8-Ball Strategy

Predator5K4 said:
There's gotta be a way to nudge those balls and freeze up the cue ball. I guess I'm coming back to your first assessment that you have to lengthen the game and probably play a couple lock up safeties. I'm not sure that it will take a critical error from your opponent, though. Depends on how badly you tie him/her up as to how critical the error has to be?
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I've got it. I wish the diagram weren't a gif.

I'd bank the 4-ball into the 5/7 and leave the cueball snug on the rail. I may even have the cueball drift toward the lower right corner. I'd also hit it HARD. Perhaps a healthy rearranging will "turn the table" in my favor.
 
I would go 3-4, breaking out the stripe that is tying up your ball up table. That's assuming that you are allowed to play a billiard off your opponent's ball in your league. At what pool hall is your league?
 
I would have shot the 4 in the corner breaking open your 2 ball, rolling the cue ball up far enough to take either the 5 or 7 in the top right corner. Then I would have ran out the rack and shook hands with my opponent.

If neither the 5 or 7 would go, I would roll up and push the 5 ball and freeze the cue ball to the right side of the 7 ball.
 
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It seems that you have 2 problems in this rack: the 2 ball and the 8 ball.... By starting at 'B', you can solve the 2 ball issue. You have to be careful of how you hit this so that you can control where the 2 goes. This is not that difficult if you pay close attention to the alignment of the balls and the speed at which you hit the shot. Of course, you have to be thinking about the 5 ball next. You want to put the 2 in a position so that you can get to it after shooting the 5 ball. This means that you also want to have a shot on the 3 ball after the 2. Fortunately, you have 2 nice pockets for the 3 ball, so you have a few options, depending on where you put the 2. So, shoot the 4 and break the 2. Shoot the 5 and set up for the 2. Shoot the 3 to set up for the 6. 6 to set up for the 7. By playing the 7 last, you get position on the 8 in the upper left corner. You have to look at the shot on the 8 ball before you begin this run! Always look for the 8 and determine where you can put it. This should help to decide which group to play, if it's an option. It's almost like playing the rack backwards in your head before you get started. Decide whether you can actually run out and decide which ball will set you up for the 8. Far too often, people will get up to the table and just run off balls, only to leave no shot on the 8.
 
stljohnny said:
8balllayout.jpg
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If the 7-ball squeezes by the 5-ball into the corner pocket (and you feel comfortable making it that way). I would line up the 7 to the corner and use a touch of draw bringing the CB back with a sufficient angle to then pot the 5-ball in the same corner pocket and rool out towards the 6-ball being careful about the 9-ball.

{An alternative, here, is to pot the 5-ball first and draw back for the same scenario on the 7 to either 6 or 3.}

If you are a little shallow on the 6; the 6 might go in the left top corner pocket or cut the 3 come back for the 6 or 4 depending on where the CB stops.
If not, then shoot the 6 and draw back for the 3 then on to the 4.

In both cases, pot the 4 and break out the 2 and hope for a nice shot.
 
Based on the original version of the post I say this:

If your a runout player option B is the way to go.

If your not a runout player use option A.

To the corrected version, I say option B, and play a safety when you got down to the cluster. Push the 7 down to the lower pocket, leaving the cue ball jammed up on the 5 ball.

Black Cat
 
sounds like you were coached well in both cases.

pocketing an opponents ball to play a safe is excellent if it completly snookers them. remember, opponents balls are just traffick for you. once they are gone, you are just potting balls.
 
Neil said:
Another option is to shoot plan B, but with a twist to it. Give yourself an angle on the 4 and follow down to break out the 7-5. You should have a shot on either the 7 or the 5 afterwards.
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This is the play for sure. With one shot you have a chance to solve two problems. Getting either one is a minor victory.

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Worth mentioning: On a table with multiple clusters, try to identify balls you can use to break them out and categorize those balls into "I can do this from almost anywhere" vs. "I can only do this from a very limited, specific angle".

In this case, the carom shot off your opponent's ball to break out the 2 is an "almost anywhere" shot. You don't need ball in hand to do it. It requires good aim on your part, but your cue ball can be at almost any angle in relation to the 4. You just need to be accurate enough to hit the right half of the 12 ball.

Meanwhile the 6 ball must be done from a very specific angle. A few inches more angle and you run into the 9. A few inches less and you need to pound the ball with just the right amount of top... somewhere between center ball and natural roll. A difference of millimeters will cause the CB to miss the cluster.

