I'm curious what others think of this sequence

[alstl]

First, thanks to Dennis for posting the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDTEslIbg-g&feature=player_detailpage#t=309

1. Looks to me like Shaw can cut the 4 into the corner. Perhaps not.

2. After Shaw played a poor safety Orcollo shot the 4 ball and got stuck in the rack. He was trying to save the 9 ball apparently as an insurance ball. I would have gone 15-9 and tried to bring the cue ball back below the 4 for a below the rack break shot.

 

[Dan White]

I don't think Shaw was playing safe on the 9. If you listen he actually calls the 9 in the corner ("9 ball"). It was an unusually poor shot if he intended to pocket the 9. Maybe it skidded.

About Orcollo's 4 ball stuck in the rack shot -- I hesitate to say he should have done this or that. He is so good that maybe he was trying to go around the corner and into the top of the cluster (the high side of the 11). That being said, if there were a little angle (or room to cheat) on the 9, I might have gone into the 9 first with left english stun. That could bring the cue ball parallel with the 14 on the side rail, maybe. Then there would be a decent break shot with the 14 in the side. Just don't know.

I guess the 8 or 15 doesn't go... looks close.

 

[AtLarge]

Yes, Shaw called the 9-ball.

I think I'd be an underdog on that 9-ball, and I wouldn't like the 4-ball bank, either. So I'd probably play safe -- shoot the 4-ball past the pile, creating a threat from above the rack, and leave the CB behind the 9-ball. Then, see what the next inning brings.

Given Orcollo's position, I like what Dan said.

 

[alstl]

I don't think Shaw was playing safe on the 9. If you listen he actually calls the 9 in the corner ("9 ball"). It was an unusually poor shot if he intended to pocket the 9. Maybe it skidded.

About Orcollo's 4 ball stuck in the rack shot -- I hesitate to say he should have done this or that. He is so good that maybe he was trying to go around the corner and into the top of the cluster (the high side of the 11). That being said, if there were a little angle (or room to cheat) on the 9, I might have gone into the 9 first with left english stun. That could bring the cue ball parallel with the 14 on the side rail, maybe. Then there would be a decent break shot with the 14 in the side. Just don't know.

I guess the 8 or 15 doesn't go... looks close.

I didn't have the sound up and you are correct, he called the 9. He missed so badly I thought it was a safe.

I'm confused about the second part. I'm sure that is what Orcollo was attempting but for me the percentage shot is 15 to the 9 and then drawing two rails back downtable for a below the rack break shot on the 4.

Shaw then followed with a second mistake after which he never got out of his chair. I heard Sigel once say he would take 3 fouls before he would leave his opponent a shot like Shaw did on the subsequent shot.

Excellent run by Orcollo after that.

It is probably an over discussed topic but this generation of players can run balls as good as the old timers but the old timers had an advantage in safety play.

 

[Bob Jewett]

When Shaw shoots the 9 ball, I don't think there is any killer safe. He has a good chance to continue if the 9 goes depending on how he lands on the 15 ball. I think he has to be better than 50-50 to make the 9. The cut on the 4 is probably thinner than it looks on the video. If all that's true, the 9 is the right shot.

I think Dennis may have been trying to get position on the 15 for a side pocket break when he shot the 4. It looks like he had enough speed on the cue ball to get there if he gets around the rack. I can't believe that he was trying to break on the bottom of the rack with the 4 ball.

If he could get on the 15 break immediately, he has the 9 ball as a possible insurance ball after the break shot. If he fails to get a good angle on the 15, the 9 ball allows another try with the loss of its use as insurance.

As to why the cue ball didn't get around the rack, maybe it hooked a little off the first cushion with the follow at that speed or the side spin didn't take enough on the second rail. Maybe he hit the shot a little fuller than he wanted.

 

[JohnnyP]

I don't think Shaw was playing safe on the 9. If you listen he actually calls the 9 in the corner ("9 ball"). It was an unusually poor shot if he intended to pocket the 9. Maybe it skidded.

Dan:

No skid, he over cut the ball.

 

[sjm]

One of the issues to be considered here is that the four ball, which I would agree is possible, is so thin that a ball may come out of the pack to kiss out the four before it reaches the pocket. I've seen crazy thin shots passed up because of this subtle but real danger. In what I believe to have been 2013, Mika had this type of shot kiss out.

 

[alstl]

Rather than start a new thread, I'm curious what people think about this layout.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UdH3BTvoOE&feature=player_detailpage#t=1155

I would have rolled 11 down the rail for the combination and landed on the 13 ball because he has a better chance of having a good insurance ball with either the 6 or 11. He also would have the 7 in the side although the 13 appears to be a better option to open up the stack.

He had no insurance ball with the shot he took.

 

[Bob Jewett]

Rather than start a new thread, I'm curious what people think about this layout.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UdH3BTvoOE&feature=player_detailpage#t=1155

I would have rolled 11 down the rail for the combination and landed on the 13 ball because he has a better chance of having a good insurance ball with either the 6 or 11. He also would have the 7 in the side although the 13 appears to be a better option to open up the stack.

He had no insurance ball with the shot he took.

I like the 11-13 also, especially after seeing how the 4 break went. He did get a worse than average result. He had 8 loose balls when he shot the break shot and by "classic" standards he needed to get rid of some of those before breaking. For example, on the break he knocked the 2 over to the other side rail making that part of the table worse.