2023 AZB Ghost Challenge - Official Thread

[JolietJames]

Here’s the videos


Sent from my iPad using AzBilliards Forums

Nice shooting.
Looks like you have the same amount of room around your table as I do. When the CB is against the long rail and I am shooting perpendicular to it, I only have room for about 2" of pullback. I have a shorty cue hanging on the wall for the times I need to put a good hit on the ball.
It's frustrating.

 

[peppersauce]

Getting closer! 5-7 loss to the pro 9-ball ghost. Semi soft breaking. Only pattern is the 2 ball at the bottom of the rack.

Video is edited for time, but if I ever manage to beat the pro ghost, I’ll only edit minimally. Realized I screwed up the scores between racks. The score itself is right. I just forgot which side was mine. That’s what I get for editing while watching tv, lol.

 

[TLDamian]

Getting closer! 5-7 loss to the pro 9-ball ghost. Semi soft breaking. Only pattern is the 2 ball at the bottom of the rack.

Video is edited for time, but if I ever manage to beat the pro ghost, I’ll only edit minimally. Realized I screwed up the scores between racks. The score itself is right. I just forgot which side was mine. That’s what I get for editing while watching tv, lol.

Nice work! I liked the editing. Also, I felt that last shot deep in my soul. lol

 

[iusedtoberich]

I lost 6-7 to the 9 ball ghost, which is great shooting for me. I was watching the UK Open all day, and it got me in stroke I'm not going to lie, my stroke looks laser straight in the video. I feel good about it. Video sped 5x for my short attention span.

 

[iusedtoberich]

5-7 loss, regular 9-ball ghost.

Got off work a little early and decided to play a couple of sets. First set was horrible. At least this one was close. Lots of editing! Chopped this one up and got it down to 7 minutes. I think I might start doing all my videos this way, unless I do something special.

Nice editing. I used to do mine that way years ago, but got lazy Now I just speed it up 5x.

 

[iusedtoberich]

Good shooting all! First post updated.

 

[iusedtoberich]

I played another set today, lost 5-7.

 

[Poolmanis]

Played normal 9-Ghost with Matchroom break and If i had good opening i did not take ball in hand.
won 9-0. I upload match soon(ish).

 

[soyale]

Played normal 9-Ghost with Matchroom break and If i had good opening i did not take ball in hand.
won 9-0. I upload match soon(ish).

wow man, way to go that is mighty impressive

 

[bpeacock]

9-ball ghost
2-7
That ties my personal best.
I had 1 break and run and I had a 1-9 combo on the last rack.

 

[DaWizard]

9ball ghost, bih after break. 9foot. 1 on the spot. Wooden triangle rack, house cue. No jump cue.

Game 1: 4 balls on break but miss the 9 - 0-1
Game 2: easy 1-9 combo - 1 - 1
Game 3: combo 3-9 - 2 - 1
Game 4: miss on the 6 - 2 - 2
Game 5: pretty clean run - 3 - 2
Game 6: miss on 2 - 3 - 3
Game 7: broke up 9/4 cluster, but was left on the 4 with a very thin cut, made it but very tough shot on the 5, miss. 3 - 4
Game 8: 3 balls on break, snookered myself on 6,miss the kick - 3 - 5
Game 9: though lay out and unfocussed shooting, miss the 4 - 3 - 6
Game 10: snookered myself on the 2... 3 - 7

Ghost wins 3-7.

Guess typical for my current play. Very sloppy position with some very nice shots in between...

 

[Poolmanis]

I broke my ankle couple weeks ago..
So i had some free time from work and played a lot of 3-cushion on Shooter´s Pool Billiard Simulation.
Yesterday I played little pool and then took and played Ghost match in Shooter´s pool.
I talk my thought process, ball physics, and aiming while i destroy Ghost 7-0.
You can see what i see. True point of view experience!

 

[peppersauce]

…while i destroy Ghost 7-0.

Just like you do in real life!

 

[bpeacock]

I set a PR this afternoon. 3 - 7 against the ghost. I had 2 runs and a 1-9 combo.
8ft Brunswick
486 Fargo

 

[bpeacock]

Played the ghost again yesterday afternoon and he got me again 2-8. I had a runout and a 1-9 combo.
Cue control was the biggest problem. I spent time between racks thinking about the shot selection that led to me missing shapes. I think my shot selection was poor. Often found a better approach. Overall it was a good exercise. With the shot evaluation between racks it took about 2 hours. I also keep a count of number of balls made to check progress an that score 45. A win is 10 points instead of ball count.
479 Fargo (Dropped 7 points form last month - had a couple bad weeks in league play)

 

[peppersauce]

Played the ghost again yesterday afternoon and he got me again 2-8. I had a runout and a 1-9 combo.
Cue control was the biggest problem. I spent time between racks thinking about the shot selection that led to me missing shapes. I think my shot selection was poor. Often found a better approach. Overall it was a good exercise. With the shot evaluation between racks it took about 2 hours. I also keep a count of number of balls made to check progress an that score 45. A win is 10 points instead of ball count.
479 Fargo (Dropped 7 points form last month - had a couple bad weeks in league play)

I might suggest using less balls. I’ve started playing a lot of 6 ball ghost myself. I break a 9 ball rack and remove the lowest balls to leave 6 on the table. I think there’s something to be said for practicing a level of ghost that you have a high success rate against. My Fargo is currently 657 and I still don’t have to win playing that way, but I have a much higher success rate and it allows me to practice doing things that are within my skill level at a higher standard, rather than being overwhelmed looking at a congested table with multiple issues to deal with. Just a thought. I feel like it’s done good things for me, personally.

 

[bpeacock]

I might suggest using less balls. I’ve started playing a lot of 6 ball ghost myself. I break a 9 ball rack and remove the lowest balls to leave 6 on the table. I think there’s something to be said for practicing a level of ghost that you have a high success rate against. My Fargo is currently 657 and I still don’t have to win playing that way, but I have a much higher success rate and it allows me to practice doing things that are within my skill level at a higher standard, rather than being overwhelmed looking at a congested table with multiple issues to deal with. Just a thought. I feel like it’s done good things for me, personally.

Thanks for the quality feedback! That is why I am here. I will give a try.

 

[iusedtoberich]

Thanks for the quality feedback! That is why I am here. I will give a try.

Some of the best practice I ever had was to break and mark all the balls with donuts. Take BIH and run out. Repeat for like 2 weeks straight on this “single” layout. Try many different patterns, but the same layout. Over and over and over. By the time you are done, you will teach yourself the best way to run the rack, and all the tiny pitfalls that will show up on each pattern.

 

[bpeacock]

I like that too. I have not not tried that either. That reminds me of a thread on here awhile back about the best way to run out a given rack. I worked on it for several hours and learned a lot about my ability (or lack thereof)... 2 weeks whew!

 

[peppersauce]

6-ball ghost, 9-4 win.

Haven’t posted a set in a while and since I mentioned that I’ve been playing the 6-ball ghost a lot lately, thought I’d record a set and post it.

These are the rules I’m using:
-9 ball rack.
-9 on the spot.
-No break box.
-2 can’t go at the very bottom of the rack.
-No pattern racking allowed.
-Three point rule. If the three point rule isn’t satisfied on the break, the ghost wins that rack automatically. (Just to make sure I’m paying attention to satisfying the rule)

I’m using these rules to get ready for a tournament at the end of the month that uses this same rule set. As I mentioned, after the break I take the lowest numbered balls off to leave 6. At my level, I can manage 6 open balls the majority of the time as long as I make the right decisions. So playing this way allows me focus more on using the right cue ball tools and playing the right patterns.