What do you do?

[jay helfert]

I could be wrong but the way I see this diagram, you don't have a clear shot on the 4.

You may be right Jude. It looks to me like you can see the whole ball. If not, I would probably play safe off the edge of the four and leave the cue ball on the end rail. Let him figure out a shot from there, that doesn't sell out the game.

I like to shoot a shot in that spot that doesn't take a big stroke (and a big risk) and a lot of cue ball movement. I believe that's what wins games. Larry Schwartz is the master of this type of play to be a winning Eight Ball player.

 

[Jude Rosenstock]

Safety. Stun the cue ball down the tangent line to the 3-ball.

CueTable Help

This is a very awkward scenario but I do like this shot best. My concern is that there is a chance of leaving a return safety that will leave me worse off than I am now.

After this safety, your opponent is going to try and play a one rail kick at the 9ball hoping to leave the cueball in the lower left corner area. If the 2ball is now easier to pocket in the side, he's going to have to get a little more aggressive.

Trying to run out from here is challenging but worthy of consideration. You absolutely have to make sure you get a shot on that 4ball (preferrably straight). That's possible but the safety is definitely easier. The only problem with the safety is, it really doesn't guarantee victory though you do force your opponent to come up with a good shot.


The kick-safe on a barbox is a great idea. A lot of big table players forget how easy kick-safes can be on a barbox. Based on the layout of this diagram, I'm not very fond of the kick-safe because the 2/4 seem to block a portion of the appropriate path. Even for a barbox, this shot is also a bit difficult to judge. I think it shows excellent imagination to consider the kick but not great judgement to shoot it. TX Poolnut's safety is just far more predictable and just as effective.

 

[dabarbr]

In this spot if you're kicking at the three the hit must be solid on the three and soft for it to work out. If you hit the rail first before hitting the three it's ball in hand. If you hit the outside of the three you sell out the 15. If you hit the three solid but too hard you sell out. We're talking about a lot of distance for the cue ball to travel and a lot can go wrong. Table drift being one of them.

Weighting all of of this I think I would select to shoot at the two and go three rails for the three. If I'm going down here it's going to be with a chance to win.

 

[Jude Rosenstock]

You may be right Jude. It looks to me like you can see the whole ball. If not, I would probably play safe off the edge of the four and leave the cue ball on the end rail. Let him figure out a shot from there, that doesn't sell out the game.

I like to shoot a shot in that spot that doesn't take a big stroke (and a big risk) and a lot of cue ball movement. I believe that's what wins games. Larry Schwartz is the master of this type of play to be a winning Eight Ball player.

Actually, the location of that 4ball is critical since it could open up a few other safeties if you can see a portion/all of it.

 

[jay helfert]

This is a very awkward scenario but I do like this shot best. My concern is that there is a chance of leaving a return safety that will leave me worse off than I am now.

After this safety, your opponent is going to try and play a one rail kick at the 9ball hoping to leave the cueball in the lower left corner area. If the 2ball is now easier to pocket in the side, he's going to have to get a little more aggressive.

Trying to run out from here is challenging but worthy of consideration. You absolutely have to make sure you get a shot on that 4ball (preferrably straight). That's possible but the safety is definitely easier. The only problem with the safety is, it really doesn't guarantee victory though you do force your opponent to come up with a good shot.


The kick-safe on a barbox is a great idea. A lot of big table players forget how easy kick-safes can be on a barbox. Based on the layout of this diagram, I'm not very fond of the kick-safe because the 2/4 seem to block a portion of the appropriate path. Even for a barbox, this shot is also a bit difficult to judge. I think it shows excellent imagination to consider the kick but not great judgement to shoot it. TX Poolnut's safety is just far more predictable and just as effective.

The kick-safe is a very important shot in One Pocket too (in similar situations). Sometimes amazes me when I see good players who don't even consider that option (or see it!). Jack Cooney was a master of this type of move. It won him games and never looked like he was doing anything. :wink:

Without diagramming it, here is the scenario. You're down table, your opponent has balls near his hole. It looks like there is no way out. Wait a second, I can go rail first off the side rail and tap a ball on the end rail near my opponent's pocket. I just got out of the trap and maybe put my opponent in a bad spot at the same time. HELLO!

