9-ball - One way to increase your chances of getting out

Jude Rosenstock

Jude Rosenstock

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
So last night, I'm practicing with Tony "Flaco" Rodriguez - one of the more notable players in the New York area and a regular at Amsterdam Billiards. After I scratched on the break, he proceeded to shoot the 1-ball with BIH this way (see below). I thought it was brilliant and figured I'd share it with everyone.

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Pro's refer to it as a "two-way shot". Some shots you can miss and leave your opponent safe, or in this case you can make the object ball and break up a trouble ball that will help you later in the rack. Thanks for sharing.:)
 
Great stuff, Jude!

It pays to read the rack before you start shooting, and that was a beautifully read!

That shot reminds me of the shot that Alex Pagualayan made to win the WPC a few years ago... remember this shot?

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VIDEO OF THIS SHOT
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With the 2 in the hole, that is a brilliant shot. I never would have thought about repositioning that ball. Thanks Jude-
 
Blackjack said:
Great stuff, Jude!

It pays to read the rack before you start shooting, and that was a beautifully read!

That shot reminds me of the shot that Alex Pagualayan made to win the WPC a few years ago... remember this shot?

CueTable Help




VIDEO OF THIS SHOT
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Thats when I became a fan of Alex's what a stroke..
 
Jude,
I've had several old school straight pool masters tell me to ALWAYS move a ball that is on the rail within 6 inches of a side pocket. Nine ball affords fewer opportunities for such plays; but I'm hopeful that most of the straight poolers would see this play. The 2 is our "insurance ball."

It sounds like the playing level of your competitors is quite high; must be nice to be stuck in the Big Apple. Is your opponent a 14.1 afficionado???

P.S. - as an aside; proper technique (as taught by a former #1) is to find the angle that allows a natural roll into the 4; and cue ball should hit the rail BEFORE the 4 ball (otherwise it may double kiss, and leave the 4 right where it is). Don't just settle for hitting the 4 anywhere.
 
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Williebetmore said:
Jude,
I've had several old school straight pool masters tell me to ALWAYS move a ball that is on the rail within 6 inches of a side pocket. Nine ball affords fewer opportunities for such plays; but I'm hopeful that most of the straight poolers would see this play. The 2 is our "insurance ball."

It sounds like the playing level of your competitors is quite high; must be nice to be stuck in the Big Apple. Is your opponent a 14.1 afficionado???

P.S. - as an aside; proper technique (as taught by a former #1) is to find the angle that allows a natural roll into the 4; and cue ball should hit the rail BEFORE the 4 ball (otherwise it may double kiss, and leave the 4 right where it is). Don't just settle for hitting the 4 anywhere.
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Willie,

That is why 14.1 Continuous will ALWAYS be the game's best teacher!
 
my initial response to this was going to be "Why would he have done something like that???"

however, after studying the layout more carefully i can see that it was a wise move. makes getting position on that 5-Ball a whole lot easier.

DCP
 
Williebetmore said:
Jude,
I've had several old school straight pool masters tell me to ALWAYS move a ball that is on the rail within 6 inches of a side pocket. Nine ball affords fewer opportunities for such plays; but I'm hopeful that most of the straight poolers would see this play. The 2 is our "insurance ball."

It sounds like the playing level of your competitors is quite high; must be nice to be stuck in the Big Apple. Is your opponent a 14.1 afficionado???

P.S. - as an aside; proper technique (as taught by a former #1) is to find the angle that allows a natural roll into the 4; and cue ball should hit the rail BEFORE the 4 ball (otherwise it may double kiss, and leave the 4 right where it is). Don't just settle for hitting the 4 anywhere.
Click to expand...


Yes, he's known for playing straight pool quite a bit and yes, it's nice to be stuck in nyc. Thanks for saying such!
 
Blackjack said:
That is why 14.1 Continuous will ALWAYS be the game's best teacher!
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We are embarking on a 14.1 league in a few weeks at my local pool hall. I asked one of the (young) regulars if he was going to play and he said, "No, I hate that game".

I know him pretty well, so I said, "Most people hate it because it exposes all of your weaknesses. It's uncomfortable to be exposed like that."

