The Final 9

ThePoliteSniper

ThePoliteSniper

Fruitshop Owner
Silver Member
In a hill-hill match what do you do here?

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What are your chances of winning the game?
And would you play a different shot, if the cueball was not on the rail?

The reasonable shot would be to play safe, put the 9 on one siderail and the cueball on the other side. But if it's not perfect, the other player could bank it, maybe even with safety in mind and leave me with the same problem again. I hate this shot...
 
It's so tough to play safe here and so risky, I'd probably try to bank the nine ball. At least you're giving yourself a chance to win this way. You might make it one or two rails up and down. If the cue ball is off the rail, now you have several options, with the bank being one of them.
 
Sometimes you have to shoot to win. This is one of those times. Too many things can go wrong with the distance involved for a safety.The bank is in order but with the correct speed to leave both balls opposite of each other on their respective long rails which might take away an easy opportunity for your opponent.
 
dabarbr said:
Sometimes you have to shoot to win. This is one of those times. Too many things can go wrong with the distance involved for a safety.The bank is in order but with the correct speed to leave both balls opposite of each other on their respective long rails which might take away an easy opportunity for your opponent.
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Yep. Swing away and shoot the bank with spin. Err to the long side so if you do miss it the 9 goes back where it came from and the CB goes back to the other end. Or don't miss the bank.
 
dabarbr said:
Sometimes you have to shoot to win. This is one of those times. Too many things can go wrong with the distance involved for a safety.The bank is in order but with the correct speed to leave both balls opposite of each other on their respective long rails which might take away an easy opportunity for your opponent.
Click to expand...

Like this?

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I like 4 rails and leave the CB and OB on the short rails. Takes a little speed to get there.
 
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jamesjr1963 said:
How about an intentional double-kiss?
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Could be a good shot if you were a little closer to the nine ball. From off the end rail, it would be extremely hard to make a perfect center ball hit. To much chance of glancing off to one side or the other.
 
I would give the bank a ride. If I miss it has a chance to double up into the far corner or come out safe, and it probably wont hang. I prefer the bank to the right btw.
 
I'd bank it in at 100 MPH Earl Strickland style! lol. I'd the cue soft for the double kiss.
 
ThePoliteSniper said:
In a hill-hill match what do you do here?

CueTable Help


What are your chances of winning the game?
And would you play a different shot, if the cueball was not on the rail?

The reasonable shot would be to play safe, put the 9 on one siderail and the cueball on the other side. But if it's not perfect, the other player could bank it, maybe even with safety in mind and leave me with the same problem again. I hate this shot...
Click to expand...

i think you have to go for it. if you play safe you're basically just hoping that the other guy misses the 9.

you might as well take the first shot at the cash.
 
I'd say, bank it....

Bank it, cause if you nail it you win. If you nail a safe, you'll still might lose. If you dogged the safe , you WILL lose.
 
ThePoliteSniper said:
In a hill-hill match what do you do here?

CueTable Help


What are your chances of winning the game?
And would you play a different shot, if the cueball was not on the rail?

The reasonable shot would be to play safe, put the 9 on one siderail and the cueball on the other side. But if it's not perfect, the other player could bank it, maybe even with safety in mind and leave me with the same problem again. I hate this shot...
Click to expand...

Using the double-the-distance kicking system taught to me by Jimmy Reid I shot the shot this way ten times.

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I made it once. (when I deliberately aiming to make it)

And when deliberately aiming to hit the nine full I did this;

Got safe with the cue ball staying on the end rail and the nine on the opposite end five times.

Sold out four times.
 
This is a situation that has bothered me for years...about 15 years. I've asked a lot of good players over those years how they would handle it and NO ONE LIKES IT. Not one person said "Oh, I'd do this...".

Everyone hems & haws for a while & then says either "Bank for the win & hope it gets tough if you miss" or "Bank it wide to leave him back on the end rail".

I've tried it both ways & I think the "bank for the win" is the correct answer. You sometimes leave them tough (CB near the lower left corner & OB on the upper side rail around the side pocket). See Page 1 below for typical results from my experiments.

A straight safe takes A LOT of control which you don't have when bridging off the rail. In my experiments, I usually left the layout on Page 2 when trying to play safe.

Trying anything like a 3 or 4-railer (anything that takes a FIRM stroke) had POOR results due to the treacherous CB position. How can you expect to hit the CB crisp when you can only see the very top of the ball?


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mosconiac said:
This is a situation that has bothered me for years...about 15 years. I've asked a lot of good players over those years how they would handle it and NO ONE LIKES IT. Not one person said "Oh, I'd do this...".

Everyone hems & haws for a while & then says either "Bank for the win & hope it gets tough if you miss" or "Bank it wide to leave him back on the end rail".

I've tried it both ways & I think the "bank for the win" is the correct answer. You sometimes leave them tough (CB near the lower left corner & OB on the upper side rail around the side pocket). See Page 1 below for typical results from my experiments.

A straight safe takes A LOT of control which you don't have when bridging off the rail. In my experiments, I usually left the layout on Page 2 when trying to play safe.

Trying anything like a 3 or 4-railer (anything that takes a FIRM stroke) had POOR results due to the treacherous CB position. How can you expect to hit the CB crisp when you can only see the very top of the ball?


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Click to expand...

I agree. The shot on your first page would also be my choice.
The safeties almost always left a makeable bank or even an open shot. The kick shot safety was too unpredictable. And when I hit the bank harder, I often lost control.
Hitting it slower I can play the shot more accurate, leaving usually a tough shot. I also made the bank more often when hit slowly.
 
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