Playing BCA rules on a barbox, you just broke and made 2 solids and are left with this layout (table is still open). Situations like this I usually go braindead and have no idea what to do. You are playing against a very good player. What would you do here?
Barbox 8-ball Situations
- Thread starter cuetechasaurus
- Start date
Playing BCA rules on a barbox, you just broke and made 2 solids and are left with this layout (table is still open). Situations like this I usually go braindead and have no idea what to do. You are playing against a very good player. What would you do here?
I have always been a firm believer that if the safe is as tough as the shot, go for the shot. In your wei table I see 3 low percentage, but makable shots.
Bank the 13 back to the pocket where the cue ball is
Kiss the 15 off the 7 into the bottom side pocket
or, Carom the cue ball off the 4 for the 9 in the upper side.
The last option looks like the best shot from the picture, it would have to be looked at on the real thing though.
These types of caroms are overlooked alot, but if seen arent as low percentage as they look.
Chuck
Bank the 13 back to the pocket where the cue ball is
Kiss the 15 off the 7 into the bottom side pocket
or, Carom the cue ball off the 4 for the 9 in the upper side.
The last option looks like the best shot from the picture, it would have to be looked at on the real thing though.
These types of caroms are overlooked alot, but if seen arent as low percentage as they look.
Chuck
I would bank the 1 cross side and after I lost the game, I would tell myself you're an idiot. I should have drew the cueball off the 1 back in behind the 6. On a good day, I would bank the 1 in the corner calling safe and playing the cueball back in behind the 6!
no-sho = he who has no idea
no-sho = he who has no idea
RiverCity said:
I don't think a carom is needed here. I would try to shoot the 9 into the upper side pocket.
Either make the 4 and run solids or play safe back to the headrail. On a barbox, the 4 is my choice.
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It's not clear if the 4 can squeak by the 5. Shooting the 9 into the side might be a tad easier as it's an unobstructed shot. And the 12 ball might assist the 9 going in if the shot is a little bit off.TX Poolnut said:
Also, if you do make the 9, you should have some easy follow-up shots you can play. If you make the 4, your follow-up shots are long distance.
9 upper side pocket.
10 upper left corner.
11 upper left corner.
13 bottom left corner.
12 upper side.
15 upper right corner (praying to be pretty straight on this ball to be able to draw back for the 14).
14 upper left corner.
8 bottom right corner.
That's how I woulda played it if I hadn't missed the 9 on the first shot.
Plans always look better on paper!
10 upper left corner.
11 upper left corner.
13 bottom left corner.
12 upper side.
15 upper right corner (praying to be pretty straight on this ball to be able to draw back for the 14).
14 upper left corner.
8 bottom right corner.
That's how I woulda played it if I hadn't missed the 9 on the first shot.
Plans always look better on paper!
cuetechasaurus said:
Since both balls are runable you need to do whatever will give you the best chance to get back to the table. Going for a shot is basically a sucker shot here. You are betting the whole game on a real low percentage shot. I would combe the 15 into the seven, knoching the seven into the side rail and down by the 10 and 11 and hopefully tying them up and at the same time drawing 2 rails and try to freeze the cueball to the back of the 6 behind the 6. You don't want to go off the 1 to go behind the 6 because if you move the 1 and dont get behind the 6 the 12 will be makeable.
I'd play a safety on the 13 leaving the cue up on the rail forcing him to play high balls. Since it's off the break it wouldn't be ball in hand then you'd be able to take low's after he misses.
Black Cat
Black Cat
PoolSharkAllen said:
It's clear that the 4 is an unobstructed shot from the layout given. 3/4 of a bar box corner pocket is huge. I would not shoot the 9 because I would be moving balls unneccarily, and with my luck, tying up something. I also don't like letting the rock loose from such a cut shot this early in a run attempt.
When I make the 4, my follow-up shot would not be long distance. On a bar box, there are no long shots. A little top spin and the rock can be put back to the head side of the table. I'm out from there.
