Best shot I ever made.

dirtypool40

dirtypool40

I love this freakin' game
Silver Member
I know, I know, it's only one ball. Ok, a two ball run actually. But it was a TOUGH (for me anyway) shot, under pressure, and I felt great for making it.

Playing a KF aka POISON tournament last weekend, I was struggling, nursing a 1 game lead, and the clear underdog in this match.

We're playing on an older 9' GC 2 with Simonis 860, TV Balls, and 4.25" pockets.

I am up 5-4, going to 7, and my opponent jars the 8-ball leaving me this.

The 9-ball is out far enough is takes away maybe 1/4" of the pocket.

The CB is close enough to the rail I don't have the bottom of it without jacking up, but it's far enough away that I can make a decent, normal feeling stroke.


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I knew I was NOT the odds on favorite getting out of the chair to face that.

I figured to make a good solid try, with speed to get back to this half of the table for the 9-ball if I made it, and ok, yes, speed to things to "have a chance" if I hit it bad and smacked into the 9-ball, sending everything into motion.

What happened was simply that I hit probably the best pure pressure ball pocketing shot I remember making.

The CB went two rails and I was left with the 9. I'll admit that on those pockets, with my heart pumping from the previous shot the 9-ball seemed almost as tough!! :grinning-moose:

Anyway, just wanted to record it.

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Not that I'm a good player or anything, but it seems you got a little lucky considering that you had the 9 obstructing.

I think I would have tried a soft/easy stroke to cut the 8 into the (aiming for the pro side) lower right corner drifting the CB toward the upper right corner ...and had a two (or three way shot).... possibly sending the 9 into the upper right corner, or if you miss both, leaving a bank shot for the other player.
 
Good point.

The angles are tough to recreate on the computer, but in the moment it looked like the only place it would go was in that left corner pocket.

Others have mentioned banking it "if I miss" style a little short, leaving him a long shot down the rail, or just a pure safety, like this

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It's one of those shots that if I had it again, I might miss it or do something differently.
 
JustinHayes said:
Not that I'm a good player or anything, but it seems you got a little lucky considering that you had the 9 obstructing.

I think I would have tried a soft/easy stroke to cut the 8 into the (aiming for the pro side) lower right corner drifting the CB toward the upper right corner ...and had a two (or three way shot).... possibly sending the 9 into the upper right corner, or if you miss both, leaving a bank shot for the other player.
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I disagree. Dude played the shot the right way. With authority and character. Yeah, slow rolling it might make you feel a little more at ease with the shot but your odds of selling out go up exponentially. When faced with a situation like this, i think the only way to shoot it is with confidence and fire that ball in. If you make it it intimidates your opponent and if you dont make it you might make it somewhere else or get safe. No rules against getting lucky once and a while.

To me the "pro side" of the pocket is the back of the pocket.
 
IntoTheRail said:
I disagree. Dude played the shot the right way. With authority and character. Yeah, slow rolling it might make you feel a little more at ease with the shot but your odds of selling out go up exponentially. When faced with a situation like this, i think the only way to shoot it is with confidence and fire that ball in. If you make it it intimidates your opponent and if you dont make it you might make it somewhere else or get safe. No rules against getting lucky once and a while.

To me the "pro side" of the pocket is the back of the pocket.
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Making that 8-ball is not easy, and he did it.

The 'right way' is whatever the shooter feels more confident in doing. He made the shot, so it was the right way for him.

There are several options, and ways to skin this cat... not just one, ...and I posted what I would have done.

Kudos to him for making the shot.



BTW, ... I LOVE it when guys 'fire' low-percentage shots... trying to 'intimidate'. .. try to intimidate me all night long if ya like! :thumbup:
 
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thanks guys.

This was one of those spots where some folks would've gotten out of the chair grumbling, because of the tough leave.

This was a tough table and the guy was running out on me, so the way I saw it I didn't care if I was corner hooked, I was lucky to be at the table.

After that I just looked at the few options I saw, and picked what I thought was my best chance of winning.

Controlling the safety looked as hard or harder than the shot, and I've always been told if both are tough.... SHOOT!
 
dirtypool40 said:
I knew I was NOT the odds on favorite getting out of the chair to face that.

I figured to make a good solid try, with speed to get back to this half of the table for the 9-ball if I made it, and ok, yes, speed to things to "have a chance" if I hit it bad and smacked into the 9-ball, sending everything into motion.

What happened was simply that I hit probably the best pure pressure ball pocketing shot I remember making.

The CB went two rails and I was left with the 9. I'll admit that on those pockets, with my heart pumping from the previous shot the 9-ball seemed almost as tough!! :grinning-moose:

Anyway, just wanted to record it.

CueTable Help

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very nice shot i woulda shot the same shot:thumbup:
 
dirtypool40 said:
Controlling the safety looked as hard or harder than the shot, and I've always been told if both are tough.... SHOOT!
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Exactly. It feels better to go out swinging than to play a failed safety, sell out, and not even give yourself a chance.
 
