What would you do here??

[Onepocket73]

I had this situation in the 9-ball open at the Windy City this weekend.My opponent missed and left me with this.After pondering it for what seemed like 10 minutes,I just couldn't think of any good shot!So I just whacked at it with a lot of speed hoping that I would luck something in,maybe even the 9.Remember,the tournament was on Bar boxes.So what would you do in this predicament?I am curious to get some other players responses.Any input would be appreciated........

 

[sweatinNbettin]

I would have tried to hit the 4 very soft to the side rail hoping it would come back to close to the same spot. The cue ball I would have sent to the top rail by the six. Or I would have tried to send the 4 to the rail and keep the cueball behind the nine. Or if there was enough gap might would have tried to stop the cue where the four was and send the four behind the six.I can really tell if thats possible though by the angle,kinda hard on the drawing. These are just my ideas.I would love to hear other peoples ideas as well.

 

[Onepocket73]

I would have tried to hit the 4 very soft to the side rail hoping it would come back to close to the same spot. The cue ball I would have sent to the top rail by the six. Or I would have tried to send the 4 to the rail and keep the cueball behind the nine. Or if there was enough gap might would have tried to stop the cue where the four was and send the four behind the six.I can really tell if thats possible though by the angle,kinda hard on the drawing. These are just my ideas.I would love to hear other peoples ideas as well.

The 4 and 9 were just about frozen.Maybe an 8th of an inch gap.Your first 2 choices I didn't like because of the scratch in the corner and kissing the 9 after contacting the 4,bringing the cue ball out.I was looking at all of them possibilities,believe me.Your last choice was just flat impossible due to the lack of gap.It was just a downright tough shot.I really want to hear some more responses.

 

[dabarbr]

From the drawing it looks like it would be very difficult to really make a sound decision because if the balls are sitting one quarter inch one way or the other that would give you different options. However it appears that you could have hit the four on the right side causing it to slide off the nine and go the the rail and at the same time the nine moves foward softly along with the cue ball and possably finishing with a hook on the four. I it happens that you do not get the hook it will leave a difficult shot to make, even on a bar table.

 

[5ballcharlie]

The 4 and 9 were just about frozen.Maybe an 8th of an inch gap.Your first 2 choices I didn't like because of the scratch in the corner and kissing the 9 after contacting the 4,bringing the cue ball out.I was looking at all of them possibilities,believe me.Your last choice was just flat impossible due to the lack of gap.It was just a downright tough shot.I really want to hear some more responses.

I cant really tell. You dont have a real good safety but it appears that the 9 ball may combo bank in the corner. I would play the 9 ball to bank and try to freeze the cue ball on the end rail possibly behind the 8 ball. You may win the game or leave him a tough shot or safety.

 

[Onepocket73]

I cant really tell. You dont have a real good safety but it appears that the 9 ball may combo bank in the corner. I would play the 9 ball to bank and try to freeze the cue ball on the end rail possibly behind the 8 ball. You may win the game or leave him a tough shot or safety.

I thought I might have a chance to make the 9 straight back like you said,but when I whacked at it,it didn't even come close!It hit like right before the side pocket.I like your thought about trying to freeze the cue ball.Problem was,in this tournament,it seemed like if you let anybody see any ball,they were pocketing it!! Dead serious,the field was brutal,everybody could play!Even when I was locking people up,they were kicking like mules.I don't think I got 1 ball in hand from a good safety!! Of course,that is the bar box for you

 

[Onepocket73]

From the drawing it looks like it would be very difficult to really make a sound decision because if the balls are sitting one quarter inch one way or the other that would give you different options. However it appears that you could have hit the four on the right side causing it to slide off the nine and go the the rail and at the same time the nine moves foward softly along with the cue ball and possably finishing with a hook on the four. I it happens that you do not get the hook it will leave a difficult shot to make, even on a bar table.

See,I was thinking along those lines too,but I just wasn't confident enough that I would get the hook.I just am not familiar enough with that type of shot I guess.Plus,I heard Buddy Hall say once that if you are faced with a situation where the safety is just as hard as the offensive shot,you are way better off shooting at it.Reason being,you'll go down shooting and giving yourself a chance instead of just selling it.Not that there was an offensive shot in this situation,but hitting at it 100 miles an hour gets some balls moving around

 

[5ballcharlie]

I thought I might have a chance to make the 9 straight back like you said,but when I whacked at it,it didn't even come close!It hit like right before the side pocket.I like your thought about trying to freeze the cue ball.Problem was,in this tournament,it seemed like if you let anybody see any ball,they were pocketing it!! Dead serious,the field was brutal,everybody could play!Even when I was locking people up,they were kicking like mules.I don't think I got 1 ball in hand from a good safety!! Of course,that is the bar box for you

Sometimes you have to get a little creative. There was a match in the 2002 U.S. Open were Corey Deuel was playing Rudolpho Luat on the Accu-Stats table. During the match corey had no shot, there was no safety in his position or a pocket. When the shot came up Buddy Hall quickly stated that there was no shot here and if your in this spot he said and I quote " You BLAST, because you can get lucky" I think if you could have hit the shot slow enough to draw it to the end rail it would increase your odds on pocketing the 9 ball bank. Reason being pockets are big on bar table's and if you hit the 2nd diamond on the side rail with the right speed it could fall.

