straight Pool is the result of doing what the championship calibre player master mind (and not the cautious little wimp) in us would do - at any given moment.

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

CueAndMe · Oct 30, 2016

Straightpool_99 said:
I have played straightpool for many years, and have made a special effort to try to understand patterns. I wanted to make a youtube video on this subject, but I've put that project on ice for the moment. So I decided to start out with this post. If it's popular, I'll make more.

The ball I'm talking about in the title is the one and two ball in this picture. You will notice that the balls are slightly off the rail around the second diamond. They need only be in this general area and not EXACTLY on the diamond. Half a diamond up or down is ok.

1. This ball will allow you to effortlessly move down to the rack area after clearing up table balls. Because it is slightly off the rail, the rail can be used to slow the cueball down, as well as to help with position.

2. This ball will be an excellent key-ball for side-of-the-rack breakshots. Again, the rail helps control the cueball, and the ball is above- and on the same side as as the breakball, making it ideal.

3. This ball is located in an ideal spot for getting to secondary breakshots. Quite often you will have secondary breakshots above- or below the stack. This ball is very nice as a keyball for those secondary breakshots.

4. This ball is instrumental in many patterns, among them the classic triangle end pattern.

Thanks for the post, Straightpool_99. In all of my years playing straight pool, I hadn't considered how helpful that ball on the rail could be. I'm gonna try leaving it there more often.

pocketsplitter · Nov 23, 2016

Hey Straightpool, can you post some tips on 2 rail break shots? For example, in your picture with your "favorite" breakout, the ball slightly above the side, I tend to get alot of balls slightly below or directly in the center of the side, but not close enough to the pocket to go one rail. When I try to go 2 rails sometimes I miss the rack entirely. A house pro the other day was showing a player on another table how to measure the angle needed going into the first rail to come off the 2nd rail accurately (he was able to hit an exact ball on the bottom of the rack) but I was too far to hear what he was saying. Something about sliding over the tangent line.

Poolmanis · Nov 23, 2016

Great Thread! Have to analyze this stuff later when I am not dead-tired... :boring2:

Straightpool_99 · Nov 23, 2016

pocketsplitter said:
Hey Straightpool, can you post some tips on 2 rail break shots? For example, in your picture with your "favorite" breakout, the ball slightly above the side, I tend to get alot of balls slightly below or directly in the center of the side, but not close enough to the pocket to go one rail. When I try to go 2 rails sometimes I miss the rack entirely. A house pro the other day was showing a player on another table how to measure the angle needed going into the first rail to come off the 2nd rail accurately (he was able to hit an exact ball on the bottom of the rack) but I was too far to hear what he was saying. Something about sliding over the tangent line.

I'm afraid I'm not an expert on those. Sounds like the house-pro has figured something out on those shots that I havent. I always shoot these by feel. These days I'm playing on messed up tables that bank way short of the norm as well.

If I were to make a system for these shots I'd try using the corner five system. The corner five system is a 3 rail kicking system that uses the diamonds. You'll notice that the standard shot connects with (or at least comes close to) the corner of the rack, which is where you want to hit the rack for these (at least brief testing on an 8 footer in a bar seems to confirm this). Specifically the last 2 balls. Knowing this, you can calculate roughly where you are going to hit the rack, using math! Sadly, with the balls curving, picking up spin and table ideosyncrasies this will only be accurate on softer shots, which I mostly use on these anyway.

My only hard and fast tip for you is this: Play position on a stun or stun-draw angle when you know you have to play one of these. TAKE NOTE: corner five will not be accurate in calculating draw angles! Experiment with outside english. Draw makes the calculations (feel based) simpler (because of less curve) and it gets better action off the stack. It will stay flat after first rail, then widening out after the second, giving you a very good angle of attack to get to center table. Follow in these shots tend to bend- and slow the cueball down often bending the ball wide of the rack, unless you roll it and take your chances. Also the angle of attack after the second rail isn't as good, so you risk bad outcomes.

An introduction to straight pool patterns: The most valuable ball in straightpool

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