play safe or shoot?

OP, sounds like an incomplete player...

If you can't play all aspects of the game, then by definition, you are incomplete. I love a good safety battle just as much as playing offense. Its nice to have the back and forth vs. a run out fest all the time. It seem more like you're playing someone else vs. the table at that point. It is this same reason I love 1 pocket.
 
thall said:
Think about Dave, a guy that spends more time looking at your balls instead of his own makes me wonder why you take up for them,:grin::grin::grin::grin:
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Excuse me? Who the **** are you? You don't know me... :kma:

You created a thread to tell us about how you dislike people playing safe when they don't have to. You created this thread, because you want some sort of validation that your opinion is the right one. You are a moron and another percentage of the plague that has ruined AzB. Come back when you aren't such an egotistical toolbag.

To keep this on topic: I shoot the safe when I need to.
Just because a shot is easy, doesn't mean it's the right shot.
 
I just re read the OP's original post. Questions for the OP:

1) How long have you been playing pool?
2) Do you play in bars or poolrooms?
3) Do you play on 7 or 9 footers?
 
Simple rule

I have an aversion to playing safes and have always been very offensive minded but have learned that safes are a necessary part of the game. A case in point happened to me in the playoffs to qualify for a go to Vegas tournament. I was spotting the other player around 15 pts (usapl) and he had started the match off with a break and run followed by a break and almost run followed by a safety that I got the kick but left him an easy out. Through a series of good safes I was able to crawl back into the match. The safes seemed to bring him off the boil and he simmered down to his normal game. Last game we were hill/hill with me breaking. I broke and made the wing ball and had an easy run out except the 8/9 were tied up (frozen together) in a way that that the 9 could not be billiard in and there were no shots on the 8. I decided to run out to the 8 and played a lock up safe. He missed getting a hit and I made the last two to win.

Oh, my simple rule now is if I can't get rewarded with a shot, I will duck. Not what I want to do but is absolutely necessary against good players that can run out.

Al
 
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thall said:
We always did let them shoot anyway they wanted. We never tried to stop anyone from doing whatever they wanted with their shot. We sat our butt in the chair and we shut up. Then after the safe we got up and then the fun began, the ribbing, the tormenting, the you hide that cue ball pretty good, do you hide under the bed when a storm comes up too. Fact is we knew why they were playing safe when they didn't have to, they were scared they might miss that easy shot. That's all it was about. They didn't have the guts or gonads to go ahead and shoot that easy shot. We called them cowards among other things. Nothing wrong with a safe when your faced with a tough shot. When you got a easy shot and still won't take it we found a lot wrong with that kind of playing.
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This is one of the dumbest things I've read in a long time. Were you in elementary school at the time or was this how "real men" acted in "real poolrooms"?
 
I do not play safe when shooting at the local bar in the evenings for fun unless I am playing the league tool that is playing safety's like we are playing for cabbage or a 'Trip To Vegas'. Even then, I do not call them or make it obvious, just shoot and say shucks.

I do play safe's when it's smart in League or local cash tournaments to win.
 
HawaiianEye said:
If there are NO spectators, there is NO professional pool to be resurrected.

The game was already dumbed down when they created BIH and Texas Express in the first place. Same goes for jump cues, Magic Racks, etc.

People are trying to turn pool into a completely different game. Instead of bridges and jump cues, I'm waiting for a REAL little "bridge" (like a ramp) to come out with where you can "drive" over balls instead of jumping them. Let's make the game like one of those little race car tracks with curves, bridges, and straight away ramps. You just lay them all out on the table as you think they may "lead" to the shot...then fire away and watch the ball fly around the "course" you set out.

Everybody talks about pool being "too easy" for the pros and "they need to make it harder"!

It was "harder" back when you had one cue to play with, slower cloth, regular racks, and different rules.
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Resurrecting pool as a popular sport is not what this thread is about. Please don't turn this into another one of those. This is about the OP's opinion on safeties, as a player, not how it will affect pool overall as a sport.

Pool is "too easy" for the pros because of nineball, which is a broken game, mainly because of the rack, and how consistently you can make the one ball and wing ball on the break. It has nothing to do with how the rules have changed over the years.

EDIT: You can make the rules whatever you want in nineball (with winner breaks) and Corey still would have broke the game like he did.
 
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Not having safeties hasn't hurt golf too much.

I'd love to see offensive dominated or offensive only game formats, which of course would require new rule sets / game formats.

And take the break luck factor out of the game while they're at it.

Colin
 
philly said:
Your goals are your goals. My goals are my own. I could care less if a player likes playing me or not. I play my own game. If I get in my opponents head so be it. Doesn't faze my game. Looks like it alters yours. Going to the poolroom and matching up or playing tournaments to have players dislike playing me is not one of my goals. The opponents I play generally are not fazed by their opponents anyway. I don't know where you play.
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Omg, dude it was not meant to be taken so seriously and literally. If you can't get the point, just forget it.
 
