Poll: Which gambling spot is hardest to give?

[UWPoolGod1]

I was curious as to which gambling spot is harder to give. I was out having a good time the other night and a local guy walked up and asked what we were playing for. I said what do you want to do. He said 9ball race to 9, me spotting him the wild8 and the breaks. I was like whatever, thats a tough one. The guy then say he wants only the wild7. Only. LOL I had been drinking and didn't want to play this game sober or drunk. A teammate of mine throws a $100 up and says he'll back me. Some people jumped on the table so we didn't get to play but I didn't feel, at that moment, that I could win that bet. So I didn't want to lose my friends money. He said he wouldn't want a cut if I won or make me pay him back if I lost so there wasn't any stress on me.

Please vote on the poll and also rank in a reply what spots you think are the hardest. Where 1 is the hardest to give, and 5 is the easiest. Add your own if you wish.

Also a quick question about the spot. If you give someone the call 8 and they snap it on the break do they win? If you are giving someone the Wild 7 and you miss the 7 or 8 ball do they automatically win or do they still have to make that money ball?

 

[sjm]

Please clarify the level of play. If two weak players gamble with each other, the break is practically no spot at all, while even the "last two" is a big spot. If strong players match up, the break is worth a lot more than the "last two". The answer to your question is dependent on who's playing who.

 

[UWPoolGod1]

Me = recently made regional BCA Masters. High 'B' most days, Low 'A' some days. Run most racks if open, string multiple if break is working. I play better safes I am sure.

Him = Mid 'B' to good 'B' depending on how he's playing. Can run a rack if open.

7 foot tables.

So he was asking for a spot. It would end up being a tight match if he played strong and me average that day. Not sure he really deserves a spot. He approached me, so if he wants my money we can play even at the start. If I beat him a few handily then I may think about a spot.

 

[sjm]

On average equipment, from toughest to give to easiest to give:

1. call seven and the breaks
2. wild seven only
3. wild eight and the breaks
4. call eight and the breaks
5. the breaks

 

[Big Dave]

The nuts!!!!

 

[Gerry]

Tell him to go find a set of nads, and you'll play then!

I hate when guys come crying for weight, unless it's an ongoing game where you all played before, I'd tell him to step up even, or go practice til he thinks he can win.....

By him asking for weight, he already thinks you play better, or he's trying to rob you......also, I NEVER give out the break, or the "wild" anything....make them earn it....and NO, you don't win when making a spotted ball on the snap.

Gerry

 

[pharaoh68]

This is kind of a no brainer but it can be tricky if you don't know who you're playing and how he shoots.

In most cases, unless you're Efren, you should never give someone the 7 out and the breaks unless you know you can win. I would never give that spot to "just some guy". I would have to know how bad he is. And like sjm said, giving someone the breaks is easiest UNLESS he is a strong shooter. If he can get out of a rack easily, giving the breaks can be like giving ball in hand when he first walks to the table, and you never want to do that. I think the lightest spot would be the last two. But that's just me.

As far as snapping th spot ball on the break, that's tricky. Some old schoolers will try to tell you that snapping a wild spot ball on the break is a win but most will agree that this isn't so. Its to easy to snap in any ball on the outside of the rack. WIld 8 or 7 or whatever, if you snap it on the break, it gets spotted.

 

[uwate]

You wanna try out a REALLY difficult spot to give. Try giving the handspan out, especially to someone with large hands. I use to play at Harley's Rack and Cue in Jacksonville in the early 90s and there was a guy in there that had hands like Shaq. This guy was terrible, I could give him the last 4 pretty easily, but let him play with the handspan and he was subject to stick a 3 or 4 on me at any given moment.

Im surprised at the folks who voted for the wild 8 and the breaks versus the call 7/8 and the breaks.

 

[MVPCues]

You wanna try out a REALLY difficult spot to give. Try giving the handspan out, especially to someone with large hands. I use to play at Harley's Rack and Cue in Jacksonville in the early 90s and there was a guy in there that had hands like Shaq. This guy was terrible, I could give him the last 4 pretty easily, but let him play with the handspan and he was subject to stick a 3 or 4 on me at any given moment.

Im surprised at the folks who voted for the wild 8 and the breaks versus the call 7/8 and the breaks.

I had not heard of the handspan, is that like giving someone the straw?
Kelly

 

[uwate]

I had not heard of the handspan, is that like giving someone the straw?
Kelly

The handspan is when the opponent can pick up the cue ball after each shot and move it anywhere within the span of his hand. With a player who has large hands and who can play position to get the cue ball close to the next shot, this spot is deadly.

Is the straw similar?

 

[MVPCues]

The handspan is when the opponent can pick up the cue ball after each shot and move it anywhere within the span of his hand. With a player who has large hands and who can play position to get the cue ball close to the next shot, this spot is deadly.

Is the straw similar?

Yes. After the cueball stops before he shots again he can lay the straw down against the cueball in the direction he wants and move it up to the distance of the straw.

And I agree, a decent player who can move the cue ball around and get anywhere near zones, and this is a huge spot.
Kelly

 

[JDB]

Im surprised at the folks who voted for the wild 8 and the breaks versus the call 7/8 and the breaks.

Well, you can take one vote away from it because I missed the word "out" I thought it was wild 8 versus call 7 with both having the breaks. In that scenario I thought the wild 8 was better. However, I agree, that the call 7 AND 8 with the breaks is much better than just the wild 8 and breaks.

 

[Craig Fales]

The handspan is when the opponent can pick up the cue ball after each shot and move it anywhere within the span of his hand. With a player who has large hands and who can play position to get the cue ball close to the next shot, this spot is deadly.

Is the straw similar?

I never heard of either of these...

I


Also a quick question about the spot. If you give someone the call 8 and they snap it on the break do they win? If you are giving someone the Wild 7 and you miss the 7 or 8 ball do they automatically win or do they still have to make that money ball?

Clarify before you start playing nothing on the break counts...and they have to actually make the ball to win...
________

 

[wannaplaySOME?]

I never heard of either of these...



Clarify before you start playing nothing on the break counts...and they have to actually make the ball to win...

they HAVE to actually make the ball, there is no game where if your opponent misses your money ball you win... you have to make it unless courtesy is given.

unless he is playing the ghost, if he misses he loses, cause the ghost never misses.... thats another story though

 

[PROG8R]

reply

Also a quick question about the spot. If you give someone the call 8 and they snap it on the break do they win? If you are giving someone the Wild 7 and you miss the 7 or 8 ball do they automatically win or do they still have to make that money ball?

If they called the 8 and the pocket before the break; yes they win.
If you miss the 7 or 8 and they get the wild 7 or 8, then they still have to make it, so no they dont win automatically, but you are pretty much screwed.