What Would You Do 8-Ball Series: Shot #1

chefjeff said:
Bank the 7 but for the love of god, don't try to make it!...too risky! Just put it up there for the next inning to be used to deal with the 2 properly and easily.

Let the cue ball drift down to sit on the ball on the foot rail so the stripe can't be made in the side.

Jeff Livingston
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Are you serious? Even with my limited knowledge of the game, you will be snookered almost always once you come back to the table. Mind your opponent, he's not going to lose the game from that position even tho the 9-ball is tied up.

I wouldn't give you 10% chance of winning the game after you try to play the 7-ball near the two ball.
 
Autist said:
Are you serious? Even with my limited knowledge of the game, you will be snookered almost always once you come back to the table. Mind your opponent, he's not going to lose the game from that position even tho the 9-ball is tied up.

I wouldn't give you 10% chance of winning the game after you try to play the 7-ball near the two ball.
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That's why they call me lucky.

What'd I'd do is let the cb go right against the side of the 14(?) so his safety would force the cb up table.

Jeff Livingston
 
chefjeff said:
That's why they call me lucky.

What'd I'd do is let the cb go right against the side of the 14(?) so his safety would force the cb up table.

Jeff Livingston
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I think it's the 10 ball, but yeah okay, I understand.

Freezing the cue ball off the carom from the 7 to the 10 ball is not exactly easy. I would say almost as difficult as banking the 7 into the corner. The pocket really is huge, and you would have to be extremely unlucky not to get a makable shot on the remaining solid.

Not to mention even if you freeze your opponent, you will still come to the table, snookered, alot of the times.


Now that I think of it, freezing him up against the 10 off the carom off the 7 is actually a lot more difficult than banking the 7 off the two ball.
 
I dont feel like there is enough info here to truly know what to do. Does the 7 cut in the corner? does the 6 go by the 8 if you make/move the 7? is there enough room behind the 9 to get the cb to the rail to just cut it in? If you make the bank does the 6 go in the side?
 
RG1 said:
hmmm, what would your first shot be?
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I'd bank that 7 hoping to catch the side-rail and go off the 2. With BIH, I could probably guarantee I get the hit I want. I have stop-shot shape on the 6. I nail this and I'm out.

Honestly, I'd rather be solids than stripes here but with that said, I'm looking to run out. I don't want to sit down and watch my opponent show me how stripes can be run.
 
I would bank the 7 off 2, shoot the 6 in the upper left corner, the 2 where it sits then the 8 in the corner for the win.
 
to me cutting the 7 is too risky because the 13 and 14 look to be in the way of the natural path and then hitting the 2 afterwards just right to have a shot on it makes this way too risky. Even if you dont hit the 13 or 14 if you get bad on the 2 the 6 dont go. So to me too many risks with the 7.
 
eddie0776 said:
to me cutting the 7 is too risky because the 13 and 14 look to be in the way of the natural path and then hitting the 2 afterwards just right to have a shot on it makes this way too risky. Even if you dont hit the 13 or 14 if you get bad on the 2 the 6 dont go. So to me too many risks with the 7.
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Even if the 13 and 14 weren't there, the bank on the 7 off the 2 is still a better shot. If you try to send the cue-ball 2 rails into the 2, you're traveling 12 feet with the hopes that you'll a. break out the 2 and b. come away with a shot on it? You're hoping for too much.

Bank the 7 into the 2 and it would be very unfortunate if you hit the 2 and don't pocket the 7. The likely worst case scenario would be pocketing the 7 without touching the 2 which still leaves you some options although they're not pretty.
 
Does anyone know what time of the match this took place? Id like to see this whole rack play out
 
I think a lot of people are looking at how good a bank off the 2 ball is *if it works out*.

Nobody seems to be looking at "what if I miss", and I don't buy that this ball is a hanger and can't be missed. If your only goal is to make it, it's a big ball... but if your goal is specifically to play the 7 off the 2... then that's not a big ball. That's a trick shot that's harder than a full table bank, which is already very missable.

What if you hit 10% too firm and straighten out the bank and it goes straight in and doesn't touch the 2? You're worse off than you were before. What if you overcut the bank trying to play it off the long rail into the 2... and you just bust the balls open without making the shot? The other guy is probably out.

I think chefjeff is right. 7 off the 2 might be the right shot, but don't do it on THIS inning. Herd the 7 up there and do it later, when it's not a difficult full table bank. Letting them back to the table sucks, but they'd be looking at a mission-impossible out and you're certain to get another turn.
 
CreeDo said:
I think a lot of people are looking at how good a bank off the 2 ball is *if it works out*.

