Playing the Ghost - A different Spin

gdc25

gdc25

I call 'em like I see 'em
Silver Member
Quite a few years ago, I stumbled upon a persons blog, Part of which was documentation on his journeys in the world of Pocket Billiards.

One page that has always stuck with me was his variation on playing the ghost (He called it "Playing God")... Safties were / are addressed. Take a look.

One variation I've used to practice a more well-rounded game requires an assumption that God cannot make kick or jump shots. Now I know that God could kick and jump balls in for all of eternity, but bear with me. Assuming that God cannot make kick or jump shots allows me to practice my safeties - something that I neglected for more than a decade. The safety variation can be integrated into any of the four formats listed above. Just assume that God can not only make any kick or jump shots, but that His attempts shot are so bad He cannot even hit the object ball. This give me ball in hand after every successful safety - a successful safety being defined as one which leaves the cue ball blocked from going directly to the object ball.


I don't really have anything to say, other than this. I just wanted to share a variation of playing the Ghost, for those of us that have been on our home tables for way tooooooo long!

here is a link to his page... https://www.barenada.com/pool.shtml

ps. Also posted in the "pool is not dead" group on social media.
 
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G

Gerry Williams

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Definitely a better approach - traditional ghost play forces aggressive play and doesn't put any value on locking up your opponent. I like this and may try using it myself.

Thanks for sharing.

Gerry
 
poolandpokerman

poolandpokerman

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Since the shut down I have be playing God (Ghost) every day, 9 ball on a valley bar box. My problem is that it is tough to beat him. However, I started playing the 6 ball ghost and I win every time. It is amazing how just taking 3 balls off the table and breaking, (no ball in hand after break) makes such a difference.
Good luck to everyone during this tough time.
Tom
 
sjm

sjm

Older and Wiser
Silver Member
Although I think that this version of the ghost sometimes overcompensates one for a safety, it remains a huge improvement over the traditional ghost play which does not develop some of the skills required to win and forces one to make decisions that are not best.

Still, this version of ghost is a little easier and if one has been playing the nine ball ghost in the traditional type of ghost, they should jump up to at least the ten ball ghost with this version for a similar challenge.

To the original poster, take a deep bow for this excellent idea.
 
Patrick Johnson

Patrick Johnson

Fish of the Day
Silver Member
sjm said:
...I think that this version of the ghost sometimes overcompensates one for a safety
Click to expand...

Another playing-god tweak: practice getting out of safeties too.

After a successful safety, instead of just giving yourself ball in hand, play as god for one shot and try to kick/jump to a good hit. If you get a good hit, continue playing (as yourself) from there. If you miss the hit, you lose that game.

pj
chgo
 
sjm

sjm

Older and Wiser
Silver Member
Patrick Johnson said:
Another playing-god tweak: practice getting out of safeties too.

After a successful safety, instead of just giving yourself ball in hand, play as god for one shot and try to kick/jump to a good hit. If you get a good hit, continue playing (as yourself) from there. If you miss the hit, you lose that game.

pj
chgo
Click to expand...

Great idea, Patrick, except your version discourages one from trying to play the kick with defense in mind. How about if you make a good safety and follow it with a good hit, you get ball in hand?
 
Patrick Johnson

Patrick Johnson

Fish of the Day
Silver Member
sjm said:
Great idea, Patrick, except your version discourages one from trying to play the kick with defense in mind.
Click to expand...
Good point, Stu.

How about if you make a good safety and follow it with a good hit, you get ball in hand?
Click to expand...
Or if you kick safe, try kicking out of that safety too - same rules as before.

Guess it depends on how far down the "safety-escape" rabbit hole you're willing to go...

pj
chgo
 
R

RiverCity

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Holy shit!

I still have some of Daves old videos on a hard drive. Hell of a banker.

Last time I talked to him was 20 years ago on RSB. :thumbup:
 
VonRhett

VonRhett

Friends Call Me "von"
Silver Member
Practice safeties - YES.

Practice escaping - YES.

Safeties with the ghost - NO.

The entire theory behind playing the ghost is that you're playing against an (imaginary) opponent that will get out if you miss - period.

It's a universal measurement of how strong one plays.

So now the ghost can't kick and hit a ball?

And who determines what constitutes a "lock up"? It's subjective, based on your skill level. Beating the ghost is not subjective. Either you do it or you don't.

Again, ALL FOR different practice games, routines, patterns, etc., but the ghost is the ghost.

-von
 
j13smiley

j13smiley

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
poolandpokerman said:
Since the shut down I have be playing God (Ghost) every day, 9 ball on a valley bar box. My problem is that it is tough to beat him. However, I started playing the 6 ball ghost and I win every time. It is amazing how just taking 3 balls off the table and breaking, (no ball in hand after break) makes such a difference.
Good luck to everyone during this tough time.
Tom
Click to expand...
This is my main way of playing the ghost for practice.

Let's say you start with 4 ball... You play a race to 4. And you also then keep track of the matches won... Which is also a race to 4. When you beat the ghost at a race to 4 matches... Then you go to 5 ball.

Same rules then with 5 ball. A race to 5 to win a match. And then track the matches to a race of 5 matches.

Then 6 balls and races to 6...

I also do not break. I just walk around and throw the balls out of the pockets into the table (do not have a ball return on my table). I basically don't like racking the balls over and over, takes too much time.
 
sixpack

sixpack

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
When I had a table at home - long time ago - I played the ghost and the way I did it was I made 3 honest efforts to hit the ball and make it/play safe. If I didn't then I took ball in hand. If I made a legal hit, I took the best of the three and shot from there.

That way I only got ball in hand if I really earned it and I got to shoot from the worst (for me) shot of three.

It also gave me three times to practice getting out of every safety I played on myself.
 
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