Here's a situation I had a while back and I had someone argue with me as to how I played to get on the 3 ball here. I could've played safe of course but I liked the out here. I didn't get out but I stand by my original selection. I'll show that later. Any ideas from you guys?
How would you play this? My first attempt.
- Thread starter Chris_Lynch
- Start date
Chris_Lynch said:
Make the 2 with low-left, go to the rail, kiss off the 4 ball, and let the pill ride the rail on down to the 3.
It's the only shot there unless you want to duck.
You guys chose the same thing I did. I ended up tying up the 4 and 7 and got straight in on the 3. Couldn't get out. It was brutal. I didn't see any other offensive options here. Do you guys?
Chris_Lynch said:
You could cross-corner bank the deuce, if it goes, and take whitey straight up & down near the center of the table. If missed, it should be a built in safety.
Chris_Lynch said:
Squatting the snow right between the rail and the 4, while banking the deuce 2 rails towards the 9 is a good shot too.
Neil said:
I don't worry much about making those messes. It's 9-Ball and if the layout gets jacked up, then safeties are easy enough. More often than not, I will win the game from this layout.
Neil said:
The centerball punch doesnt scratch in the side if you are playing to make the 2. Its a lil less than a half ball hit.
If you try it on a table (regular size table, not a barbox), you'll see the similar path the cb takes. Also, by "hitting it firm", you are losing the 2 ball. If the 2 ball falls, great, if not, you probably need some luck to get safe.
Eric >let me know after you try it
Chris, when you were playing at the table, was there room for this center-left, or punch shot to work without hitting the 2 ball? If there was I would think you would've taken it. I looked at the cuetable layout and just assumed the cross-side bank, and the two-rail setups were both blocked (it just looks that way to me, I could definitely be wrong here).
I only saw two options: shoot the 2, and setup utilizing the 4, or play safe by trying to freeze the ball to the 4.
I only saw two options: shoot the 2, and setup utilizing the 4, or play safe by trying to freeze the ball to the 4.
Chris_Lynch said:
Another fun option is to hit the 2 ball head-on and draw the cueball straight back between the 6 & 5 to get it rolling toward the 3. The 2 ball looks like it will two rail into the bottom of the 9 sending the 2 towards the corner and who knows what may happen to the 9 :grin:. You have balls covering stuff up if the 2 doesn't go and creating distance if you miss and don't get a hook.
Anyway, just another thought/option. This is an interesting post.
Dave
The thing is no balls are tied and a text book safe is there it would be hard to not play it. But you mentioned you didn't want to safe so. I say hit the two as full as possible with low left and stay out of the 4 the more you hit the 4 the more likely it is to go across table and cause all kinds of problems. So I would take the route you took but would settle for a tougher angle on the 3 rather then using the 4 and disturbing an easily runnable layout. Additionally if the 2 hangs or settles on a rail my opponent has to not only get by the 4 that was left alone but he now has to figure out how to get shape on the 3 if he can see the 2 (I know we are playing to make the 2 but what if). If the 4 is such that contact is more likely then not even if you juice the cue ball be easy and settle for the cue ball going up table to just beyond the side pocket (keeping the movement of the 4 to a minimum) a natural safe is still likely if you miss the 2. The three is not froze on the rail so it shouldnt be that hard to make and shape on the 4 is natural.
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