To safety break or not safety break, that is the question.

[Shaka]

Playing VNEA so using points.

3 games left we only need 1 point to win.
3rd last game opponents running out could be 10 - zip.
Second last game our only break left, I think we should safety break but my breaking teammate thinks not.

What do you think?

I think between racking our break as ugly (alternating solids and strips not meaning slug rack although why not) as possible and safety breaking my teammate should get a chance of multiple visits to the table to secure the 1 point needed.

At how many points should the strategy change?

 

[mdavis228]

True story from Vegas International tourney...
My VNEA team is playing in the one loss & it's the last match before moving to the big board & starting over w/ the new double elim. The team we're playing is up with two games to go, and they only need 3 points to clinch total & win. I'm in the 4 spot (we're home team), and they're telling the player about to break against me to break safe since they only need 3 points in two games. He doesn't listen, breaks open - dry - and I run out 10-zip. Our anchor breaks & trades some shots/safeties with their last player, eventually giving up only 2 balls before winning. We beat them by one ball.
Their previous match, the one right before they played us, was their first loss in the tourney. They lost that match by one ball, too.
Brutal.

 

[CreeDo]

I think you safety break. Nevermind anyone crying that it's cheap or some such. People think "if I just make a ball on the break I win" and smash them, but smashing it open and making nothing is kinda common and can lose the match.

This is a chance to show off your pool knowledge. On a full rack of 8 ball with 1 stripe and 1 solid in the corners, you can play either corner ball with a little luck. Break like a 1 pocket break. Line up with the cue ball near the side rail, opposite the corner ball you want to sink. Roll the cue ball softly and aim to barely clip the edge of the 1 ball before hitting the 2nd ball as squarely as possible. If you hit the 1 thin enough, the opposite corner ball rolls in. As I think about it more, I guess this doesn't mean you win... table's still open so it could be you just sunk the opponent's ball. But you just need to make 1 more ball in either group to be committed to that group and win the match. They would have a pretty hard time preventing that and getting out.