how many lucky shots in your high run?

michael4

michael4

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
not long ago I was in the middle of a rack and had no shot other than an extremely shallow cut into the side pocket. The kind of shot you say to yourself "I have no chance of making this". This was about a 1% shot for me. Well, it went in and I finished out the rack.

I'm not the best position player, so I leave myself shots like this all the time. To get through any rack I have to make some of these.

Do most people have to pull out at least one lucky shot per rack?, once per run? never?

Please tell me I'm not alone in this :grin:
 
I ran 101 once and some where during the run I really missed position on the break ball (could not even see it) So I was behind the rack and called the corner ball cross side as my break shot. The corner ball hit the side rail and continued on it's path to the side pocket with all the other balls flying around but never hitting it. I hope I described this good enough.
When shooting a very shallow angled ball into the side pocket speed is the key. You have to hit it slow enough so that it just gets there and falls in. If you hit it too hard it will just hit the far point and not fall. It's kind of a gravity shot.
 
Last edited:
michael4 said:
not long ago I was in the middle of a rack and had no shot other than an extremely shallow cut into the side pocket. The kind of shot you say to yourself "I have no chance of making this". This was about a 1% shot for me. Well, it went in and I finished out the rack.

I'm not the best position player, so I leave myself shots like this all the time. To get through any rack I have to make some of these.

Do most people have to pull out at least one lucky shot per rack?, once per run? never?

Please tell me I'm not alone in this :grin:
Click to expand...

It really depends on the day for me. It also depends on what one considers lucky and difficult. But I think it's not uncommon to be faced with a couple difficult shots in a run especially a long one run. However if it's every rack, you may need to fine tune you're position play and patterns.

I've had great runs that were almost entirely easy shots with the odd medium difficult pot. I've had some incredibly fortuitous runs where everything rolled just the way I needed it to. I've also had a groaner run where I missed a break shot but it came around the table and back into the called pocket.

But on average I have to pull out a very good shot at least once for any run that goes beyond 30-40, which probably means I have some work to do.
 
I do not remember getting lucky in most of my highest runs - now that I'm thinking of it, that is probably why they're my best runs. Seems like runs during which I do get lucky (and I won't say it doesn't happen, on the contrary, but then, there's an element of doing something right when one leaves the door open for luck to come in I always say, i.e. it's a side effect of how one plans one's patterns and plays position on average: "the more I practice, the luckier I get", so to speak) are on days on which that relative lack of concentration is bound to catch up with me and bite me right into my… - you know what I mean. LOL! :p

Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________

„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti
 
Unless there's an earthquake or something beyond your control/influence involved, there's no such thing as luck. Just high percentage and low percentage shots. You shoot a low percentage shot and it goes in where you call it, you may be fortunate, but you're still definitely responsible. Even if I shoot a shot into the corner pocket with a lot of follow, the ball rattles out and is struck in by the following cue ball, I'm responsible for making the shot...might not want to count on doing it that way the next time, but I don't really think of it as luck. If I kick three rails at a ball and scratch in the side after contact, that's not "bad luck"...it's bad execution. The exception to this would be in games where no call is required, you shoot for the corner pocket, it rings out and kisses off another ball into a side pocket (for example)...a pure fluke. That wouldn't be possible in straight pool, since you've got to call the ball and pocket.

The example the OP gave of a thin cut in the side pocket that he didn't expect to make is a perfect example...that's not "luck"; that's taking a low percentage shot and making it, pure and simple.

Every pattern (rack of 8 ball or straight pool or one pocket) has at least one "problem" that has to be solved...that usually involves taking a risky, low percentage shot. If someone considers that "luck", okay, but I don't...it's execution.
 
Last edited:
It's all in the definition of luck. I agree! :smile:
To me, if I make a few low percentage shots in a row, I call that being lucky. :smile:
I'll go a little farther to say ," lucky is what happens ,when the expected outcome didn't happen, and you are still shooting".
 
Last edited:
Shaky1 said:
It's all in the definition of luck. I agree! :smile:
To me, if I make a few low percentage shots in a row, I call that being lucky. :smile:
I'll go a little farther to say ," lucky is what happens ,when the expected outcome didn't happen, and you are still shooting".
Click to expand...

On the contrary, you should take credit for your achievements! It's basically the inverse of my students claiming they lost because they "missed an easy shot", and when I make them show it to me, that is, shoot it in my presence e.g. 10 times (I'd say a hundred times, but for lack of time…), they can't make it ten out of ten, which to me would be the definition of "easy". We pool players make many relatively speaking low percentage shots (= that a novice couldn't make at all, or maybe once in a blue moon). No use belittling ourselves!

Also, the "expected outcome" is a matter of how precise you e.g. want to position your cue ball. The better one plays, the greater one's expectation, in other words, unless the cue ball stops on a dime, the experienced player is shaking his or her head - even though it's good enough to continue one's run. Ever noticed? All mind games we're playing on ourselves…

Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________

„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti
 
Last edited:
I agree! The better I get, the more perfect I try to get.
Nobody is perfect. I allow myself just so much for error on position.
If it falls outside of that area, I consider myself lucky if I can get back into shape to continue the run. It's all in what you expect the outcome to be.
If I have to play a 3 rail position shot that I need to miss a ball along the way to get the shape, then miscalculate the shot and hit that ball, if I get another shot, I feel lucky. Some days you will miscalculate just a tad the other way and screw yourself. To me , there are a lot of little things that can happen, a tad harder, softer, a hair left or right and the outcome just comes down to luck. Good luck or bad.
Usually if something unexpected happens it's usually bad. (in my case).:smile:
 
The other night I watched a guy slam a ball in the side pocket. It wend down, came back up, rolled across the table, and went in the other side pocket. A.P.A. 8 ball.
If that's not luck,,,,:smile:
If I did it, it would have somehow knocked the 8 in somewhere.:grin:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top