Quitecoolguy has to eat humble pie

quitecoolguy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I used to say..that because i played pretty good nine ball that eight ball was just to easy of a game. I thought even on a bar box...well i played in a tournament this weekend in a Moose Lodge tournament and damn..my nine ball skills didnt mean much. I can run a rack like the next guy in nine ball on a nine foot ..but having to think strategy and untie up balls and look for break shots and play dead nut safeties or the the guy is out was more than i could handle..it really straped me. I am humbled by the guys who play great eight ball. I used to say..give me a guy who plays only eight ball and ill give him weight..but wow..i have been humbled..damn that game is tough on a bar box. I have found out that you better be able to stop a ball on a dime...not just a litte foward or a bit back..that cost me so many games ...and the fact of getting out of line and having to turn the cue ball loose... I have to also say that i had a BLAST this weekend. People in the Moose Lodge are really nice. It was a bit strange..being the only black guy there but the people were really nice and i just loved the fun i have..i will be in Stauton next month..wouldnt miss it for the world...
 
If the balls are tied up in such a way you can not get out....I believe it was George Fels that said..."each ball you pocket is like a soldier in your army that you just killed & he can't help you any more". Or something close to that effect.
If you can't get out then don't try. Make sure your opponent can't get out either than start moving your problems balls & ducking until you see the out.;)
 
Varney Cues said:
If the balls are tied up in such a way you can not get out....I believe it was George Fels that said..."each ball you pocket is like a soldier in your army that you just killed & he can't help you any more". Or something close to that effect.

Actually, it was Larry Schwartz, in his 8-Ball Handbook...:D It's definitely true, though!

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
 
Varney Cues said:
If you can't get out then don't try. Make sure your opponent can't get out either than start moving your problems balls & ducking until you see the out.;)

This may be true, but it sure is easier said than done. "Make sure your opponent can't get out either" is a gamble against a good player. Often it's not even possible to make sure of this, and if it means using your balls to tie knots in theirs, then you make your second objective (start moving your problem balls) directly contradict your first. You can't leave him the table without your ball in a knot with his, and so you can never resolve that problem in such a way as to give yourself an opportunity. Often the way to avoid this, is to be aggressive at first trying to open up the table and make an out for yourself, since tying knots does just as much damage to your chances as his.

It really applies if your opponent gives you the table without many of his balls in the way. Then you can move problem balls and duck, with reliable results, because you don't have to ever give him a look at anything. But if he has 7 balls out there, it's often impossible to hide him from all of them, and for a good player, giving him a first shot usually means giving him an opportunity to get out.

-Andrew
 
The last time I visited my hometown, I was playing 8 ball on a barbox with guy just a hair above banger abilities. He broke and started to run his side up until the last ball, and missed it. Then he goes back to his seat and tells his girlfriend "one trip to the table, and look........ I'm already winning by seven balls to one." I just laughed inside knowing that I was getting out, and if not, he'd never get a look at his last ball. A very good example of a guy that killed all his soldiers without being totally sure that the battle was over.
dave
 
quitecoolguy said:
I used to say..give me a guy who plays only eight ball and ill give him weight..but wow..i have been humbled..damn that game is tough on a bar box.

Most great 8ball players do well at 9ball too. It's not always the other way round.
 
Varney Cues said:
I'm positive its in George's book too...I may make a small wager if you think not. :D

Kevin...I guess it would be a draw then, huh? That phrase is right out of Larry's book, and was published in one of his columns last year in BD. :D

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
 
Scott Lee said:
Kevin...I guess it would be a draw then, huh? That phrase is right out of Larry's book, and was published in one of his columns last year in BD. :D

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

I doubt he made it up. I've said the phrase long before Larry's book came out. And I"m sure I heard it from someone else. It's a pretty obvious analogy.

Fred
 
I love bar box eight ball. For many, it's the only game people know.

And don't discount a strong bar box player; You MUST be proficient at kicks, banks, rail shots, shooting over balls, caroms, and clusters. Not to mention much smaller target zones for your cue ball to enter. And don't forget the fact that the playing conditions are likely less than optimum.

And if you leave a wide open duck pond for a player by committing a failed run out on a bar table, your usually in big trouble, even against a decent at best shooter.
 
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