Seems like the right shot to me. You may or may not sell out if you hit it firmly, but rolling it in gives both balls a chance to roll off, and if you just plain miss you leave the 8 near the hole. Wouldn't full-table bank it with a gun to my head.
 
victorcubed said:
Banks, anyone?
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THANK YOU!!! I was hoping I wasn't the only one thinking it. I will rarely bank when a cut is available, but in this case, I really feel like the leave warrants a bank. You run the same risk selling out as you do with the cut, and it's just such an easier route to the money ball.
 
In this situation there is no reason to think about what you are going to leave your opponent after the shot. Just make the damn ball and don't let him get back to the table. OP took the right shot. pros probably make this shot more than they miss it.
 
> You made a hell of a shot on a tough table with the outcome riding on that shot,so props to you.

Did you take the time to look at the back-cut to the right corner,and a 3 rail route around the table?

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I'm passing this shot on to you because like the shot you made,this shot has won me plenty of matches.

It's actually a lot less complicated than it looks,and you get to hit it with a good stroke. On a tough table like you described,overcutting the 8 to about point A here,and having it land at about B,with the cue taking the drawn path to it's finish,I like my chances of ANYONE not cutting the 8 in from there.

The important thing with this shot it don't use it in a game that matters until you've hit a couple hundred of them.

You want to commit to a speed that will bring you 3 rails around and approaching the area where I placed the chalk.

Naturally,any margin for error with this shot needs to be to the thin side,and make SURE you don't hit it so weak that you leave the cue ball at A or B.

Cue ball spin is a personal thing,but on this shot only inside (meaning RIGHT-hand spin) works for the cue ball to take the suggested path,although you may have to add a high or low spin component depending on table conditions.

Nice out by the way....:thumbup: ;). Tommy D.
 
Tommy, good shot.

I've used that one myself, I like how the cue flows around freely. Again, I am not sure I am showing the angles well, but that one would've been a REALLY thin cut.

Like the bank proposed above, I looked at all of it, and felt I was in deep $hit no matter what I did. The shot I took chose was the only one I could "see". Banking a long table bank when you're not feeling it, on a tough table seemed like a lower % than shooting AT a hole.

Plus, I was afraid the CB would roll down table leaving ANOTHER bank on the 9 if I lucked it in.

The thin cut might have been doable, but I couldn't SEE that "spot" on the ball, if that makes sense.

Good ideas all guys, thanks for the input and feedback.
 
Tho I see no reason to shoot the shot in the opposite corner I do like Tommys shot if the 9 is covering the pocket too much to pocket the 8.

The bank shot/possible safe is OK and really just depends on the person and situation...tho you better hit it short if you miss...you hit it wide and your toast...

IMOP I would take the shot as originally proposed by the OP. You don't have to stroke it to get the CB back to at least the side pocket for a descent shot at the 9....I'd say its about a 6sp out of 10 to catch 3 rails to be close to straight on the 9. A shooter should be comfortable on the rail, the shots not a scratch shot at all, and its an easy cut...only problem is the distance. You get comfortable with those and it should not be a low % shot, a descent B/B- should burn you with these on a bar box and an A/A- should do the same on the big table. The way the shots diagramed the 9 is not blocking the pocket at all so I don't see much difficulty in taking this shot choice.

Back to tommys shot....I love these types of shots and its actually one of my forte's. I've always known these type of shots "CLIP" shots, as the CB just clips the edge of the OB. The OB is slow rolled to its destination and the CB runs. These types of shots are great for learning CB/OB control over distance. You can also learn to adjust the "CLIP" itself thick or thin to adjust the CB movement even more.....SERIOUSLY this is a often looked over shot and 99% of players can't make.

Most players will end up missing the ball completely more often than they like b/c they don't know how to work the edges of the balls. Good knowledge of these shots and the rail travel patterns to play off them will add a whole new tier to your game.

Know those clips and you will start making seemingly backwards cuts and pocketing shots and playing position like a ninja :eek:when the shots show up....while others duck :( and hide at the site of them.

keep shootin':thumbup:
-Grey Ghost
 
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never ever get out of the chair grumbling!

dirtypool40 said:
thanks guys.

This was one of those spots where some folks would've gotten out of the chair grumbling, because of the tough leave.

This was a tough table and the guy was running out on me, so the way I saw it I didn't care if I was corner hooked, I was lucky to be at the table.

After that I just looked at the few options I saw, and picked what I thought was my best chance of winning.

Controlling the safety looked as hard or harder than the shot, and I've always been told if both are tough.... SHOOT!
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I know you were talking about other people but never get out of a chair grumbling! If you are out of the chair you have a chance to improve your situation, no chance in a chair. Either make a ball or make your opponents run out a lot tougher. As has already been said, you took the right shot for you. Good job nailing it and finishing the table. Regrouping after a monster shot can be hard making the next shot very tough. That was one of my biggest problems when I started playing pool. I'd really focus and make a monster shot, relax and dog the next shot.

Hu
 
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