What would you do here?

Bank the 3 into or behind the 8 and leave the cue ball down table. Just don't scratch in the corner and you should be okay.

Edit: didn't notice it was barbox. On a barbox I might be tempted to just make the 3 and go short-short and accept whatever position I get on the 4. If you are feeling really gutsy, you might carom the 3 off the 9 and draw back, but considering you are ahead and presumable a couple balls better than your opponent, I don't see the point in risking a miss.
 
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It's difficult to see the angle - if the cue can pot the 3 and come back without hitting the 7, but if so, here's a lukewarm safe play. Against an opponent that is a couple balls lower than you, with the match in essence being a race to 2, like a prior post stated, minimize risk.

CueTable Help

 
How about...

a go for it / semi-safety.

Three nine combo, nine off the 8 in the corner. Seems that the combo angle would allow you to draw the whitey back up table.

Also seems that the three would end up near the six seven, or the end rail, possible safe if the nine doesn't go.

How did you play it?

Kevin
 
I know what Cory Deuel would do. This is similar to the awesome draw shot he pulled off against Mika in the 2004 U.S. Open. He would make the 3-ball in the lower right corner with enough low/left to bring the cueball off of the upper (in the wei table picture) long rail right of the side pocket. The english would then curve the ball until it hits off the bottom long rail just left of the side pocket and leave a perfect shot on the 4-ball in the upper left corner pocket. :thumbup:

That shot Cory made in the 2004 U.S. Open will forever be protected on my DVR.

Maniac

Disclaimer: This is a tongue-in-cheek post (although I wouldn't be suprised if Cory COULD pull this shot off)
 
Either what koolcat said or to carom off the 9 sending the ball to the upper-right pocket while hiding behind the 8.
 
It looks like the three goes....I'd play it soft with inside follow (right) and hopefully come down table to be able to play the four in the upper left corner.

A decent player is out from there.

Jim
 
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Could you carom the 3 into the 9 toward the top corner? That would hide the 3 and possibly combo the 9 in the bottom corner. I think that's what I would try.
 
I was just about to post my reply, and then I saw you posted what you actually did, so I scrapped it. Nice play, Neil. That's a pretty difficult shot to pull off, in a tournament no less.
 
KoolKat9Lives said:
It's difficult to see the angle - if the cue can pot the 3 and come back without hitting the 7, but if so, here's a lukewarm safe play. Against an opponent that is a couple balls lower than you, with the match in essence being a race to 2, like a prior post stated, minimize risk.

CueTable Help

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That's what I was thinking of.
 
Neil said:
Sometimes it pays to study a shot an really look at all your options.
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I could study ALL DAY (heck, I could have you SHOW me which shot to take), and at my skill level, I'd screw the shot up more times than not :sorry:!!!

BTW, congrats on another nice run out!!!

Maniac
 
Kobachi said:
a go for it / semi-safety.

Three nine combo, nine off the 8 in the corner. Seems that the combo angle would allow you to draw the whitey back up table.

Also seems that the three would end up near the six seven, or the end rail, possible safe if the nine doesn't go.

How did you play it?

Kevin
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I agree. I would shoot it hard enough not to leave the 9 hanging. Also, given that the other player is weaker, I doubt they would run out if you miss given where the 4 is.

Edit: I saw that you posted what you did. Nice shot!!! It worked out for you, but given the percentages of pulling it off vs. the combo and them not running out would you do it the same way again?
 
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I contemplated taking a flyer of sorts - shoot the 3 and try to come off the 7 and get po on the 4. Even if I caught the 7 too full and the CB never got legs to get down to the 4, there's still an ok safe, so the downside is limited assuming you know you can avoid the scratch.

I think the shot you chose is only a wise choice if a player is:

- really really good
- or likes showing off on pool forums

;)

Helluva shot Neil, it may look a little hero-ish "on paper" but you obviously felt it.

BTW, if we ever play, this is me. ;)


skinny need weight.jpg
 
I thought of Neil's shot, which requires a precision hit on the 7. I don't like the rolling CB, as the chance of hitting the 7 after the bottom rail is high, imo, whether you have sidespin or not. I like the safety option here. Thin the 3, with a little inside spin, and bank it below the 8, to the bottom rail. The CB travels back up the middle of the table to the opposite short rail. Chances are good that you hook your opponent on the 3, and if not, there is no easy shot option.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
 
Neil...I like those shots, and play them often (spinning the CB off of a carom, to get position, often after pocketing your 1st OB). Nice shot! :thumbup:

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Neil said:
Believe it or not, it really wasn't that difficult to pull off. It just took me a little while to see it. I knew that with follow, I was going to hit the 7 thin. So, I just took that into account, and put some right on it to get on the correct side of the table. Actually putting the cb right where I pointed was a nice result of my subconscious shooting the shot, luck, and trying to stick it to my opponent. Sometimes, once in a while, things just come together just right.

The big thing to learn here is to check where a stun shot will go, and where a follow shot (30 degree rule) will go, and then plan from there. The 7 going surprised me, I hadn't even considered where it was going after I hit it because I wasn't sure exactly where I would hit it. But, I knew at the speed I shot it, it wasn't likely to get in any trouble with another ball. This was in a match to get in the money. I had lost my first match by my opponent taking two unbelievable flyers on the 9 and actually making them. Then, he runs out, dogs the 9 by hitting the points of the pocket. It bounces back and forth like a pinball machine and finally stops. Two seconds later, it drops.

That was the last time I let a weaker player have a shot at anything if I could help it. Which is why I felt I had to go for this shot.
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