The five ball ghost

A little shocked that no one in this thread thinks that just perhaps, "this I can't run five balls talk", is just laying the ground work for getting better spots when the time comes.

If you work in a pool hall and can't run five balls then I hope you're going on the road playing darts.
 
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Pool is a tough world. I think you can make it playing folks that aren't world beaters, you just need to know where to find them and how to match up.

That being said, your prospects of making money go UP the better you get as you will be able to play more people. Playing one pocket might be a good option - it gives you the ability to out think someone rather than out shoot them.

The harsh reality is that there are a lot of people that may catch a gear and run rack after rack. Even Keith McCready acknowledges that the pool world has a ton of shot makers.

Keith said:
To be honest with you, I haven't really retired - yet. I keep up with the pool. Every once in a while, I go down in the basement and knock some balls around. Needless to say, I bet more on sports and more on poker online. I don't really feel that I have to go out there and bust my butt in the pool world anymore, especially when every Tom, Dick, and Harry don't miss a ball.
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http://www.azbilliards.com/news/stories/11452-where-are-they-now-keith-mccready/

-td
 
When you get out of position on a shot - STOP - and practice that shot over and over until you're cosistently making the shot the way you wanted. Note the difference between getting the position and not getting it: was it speed, spin? Sometimes I find that I was trying to do something that just can't be done...at least not by me.

This discipline often brings to light that you're having trouble with a certain kind of shot. Then you can focus practice/drills/etc on that kind of shot.
 
Wow, I must have tiny little cojones... I can beat the 9 ball ghost more than 50% of the time, and I wouldn't even think about going on the road. I get that it's about matching up more than raw skill, and I haven't gambled enough in different situations to where I have needed to hone that skill, but it's still nice to have the raw talent there to back it up. I can't see anyone at Rhea's level ever beating someone at my level (or above) consistently, the spot just wouldn't be enough unless I (or someone like me) was just being stupid or over confident with the spot, and even then you would think the adjustment would happen quickly. But maybe I'm naive and there are a bunch of B/C players out there willing to lose a bunch of money or A players willing to make a bad game and do the same...

That being said, I will offer some practice advice. There are tons of drills out there that focus on key areas of the game - back and forth 1/2 rail position, up and down position, rail and near-rail shots, and getting back to the center of the table. They are easy to find, I would suggest finding some that challenge you and working on them to really isolate and perfect those repetitive patterns that are needed in almost every game. As you work on those standard patterns then you can throw in the recovery shots (2/3 rails), working on thinner cuts, banks, etc. to extend your offense. And of course working on safeties, even pros run out less then they end up playing safe so you need to work on safes and kicking.

One more thing. I like a drill Jerry Briesath showed me a long time ago, similar to ghost but with a twist. Throw out 4 balls, make sure nothing is tied up, take ball in hand, and try to run the balls out. The catch - you have to do it "perfectly" - no tough or low percentage shots, no banks, try not to run into other balls unless intentional, etc. You know what you are trying to do, if you don't do it within reason, set the shot up again and try it again, maybe even multiple times and multiple ways. If you get out without an error, score a point, otherwise nothing. When you can succeed 16 out of 20, then add a ball. At my level with 6 balls I typically score 13 - 15 out of 20, so easy to lose focus and miss a ball, overrun position and end up with a tough shot or bank, etc. This will show you where you really stand along with the ghost and gives you good practice on getting out in end game situations and also lets you score your progress over time.

Good luck!
Scott
 
Rhea, not sure what the point is? You are not going to make much money if any, so that can't be too enticing.

No health insurance.
No pension.
No 401K
No sick days
No vacation days

Now, granted, folks that start their own business, or work for themselves don't get that either, but they are earning enough money to buy what they don't have or put some cash in the bank for retirement.

Why not work a job, even a part time job, so that at least the rent is paid, and you can get 3 squares a day, and you have enough money left over for playing in every pool tourney in the tri-state area on the weekends ??