That comment sorta hit him right between the eyes. I could see that working in his head. Maybe he will man up and play.
 
mosconiac said:
We are embarking on a 14.1 league in a few weeks at my local pool hall. I asked one of the (young) regulars if he was going to play and he said, "No, I hate that game".

I know him pretty well, so I said, "Most people hate it because it exposes all of your weaknesses. It's uncomfortable to be exposed like that."

That comment sorta hit him right between the eyes. I could see that working in his head. Maybe he will man up and play.
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'Sconiac,
I played the Masters league VNEA bar table league for the first time this year. I asked one of the best players in the league (long time bar table player and little else) if he wanted to come to my house for some 14.1 on the big table. He replied, "no, straight pool is just too easy on those big tables; you ALWAYS have a shot."

While such thinking may be true for the Hohmanns and the Immonens of the world; it is definitely not true for us mere mortals. He finally came over and was completely demoralized by his inability to get through even a rack at a time (but to his credit, did see the value of the game, and will come back for more).
 
This thread reminds me of playing 8 ball against a team mate years ago. I was running my set, and a couple of times had the opportunity to use one of his set for shape, and in the process knocked his ball to the rail or up close to another of his set. I did that several times before he went "HEY, you're messing up my balls on purpose you jerk". I had to agree with him, I was being a jerk (and continue to play this way to this day, when the opportunity presents itself :D ).

Dave
 
Big C said:
Pro's refer to it as a "two-way shot". Some shots you can miss and leave your opponent safe, or in this case you can make the object ball and break up a trouble ball that will help you later in the rack. Thanks for sharing.:)
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??? I don't see a two-way shot. I only see a shot breaking out the troube ball of the cushion, while holding the cueball for the next ball.

Fred
 
DaveK said:
This thread reminds me of playing 8 ball against a team mate years ago. I was running my set, and a couple of times had the opportunity to use one of his set for shape, and in the process knocked his ball to the rail or up close to another of his set. I did that several times before he went "HEY, you're messing up my balls on purpose you jerk". I had to agree with him, I was being a jerk (and continue to play this way to this day, when the opportunity presents itself :D ).

Dave
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Dave,
This is a VERY underutilized strategy in 8-ball (nudging your opponent's balls into bad places, while making your own balls, and opening your own clusters).

I was first exposed to this strategy by Brian Groce at an IPT tune-up event (see the thread http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=39813&highlight=Banger's for a re-hash of the event).

He broke the balls, and was forced to shoot stripes first (his only makeable shot). Unfortunately, stripes had 3 tough clusters and solids were completely open (roadmap runout should I get to the table). First shot, he pockets a ball, breaks a cluster open. Then makes a ball, nudges one of mine into a bad place. Makes another ball, opening another of his clusters. Then makes a ball nudging one of mine into a bad place. At the end of the rack he had run out for the win, and solids had 3 nasty, unmakeable clusters where once there had been a roadmap. I knew then I was in over my head.

Very often, shots like Flaco's above can be used in 8-ball to safely nudge an opponent's ball into a bad place; but only if we look for them.
 
Actionhound said:
or you can just play perfect shape and never miss a ball... that works pretty well also. :D
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That may be easy for you, but my milage varies considerably :eek:

And Willie, I agree that messing up your opponents balls is an under-utilized tactic, but it sure is fun and can be a real game-saver (considering my problem with the ActionHounds suggestion :o )

Dave
 
that's a cool tip, gracias jude.

One of my favorite tricks (where it's easy and presents itself nicely) is when one of my balls is near a side and so is one of my opponent's. If I can't miss it, I'll carom it off the opponent's ball instead of just shooting it straight in. Sometimes you'll even leave him in the dreaded 6-inches-of-the-side zone.
 
Actionhound said:
or you can just play perfect shape and never miss a ball... that works pretty well also. :D
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It's interesting you should say that. When I showed this shot to a friend of mine, his response was simply, "You have ball-in-hand and your key to getting out is only 2 balls away." His point was simply, it should be within your power to manage the table as is. Regardless, it opened my eyes a bit and thought it would have a similar effect on you guys.
 
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