Looking ahead

[CantEverWin]

I was wondering how far ahead in a rack you actually look. The common term to use is three balls. I'm sad to admit that more often than not I get lazy and look two balls ahead. Actually just what side of the next ball I need to get on.

I don't remember who but I once had a pretty good player tell me they looked the whole rack ahead. (9 ball and 8 ball. He said he always looked at what could be easily made from the center of the table. If something couldn't he would then accommodate. If everything easily went then he would leave himself in the center of table whenever possible. I tried that and it worked pretty well, then I got lazy again.

Anyone have any other methods they use?

Mike

 

[jhendri2]

I was wondering how far ahead in a rack you actually look. The common term to use is three balls. I'm sad to admit that more often than not I get lazy and look two balls ahead. Actually just what side of the next ball I need to get on.

I don't remember who but I once had a pretty good player tell me they looked the whole rack ahead. (9 ball and 8 ball. He said he always looked at what could be easily made from the center of the table. If something couldn't he would then accommodate. If everything easily went then he would leave himself in the center of table whenever possible. I tried that and it worked pretty well, then I got lazy again.

Anyone have any other methods they use?

Mike

Before my first shot, I look at the table, figure out where my stoppers are. I look for clusters, balls with no pocket and balls on the rail close to the side pocket. Then I decide which ball I am going to use to fix the stoppers, if at all. Then I determine the pattern to run the table. This is the method I use for 8/9 ball.

Straight and 1p are a totally different story since it's not an open break.

FWIW,

Jim

 

[1pRoscoe]

Before my first shot, I look at the table, figure out where my stoppers are. I look for clusters, balls with no pocket and balls on the rail close to the side pocket. Then I decide which ball I am going to use to fix the stoppers, if at all. Then I determine the pattern to run the table. This is the method I use for 8/9 ball.

Thanks for saving me the time of writing it...

 

[Jude Rosenstock]

I was wondering how far ahead in a rack you actually look. The common term to use is three balls. I'm sad to admit that more often than not I get lazy and look two balls ahead. Actually just what side of the next ball I need to get on.

I don't remember who but I once had a pretty good player tell me they looked the whole rack ahead. (9 ball and 8 ball. He said he always looked at what could be easily made from the center of the table. If something couldn't he would then accommodate. If everything easily went then he would leave himself in the center of table whenever possible. I tried that and it worked pretty well, then I got lazy again.

Anyone have any other methods they use?

Mike

9-ball requires a quick once-over. As it was stated earlier, you look for problems that may end your run. If everything is okay (which is normally the case), you immediately go to 3-ball mode. That's all nine-ball really is. The position of the 8 ball isn't going to change how you shoot the one UNLESS it's a problem.

Any non-rotation game (ie., 8-ball) is a pattern game. This requires you to survey the entire table. Straight pool is typically a zone to zone game where you work certain areas of the table that falls into a pattern game. 8-ball is strictly pattern. It's best if you can devise how you'll run the entire rack before you shoot a single ball.

In the end, position play is always a 3-ball sequence. Do you want to get straight on the next shot? Do you want an angle? What kind of angle? These decisions are predicated by the third ball and rarely anything more than that. Survey is extremely important but you need not establish exactly how you intend to run-out the moment you break (at least in 9-ball).