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DrCue'sProtege

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
ok posters, where did i go wrong here? i had these last four balls on the table a couple of nights ago, and failed to get out. i wanted to pocket the 5-Ball into the corner pocket and come straight up one rail to around Point A. but, i hit it too easy, and ended up around Point B - and left myself pretty much without a shot.

i didnt want to try and pocket the 6-Ball into the side pocket, and i didnt feel confident enough stroking it with low and trying to come under the 6-Ball and out for position due to the close proximity of the 7-Ball.

Thoughts? and like always, i ask for your help, not insults, stupid comments, etc, etc.

DCP

http://CueTable.com/P/?@3EWrW4FNBE4GJGB2IFtQ2PCeO3QAhk3RGvj@
 
I don't see anything wrong with the initial strategy. Based on where you left after the 5, I would have cut the 6 into the bottom corner and came back across to put he 7 in the bottom side pocket. That still means having to stroke it solid to get up and back down for the 9. But you diagnosed the problem already yourself - you went too easy on the 5:p
 
I agree with that approach. Or the other possibility is to shoot with low hard left to go 2 rails around the 6 itself and bump the 7 or not and still have shape on 6 to go into lower left corner. Sometimes I find it helpful to visualize the worst event happening (being hooked behind the 7) and then take that event out of the equation by taking a path directly at it. Just a thought :p if you are not dialed in on the speed .. take a bump approach.
 
You had a good plan. My guess is you may have hit the 5 a tad fat so the c/b come up short. Its fairly common to see that happen. One has to take the time to judge speed based on what part of the pocket you aim at.

Rod
 
I think I would have chosen to play the object ball thinner or with a little right to come a little straighter up the table instead of the towards the center. That way I have a lot more room before I get hooked by the seven, so I can stroke the shot with a little more confidence. Of course, you'll have a greater cut angle, but at least this way you're more or less guaranteed to have a shot.

Of course, you could always play to come straight towards the seven, thus eliminating even the remote possiblity of getting hooked.
 
Yea I like bottom left because you have so many pocket options for the 6 going that way if your speed is off a little.

Leonard
 
On the 6 ball, I would have probably played safe by banking it to the end rail and sending whitey to the other end rail by the 9, by using a soft stroke and low left to get past the side pocket.
 
VIProfessor said:
I think I would have chosen to play the object ball thinner or with a little right to come a little straighter up the table instead of the towards the center. That way I have a lot more room before I get hooked by the seven, so I can stroke the shot with a little more confidence. Of course, you'll have a greater cut angle, but at least this way you're more or less guaranteed to have a shot.
Click to expand...

I think this approach is best, increasing the size of the position zone.
 
DrCue'sProtege said:
ok posters, where did i go wrong here? i had these last four balls on the table a couple of nights ago, and failed to get out. i wanted to pocket the 5-Ball into the corner pocket and come straight up one rail to around Point A. but, i hit it too easy, and ended up around Point B - and left myself pretty much without a shot. http://CueTable.com/P/?@3EWrW4FNBE4GJGB2IFtQ2PCeO3QAhk3RGvj@
Click to expand...
I think that you're trying to get to cute with the cueball to get to A. That was asking for trouble.

I like going straight down the table, past the side pocket. You'll get more options for an angle on the 6 from there. On a bar table, it's a no brainer. On a big table, you need to maker sure you're comfortable with the longer shot. And at this point, you should be comfortable with the longer shot.

In this case, simply hitting the 5-ball thinner will do.

Fred
 
You had a good plan. You just missed. Try not to let it happen again.

Subconsciously you may have been thinking that if you thinned the 5ball too much the cue ball would be down table behind the 7ball. This may be the reason you came up short.

I would have played a bank/safe on the 6ball. Trying to send the cue ball down toward the 9ball and the 6ball toward the end rail.

After seeing you come up short it's easy to say that I would have hit the 5 ball thinner with right English to stay closer to the upper side pocket. Therefore giving more room for the cue ball. But most likely I would have done what you did and probably with the same result.
 
Cornerman said:
I think that you're trying to get to cute with the cueball to get to A. That was asking for trouble.

I like going straight down the table, past the side pocket. You'll get more options for an angle on the 6 from there. On a bar table, it's a no brainer. On a big table, you need to maker sure you're comfortable with the longer shot. And at this point, you should be comfortable with the longer shot.

In this case, simply hitting the 5-ball thinner will do.

Fred
Click to expand...
I wholeheartedly endorse this product and/or service.
 
Cue Ball Speed

I think just a little above center with moderate speed will work for this shot..Too much speed and the 7 will of course be in play..If you stroke too hard the 7 can be as large as 6 inches ...Lots of reasons why you didn't get the desired shape you wanted..I am sure you know them.. Better to see the 6and work from there then to kick or spin at the 7..Don
 
I'll take a stab at this even though I don't play the game. As I see it there are 4 pockets that are the best possibilities for the 6. The question is which shot gives me that most possibilities for position should I error in my stroke. Since the 5 is close to the rail I'd use slight draw cutting the 5 in the right side of the pocket with a slow stroke. My cue should land to pocket the 6 in the opposite corner. If I hit it bad I still have a great chance for shape shooting to either side pockets or the same corner I dropped the 5. From any of these positions it's easy to the 7 for shape on the 9.
 
If you coulda gotten below the 5 (so that the cueball is touching the foot rail) the position becomes a lot easier. So maybe this is really due to bad position on the 5. Getting shape from those one rail down-and-up shots is tricky enough that you might want to position the cueball to avoid having to do them.
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I might not get much agreement with this one, but I like using inside to go a little further way from the next ball. I dunno if I'd personally play it this way (I'd have to get down in front of it) but on paper it gives a larger margin for error and no chance of being hooked on the 7. The downside is that it adds inside spin + you're accepting a slightly longer shot.

targetzone.jpg
 
In this situation, I'm not going to try coming back down the table for the 6. I'm getting the cue ball under the 6 and shooting up table. Even on a 9' table, you can not be intimidated by the distance. I like the idea of not moving the cue more than is necessary and getting position from the foot side of the table is easiest IMO.

The 7-ball is in the middle of the table and will easily roll into any pocket, so shaping that ball should be a snap.

By going this route, you completely avoid the possibility of doing what you did.
 
As VIProfessor and Cornerman mentioned, going straight back with center ball hit is better than going towand the center here. 2 factors:

1, There is a slight cut on the 5. We will have to use the right kind of English/Draw/Speed to have the ball landed at the center. Unless this is something we have mastered from practice.

2, There is a 7 ball there which might be a blocker. Or it is possible we can bump it into an unfavorable spot when the cue ball goes too far.

In the diagram, the 6 would be makable if the cue ball is in the green zone. The blue line would be preferrable cue ball travel line in the zone.

CueTable Help



Thank you for the question, this is very fun :)

Check out this thread, we can show CueTable layouts directly inside of AZ forum posts now..
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=64559
 
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I like that theory too... minimize cueball movement... but as diagrammed the angle looks just steep enough that you need pretty good control and a fat hit to do that. Maybe if I were in front of it I'd see it differently.

I might be imagining it but after seeing tons of TV 9-ball, it seems like the pros try to leave the ball for the nearest corner unless they have basically a stop shot to get nice shape into the far corner. I do see them shoot into far corners occasionally, but I remember thinking to myself "I woulda just left it for the far corner but he moved the cue ball a lot more. Why'd he do that?"
 
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