9-Ball Situation - What Would YOU Do?

GG11

GG11

Kill the Bunny
Silver Member
Good Monday Morning to You All!

So, I played in the JPNEWT this weekend! First time I've cashed in it!! :eek: WOOT WOOT to me! :D

So, this is how I lost the last match. I'm down 6-4 (after being down 6-1). My opponent misses the 9-ball and ends up leaving me this anyways. (Ain't 9-ball a pisser!!:mad: )

What would you do?? I'll let you know the ridiculous shot I took and what shot I think I should have taken ... after I removed my head from my #*&!

Keep in mind, I'm right handed and would have required the bridge to shoot the 9-ball head on in any way so for you lefties, put it on the other side of the table and for you bean poles, now you're a shortie! Oh and this is a regulation size pool table.

9-ball is NOT frozen, but it's so close and the cue ball is dead straight so you can't bank it. You almost have to hit less than 1/2 the 9-ball to miss the double hit.

ENJOY!

CueTable Help

 
GG11 said:
... What would you do?? I'll let you know the ridiculous shot I took and what shot I think I should have taken ... after I removed my head from my #*&! ...
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Kick it in. Or, if you're on your meds, roll the cue ball directly at the 9 and leave it almost frozen, so your opponent can kick at it with right side spin.
 
Actually, a very easy solution to this scenario is something Tony Robles showed me about ten years ago. Considering the 9-ball is not frozen AND you're right-handed, executing this shot with the bridge isn't terribly difficult. Much easier than thinning the 9-ball and sending the cue-ball around the table (the preferred shot, if you were a lefty).

You aim to hit the 9-ball full in the face with draw. The 9 will rebound off the rail and hit the cueball again and send it back to the other side of the table. Assuming you hit it full, the 9-ball should stay right there. The shot works best if both the cueball and 9-ball are along the center axis but a diamond away from the pocket should work, too.

CueTable Help

 
If you're going to kick, this one works best when the object ball is slightly off the rail. By decreasing your angle of approach, you widen your hit-margin. You have to be fairly comfortable with it but on the whole, you will dramatically increasing your pocketing percentage on kicks.

Firm with left spin.

CueTable Help

 
Bob Jewett said:
Kick it in. Or, if you're on your meds, roll the cue ball directly at the 9 and leave it almost frozen, so your opponent can kick at it with right side spin.
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I like this strategy if she were shooting toward the long rail since the kick doesn't exist. I'm not sure I like it as much on the short rail when the kick is pretty easy to measure. You also leave a GREAT opportunity for a return safety. However, the big positive to yours is that it's very easy to do and you're not selling out.

This safety also works. You run a risk at leaving a short bank BUT there's a good chance you will leave it too short for the bank or off-angle. Make sure to use left-spin. That way, the cueball doesn't climb much AND you can get it to the long-rail with little effort.

CueTable Help

 
Used it for years. Play it with low center because forward roll becomes draw coming back the other way the the CB will check up on you....a little anyway.

A fairly soft shot will get the CB all the way down table. The shot works fine on frozen balls as well.

But I would prefer the kick....struck fairly hard with draw so the CB stays down near the corner and if you miss the 9 leaves the scene on some unknown adventure...but at least you might get some separation.

Regards,
Jim

Jude Rosenstock said:
Actually, a very easy solution to this scenario is something Tony Robles showed me about ten years ago. Considering the 9-ball is not frozen AND you're right-handed, executing this shot with the bridge isn't terribly difficult. Much easier than thinning the 9-ball and sending the cue-ball around the table (the preferred shot, if you were a lefty).

You aim to hit the 9-ball full in the face with draw. The 9 will rebound off the rail and hit the cueball again and send it back to the other side of the table. Assuming you hit it full, the 9-ball should stay right there. The shot works best if both the cueball and 9-ball are along the center axis but a diamond away from the pocket should work, too.

CueTable Help

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Neil said:
On the straight back safety, you have to be aware of your table conditions. If you have real fast rails, it becomes fairly difficult to leave the ob on the rail.