Black Cat 5791 said:I'd play a safety on the 13 leaving the cue up on the rail forcing him to play high balls. Since it's off the break it wouldn't be ball in hand then you'd be able to take low's after he misses.
Black Cat
Black Cat: Following your suggestion would allow your opponent to easily make the 10 and the 11, and possibly several more balls too.
If I may suggest, when playing safeties in 8-ball, it helps your cause to leave your opponent with as difficult a shot as possible.
I'd play safe off the 15 in the fashion thebighurt mentioned.
Another thought is kicking at the lower side of 6 (top siderail as we look in the diagram) sending it toward the 7-15 cluster and hopefully nestling the cueball up against the 8. I think you got a good chance of not selling out that way. What do you guys think?
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No way in hell I'd shoot here. I much rather be in the chair with the cueball ending up where it is off the break.
Another thought is kicking at the lower side of 6 (top siderail as we look in the diagram) sending it toward the 7-15 cluster and hopefully nestling the cueball up against the 8. I think you got a good chance of not selling out that way. What do you guys think?
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No way in hell I'd shoot here. I much rather be in the chair with the cueball ending up where it is off the break.
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I guess we're all armchair quarterbacks today! It's one thing to analyze a difficult position from the comfort of our easy chair. In a real game situation, you only have 30-60 seconds or so to decide what to do.
In the diagram, I tried to make it so the 4 ball or any other ball doesnt go, unless you play some really low percentage combo or carom. This was just an example, I am looking for a rule of thumb on what to do in situations when the balls are wide open and you have no shot. Should you play a soft safety? Should you try to tie a bunch of balls up? Or play an intentional foul on the 8 and tie it up, etc?
Think of it this way, if you shoot and miss you might well lose. If you miss the safe you could lose. If you make the safe you might walk back to the table facing a safe or maybe not. But if the shot and the safe are both about as tough..... if you make the shot you are still at the table and can make that decision on the next shot ie you are still in control of the table.
Chuck
Chuck
cuetechasaurus said:
If the balls are wide open but you absolutely have no shot at making anything, then a safety becomes your next best option. (Note that in this particular diagram, you do have a shot at making the 4, the 9 or the 1).
Every situation is different, so there's no one rule of thumb that applies to everything. The best safeties are those in which your opponent also has no shot at anything.
From the diagram, tying a bunch of balls up is one type of safety that might allow you to get back at the table again later, with the caveat being that you may be giving your opponent an open shot. Playing an intentional foul on the 8 would make life much easier for your opponent as he would get ball-in-hand.
Phil Capelle has a pretty good book that might be of interest to you: "Play Your Best Eight Ball". It's fairly comprehensive and has sections on strategy, pattern play, playing safeties, etc. I think you can get it on Amazon.com for about $20 or so.
In situations like this where you broke, made a ball and have nothing or your opponent broke and made nothing and left nothing, I have a specific thing I look for. The issue that makes this shot different than other shots where you don't have any obvious shot is that the table is still open. It is difficult to find a safe when the table is open.
Although I don't see what I usually look for in this layout. Usually there is one set of balls that has a problem ball or two. What I normally look for in this situation is a shot that I can force my opponent to take the set of balls that have problems. Now you don't have to play a safe on all the balls, just play safe on the set that you want.
With this particular layout, both sets are wide open. You included in your query that you are playing a good player, so if you don't make a shot you are done. So you must go for a shot of your choice. I would prefer the bank on the one ball and draw the cue ball back into the 15. Very difficult shot, I hope it wasn't hill hill.
Although I don't see what I usually look for in this layout. Usually there is one set of balls that has a problem ball or two. What I normally look for in this situation is a shot that I can force my opponent to take the set of balls that have problems. Now you don't have to play a safe on all the balls, just play safe on the set that you want.
With this particular layout, both sets are wide open. You included in your query that you are playing a good player, so if you don't make a shot you are done. So you must go for a shot of your choice. I would prefer the bank on the one ball and draw the cue ball back into the 15. Very difficult shot, I hope it wasn't hill hill.