9 Ball Situation (4) - Explain This Run Out

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Alright, here is another layout. You are watching the final of a world 9 ball championship played by two world class players together on a unpredictable new table. You are with your megabucks date
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, who doesn't know much pool but is very curious because 1) you love pool, 2) you are an intelligent person and 3) you know how to talk.

The incoming player just took a break. You date turns around and ask, "is he going to win?" You answered, "yep, here is how it's going to happen.."

Here is the tasks for you for the next 5 minutes on a piece of napkin:


Predict how the incoming player is going to run out
Explain the challenge and importance here for each shot
Express what it takes and how it feels to win
Share anything else inspiring about pool from this layout


I am trying something a little different this time. Remember, you are talking to someone intelligent but doesn't know much about pool. The 2 ball happens to be a hanger so I trust you should have no problem starting. Let's see if you can bring the person to the pool hall tonight for more. ;)



If it's a bonus if you happened to see it already. Let's see if you can make pool sounds really interesting. :)

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Edit: If you are already married, change "your date" to "your son / daughter / best friend".. Or, if you just want to talk about the layout and pay no attention to the scenario, please feel free to do so
 
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Ironically, the most important shot in this run-out is also the easiest to pocket. This first shot on the 2-ball determines EVERYTHING because you are going to need precise position on the 5-ball to get out which means you have to have comfortable position on the 4-ball. What's more, the 2-ball is hanging in the pocket which makes it terribly difficult to position with.

So, if I'm talking to my date right now, I'd tell her to watch how the 2-ball is executed. The shooter will either have a look of confidence right after pocketing the ball or look very worried.
 
The only hard shots on this layout is the 2 to the 4, and the 4 to the 5.

I would go rail first into the 2, hitting the short rail first then angling off of the top rail back towards the center of the table. With the correct speed you would be lying a little bit below the 4 with a shot into the bottom right corner.

You would then need to draw off the 4 with low left english into the top rail, which should bring you close to the center of the table for a shot on the 5. You would just have to put enough english on it to clear the 7.

After that its simple shotmaking. Draw back for the 6, draw for the 7, the 8 you could go forward 2 rails back out to the middle or you could draw back, stop shot to get on the 9, make the 9 in the bottom left corner.
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
because you are going to need precise position on the 5-ball to get out
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It's not that bad. There are many options available from different angles on the 5. It's not that precise with about 1/5th of the table space to get on it. Granted it may not be ideal but it's far from difficult even if shape is a little off on the 5.

I agree the hardest part is just pulling the cueball back about a foot or so off the 2.

s0lidz said:
I would go rail first into the 2, hitting the short rail first then angling off of the top rail back towards the center of the table. With the correct speed you would be lying a little bit below the 4 with a shot into the bottom right corner.
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Playing with fire going that way imo.
 
I would shoot the 2-ball with just enough draw to avoid the point and get cleanly on the side rail....Right hand english (and the rebound) will bring the CB back out toward the center table for the 4 ball....I would play for a postition on the 4 that allows me to sned the CB 2 rails off the end and side rail on a track line coming into the 5 ball)

IMO.....The 2-ball is not really that hard to controle...

The rest of the rack as routine...

The key lesson in this thread is that nobody spends any amount of time to practice this shot...I am sure the thought process is ...why practice such an easy shot?

The shot itself is easy...the CB controle takes about 10 minutes of practice time playing it various different ways

It is no different than learning to pocket a ball that is a little off angle or one of your "trouble shots"...actually practice it once or twice and it becomes routine.
 
cubc said:
It's not that bad. There are many options available from different angles on the 5. It's not that precise with about 1/5th of the table space to get on it. Granted it may not be ideal but it's far from difficult even if shape is a little off on the 5.



Playing with fire going that way imo.
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I didn't say it was "bad", I said it was the hardest part of the run out. If you nail this correctly, the rest of the rack is natural. Fail to get decent shape on the 4 and you're going to be fighting the table. It is the one shot that should be taken with thoughtful consideration. I'm not sure I would draw here. I would prefer using a centerball (a little bit of left) approach, clip the 2-ball and go one rail to the center of the table but I'm not 100% certain that shot is available.

Yes, you can use draw to accomplish the same goal but with the distance here, you're going to have to hit it firm which means accuracy is extremely important. If I chose to draw here, I would pretend the pocket was 15 feet away, just to make me more accurate.
 
If you can get the cue ball to the middle of the table you have natural shape to get on the five. If you are good enough to hit an 8 ft shot and draw the ball 4 ft to the middle of the table then you deserve a pat on the back. I would probably go rail first with left on he cue ball and try to come around under the 9-5-7 cluster to the middle of the table. After that even a c player like me can run that rack.
 
s0lidz said:
The only hard shots on this layout is the 2 to the 4, and the 4 to the 5.

I would go rail first into the 2, hitting the short rail first then angling off of the top rail back towards the center of the table. With the correct speed you would be lying a little bit below the 4 with a shot into the bottom right corner.
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I disagree with your choice here. These rail-first shots are so hard to judge, especially from this distance. When you do play them, you want to know you have the street clear. A rail-first approach is going to send you toward the 5/7. Granted, there are a lot of ways this can play out that will not cost you the rack but there are a few ways that will get you stuck. For me, it's not worth the chance.
 
Pool is a beautiful game of intricacies. Each time you prepare to shoot, you feel the control of the shot in your form and the stroking of the cue. You know that whether you succeed or fail comes purely from within. This first shot is extremely simple to pocket the two ball, but you must be sure to also know how the cue ball will react after it has made contact. Will it follow the two into the pocket? Will it stop dead in its tracks leaving a very long shot? Will it contact the two, and then leave the lower rail only to slide into the side pocket? If all goes as planned, the cue ball will only brush the two and will rebound off the lower rail and glide smoothly into position to shoot the four ball into the corner pocket.