You can also bank it to the far opposite corner, not as difficult as one might think, and often overlooked.
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I feel the ball can be banked to either opposite corner, it would take someone with experience with this shot to play it in lieu of a safety (stones can take the place of skill in this case also). I have both made and missed this shot in passed experiences.
Felt
 
If you're going to kick, this one [shortening the kick angle with holdup spin] works best when the object ball is slightly off the rail. By decreasing your angle of approach, you widen your hit-margin. You have to be fairly comfortable with it but on the whole, you will dramatically increasing your pocketing percentage on kicks.
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Doing this increases your target width by less than 1/8" (a 2.25" target seen almost broadside rather than from a 22.5-degree angle). Not "dramatic", and I don't think it's worth the extra difficulty.

pj
chgo
 
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Patrick Johnson said:
Doing this increases your target width by less than 1/8" (a 2.25" target seen almost broadside rather than from a 22.5-degree angle). Not "dramatic", and I don't think it's worth the extra difficulty.

pj
chgo
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Wait, huh? the target isn't 2.25". The whole ball is 2.25". The target may be only 1/4".
 
Being that I am a lefty...I would look at kicking a leg up on the table (if I have to) and thinning the 9-ball ( just slightly toward but not all the way to the center of the end rail)

and have the CB go two rails back up toward the other end rail (hopefully freezing it)
 
Patrick Johnson said:
Then you increase that smaller target by less than 1/64".

pj
chgo
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I'm not sure how you're arriving at this conclusion. Do you understand that there are two hit locations since the 9-ball is off the rail? By straightening out, you have a greater chance at hitting the ball full.

No matter what, this is a kicking method you have to learn. You're not going to be able to just pull this out of your bag at will. However, if you do take a moment to learn this method, you'll see its value.
 
If Im playing someone that is A speed or higher, I would try to pocket this ball with a one rail kick. If Im playing someone B speed or lower, I would play safe. In my option, a lot can go wrong playing safe on the 9 ball (it always does for me)... and someone A speed or above can tear you apart on the smallest mistake so you might as well go for broke. But if Im playing a lesser player, even if you're not perfect while playing safe, you still have a good chance to win.
 
Good God! What is this world coming to?!?! First global warming and now it seems Hell is freezing over!!!

Last week I agreed with Jude not once but TWICE! And in the same day. But now, just a few short days later, I find myself agreeing with Jude yet again.

The Shot:
The first thing I thought of was "Don't Kick It."
Its too much of a sell-out risk.

I immediately thought that the best way to play this for a stronger player is to play it exactly as Jude points out in his first answer. No angle. Straight ahead. Medium speed. Pushing the 9 into and off the rail and right back into the cueball on the same angle. Leave your opponent a 9 foot, no angle shot, with both balls close to a rail.

My next thought was to clip the left side of the 9 with a little left and try to leave both balls on the long rail. You'll leave the incoming shooter a bank but it might not be an easy one.

Jude, I'm beginning to think that we might just get a long after all, but only around the table. But I want the 6,8!!! ;)
 
I think, the bottom line is, there are several correct ways to go here. I don't think you're going to get very many bad answers and none here I disagree with. I like almost every offensive option that ensures a legal hit and puts multiple pockets in play. I like almost every safety that forces my opponent to consider playing safe in return.

In the end, you do what you feel most comfortable doing and you convince yourself it's the best thing to do.
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
I'm not sure how you're arriving at this conclusion. Do you understand that there are two hit locations since the 9-ball is off the rail? By straightening out, you have a greater chance at hitting the ball full.

No matter what, this is a kicking method you have to learn. You're not going to be able to just pull this out of your bag at will. However, if you do take a moment to learn this method, you'll see its value.
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I think you're both right. Pat is correct in that the apparent size if the target is increased by only a small fraction of its "simple" value if you use reverse on the rail and come across flat. The actual value in this case is about a 5% increase in target size using the reverse english technique.

Jude is correct in that the shot is useful to know. It is also a favorite of Grady's. But I don't think it gives a better percentage than the simple rolling kick, and it is much more subject to table conditions. I like to play the shot "from behind the line" with about equal parts of draw and reverse to kick in a ball along the foot rail. I'd be willing to play it in a game only because I've practiced it a lot.
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
If you're going to kick, this one works best when the object ball is slightly off the rail. By decreasing your angle of approach, you widen your hit-margin. You have to be fairly comfortable with it but on the whole, you will dramatically increasing your pocketing percentage on kicks.

Firm with left spin.

CueTable Help

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It seems like this would have a good chance to follow the 9-ball into the pocket...As the 9-ball gets closer to the pocket the chance increases....I woul think???

Am I looking at this wrong????
 
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