Straight Pool

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LSU1018

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I am just picking up straight pool and was wondering if anyone could give me some pointers on the opening break.
 
I like hitting the corner ball (about half of the ball) with a ton of outside, depending on the table my speed is pretty good at getting whitey really close to the head rail.

IMO, just setup the rack a thousand times and try different things out.
 
There is the #1 safety break used by a lot of players which AZE described.

I have also seen advanced skill level players break to pocket a ball on the break. I heard a new player in our area can pocket the head ball in the side pocket about 3 out 4 times (75%). And I believe it, because he kicked my arse in 8 ball last week (5 games to 0).

Once, you get the safety break down. I think working on the offensive break during practice would be a good thing. I just wouldn't bring it out during a match, unless I could pocket the ball consistently.

I have also seen another str8 pool player practicing POWER secondary break shots because, as you may already know, using a lot of power in a shot will change the OB's track line.
 
LSU1018 said:
I am just picking up straight pool and was wondering if anyone could give me some pointers on the opening break.
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Do you know the rules and that it's just about a given that you play safe on the opening break? Clip the corner ball with high english {depends which side you break from} going four rails with the cue ball winding up on the head rail as close to it as possible, frozen is best. That's an ideal break shot, though.
 
okinawa77 said:
There is the #1 safety break used by a lot of players which AZE described.

I have also seen advanced skill level players break to pocket a ball on the break. I heard a new player in our area can pocket the head ball in the side pocket about 3 out 4 times (75%). And I believe it, because he kicked my arse in 8 ball last week (5 games to 0).
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I've never seen a good player try this shot with anything other than table time on the line. I've seen it done, but never by a pro speed player. Very,very seldom seen an offensive break shot in Straight pool, too risky playing anyone who can play a little.
 
Thanks, my problem was that I was breaking it too much like one pocket by skimming the first ball and hitting the second ball more full possibly making the back ball in the corner but that wasn't working so well.
 
LSU1018 said:
Thanks, my problem was that I was breaking it too much like one pocket by skimming the first ball and hitting the second ball more full possibly making the back ball in the corner but that wasn't working so well.
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Hitting it this way, as well as any offensive break shot, opens you up to numerous disasters. The great Straight pool players played percentage shots on the break hoping to leave no makable reply. Offensive shots, such as the head ball in the side or banking the corner ball, were just too risky. Think Mosconi would ever have played a shot like that against Ralph Greenleaf or Irving Crane? No, because they would have made him pay dearly if he missed it. A lot of 8 ball players who have never played Straight pool want to try offensive break shots because they are not prepared for the length of the game and are used to having a shot at winning from the break. They also aren't prepared to run more than 7 or 8 balls in a rack. It's a tough game.
 
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