Stragetic-safties, or splitting hairs?

[nrhoades]

If anyone plays chess, they may be familiar with "skewers" and "pins". A "pin" is when a man checks the king, and the only move the opponent can make is to block the threat with one of their high ranking men, of which the threatening man can capture the next turn.

A "skewer" is like the dual of a pin: A man checks the king, leaving the opponent no other choice but to move the king out of the way, leaving a clear path to a high ranking man for which to capture on the next turn.

Pool is a little different, because the playing board is not discrete. The number of "squares" of the chess board (pool table) are infinite, and the placement of your "man" depends on fine motor skills. Nevertheless, if one is a high level player, then the placement of the cue ball can correlate to the player's strategy because he can move to man to more or less where he wants it.

Thinking of most multiplayer pool games, there are to major classes of shots; pocketing and safeties. Pocketing is akin to capturing a man, and safeties are akin to setting up a defensive.

My question is, has anyone in pool studied "strategic safety play"? This would suggest that a safety is played so precisely, that the only choice the opponent has in attempts to not foul, is to shoot a shot resulting in a strategic advantage to the safety player. Maybe for example, this could mean placing the CB such that the natural angle after contact with the required OB will break out a cluster.

The difference between chess and pool, is again discrete, where a chess player may at times be forced into one specific response to a threat, where as in pool the cue ball can go anywhere.

It could be that a "strategic safety" is simply too hard to accomplish consistently to be a feasible play, and the uncertainty in opponent accuracy ruins it. But maybe there are circumstances where this is worth thinking about.

I was just wondering if anyone has researched this class of shots.

 

[RRfireblade]

On the contrary , I think it's relatively common depending on the game in question. 1P being a good example but also in other games.

Your almost always trying to force your opponent to make a move that that he doesnt want to make but has no choice. Ideally his move will open the opportunity for you to close out the game. Tied up balls or money ball with no pocket even as another example.

 

[Cameron Smith]

A 9 ball version of this would be to snooker your opponent and try to place the object ball close to cluster so that if your opponent hits the ball it opens up the cluster, or better yet, he misses entirely but hits the cluster.

Another potential strategic play is to push out to pot where position on the next ball is impossible or very very difficult in hopes that they either miss or leave themselves in a position where a safe is difficult.

I'm sure there are more, but they certainly come up.

 

[philw]

A 9 ball version of this would be to snooker your opponent and try to place the object ball close to cluster so that if your opponent hits the ball it opens up the cluster, or better yet, he misses entirely but hits the cluster.

Another potential strategic play is to push out to pot where position on the next ball is impossible or very very difficult in hopes that they either miss or leave themselves in a position where a safe is difficult.

I'm sure there are more, but they certainly come up.

Another way is to play a safety on the lowest numbered ball moving it in line with the 9 ball and hiding the cueball so that if you get ball in hand you have a combo on the 9.

 

[pdcue]

If anyone plays chess, they may be familiar with "skewers" and "pins". A "pin" is when a man checks the king, and the only move the opponent can make is to block the threat with one of their high ranking men, of which the threatening man can capture the next turn.

A "skewer" is like the dual of a pin: A man checks the king, leaving the opponent no other choice but to move the king out of the way, leaving a clear path to a high ranking man for which to capture on the next turn.

Pool is a little different, because the playing board is not discrete. The number of "squares" of the chess board (pool table) are infinite, and the placement of your "man" depends on fine motor skills. Nevertheless, if one is a high level player, then the placement of the cue ball can correlate to the player's strategy because he can move to man to more or less where he wants it.

Thinking of most multiplayer pool games, there are to major classes of shots; pocketing and safeties. Pocketing is akin to capturing a man, and safeties are akin to setting up a defensive.

My question is, has anyone in pool studied "strategic safety play"? This would suggest that a safety is played so precisely, that the only choice the opponent has in attempts to not foul, is to shoot a shot resulting in a strategic advantage to the safety player. Maybe for example, this could mean placing the CB such that the natural angle after contact with the required OB will break out a cluster.

