3-Ball Pool Break Strategy and Tips
- Thread starter dr_dave
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My wife taught me that break. She had worked as a bartender in Reno. There was a player that would tip the bartender $50 for a call whenever there was action. He taught her the break.
3 ball has the potential for a big payday. My biggest one night score came playing 3 ball.
Did you ever run into people who were playing partners? How do you deal with them?
I always had enough gamble to test the waters, so to speak.
Heh heh, once I had a team of three that though they wanted to play $5 3 ball on a nine foot table with the old slow wool cloth. They were sure they had the nuts until I made a couple of 2 for one shots to tie points. They pulled up real quick. In my experience I went into the game expecting teams. Just never ran into any that played strong enough to beat me, at 3 ball that is.
Once I got into a 2 & 3 dollar nine ball ring game with 2 friends. They had the order right with me following the best player and the weaker player setting him up. Once I saw I couldn't win(I was stuck around $20), I said to the player, "I can't beat you both,. How about you and I playing for 10 a game?" Before he could answer the weaker player jumped in with,"I want to play too." To which I replied, " You don't understand, I can't beat you both. I will play him for $10, I will play you for $20."
Bob,
Do you know of any good breaks not included in my video that I should include if I do a follow-up video?
Thanks,
Dave
Dave, there's a 3-5 ball game that resembles golf. It has a wall chart with all of the 18 different racks pictured, from using 3 to 4(?) balls set up differently for each "golf hole."
I tried a search but couldn't find it. Maybe someone here has it?
Jeff Livingston
(Sort of off-topic, but....) Here is my September 2007 column in On The Break News: https://issuu.com/thebreak/docs/ebreak9-07
Here is a score sheet with the 18 shots. It is available in a full-page version on the page http://www.sfbilliards.com/miscellaneous.htm
![CropperCapture[124].png](https://forums.azbilliards.com/data/attachments/359/359197-f11b3184b5184d558d42ffd9903db6b4.jpg "CropperCapture[124].png")
I don't remember so many balls for some of those, but that seems to be the chart I was talking about.
Thanks,
Jeff Livingston
There's only one six-ball pattern. I can think of some smaller patterns that could be substituted, but it's kind of nice as a "longest hole" feature.
As mentioned in the On The Break article, the shots come from a 1960s newsletter for room owners. Each month it offered a new game to keep customers interested.
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Well, somebody made it into a game/product with a nice erasable wall chart. This was maybe 10 years ago or so?
Muellers used to sell it, I think.
Jeff Livingston
I miss spoke, it is 4 rails to the corner.
Using this break, I am attempting to park the cue ball mid table. The two wing balls will come back around and end up at the foot or mid table if they don't go in. Making for a simple half table lay out. Sometimes they will wreck in crossing at the head end but not often. It is all about the percentages. If I can keep laying down easy 4s, with an occasional 3, I am happy. Most of the 3 ball games I have been in had a majority of players that were only 50% to make a 3 if they made one on the break. Grinding out the pars(4s), would win money in the long run.
We always played, with the last winner breaking first, as it is a big advantage to go last. 5 is the maximum point and a scratch costs what ever the ante is. If playing for a quarter the scratch quarters went on the rail for the next time we had to drop the balls. If no quarters were on the rail, they came out of the pot. Winner of the last pot got all the quarters on the rail.
The etiquette of the game was don't intentionally put the 6 or 8 on the head. Just reach down and get the balls without looking for any particular balls. Don't check the rack unless it is obviously loose or crooked. In a quarter game cheering, razzing and coaching are not only acceptable but encouraged.
Oh yea I almost forgot. This break generally leaves a ball or two near a pocket making for 2 for 1 chances when you need them.
Yeah....racked in a line it's much harder to get a 2 or 3. Seems like a lot of 3's and easier 2's when racked in a triangle.
Still some great strategies for those who rack this way. Thanks Dr Dave.
1979 I had a handful of frog skins in my pocket and that was it. I was in the only bar in the town of Twin Lakes,Colorado. I got into a three ball game with four other players and begun to win a few on a Valley bar box. The crowd in there was rough, mostly truck drivers and construction workers who were building a reservoir with a few miners sprinkled in. This game started picking up steam and after an hour or so there were eight players and this game is tough to win with that many shooters playing "one tie all tie".
The pot hat grown to around $125, we were playing $1 a game. Well someone did not like the gambling and called the Lake county sheriff's to report us. The heat showed up but we had enough time to stash the cash in the fireplace. It was a huge stone thing with enough room on the edges to stick a ball cap full of loot and unless you singed your hair you would never see it. The man asked a few questions and then left and with in a few games I made all three on the break and won about $150. To a struggling college student that was huge.
The pot hat grown to around $125, we were playing $1 a game. Well someone did not like the gambling and called the Lake county sheriff's to report us. The heat showed up but we had enough time to stash the cash in the fireplace. It was a huge stone thing with enough room on the edges to stick a ball cap full of loot and unless you singed your hair you would never see it. The man asked a few questions and then left and with in a few games I made all three on the break and won about $150. To a struggling college student that was huge.
Fun story!
Do you remember what break you used to make all three? If it is different from those in my video, please describe it so I can include it if I do a follow-up video.
Thanks,
Dave
I know it's tough to believe, but I actually did get a 1, and *I swear* this was right after I jokingly exclaimed to my buddies, "you think that 3 was something?, watch this...."
By the grace of the pool gods all three went in. Don't remember how, but I think one fired straight in the corner and the other two kissed off each other and found gravity. I yelled out, and all of us laughed our asses off.
By the grace of the pool gods all three went in. Don't remember how, but I think one fired straight in the corner and the other two kissed off each other and found gravity. I yelled out, and all of us laughed our asses off.
Dave I can't remember how I broke the balls but I do remember two balls went into the same side pocket. One went clean and the two remaining balls kissed and then one found the same side and one in a lower corner. It seemed like a bad rack when I first hit them. I made that money last for nearly six weeks at school(Trinidad state).
Break video
I finally got a video of my break.https://youtu.be/Mijvt3si6V0
My first attempt at YouTube.
If the video works it shows how all 3 can be moved to a pocket.
This was my first attempt today. I agree with Ronnie O’SULLIVAN my left hand break is luckier.
I think 3 ball is a great way to practice if you want to play 9 ball.
The accuracy is so much more important than power.
The cue ball action tells me how accurate I was in striking the cue ball. Many top players say look at the cue ball on the break, even though they play object ball last after that. Mike Sigel says the break is the most important shot in 9 ball. Shane’s mastery of the break catapult him.
Looks like the link goes to the end. Just hit the replay circle arrow.
I did make the cross side bank and left ball in hand shape on the third.
I finally got a video of my break.https://youtu.be/Mijvt3si6V0
My first attempt at YouTube.
If the video works it shows how all 3 can be moved to a pocket.
This was my first attempt today. I agree with Ronnie O’SULLIVAN my left hand break is luckier.
I think 3 ball is a great way to practice if you want to play 9 ball.
The accuracy is so much more important than power.
The cue ball action tells me how accurate I was in striking the cue ball. Many top players say look at the cue ball on the break, even though they play object ball last after that. Mike Sigel says the break is the most important shot in 9 ball. Shane’s mastery of the break catapult him.
Looks like the link goes to the end. Just hit the replay circle arrow.
I did make the cross side bank and left ball in hand shape on the third.