In this case, if the bottom right pocket in the diagram were open, I'd definitely say use your ball in hand on the 6. Don't try to get perfect on it from the 3, that's asking too much. However since it's not open, you have to accomplish the unlikely sequence of opening up the pocket, drawing 6 feet to get decent on the 3, then getting just right from the 3 to the 6. This is so unlikely I would have kept staring at the table for a plan B (like Neil's idea) because this plan A is a non-starter.
 
If you wish to leave the 4ball in place, you also have this defensive option. Get the cueball to the rail and you should be alright.

CueTable Help

 
trustyrusty said:
Just yesterday I had an opponent sink my ball and intentionally scratch in 1P (happens all the time). But he payed for it when I made both balls spotted (first time I've EVER made both)!! :thumbup:
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This tells me you also know how to draw your ball, we've now moved from 9-7 to 10-7 for our game. Keep on and I'm going to 11-6 and driving to your Garage!
 
CreeDo said:
This is the play for sure. With one shot you have a chance to solve two problems. Getting either one is a minor victory.

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Worth mentioning: On a table with multiple clusters, try to identify balls you can use to break them out and categorize those balls into "I can do this from almost anywhere" vs. "I can only do this from a very limited, specific angle".

.....Meanwhile the 6 ball must be done from a very specific angle. A few inches more angle and you run into the 9. A few inches less and you need to pound the ball with just the right amount of top... somewhere between center ball and natural roll. A difference of millimeters will cause the CB to miss the cluster....
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The advice regarding how sensitive a possible breakout is to the initial cb position is good. A couple of observations:

1) I agree that success on shot A is much more dependent on having perfect shape than for shot B. In competition, speed control errors are common and therefore, as you have said, the approach to shot A can go wrong. But I do not think I would choose to use BIH to play the 6 direct. The problem with this shot (and for shot A) is that this is not a good line to use to to break the 5-7 cluster. From that angle, you can easily get a double kiss which leaves the ball on the rail.

2) I agree that shot B as suggested by the team captain can be done from anywhere. But the improvement on B, first pointed out by Neil, whereby you break out the 5-7 at the same time as potting the 4 does require fairly precise initial cb positioning (and so is a good use of BIH).
 
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Perioia

yeah, that's what came off of my keyboard!!-Perioia-:lol:
Wow! Pretty good spots. He that good ,huh? I'm glad he lives in Peoria, Ill. and not Peoria, Az. !!
 
My opinion, which is not worth a heck of a lot, would be to go for the 4 off your opponent's ball to free up that pocket, while also going for the break out of the 5-7 cluster. I know others have said this same exact advice, but I wanted to share my thoughts on why your original thinking was a bit off. Having ball in hand and putting it on the table for the 3, which was already WIDE open, instead of using ball in hand to free up a pocket or break open a cluster (or in the advice of a bunch of people here, both), doesn't make a ton of sense.

Use your BIH opportunity to fix a problem, not just hit a free ball in to make one or two balls after that. With your plan, after you ran into the 5-7 cluster, you really had no other plan other than "hoping" you left him safe. With the 4 ball first plan, you break open the 5-7 cluster and the 2 ball, giving you all types of options, while leaving your wide open 3 and 6 for later.
 
Wow - excellent discussion everyone! Thank you for all the suggestions and thoughts. I will definitely keep them in mind for next week's league.

I generally try to find patterns that will allow me to break up clusters, but that night I wasn't really "on" and overlooked a lot of things.

Playing safe in 8-ball is whole different animal, in my opinion, compared to playing in 9-ball, which I'm pretty used to doing. Hiding one ball isn't too hard (in theory), hiding half of the table on the other hand... now that is something else. haha
 
If im feeling aggressive, which i usually am, i like setting up on the 5 in the corner and drawing back for the break out on the 2. Should leave the seven in the corner and all balls will be open from there. Hopefully you can clear out the 8 a little bit more with the seven.
 
stljohnny said:
Playing safe in 8-ball is whole different animal, in my opinion, compared to playing in 9-ball, which I'm pretty used to doing. Hiding one ball isn't too hard (in theory), hiding half of the table on the other hand... now that is something else. haha
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You don't have to hide all your opponent's balls in 8ball to play a good safe.
 
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