Forum Run a rack

[Billiard Architect]

Lets see what different opinions on running a rack we get. I have set up a rack and left the table pretty open. We have just broke and this is the layout. The letters on the cueball represent where you hit the cue ball while the letters on the table represent where you will lie after the shot. We are shooting the 2 into pocket 6. Chose which letter you want to end up on and I will post the second shot tomorrow using the poll results.

 

[Shorty]

Lets see what different opinions on running a rack we get. I have set up a rack and left the table pretty open. We have just broke and this is the layout. The letters on the cueball represent where you hit the cue ball while the letters on the table represent where you will lie after the shot. We are shooting the 2 into pocket 6. Chose which letter you want to end up on and I will post the second shot tomorrow using the poll results.

Okay...I am gonna look stupid here...but I am good at that anyway.

Why does hitting it at H with a medium speed put you on the other side of the 2?...to me that makes ZERO sense unless you are juicing the ball and making it bend that way.

I would play it with H english, soft to medium speed, thinking I would roll back somewhere between B and E.

Am I off in my thinking?

Shorty

 

[Black-Balled]

I would do this because it is 2 dimensional and looks cool.
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%Xc9[0%Yp8D7%Zs0W9%[D1I3%\p5C5%]L4Z6%^C0I2%eC7b4%_c9Z6%`c1X2
%a^8Q7%bW7T9%cW4T9%dM2[3
)END

 

[Billiard Architect]

Nope your right... Duh!! Cut me some slack this is my first attempt at this so if you vote for H I will automatically make it a vote for E.

Hey I only had 15 minutes to put it together...

JV

 

[sniper]

I would play it with H english, soft to medium speed, thinking I would roll back somewhere between B and E.

Shorty

Judging by the diagram if you ended up between B and E you would be bridging over the 4 ball...which wouldn't be a big problem but I would rather not have to.





My shot would have to be I. No risk involved and you would have a very simple shot on the 3.

 

[Williebetmore]

Johnny,
I wouldn't do any of these. With lots of center right you can get the cueball back up towards the rack area (not all the way to it though). If you practice this shot (daily for a year) you can get the cue ball MUCH closer to the 3. Maybe its because I'm a straight pool player, but I would like to be much closer than your options. It could be that the angle on the 2 is slightly different than pictured; but at any angle you can get back to the foot half of the table.

 

[Barbara]

Judging by the diagram if you ended up between B and E you would be bridging over the 4 ball...which wouldn't be a big problem but I would rather not have to.





My shot would have to be I. No risk involved and you would have a very simple shot on the 3.

Ditto, hit the CB at I to get to position E. Then you've got a natural angle on the 3 to the 4.

Barbara

 

[hustlefinger]

Personally, I’d play a long (I) leaving the CB closer to the foot spot. That way I’d have more options to get to on the 4 ball.

Rick

 

[Colin Colenso]

Similar to Willie,

I'd play low right (I) and bring the CB toward the 7 ball, stopping about a foot to 18" short of it.

 

[Williebetmore]

Similar to Willie,

I'd play low right (I) and bring the CB toward the 7 ball, stopping about a foot to 18" short of it.

Colin,
Exactly the position I was hoping to obtain. This gives you 2 really good/easy options to get on the 4 properly. I will say that I would do it all with right (a LOT of right), too much draw could land you in the side pocket.

 

[BRKNRUN]

Lets see what different opinions on running a rack we get. I have set up a rack and left the table pretty open. We have just broke and this is the layout. The letters on the cueball represent where you hit the cue ball while the letters on the table represent where you will lie after the shot. We are shooting the 2 into pocket 6. Chose which letter you want to end up on and I will post the second shot tomorrow using the poll results.

I don’t mean to nit pick, but how slow is this table?? You have at best a ¼ ball hit on the OB. I don’t see I and E stopping in that position. I actually see the I position ending up around the rack spot, and the E ending up by the 8 ball.

Since you risk hooking yourself or scratching with E, I would opt for the I shot, but I would expect to end up around the rack spot or a little above….(just my observation, I could be way wrong)

Actually I would probably hit in between I and E and probably no more than a tip off center of the CB in either direction……JMO

 

[Billiard Architect]

I don’t mean to nit pick, but how slow is this table?? You have at best a ¼ ball hit on the OB. I don’t see I and E stopping in that position. I actually see the I position ending up around the rack spot, and the E ending up by the 8 ball.

Since you risk hooking yourself or scratching with E, I would opt for the I shot, but I would expect to end up around the rack spot or a little above….(just my observation, I could be way wrong)

Actually I would probably hit in between I and E……JMO

Hey I figure for the first shot we would play pocket speed because of the risk of banging into the 4 ball.

I get to choose the shot speed. Dont worry I will let it out a bit for the 3 ball. More options with the current position vote we are getting.

JV

 

[Zims Rack]

This should be interesting! However, I would not start with the 2-ball, but that's just me. Playing the scenario; I would want to be near B and E, so I chose B.

Zim

 

[woody_968]

Colin,
Exactly the position I was hoping to obtain. This gives you 2 really good/easy options to get on the 4 properly. I will say that I would do it all with right (a LOT of right), too much draw could land you in the side pocket.