 

[Onepocket73]

" You BLAST, because you can get lucky"

Thats exactly what I thought and did!! Hilarious

 

[RiverCity]

Its hard to tell how it was really lined up. You said the bank went long and into the rail before the side. Was that how it was lined up, or did you hit the 4 on the right hand side of the ball. Cause if you did, chances are you threw the bank long. Hitting it center on the 4, or even a little to the left of center may have prevented some of the throw.
If you are going for a hail mary, still try to do it with something specific in mind. Meaning, you know you are going for a low percentage shot, try to hit it with a speed, and the proper cueball, so that if you do miss, you leave your opponent poorly. If you just hit with no concern about where the balls land......... you can get burned alot more times than if there was a little bit of forward thinking.
Chuck

 

[Onepocket73]

Its hard to tell how it was really lined up. You said the bank went long and into the rail before the side. Was that how it was lined up, or did you hit the 4 on the right hand side of the ball. Cause if you did, chances are you threw the bank long. Hitting it center on the 4, or even a little to the left of center may have prevented some of the throw.
If you are going for a hail mary, still try to do it with something specific in mind. Meaning, you know you are going for a low percentage shot, try to hit it with a speed, and the proper cueball, so that if you do miss, you leave your opponent poorly. If you just hit with no concern about where the balls land......... you can get burned alot more times than if there was a little bit of forward thinking.
Chuck

Yah,I maybe I could have hit the low side of the 4 with right english.That may have stiffened it up some?Good thoughts.......

 

[Nick B]

I'm thinking I would probably try this:

This would give you a couple of possible good results. Blockage, Distance and maybe a carom on the four (unlikely). If you concentrate on getting cue ball back to top rail and you win 70% of the time.

Nick

 

[fred_in_hoboken]

This was my first thought. The 4 seems close enough to the rail that a kick shot be easy to judge, and it looks like the 5 would hold the 4 near the other rail, with the 9 blocking the cue ball.

 

[cuetechasaurus]

Sometimes you have to get a little creative. There was a match in the 2002 U.S. Open were Corey Deuel was playing Rudolpho Luat on the Accu-Stats table. During the match corey had no shot, there was no safety in his position or a pocket. When the shot came up Buddy Hall quickly stated that there was no shot here and if your in this spot he said and I quote " You BLAST, because you can get lucky" I think if you could have hit the shot slow enough to draw it to the end rail it would increase your odds on pocketing the 9 ball bank. Reason being pockets are big on bar table's and if you hit the 2nd diamond on the side rail with the right speed it could fall.

Buddy must have been joking, or the situation that he was talking about there was just absoloutely nothing to even attempt. Buddy has a famous saying, which is pretty much the opposite of what you quoted him saying. "When the situation is really tough, do something simple." I've heard Buddy say that on just about every Accustats video I have seen with him commentating. Other pros quote him on that too.

I dont think I've ever seen a top pro blast at the balls and try to get lucky. They have something in mind that they are trying to accomplish every shot, give or take a few rare occasions.

 

[cuetechasaurus]

This was my first thought. The 4 seems close enough to the rail that a kick shot be easy to judge, and it looks like the 5 would hold the 4 near the other rail, with the 9 blocking the cue ball.

I think the 4 is too close to the 9 to go in the direction you've shown. The 4ball also seems like its a bit too far off the rail to get the cueball to stop with a full hit and a soft enough stroke, from what I can see.

 

[fred_in_hoboken]

I think the 4 is too close to the 9 to go in the direction you've shown. The 4ball also seems like its a bit too far off the rail to get the cueball to stop with a full hit and a soft enough stroke, from what I can see.

It looks to me like the 4 goes past the 9 - my shot obviously only works if it does.

You' re right about the cueball- if it moves towards center table at all, it's a sell-out, isn't it? I was thinking a firm stroke, not a soft one, to stop the cue. Perhaps a little follow would help?

It's certainly not a low-risk safety, but I prefer that to hitting and hoping.

 

[cheesemouse]

Rail first trying to kick the 4ball straight across to the opposite long rail leaving a bank to opponent....The KISS method. This controls both the 4b & the cb, all you have to do is make sure you get the 4ball to the rail. Atleast the guy has to bank.

 

[whammack]

From the pic. I belive I would have tryed to kick the cue ball of the rail leaving it close to the nine and putting the 4 on the other rail leaving a tuff bank for my opponent.

 

[Aaron_S]

Rail first trying to kick the 4ball straight across to the opposite long rail leaving a bank to opponent....The KISS method. This controls both the 4b & the cb, all you have to do is make sure you get the 4ball to the rail. Atleast the guy has to bank.

That's kind of what I was thinking too. If the balls are nearly frozen, and if you kick the 4 to go straight across the table, then, depending on how close the balls are, three good things could happen. One is that the 4 brushes the nine and the nine drifts downtable along with the cb, possibly resulting in a hook. The other is that the 4 ball does not brush the 9, but the cb bumps into the 9 and ends up behind it. Another possibility is that neither the 4 nor the cb hits the 9, but the cb drifts all the way to the bottom rail, possibly ending up with a hook or partial-hook behind the 6-ball. Worst case scenario, assuming you get a rail, is that you leave a bank.

The only other thing I see is to feather the 4 on the right side just hard enough to get it to a rail. The cb should glance off of the 9 as well, and the 9 might end up between the two.

The problem with blasting the balls is that you'll only have one ball moving fast (the 9), and it's not really heading toward a pocket. The 4 ball is just going to roll back & forth across the table a couple of times. No, if I'm going to resort to blasting at the balls, I want to get a bunch of 'em rolling, not just 1 or 2.

 

[hustlefinger]

Another Hail Mary shot for consideration would be to carom bank the 4 off the 9 into the side and perhaps leave the CB down below the 5 ball. It’s hard to tell from the illustration if the angle exists, I’d need to make a judgment call by actually seeing it. A low percentage shot, but try for CB leave.

Rick