Rack 8 was so messed up
- Thread starter Slasher
- Start date
tomatoshooter
Well-known member
WTF did I just watch? The 8th rack starts at 24:30.
The 8th rack starts at 27:13 where it is timestamped to start playing. At 24:30 the score is 3-3 and they are starting the 7th game.
To save people possible confusion, they are playing "take what you make" and in the 8th rack Darren is solids as he sunk a solid on the break. From there they make each others balls for a few turns (I think twice with fouls and once with a good hit?--going by memory here).
Ocullo had a chance to run out by taking the first ball in hand and shooting the ball stuck up table back down into the corner. Playing speed for the 9 or whatever else was down table, he had workable pattern options to get out.
Sounds like crazy talk to me. Just what percentage do you think he would have been to run out from the point you are talking about? I'll give you a hint, he wouldn't have been favored.
In eight ball playing against any even half decent opponent you generally don't want to start running balls until you are pretty high percentage to run out, because if you don't end up getting out it makes it easier for your opponent to be able to run out, easier for him to play safe on you, harder for you to play safe on him, etc. The guy with the least balls on the table is usually at a significant disadvantage.
Sometimes you will run some balls with no intent to run out but with the intent to get to great safety shot you identified in advance but couldn't get to with your first shot, but you generally try to pocket as few of you balls as possible in getting there, and even there you would usually only do that do that when it is really a lock up safe they have little chance of making a good hit from or doing anything else productive from, and/or you can at the same time significantly improve the layout of the balls for yourself in the process by doing something like opening up some of your tied up balls (but not theirs), creating additional problem balls for your opponent, clearing away balls they would be able to use to break out their problems, etc.
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Point being he lost the game nitting around for an opening.
Watched the video again and I gotta say pocketing the stripe stuck on the three was the best option.
Point being he had WAY better odds of ultimately winning that game by using his first ball in hand to pocket the one with his nine as he did, than if he had shot that stripe on the top rail down into the corner and tried to run out like you suggested he should do.
It isn't even close. Are you above 400 Fargo and have you ever even played a game of eight ball in your life? You aren't talking like either one is true. Seriously, the go for the runout option you suggested and what he chose to do is not even a close decision between the two.
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He lost the game. Not much percentage in that. Corey Deuel does impossible outs all the time. Orcullo had many defensive options at any point past the ball on the three. Was he leaving it for a bank? I don't know how the rest of the set went but he lost that game by playing himself into nomansland.
I was giving you the benefit of the doubt but now I'm sure you're trolling lol. Not bad.
The commentators not paying attention then making comments is what made it so confusing.
It is games like this is why 8-ball is more interesting to watch than 9-ball.
{but it would have been even better with a 30 second clock)
{but it would have been even better with a 30 second clock)
Great to see Darrens tactical prowess on show as well.
Quite serious thank you.
Let's suppose you bet $60 and I bet $40 on the flip of a coin, winner takes all the money. You call heads, and the flip is heads. Good bet?
There's a far greater element of control in attempting a difficult out. Can you look at that layout and say unequivocally there is no possible out and therefore just bomb it and wait for open waters?
Stop. Please, just stop. If you aren't trolling it's clear you are a newer player lacking even basic fundamental knowledge. No sin in that, that same thing would have described every single experienced knowledgeable player at one point too. The problem is that you have no business trying to teach strategy to others when you don't yet even have a basic much less expert grasp yourself.
The odds of Dennis running out from the position you suggested are massively against him. When two decent players are playing, the last thing you want to do when you have very little chance of running out is to start making your own balls for no good reason in a low percentage Hail Mary run out attempt. And the problem with your thinking of "well if I get stuck at some point and realize for sure I won't be getting out then I will just play a safe" is that you aren't guaranteed to have a very good safety opportunity, especially since you now have less balls on the table than your opponent which typically puts you at a serious disadvantage because it is going to be harder to play good safes, easier for your opponent to play good safes on you while improving the layout for himself, and easier for him to get to a good run out opportunity first, etc.
What you instead want to do is buy your time making shots that are intended to improve your layout or situation, make your opponent's layout or situation tougher, or preferably both at the same time, and that also are defensive in nature offering him no immediate good options either. Keep doing that until through your good strategy and execution, or your opponents poor strategy or execution, you finally end up getting a reasonably high percentage run out opportunity.
We can't always control how well we are shooting and how many mistakes in execution we are going to make, but we are always 100% in control of how good our decision making is (if you have the proper knowledge you just have to use it, and if you don't then you just have to make the effort to learn it). If we played the wrong pattern or shot or strategy etc it was because we chose to. We were fully in control of that choice and could have and should have instead chosen to play the highest percentage choice.
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Blah blah... this is why pool is stuck. Pool is a wonderful craft - NOT the battle axe it's become.