Dirty Pool

[Bob Jewett]

... More confused than ever.
...

I'm confused too. What rule set are you playing by? You mentioned someone shooting the cue ball straight into a pocket when they didn't have a shot. Where I play, the other player gets to put the cue ball anywhere on the table after a shot like that. What's the rule where you play?

 

[Maniac]

I'm confused too. What rule set are you playing by? You mentioned someone shooting the cue ball straight into a pocket when they didn't have a shot. Where I play, the other player gets to put the cue ball anywhere on the table after a shot like that. What's the rule where you play?

That's been my point all along. If you can't improve your chances of winning the game (at least 99% of the time) with ball-in-hand, you probably need to work on your thought processes a lot more.

Ball-in-hand is a powerful tool in the game of pool.

Maniac

 

[onepocketron]

Many folks play BCA league for many different reasons. Some play for the competition, some for just getting out with friends and belting down a few drinks, there are many reasons folks join a league. There is no right or wrong answer as motives vary greatly.

I get the feeling from your post though, that you want to win, that you take the competition seriously. I have played BCA for the last 15 or so years, and I play to win. I feel like I let my team down when I lose. I feel like crap when my team would have won had I just won my match.

With all of that said, there is no such thing as "dirty pool" unless you are cheating. If you are cheating, you are not only depriving your opponent an honest chance of winning, but you are cheating yourself as well. I play within the rules. Folks can call it "dirty pool" (I could care less), but if I have a chance to put you in a "headlock safety" your screwed, if I see you will run out, and I don't have a shot, I'm tying up some of your balls to the best of my ability so you can't get out. In short, I'm going to put myself in the best possible position to win, and put you in the best possible position to get your ass kicked.......by me.

If you were playing cards, would you throw away a good hand? If you were playing checkers would you intentionally make a move to lose? If the answer is no, then why would you not play a stategic shot on your opponent in pool to get the advantage, unless you don't want to win. There is no difference here.

Eight ball is loaded with strategy. If you know what the strategies are, you can make it very difficult for you opponent to win, without even making a ball. Play smart, play to win, unless you are just there to have fun and could care less if you win or lose.

If you want to really learn some of the strategies of 8 ball, Buy the 8 Ball Bible. It's a book you can purchase for about $24. It is an excellent book about strategies of the game as well as many other facets. It is well worth the money.......if you want to make it difficult on you opponent and increase your chances to win.

I'm an easy going old fart and love to have fun. I enjoy playing pool very much and enjoy life as much as possible. When it come to competition, I play to win. I'm not throwing away a good hand in cards, and I'm going to make it easy on my opponent in pool to win. That means I'm going to tie up his balls, safe him, and leave him crappy shots as often as possible.......I guess I'm just a "dirty old man poolplayer":smile:......by some folks standards.....by mine, I'm playing the game as it is meant to be played.

 

[Bob Jewett]

... That means I'm going to tie up his balls, safe him, and leave him crappy shots as often as possible ...

If the rules give ball in hand in the kitchen after a scratch, and all his balls are behind the line, and you have no good shot from where the cue ball is, are you going to shoot the cue ball straight into a pocket for the safe?

 

[skiergirl55]

Dunnn51, I'm a new player, only 3 years in. I'm not good yet....a 6 in BCA and a 4 in APA.

Bob, I'd do that. If I have no shot, why not make it harder for the opponent? The alternative is to try and make a legal shot, possibly not make it, and leave the table open for running by the opponent.

I play BCA 8 ball rules, which is ball in hand anywhere on the table. There are scenarios where that is exactly the thing to do....give your opponent ball in hand.

This comes up more often than I like to see it. I'm on my last ball, but it's become frozen between 2 of my opponents balls, on the rail, with no clear shot at my OB. (Sometimes, it wasn't always there, from the break, but ended up that way.) So while I'm playing, I'm thinking about how to get a break out and I get it sometimes, but it doesn't always happen. It's sitting there untouchable. And it's my last ball, my opponent's last 2.

My opponent knows that he'll get ball in hand if I break it up, and his balls will become sinkable. So he has let it go, too.

I'll put the QB down without touching that cluster. Let him break it up......he has to sink a ball or lose his turn. Most times, he'll play safe and touch it just enough to make it a legal shot and leave it in a mess again. I may sink the QB again, if I think he can't make a shot with BIH.

Is that strategy? Or bad pool?

 

[poolrod]

That is strategy, I think dirty pool went out the window when ball in hand came along, and safety play in general. It used to be, call your shot, not the pocket, and make an honest effort always. Dirty pool was when a guy would make it look good, but would miss and leave a bad shot for the other guy. It was an art also.

 

[BigDaddyInc.]

God i hate that rule where you can shoot your ball in the hole and call safe. I can handle alot but thats my limit. Drives me mad to think my opponent can just go sit down after making an easy shot if he or she called "safe" wtf? Safe is for when you don't have a makeable shot! I could never ever play bca because of that rule alone.

 

[hang-the-9]

Dunnn51, I'm a new player, only 3 years in. I'm not good yet....a 6 in BCA and a 4 in APA.

Bob, I'd do that. If I have no shot, why not make it harder for the opponent? The alternative is to try and make a legal shot, possibly not make it, and leave the table open for running by the opponent.

I play BCA 8 ball rules, which is ball in hand anywhere on the table. There are scenarios where that is exactly the thing to do....give your opponent ball in hand.

This comes up more often than I like to see it. I'm on my last ball, but it's become frozen between 2 of my opponents balls, on the rail, with no clear shot at my OB. (Sometimes, it wasn't always there, from the break, but ended up that way.) So while I'm playing, I'm thinking about how to get a break out and I get it sometimes, but it doesn't always happen. It's sitting there untouchable. And it's my last ball, my opponent's last 2.

My opponent knows that he'll get ball in hand if I break it up, and his balls will become sinkable. So he has let it go, too.

I'll put the QB down without touching that cluster. Let him break it up......he has to sink a ball or lose his turn. Most times, he'll play safe and touch it just enough to make it a legal shot and leave it in a mess again. I may sink the QB again, if I think he can't make a shot with BIH.

Is that strategy? Or bad pool?

No issues with fouling on purpose if you can't win, in a game where you can't lose on fouls that is hehe.

Keep in mind that you can have a stalemate called if after several turns neither of you progress towards winning the game and the ref (or whoever is the head guy there) determines that the layout prevents a winning shot without losing the game. For example if you have the 8 ball in the jaws with another ball frozen to it and there is no way to hit that ball without making the 8, nor a way of hitting the 8, both players will just scratch on purpose. That would lead to a re-play of the rack.