I don't know. Efren is a pretty solid 3-cushion player too. I think he went into it pretty much where he expected to. After all the cushion shots I've seen him make over the years I would highly doubt that he was that far off from what he intended to do. If he was wanting to go into the side of the pack, which has a huge scratch factor built right into it, but went into them where he did then he was waaaay off his mark. Nah, I think he played it like that.
MULLY
Coming up the back reduced to scratch risk and made it less likely to open the pack too much. A kind of reduced risk. Still, it could have been a two way approach. We'd have to hear Efren comment on his thoughts.
While not a great safe, he could have played about the same shot but with a little less speed to leave the cue ball on the back of the rack or on the foot rail with the rack blocking a path to the (missed) object ball.
Bob, very interesting option. It's OK even if you make the ball.
Mully, yes, I think he was playing it 3 rails - I just don't like it. First, he may have been playing it 3 rails because doing so let him put just a touch of inside on it. Playing 2 rails you have to put way more inside on it and thus reduce your make factor.
I disagree with you about the chances of scratching with a firm hit off the 2 rail path. I use this path for almost exactly the same break shot (but no bank, just straight in the side) and it is not a scratch. It's actually a fairly consistent break ball. But again, I only have experience at this shot at a firm speed. A little firmer than he hits it here.
Look where his three rail path took him - into the 2nd ball on the wrong side of the rack. He got very lucky to end up with a shot here, and it's not even a good shot. At first glance it looks like he has to make at least two consecutive tough shots here to continue the run.
I disagree with you about the chances of scratching with a firm hit off the 2 rail path. I use this path for almost exactly the same break shot (but no bank, just straight in the side) and it is not a scratch. It's actually a fairly consistent break ball. But again, I only have experience at this shot at a firm speed. A little firmer than he hits it here.
- Steve
Well, Steve, I know you're a hundred ball runner so my opinion against yours is probably moot, but in my opinion that glance off the side of the pack and straight into the corner pocket is definitely there. There's also the chance of glancing off the pack, a ball coming out, and the cue ball glancing off that ball into the corner pocket. Not trying to argue with you, but I've scratched many a time going into the side of the pack at a high speed without using draw.
Looking at the diagram if you hit any of those balls on those tangent lines the cue balls only option is to go into the corner....unless it hits another ball on the way down there.
MULLY
Well, Steve, I know you're a hundred ball runner so my opinion against yours is probably moot, but in my opinion that glance off the side of the pack and straight into the corner pocket is definitely there. There's also the chance of glancing off the pack, a ball coming out, and the cue ball glancing off that ball into the corner pocket. Not trying to argue with you, but I've scratched many a time going into the side of the pack at a high speed without using draw.
Looking at the diagram if you hit any of those balls on those tangent lines the cue balls only option is to go into the corner....unless it hits another ball on the way down there.
MULLY
Hey Mully, your opinion is definitely not moot - I've been wrong before and I'll be wrong again. In this case, all I can do to defend my position on this break shot is to tell you that, in years of experience shooting the shot diagrammed in the link below, I simply don't scratch. The cueball sort of forces its way forward off the tangent line. Sometimes not much, but seemingly always enough to miss the scratch.
Just to reiterate, I hit this shot quite hard - I really can't speak to the cueball's reaction if you don't, but I would agree with you in that I can definitely see some bad things happening.
Please don't take my word for it - try the shot below several times and tell me your experience.
I love Bob Jewett's idea, which is basically just to play Efren's shot and call safe, hitting it a tad softer. Bob mentions it's better to miss the shot, and maybe leave the ball hanging. I agree with this as well.
The interesting thing about this position is that there's no great place to take a foul. You can experiment with some stuff like rolling the cueball to the other end of the table and leaving no direct angles off the 1 ball into the rack. Still, against top players this can be dangerous.
Other than these options, I agree with you, I'd probably try to glance off the 5.