The difference between chess and pool, is again discrete, where a chess player may at times be forced into one specific response to a threat, where as in pool the cue ball can go anywhere.

It could be that a "strategic safety" is simply too hard to accomplish consistently to be a feasible play, and the uncertainty in opponent accuracy ruins it. But maybe there are circumstances where this is worth thinking about.

I was just wondering if anyone has researched this class of shots.

In one pocket it is called a trap shot. It is so common among advanced
players that the only time a defensive shot isn't a trap shot, is when
you are in the trap yourself, and can't return with a trap shot of your own.

Dale(who has been trapped more than once)

 

[Rethunk]

My question is, has anyone in pool studied "strategic safety play"? This would suggest that a safety is played so precisely, that the only choice the opponent has in attempts to not foul, is to shoot a shot resulting in a strategic advantage to the safety player. Maybe for example, this could mean placing the CB such that the natural angle after contact with the required OB will break out a cluster.

There are numerous examples of specific situations one could give from various cue games such as 8-ball, 9-ball, 1-pocket, straight pool, and snooker, but I gather you're looking for general principles or examples of shots that are nearly certain to be advantageous because the escape requires a lucky rail jump, execution of a very low percentage multi-rail kick, or masse shots an artistic billiards player would envy, etc.

Since your emphasis is on precise play and (near) certainty of benefit, then a qualifying example would be to leave an opponent hooked behind the corner of a pocket so that no balls are visible, especially in games when the penalty for a foul is ball in hand.

In snooker, a player has to alternate between shooting a red (1 point) and a "color" (2 - 7 points: yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, black). Since hitting the wrong type of ball is a foul that costs points, there are often interesting safety opportunities. It's fairly common to shoot the red such that the cue ball end up buried behind several "colors". Thus if you make the red you have good position for your shot on a color, and if you miss your opponent is hooked since he must hit the red on his next shot.

Near the end of a game, when only one or two reds are left, there are often opportunities for nasty snookers. The six colors remain on the table and can block paths for many different kicks to a red ball. What's different about snooker, and the reason I think this example is appropriate, is that an opponent who has fouled can be forced to re-shoot a certain shot multiple times. Each foul costs points.

In his book The Eight-Ball Bible, R. Givens gives the name "shot-safety" to an offensive shot that doubles as a defensive shot. It helps that he provides specific examples and ties them together under a single, clear concept.

 

[duckie]

Lets not forgot the good ole knight fork.

There is alot you can do with safety play. Just like in chess where the object is to control what what the other player does, the same thing can happen in pool.

You can be in control of the table while seated because of safety play.

The first thing I do after a break is identify any problems on the table. I notice alot of the local 9 ball players like to run balls and not consider any problems on the table. I see them shooting down to the problem and really have nothing to do with it, so play a safe.

Me, I think why shoot to a shot where, unless I can break them open or have a some shot, I will have to play a safe. One of the things I do is instead of running to the problem, I will try to play a safe using a whatever the current OB is, such that the other player has no shot, but also, because he has to hit the current OB, will take care of the problem.

One of the favorite tricks the local 8 ball players do is play block the pocket. They put one of their balls in front of a pocket, blocking it from me. I've learned to unblock those and reblock with my ball. That gets their attention.

The point is that true safety play means you are controlling everything the other person does on the table. To do this goes well beyond just not giving the other person a shot, but, at times, giving them something to shoot at in order to benefit your position on the table.

 

[walrus_3d]

I think the key in chess and pool, for this thread anyway, is control of the board or control of the table. If you play a check, pin, fork, skewer, or what have you, you're limiting you're opponent's options on the board and making your own continuation easier to plan. Similarly, if you play a defensive shot that leaves a 99% chance you'll come back to the table with either an open runout or ball in hand, you're making your continuation easier than you had before your shot. Even if your opponent pulls off the circus shot (or a brilliant sacrifice in chess, either way), they may end up rattling themselves with the difficulty of the shot they just made, or tying up the table somewhere else. The key is to be in control of the board or table regardless of whether you're shooting or your opponent.