Lots of good players do that around these parts. The work all day, and then play pool 2 or 3 nights a week. Not counting some of the nice tourneys that can jump into and pretty much guarantee they will cash. And heck, prolly get some cash games on the side every now and then.

Thus, they probably play more pool than you, hold down a job, and are providing some type of nest egg for the future. Not many road players from yesteryear have nest eggs, sad, but true. No pension, not even SS.

It works for them, and if you truly are that dedicated to pool, it would work for you. Living like a hobo cannot be what it's all cracked up to be. Take care.
 
learn

Rhea said:
I've been warming up to go back out on the road again next year. My bankroll is healthy again and I have a lot of time to practice before I go back out. I am buying a truck soon from a good friend of mine.

I can now consistently beat the four ball ghost and have been practicing with the five ball ghost lately. I can see that my shape and speed needs some polishing up to get back where I left off earlier this year when I was at the top of my game.

One thing I noticed is you can't break the five balls soft or two of them tie up too often. I've had a little more success with a medium break but I'm still only getting to the hill with the five ball ghost and can tell I'm not ready for six ball yet.

I'm trying to envision my run outs prior to the shots but since my speed is still off a bit I end up out of line from what I imagine. Any advice on ghost play or performance enhancing drills would be quite welcome at this time and much appreciated.
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Are you doing this on Kenny's 9 ft or a bar table?

Wouldn't you seriously rather keep your job and ability to play pool all day for free and not have to break into trucks and lie, cheat, and steal to live? Just curious.
 
TATE said:
You don't need to get better. You need to win more. They are two different things. You can win more, a lot more, without really shooting any better than you do now.

First advice, change the way you play the ghost. When you have those tied up racks, practice putting yourself in position to make a winning safety. Become an expert in safeties. Tied up balls are a great opportunity to win. When you see tied up balls, don't think "oh crap, now what" think "great, now I can lock up my opponent with a really easy safety and win". There are only a couple of shots you need to know and you will find yourself winning many more games that involve tied up balls.

2nd advice: Learn all the basic 5 or 6 safeties and learn how to execute them well. The skills required will also help you in other ways. You will learn real speed control of both balls.

3rd advice: Practice the "traveling" racks. Practice those one, two and three rail position shots to get from one side of the table to the other reliably, every time. Make your traveling position a habit. This is critical to master in rotation games. Practice going around and between obstructing balls with 2 and 3 rail shots to learn the paths. 3 rail shape is often the easiest yet many payers avoid it.

The safety and strategy game is your next level. The ball pocking and fine position play will come back with practice, but you need to master the complete game to achieve your full potential.
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What level of pool do you play?
 
I have no idea how you play and really don't care but if you're going to be "on the road", this 5 ball ghost post is hopefully a joke or you'll deserve to go broke.
 
When I am playing well I can beat the 9 ball ghost at home (barbox) and I know I have NO shot of making it on the road. #realitycheckftw
 
I don't think anyone should advise her on what not to do.... I think she has a great chance of making it travelling from city to city,,, scoping out all the weak players that can't run more than 3 or 4 balls and setting up matches for a good score. Or she could come to Hi Cue billiards and get some weight from some of the better players and see how that goes................
 
haystj said:
I don't think anyone should advise her on what not to do.... I think she has a great chance of making it travelling from city to city,,, scoping out all the weak players that can't run more than 3 or 4 balls and setting up matches for a good score.
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Join date (May 2014)....you might want to read some of the past threads about this.
 
BasementDweller said:
I love that old story about 6 ball Bob. I'm sure everybody remembers that guy. He was the guy that couldn't quite beat the 6 ball ghost but boy did he sure know how to match up. He toured the country and made a killin. He robbed every D player in the country out of 17 dollars.

As legend has it, once after sneaking around the midwest for six months, 6 ball Bob made it home and emptied his pockets and much to his amazement he found -- 13 dollars -- in quarters of course, half a stick of juicy fruit, some chalk crums, and the tip to his playing cue. It was only at that point that he discovered that he had been playing for that past few months without a tip!

Boy that guy could play some below average pool.
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lolololol best thing I've read in weeks. Well played, sir.
 
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