 

[Jude Rosenstock]

The kick-safe is a very important shot in One Pocket too (in similar situations). Sometimes amazes me when I see good players who don't even consider that option (or see it!). Jack Cooney was a master of this type of move. It won him games and never looked like he was doing anything. :wink:

Excellent point. I don't play 1pocket but knowing a little about the game and the accuracy one can have with this type of kick-safe, I would have to agree that it's a very strong move.

 

[Cornerman]

Are you wondering what the hell I was thinking with this response? Well, it's very simple: I was thinking it was 10-ball!

Never mind the 15 ball on the table and no 10 ball...

But if it was 10 Ball I like my answer. LOL.

pj
chgo

This is hilarious Pat. Especially since my first inkling was the same shot knowing it was bar table 8-ball.

Fred

 

[Patrick Johnson]

Are you wondering what the hell I was thinking with this response? Well, it's very simple: I was thinking it was 10-ball!

Never mind the 15 ball on the table and no 10 ball...

But if it was 10 Ball I like my answer. LOL.

pj
chgo

This is hilarious Pat. Especially since my first inkling was the same shot knowing it was bar table 8-ball.

Fred

My first shot was OK for either. It was my "safety" that must have raised some eyebrows.

pj
chgo

 

[memikey]

Safety. Stun the cue ball down the tangent line to the 3-ball.

CueTable Help

I realise there's been a lot of support expressed for the result of this shot as drawn and I'm not saying it's a bad option but I'm not sure that it's possible to stun the cue ball at that angle at the pace necessary to have it reach/end up near the 3 ball on the path line drawn without iimparting so much pace on the 8 ball that it will hit the side rail and kiss the 2 again on rebounding.

Then again maybe that's a good thing!

 

[dabarbr]

I realise there's been a lot of support expressed for the result of this shot as drawn and I'm not saying it's a bad option but I'm not sure that it's possible to stun the cue ball at that angle at the pace necessary to have it reach/end up near the 3 ball on the path line drawn without iimparting so much pace on the 8 ball that it will hit the side rail and kiss the 2 again on rebounding.

Then again maybe that's a good thing!

This an excellent option but I would only shoot it if the tangent line was natural to the three ball. If I would have to stun it over there then I would pass on it. In the diagram it doesn't look natural but needs to be stunned. Too many things to go bad with the stun. The distance between the two and the cue ball is a huge factor. First it requires more power thus it now becomes a feel and instinct shot. In a critical situation it's hard to rely on things to be hit that perfect. Sometimes we have no choice and have to go with that type of shot but here there are better options.

 

[Firecracker]

Safety. Stun the cue ball down the tangent line to the 3-ball.

CueTable Help

I have two concerns with this shot, table speed and leaving the 8-ball more available then it was before. If you hit this too hard or pull too much to the right side of the 3-ball, you risk giving up the 15 ball. Too much to the right side and you leave the 9 ball. At the same time, if your speed is not good, then the 8 ball probably has more pocket options then previously. If your confident in your speed and accuracy on the leave, then it may be a good shot for you, but I would not feel comfortable shooting in a hill-hill match.

When I looked at the table, I saw the safety and the shot. I would most likely shoot the safe in this situation as it is a higher percentage shot that shooting the 2 down table and coming 3 rails for shape. The safe I saw was similar to Jay's. Skim the edge of the 4 ball and try to leave the cue ball on the rail near the 3. The reason I like this shot is it gives a little more flexibility to speed, if you hit it a little too hard, it should roll up behind the 15 and 5. Same as Jay said, getting the 4 off the rail offers more flexibility when you hopefully get to shoot again.

 

[5ballcharlie]

I would fire the 2ball in the corner and draw 3 rails for position on the 3ball especially if I am playing on a bar box. If its a big table with tight pockets I thin hit the 2 ball and the cue ball should go 90degrees downtable and try and freeze him on the end rail and possibly snooker him behind the 5 ball.

 

[i need somethin]

Fire it in!! ur on a Bar box