Colin Colenso said:
Not having safeties hasn't hurt golf too much.

I'd love to see offensive dominated or offensive only game formats, which of course would require new rule sets / game formats.

And take the break luck factor out of the game while they're at it.

Colin
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Umm, you are playing completely independent of your opponent in golf, so you can't really have safeties.
 
railbird99 said:
Umm, you are playing completely independent of your opponent in golf, so you can't really have safeties.
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Golf with one ball for the field, now that would be interesting. You do have defense in a lot of sports, you have goalies, people that catch the ball you hit, maneuvering around the field/court to get a good shot, etc...

What would basketball be like if it was just one team shooting 50 free throws then the other team and best score wins the game. Of course with how the game is now, that is basically it. Seems like 80% of the shots in basketball end in a foul. And football is getting to be just as bad with all the new rules.
 
I'm curious what game is being played. If you are talking 8 ball and you have a simple shot but need 4 or 5 rails to have a chance at breaking out a cluster you can bet your ass I'm going to play a safe even if I'm six inches from a hanger. I'm fine with someone making fun of my game when I'm moving them to the B side of the bracket because they didn't understand how important that safe was.
 
hang-the-9 said:
Golf with one ball for the field, now that would be interesting. You do have defense in a lot of sports, you have goalies, people that catch the ball you hit, maneuvering around the field/court to get a good shot, etc...

What would basketball be like if it was just one team shooting 50 free throws then the other team and best score wins the game. Of course with how the game is now, that is basically it. Seems like 80% of the shots in basketball end in a foul. And football is getting to be just as bad with all the new rules.
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I'm not sure what your point is. I was talking specifically about golf there. Yes you have all opponents playing on the same field at the same time, but you are playing completely independent of them. It's an extremely rare case where someone else's ball would in any way impede yours.

EDIT: golf, darts, bowling, etc. are all examples of games that you have an opponent, but your opponent has no affect on your game (you are playing independently)
 
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jburkm002 said:
I was playing a friendly tourney. Guy wasn't a good shooter. Wouldn't even look for a shot most times let alone a run out. Basically all he kept doing was safe safe safe. So with 4 balls on the table playing 9 ball. I would just hand him the cue ball. Think he made one and played safe. Same thing. Handed him the cue ball. Made one and played safe. Balls are wide open now. So again I hand him the cue ball. Two balls to run out. Made one missed the 9. I could have gotten out of any of his lame safe. Just wanted to show him what I thought of his shooting ability. Couldn't even run two balls. Safes are fine. When needed. Don't play if you can't shoot though.
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My brother in law plays like this when he's at my house. He's about an APA 4. Finally, I say, why do you do this. You have 3 balls, just shoot them and the game is over ??

His answer is if I miss, you win. Well, if you miss those 3 ducks, you should lose, not win. I really don't care either way, but I'm not playing him at 100% anyways. I don't play safe to give him a chance, I won't jump anything, and usually even bank the 8ball or any other ball I feel like banking at that particular moment.

So, I will take the impossible shot because it's also good practice to have to fire at the do or die shot once in awhile. But he wants to "win" not learn how to play, and that's the difference. Kind of like a pitcher that can throw, but he can't really pitch.

So, now I just play full out, and destroy him. He plays safe, I jump or kick it. I never give him ball in hand now. And I play safety when needed.

And I still tell him, what's the point if you can't play good enough lock up safety. (I'm talking about he has NO problem balls) Shoot the balls is the only way you will ever be able to beat me... but you let me come back to the table time and time again, that you diminish your chances greatly. And when he thinks he about to win, I just intentionally tie up his balls just for fun ;)

He still thinks I'm "tricking" him so I can win ;) Oh, brother ??
 
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jburkm002 said:
I was playing a friendly tourney. Guy wasn't a good shooter. Wouldn't even look for a shot most times let alone a run out. Basically all he kept doing was safe safe safe. So with 4 balls on the table playing 9 ball. I would just hand him the cue ball. Think he made one and played safe. Same thing. Handed him the cue ball. Made one and played safe. Balls are wide open now. So again I hand him the cue ball. Two balls to run out. Made one missed the 9. I could have gotten out of any of his lame safe. Just wanted to show him what I thought of his shooting ability. Couldn't even run two balls. Safes are fine. When needed. Don't play if you can't shoot though.
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Sounds like your local tourney needs to play the three foul rule. You'd probably stop playing it though since safeties aren't offensive. Best advice I ever got about safeties was to shoot them as aggressively as your offensive shots, because they are just as important. So true.
 
Doubt most players have an issue with safeties when played appropriately. I play safes. Not all layouts are run outs. Don't expect anyone to just go for it. It's when in my mind I should be in trouble because my opponent has an open table and they play safe. Safes don't bother me as much as they use to. As I have learned to play smarter.
 
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