Getting beat...

T

the9ballroller

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Getting beat is one thing...but getting beat on a great shot, well...it happens.

I was playing a guy some 8 ball, best of the best tournament in APA. The guy is up on me 3-0...and really pouring it to me. In our fourth game, he was shooting the 8 and I had two balls left on the table. Here was my shot...in which I played what I thought was excellent defense, only complaint was I did not freeze him to the 3 ball. He made me pay!

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Think I will stick to 9 ball as my handle says :(
 
Freezing the cue-ball to the 3-ball would have been ideal, but difficult to execute because the cue-ball has to come off the rail. But I think there was a relatively easy opportunity for you to get close enough to the 3-ball to force him to do a 3-rail escape.

Overall, I think you executed a decent safety. The odds should have been in your favor, as your opponent's shot had, at best, probably a 30% success rate, assuming he's playing at a pro level, as there's quite a lot of distance to travel and the cue-ball has to come off of the rail before contacting the 8-ball......a very difficult shot.

Should have been yours.....IMHO.

Donald
 
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YOu just have to ask yourself if you want to play every game from that spot.

I would think you would be in a better position having played that safe than coming to table after it...

Dude got lucky. He doen't want to have to come with that every game.
 
good safe

Your safe was smart.He made a great and very low % shot on the 8.

Don't second guess yourself,all you can do is find the smart shot and execute it well,it does not guarantee victory.

I did see another way to play the safe.2 rail the 2ball to the corner pocket in front of the 8 and stick the CB on the 3.It is a stroke shot rather then rolling the CB and you have to make sure to stick the CB good.
 
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It was a good safety.

I'd take that leave against anyone, anyday.

It just wasn't your day.

Stones
 
what everyone else has said.

yes ideally you would have froze him to the three, but him making the eight ball like that is still extremely low percentage.

It should have been your game, you were just unlucky.

Smile and let it pass. That shot wasn't the reason you lost the match.
 
Oddly enough this almsot exact same thing came up for me the other day playing 9-ball. Only 2 balls left on the table, the 8 and the 9, and he left me where I couldn't see the 8. Honestly, I was just trying to hit the 8, I had no intentions of making it. But I guess I hit the end rail at just the perfect spot because the CB came up, ran the 8 right down the rail into the pocket and left me with a really good shot on the 9 to get out. Pure luck. I could swing at that shot a hundred times and still come up empty. Don't ever let anyone tell you that luck doesn't play a part in pool. And, when you leave someone hooked like you did you should still fear them getting out because it happens a lot.
MULLY

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With the layout as shown, I'm thinking it would be easier to roll out the 3 and put whitey on the two instead. It looks like it would be a simple straight on roll with a little follow to come off the rail and on the two ball. At any rate, your safety play was fine and your opponent just got lucky. I left a guy nothing but a 3 rail kick the other night for the match and he made it. Everybody gets lucky once in a while.
 
Depending on the circumstances here is another one that could work. Bank the 3 down in front of the 8 and leave the cue ball up table.

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Now, this is going to fall into something I said in another thread about safety play. You need to work on your object ball speed. I'm confident enough with my OB speed that I feel I could do well with this. Even if it came up short he's still cutting a game ball down the rail, from the the other side up table. I like my chances with this one.
MULLY
 
mullyman said:
Depending on the circumstances here is another one that could work. Bank the 3 down in front of the 8 and leave the cue ball up table.

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Now, this is going to fall into something I said in another thread about safety play. You need to work on your object ball speed. I'm confident enough with my OB speed that I feel I could do well with this. Even if it came up short he's still cutting a game ball down the rail, from the the other side up table. I like my chances with this one.
MULLY
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In my opinion playing to hook him is by far the better shot and it should be super easy to get the hook. Playing this bank and putting the three ball where you pointed it seems like it would be making your out way more difficult. Phil Capelle talks about how balls near the rail near the side pocket is one of the trouble areas in his instructional book and I totally agree with him.
 
Luxury said:
In my opinion playing to hook him is by far the better shot and it should be super easy to get the hook. Playing this bank and putting the three ball where you pointed it seems like it would be making your out way more difficult. Phil Capelle talks about how balls near the rail near the side pocket is one of the trouble areas in his instructional book and I totally agree with him.
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Like I said, it depends on the circumstances. I see nothing wrong with not giving him a clear shot on the 8. He may be able to see it and he's going to have to hit it or be charged with a foul. I like my chances having one ball up table and one ball down table if he doesn't fluke it in. Especially after pushing that 2 over towards the corner pocket. And, one point that should be made here is that this was just another option and I wasn't saying this is how it should be played all the time.

A lot of these instructional books are geared towards beginners. I'm not calling you a beginner so please don't take it like that. All I'm saying is that a rail ball, in my opinion, is really no more difficult than a ball sitting out on the table. You still have to play position on it and hit the correct contact point.
MULLY
 
I think it's important to think about where the cue ball is likely to go after he tries shooting the 8 ball. Putting the 2 and 3 where you suggested as a good option has a problem in that when the opponent tries shooting at the 8 the cue ball is likely to end up near the long rail at the top of the screen and both the 2 and 3 would need to be banked on the next shot. Now you are in big trouble especially since he may have put the 8 near the corner pocket.

I guess I just don't understand what certain circumstances would make this be "the shot". Perhaps other balls on the table?
 
This little discussion got me thinking. I have heard guys talk about what they would do on a certain shot in pool rooms many many times. This is what I would like to see more of:

When two guys disagree on a certain shot why not make a bet where you each get 20 turns to play each other in the same position shooting the shot that each player thinks is the better way to go.

This would work best if the players were pretty even but a weaker player could really prove to a better player that their shot it the better shot if they can win more games shooting it their way.

Has anyone seen this done?
 
Luxury said:
I think it's important to think about where the cue ball is likely to go after he tries shooting the 8 ball. Putting the 2 and 3 where you suggested as a good option has a problem in that when the opponent tries shooting at the 8 the cue ball is likely to end up near the long rail at the top of the screen and both the 2 and 3 would need to be banked on the next shot. Now you are in big trouble especially since he may have put the 8 near the corner pocket.

I guess I just don't understand what certain circumstances would make this be "the shot". Perhaps other balls on the table?
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And most likely that 2 ball is going to roll up near that corner pocket. I put that arrow there as direction, not a place where it will stop. As for not understanding what situation just take a look at who you're playing. If you're up against someone that is offense oriented and banks well then no, you may not want to leave him the cross corner on the 8. If you're up against someone that doesn't do well under pressure, yeah, leave him a peek at it.
MULLY
 
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