Willie your reply really surprised me Shooting the shot with ALOT of spin makes the pocketing of the two ball a much harder shot, just to get a little closer to the 3 ball. I dont think the trade off is worth it IMO. While I or E may give a little longer shot there is little to no risk of getting a bad angle on it. Comming over towards the foot spot with wrong speed could land you straight in.

I thought straight pool players wanted to move the cueball as little as possible?

 

[woody_968]

, I would not start with the 2-ball, but that's just me.
Zim

I think he is playing a rack of nineball, but I could be wrong.

 

[cigardave]

Johnny -- If you tell us the speed beforehand, you might get less posts questioning your CB positions... FWIW.

And I have to ask... how does whitey get up-table to position D when shooting high center on a cut shot where the CB naturally wants to go a bit down-table?

 

[Williebetmore]

Willie your reply really surprised me Shooting the shot with ALOT of spin makes the pocketing of the two ball a much harder shot, just to get a little closer to the 3 ball. I dont think the trade off is worth it IMO. While I or E may give a little longer shot there is little to no risk of getting a bad angle on it. Comming over towards the foot spot with wrong speed could land you straight in.

I thought straight pool players wanted to move the cueball as little as possible?

Woody,
Actually, this may be a Predator issue more than a straight pool issue. Since I shoot this shot (or variation) 30-45 times a day, I feel very comfortable. As long as you shoot soft to medium speed (so the English catches on the rail) I do not have to allow AT ALL for deflection, and only slightly for throw. For me the pocketing percentage on this shot with outside English (at slow to medium speed) is absolutely no different than shooting it with center ball, and the aiming is basically the same (just infintessimally thicker hit). My teacher insists that my pocketing percentage on this shot be THE SAME (though I'm not quite there yet with inside English) for center ball, heavy outside, and heavy inside - I shoot LOTS of these.

There are many situations where you will have an even more extreme cut on the 2, with the 2 even closer to the rail. My teacher expects me to be able to obtain position in a wide range of positions in the foot half of the table, nowhere near where Johnny V wants to leave it. On a 9 footer (or a 10 footer like Mark's) with tight pockets I think you will DEFINITELY want to use whatever English gets you into the same half of a table with the next object ball. From JohnnyV's positions, that 3 ball (as Jimmy Rempe would say) and position on the 4 ball are both "missable". From Colin's position, I'm going to make that 3 and get good position on the 4 most of the time. As my teacher says, "if you miss that 2 ball using heavy outside, then you don't deserve to win anyway." To sum up, I definitely think the reward justifies the extremely small (if any) risk; as long as you have practiced the shot. I always want to be on the same half of the table as the object ball (but my pockets are a little stingy).

P.S. - If this is a bar table scenario - please ignore this stupid post.

 

[Zims Rack]

I think he is playing a rack of nineball, but I could be wrong.

Oh, umm... I mean, if we were playing 8-ball, I wouldn't start with the 2-ball! (I guess it would make sense that this is a 9-ball rack, duh)

Thanks,
Zim

 

[woody_968]

As my teacher says, "if you miss that 2 ball using heavy outside, then you don't deserve to win anyway."

Good post Willie, I always enjoy hearing the different reasonings on shot selections. But I wll go along with your teacher and say if you cant make the 3 ball from I and get shape on the 4 ball you dont deserve to win either LOL

Lookin forward to seeing you in Peoria, and we must get together soon so you can give me some lessons in straight pool

 

[Williebetmore]

Good post Willie, I always enjoy hearing the different reasonings on shot selections. But I wll go along with your teacher and say if you cant make the 3 ball from I and get shape on the 4 ball you dont deserve to win either LOL

Lookin forward to seeing you in Peoria, and we must get together soon so you can give me some lessons in straight pool

Woody,
I forgot to address your issue of minimal cue ball movement. That is definitely a cardinal rule of straight pool. There are many cardinal rules, and you will have to violate every one of them during a game of straight pool. Knowing when to violate them is the art of the game, and what separates the masters from us. In this particular case, the cardinal rules of "shoot easy shots (the 3)" and "get close to your object ball" supercede the minimal movement rule. I'll give you ball in hand in the kitchen, let you shoot the 3 to get on the 4 ten times (this is my teachers method of deciding between options if I dare to disagree with him), and on a really tight table I think there will be some misses (I've seen Johnny Archer, Jeanette Lee, Danny D., Grady Mathews, and RackinZack miss these shots on tough equipment). If we both shoot that 2 ball 10 times, I suspect there would be little difference with and without the heavy outside English). From Colin's position I don't think any of us are missing the 3 or missing position on the 4.

Having said all that, a good 9-ball shotmaker can shoot from anywhere, but I like to be closer to my work (and so will you if you're playing on the "Jaws" table here with triple shimmed pockets).

P.S. - to sum up, I find the 2 ball with outside English to be an easier shot than the 3 ball from the kitchen to get good position on the 4 (because I'm closer - dweebs like me need to be close).

P.P.S. - I don't think the long 3 ball with position on the 4 is the type of shot my teacher (you know him) would say is a hanger - I think even he thinks it is a missable shot, especially with the positional requirements. JMO