Two possibilities
EDIT: folks, nevermind the "solutions" I posed below. I obviously misunderstood the OP's terminology of "bottom left" and the solutions indicated have the wrong pocket in mind (I thought this was as applied to a foot-of-the-table view, not a literal overhead "as you see the table from your computer screen" view). Sorry about that! However, instead of deleting all the content below, I'll leave it in the hypothetical "what if your pocket were the opposite pocket" case, in the hopes it's helpful info in that instance. Apologies, -Sean
Folks:
Personally, I'd take one of two options:
OPTION A
This is the safer route, and relocates two balls from your opponents side to your side of the table. Use a center-ball hit on the cue call and bank the 6-ball towards the 9-ball. You'll have to jack-up over the 5-ball, but focus on hitting the cue ball squarely, and with enough power to carom into the long rail on the opponent's side, and then off that rail ending on the short rail, about middle diamond. Don't worry about the 6-ball; just focus on the cue ball, and visualize it going the path indicated. Hit correctly, the 6-ball will hit the 9-ball with enough power to send it up-table to the short rail, and the 6-ball will go to your side of the table.
Pros (desired result):
+ Your opponent is against the short rail and shouldn't be able to "see" the 6-ball or the 9-ball.
+ The 1-ball is hanging on the far-side of the side pocket, so any "Grady Matthews" style cross-the-face straight-back bank on the 1-ball is almost a guaranteed scratch in the side pocket.
+ He/she can only probably "bat at" the 10-ball to send it to his/her side of the table, but most likely selling-out the 4-ball to you.
+ Any attempts on the 11-ball is fraught with danger in selling-out the 8-ball to you. About the only thing your opponent can do is to bat the 8-ball away from your side of the table to his/her side, but there's a danger of selling-out to you a straight-back bank on the 6-ball.
+ Your opponent may be forced into playing an intentional scratch against the pile.
Cons:
- This shot requires a good stroke and confidence in cue ball control, to minimize the tendency for the cue ball to "hop" when hit down upon in this manner.
- There's a danger of fouling on the 5-ball when you're jacked-up over it like this (especially if you're playing "all ball fouls").
- There's a danger of selling-out a straight-back bank on the 9-ball if you miss it with the 6-ball, *and* you don't get that cue ball back down table towards the short rail.
However, the pros outweigh the cons if you've the stroke for it, and I play this type of shot with great success all the time.
Now, if you're an aggressive one-holer, here's another riskier option...
OPTION B
If you're feeling frisky and have good knowledge of how balls will travel when hit inside a cluster, you can choose this option. It's a very risky but rewarding shot if you can muster the kicking skills for it, and if you know the banking skills of your opponent. I played a shot just like this the other night, and it opened-up the game; the ball that was in the position of the 4-ball in this diagram pocketed, and I ran eight-and-out on my opponent. Too much going on in this one to describe all that goes on, but the ball paths speak for themselves.
The key with this shot is to glance the cue-ball off the 7-ball, about a 1/2-ball hit, and focus on leaving the cue-ball against the short rail (through the billiarding pathway shown), about a diamond or diamond-and-a-half away from his/her hole.
Pros:
+ Very aggressive shot, and when executed correctly, it pushes the lion's share of the balls towards your hole, opening-up the game for a run-out, especially if you pocket the 4-ball.
+ If your opponent is left with anything, it will be "do-or-die, gotta make" cross-the-face cross-corner bank shots back to his/her hole. A miss on his/her part here would be deadly, because most of the balls are now on your side of the table, close to your hole, and that cue-ball would go up-table in-line with your hole.
Cons:
- If the 4-ball doesn't go, and you glance-off the 7-ball in a way that hits the 10-ball too full, you'll sell-out that 10-ball to your opponent, and with all the balls spread-out, he/she can score a lot of points on you if he/she is any good at controlling whitey.
What think ye?
-Sean
EDIT: folks, nevermind the "solutions" I posed below. I obviously misunderstood the OP's terminology of "bottom left" and the solutions indicated have the wrong pocket in mind (I thought this was as applied to a foot-of-the-table view, not a literal overhead "as you see the table from your computer screen" view). Sorry about that! However, instead of deleting all the content below, I'll leave it in the hypothetical "what if your pocket were the opposite pocket" case, in the hopes it's helpful info in that instance. Apologies, -Sean
terhje said:
Folks:
Personally, I'd take one of two options:
OPTION A
This is the safer route, and relocates two balls from your opponents side to your side of the table. Use a center-ball hit on the cue call and bank the 6-ball towards the 9-ball. You'll have to jack-up over the 5-ball, but focus on hitting the cue ball squarely, and with enough power to carom into the long rail on the opponent's side, and then off that rail ending on the short rail, about middle diamond. Don't worry about the 6-ball; just focus on the cue ball, and visualize it going the path indicated. Hit correctly, the 6-ball will hit the 9-ball with enough power to send it up-table to the short rail, and the 6-ball will go to your side of the table.
Pros (desired result):
+ Your opponent is against the short rail and shouldn't be able to "see" the 6-ball or the 9-ball.
+ The 1-ball is hanging on the far-side of the side pocket, so any "Grady Matthews" style cross-the-face straight-back bank on the 1-ball is almost a guaranteed scratch in the side pocket.
+ He/she can only probably "bat at" the 10-ball to send it to his/her side of the table, but most likely selling-out the 4-ball to you.
+ Any attempts on the 11-ball is fraught with danger in selling-out the 8-ball to you. About the only thing your opponent can do is to bat the 8-ball away from your side of the table to his/her side, but there's a danger of selling-out to you a straight-back bank on the 6-ball.
+ Your opponent may be forced into playing an intentional scratch against the pile.
Cons:
- This shot requires a good stroke and confidence in cue ball control, to minimize the tendency for the cue ball to "hop" when hit down upon in this manner.
- There's a danger of fouling on the 5-ball when you're jacked-up over it like this (especially if you're playing "all ball fouls").
- There's a danger of selling-out a straight-back bank on the 9-ball if you miss it with the 6-ball, *and* you don't get that cue ball back down table towards the short rail.
However, the pros outweigh the cons if you've the stroke for it, and I play this type of shot with great success all the time.
Now, if you're an aggressive one-holer, here's another riskier option...
OPTION B
If you're feeling frisky and have good knowledge of how balls will travel when hit inside a cluster, you can choose this option. It's a very risky but rewarding shot if you can muster the kicking skills for it, and if you know the banking skills of your opponent. I played a shot just like this the other night, and it opened-up the game; the ball that was in the position of the 4-ball in this diagram pocketed, and I ran eight-and-out on my opponent. Too much going on in this one to describe all that goes on, but the ball paths speak for themselves.
The key with this shot is to glance the cue-ball off the 7-ball, about a 1/2-ball hit, and focus on leaving the cue-ball against the short rail (through the billiarding pathway shown), about a diamond or diamond-and-a-half away from his/her hole.
Pros:
+ Very aggressive shot, and when executed correctly, it pushes the lion's share of the balls towards your hole, opening-up the game for a run-out, especially if you pocket the 4-ball.
+ If your opponent is left with anything, it will be "do-or-die, gotta make" cross-the-face cross-corner bank shots back to his/her hole. A miss on his/her part here would be deadly, because most of the balls are now on your side of the table, close to your hole, and that cue-ball would go up-table in-line with your hole.
Cons:
- If the 4-ball doesn't go, and you glance-off the 7-ball in a way that hits the 10-ball too full, you'll sell-out that 10-ball to your opponent, and with all the balls spread-out, he/she can score a lot of points on you if he/she is any good at controlling whitey.
What think ye?
-Sean
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