Now, each shot will require some precision in pocketing the balls. The player will not want to be directly in line with the object ball and the pocket. This would give the player little margin for error to pocket the ball and still be able to maneuver the cue ball into position to shoot the next ball. The player should have a slight angle from the cue ball to the object ball. The player will shoot the cue ball into the part of the four ball that is in line with the pocket. This is where pool becomes more complex. The cue ball would normally depart at a 45 degree angle after contact, but this can be changed by the velocity and spin of the cue ball. Pool players call this English. The player will shoot through the top of the cue ball causing it to spin forward more quickly than natural, this is called top English. This will cause the cue ball to take a straighter path after contacting the four. The cue will then hit the lower rail and come back up the table to contact the side rail and slide back out towards the center.

The intent will be to have a fairly straight shot to pocket the five ball. This is because the seven would cause a problem when trying to get position on the six. The player should then cue the through the bottom of the cue ball. This will cause it to be spinning backwards despite its forward momentum. This is called draw or bottom English. The reason this is done is that once contact is made with the five ball, the backwards spinning motion will cause the cue ball to actually reverse direction and come to rest closer to where it was originally shot from.

The player will then have a fairly easy shot to pocket the six ball in the same pocket as the four. The cue ball should come off the rail and into position a few inches towards the center from where the six is now. The player can then shoot the seven ball at a very slight angle into the pocket the five was played. As before the cue ball should leave the seven at a 45 degree angle after contact, but this can be altered using English. The player will shoot with just enough bottom English that the cue ball will be barely spinning backwards as it contacts the seven. This will cause the angle coming off the seven to be larger.

The cue ball should slide into position to shoot the eight into the side pocket. If the player hits the shot a little too hard, he should still be able to shoot the eight into the upper corner. Either of these options should leave the player straight in on the nine, the final and winning ball. This is when it is great to have a straight in shot since there is no other ball to play position for. It is also nice to have an easy shot when it means this player will win the game, the tournament, and the nice cash prize.
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
I disagree with your choice here. These rail-first shots are so hard to judge, especially from this distance. When you do play them, you want to know you have the street clear. A rail-first approach is going to send you toward the 5/7. Granted, there are a lot of ways this can play out that will not cost you the rack but there are a few ways that will get you stuck. For me, it's not worth the chance.
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For me, any way you play this there is a chance you could get stuck. I definitely wouldn't try to draw here, draw shots from that distance rarely work out for me. You have to be precise to draw straight back off of that ball. If you are off on either side you are going to draw into bad position.

Your only other option is to hit off center purposely and roll forward and hope to come out ok. That is risky as well. To me, a rail first shot doesn't seem any riskier than the other options.
 
s0lidz said:
... I definitely wouldn't try to draw here, draw shots from that distance rarely work out for me. ...
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Well, yes, but the question was how Shane would probably play it on new cloth with polished balls.
 
Draw here isn't that hard, you can even just touch the side rail on the way out to make it easier. If you even come back a couple feet it would be workable. I think Russ said something about aiming past the ball. When they are in the jaws like that aiming past the ball is a really good way to get a straight hit and draw. For me, my only option would be draw out of the corner. Tight pockets and depending how deep the CB is in jaws may allow for easy forward roll, but can't tell. So, draw here to get the run going.
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
...you are going to need precise position on the 5-ball to get out which means you have to have comfortable position on the 4-ball. What's more, the 2-ball is hanging in the pocket which makes it terribly difficult to position with.
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I see huge position zones for both the 4 and 5:

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pj
chgo
 
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Patrick Johnson said:
I see huge position zones for both the 4 and 5:

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pj
chgo
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Yes well, not everyone is as talented as you are. Personally, I don't like shots on the rail and minus that from my position zone. I also enjoy being close to my work which is why I'm aiming for center table. When I get to be as good as you, I'll care less about where the cueball goes.
 
Patrick Johnson said:
I see huge position zones for both the 4 and 5:

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pj
chgo
Click to expand...


OMG, I'm sorry, I forgot to mention your position zone for the 5. Yes, I'm not that talented yet. When I master my jumping ability, I will include the 8-ball in my position zone. I also have yet to master thinning the 5 in, running into the 7 and still managing shape on the 6. I'm a slow learner but I'll get there some day.
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
Yes well, not everyone is as talented as you are. Personally, I don't like shots on the rail and minus that from my position zone. I also enjoy being close to my work which is why I'm aiming for center table. When I get to be as good as you, I'll care less about where the cueball goes.
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Sand in your undies today, Jude? Or is questioning you just not done?

pj
chgo
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
OMG, I'm sorry, I forgot to mention your position zone for the 5. Yes, I'm not that talented yet. When I master my jumping ability, I will include the 8-ball in my position zone. I also have yet to master thinning the 5 in, running into the 7 and still managing shape on the 6. I'm a slow learner but I'll get there some day.
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Sorry, man. Didn't know your authority on these matters must not be questioned. My bad.

pj
chgo
 
Patrick Johnson said:
Sorry, man. Didn't know your authority on these matters must not be questioned. My bad.

pj
chgo
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I'm simply trying to point out that you're not being practical here. You're expanding your position zones by quite a bit. I mean, you can disagree with me all you want. I don't care. There are plenty of people that don't have to agree with what is the correct position zone but I can assure you, I'm going to beat most of these people and I'm fine with that.
 
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