Nobody seems to be looking at "what if I miss", and I don't buy that this ball is a hanger and can't be missed. If your only goal is to make it, it's a big ball... but if your goal is specifically to play the 7 off the 2... then that's not a big ball. That's a trick shot that's harder than a full table bank, which is already very missable.

What if you hit 10% too firm and straighten out the bank and it goes straight in and doesn't touch the 2? You're worse off than you were before. What if you overcut the bank trying to play it off the long rail into the 2... and you just bust the balls open without making the shot? The other guy is probably out.

I think chefjeff is right. 7 off the 2 might be the right shot, but don't do it on THIS inning. Herd the 7 up there and do it later, when it's not a difficult full table bank. Letting them back to the table sucks, but they'd be looking at a mission-impossible out and you're certain to get another turn.
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I thought about cheffjeff's suggestion a lot. I think both plays have merit but it really should be an on-site decision based on the circumstances. 8-ball on the professional level is a tricky beast. I don't see how stripes can run out so parking the 7 near the 2 and extending this game another inning might work. On the other hand, there have been plenty of times in my life where a player has taught me a thing or two. If I'm playing a pro-caliber 8-ball player, I have to give him a bit of respect and assume he's going to figure out something to do with that 2-ball. Right now, there is an out that works and although there is a risk, that risk might be the best chance I get.

Like, let's say you park the 7 near the 2. If you don't get that 7 in a VERY awkward place, your opponent has tons of safety options that are going to leave you begging for a shot. In fact, it's perfectly reasonable to assume you will never see another offensive opportunity again. As stripes, my goal will be to get relatively straight on the 9 while leaving the 11-ball in place and there's no reason to think the 11-ball will ever be moved. Once I have my straight-on shape on the 9, it's bye-bye 2-ball and solids will be hoping to make a shot on the 7 (likely a bank) and positioning for an awkward 6-ball.

In my opinion, against a top amateur/pro, you can't let stripes back to the table. You've gotta run out here.
 
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Jude Rosenstock said:
I thought about cheffjeff's suggestion a lot. I think both plays have merit but it really should be an on-site decision based on the circumstances. 8-ball on the professional level is a tricky beast. I don't see how stripes can run out so parking the 7 near the 2 and extending this game another inning might work. On the other hand, there have been plenty of times in my life where a player has taught me a thing or two. If I'm playing a pro-caliber 8-ball player, I have to give him a bit of respect and assume he's going to figure out something to do with that 2-ball. Right now, there is an out that works and although there is a risk, that risk might be the best chance I get..
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This is the correct thought process and not just for professional caliber. At fairly high level amaeteur play, this is also the correct thought process.

Anectdote: I lost a match in the finals of a big tourney ($1000 first place) and the rack that I lost that turned the match around (I had a big lead) was a similar situation. I left my opponent funny and he decided to straight back bank a ball off another ball near the corner pocket (the same bank-ticky as shown but in this case it was off of his ball on very tight tables). It cleared out the pocket and he got out.

I asked him about the shot later and simply said that he had no other shot except to bunt and survive and that I was shooting too strong to simply turn the table back to me. He assumed I'd figure how to get out. He had a prayer if he shot the bank ticky, so he took the odds.

Freddie <~~~ 2nd
 
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Cornerman said:
This is the correct thought process and not just for professional caliber. At fairly high level amaeteur play, this is also the correct thought process.
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I said "professional" because of who the shooter is but you're correct. The decision to not run-out here will likely cost you the game against most top amateurs.
 
ChrisBanks said:
The 10-ball series fizzled out due to some harsh criticism, so I figured we would give 8-ball a try.

Shot #1 comes from a game between Corey Deuel and John Schmidt. It is Corey's shot, and he has the solid colored balls.

Notes: The 2-ball in the upper right cannot be directly pocketed from the current position of the cueball.

Please share your shot selection, with a detailed reasoning behind your choice. If anyone manages to pick the shot that the professional has chosen, they will receive a well justified measure of praise.
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Chris, thank you for posting this. This was a really fun exercise. Although the shooters here are both very talented, I think what makes this a fun shot to examine is that the correct shot (in my opinion) requires very little talent to execute. At least, it doesn't require having a big stroke. I'm not saying it's an easy shot, just that it's a shot anyone can do and expect to succeed (and run out) a portion of the time.
 
If you aren't comfortable shooting the 7 off the duece bank, then by all means you need to play a safe. But if you have an opponent that can create shots and possibly get out, you better get out when you have the chance. Safe is not an option for me in this case. Have got to take it out.
 
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