Hope this isn't too basic

[DawgAndy]

Been playing 1 pocket for a little over a year and one (of the Many) hardest concepts for me to grasp is The intentional scratch. Are there any "rules" for when I want to do this? Also you hear alot about "patterns" in straight pool are the patterns I need to look for that come up in 1 pocket?
Thanks guys
andy

[J.D. Dolan]

You're better off taking an intentional scratch when you're in a situation where, if you go for some sort of desperate shot, you risk giving your opponent an opportunity run the table. Better to lose one ball than to have your opponent run 8. There are other good times for an intentional scratch, but this should get you started.

[Grady]

Sometimes you'll be in a terrible spot, where there is no offensive or defensive shot. You take a scratch just to improve your position a little and you plan to try to get out of trouble on the next shot.
Another reason to take a foul is to protect a decided advantage. One more reason is when you're playing the end game with only one or two balls left on the table and your opponent is on the hill, you may sometimes completely cornerhook him by taking a scratch. he'll practically always have to come off the hill.
Sometimes when you take a foul, the ball that gets spotted up undeadens a ball for the other guy's hole.
If you're playing a man who doesn't move all that well, sometimes when you're in trouble, taking a foul will cause him to just "shoot up in the air".
Good luck with your playin'
Grady

[NH Steve]

Been playing 1 pocket for a little over a year and one (of the Many) hardest concepts for me to grasp is The intentional scratch. Are there any "rules" for when I want to do this? Also you hear alot about "patterns" in straight pool are the patterns I need to look for that come up in 1 pocket?
Thanks guys
andyI'll tackle your 'patterns' question...

Of course, watch as much One Pocket video as you can with great 8 and out masters like Buddy Hall, Efren, Cliff Joyner, Alex Pagulayan, etc.
Try Accustats:
1P00-08 Pagulayan vs Parica
DC1P5 Varner vs Reyes
R1P2-06 Dobrowski vs Hall
All three of those tapes have a bunch of run-outs

Try practicing 'patterns' by racking a full rack, then removing eight balls from the rack (leaving the rest of the rack in place) and spreading those eight balls around below, on both sides, and above the rack. Then take ball in hand anywhere on the table and try to run your eight & out.

You will discover you have to recognize 'key' balls to get you from one area around the stack to another. Here's one clue: good bankers always take advantage of banking balls away from their opponent's side while they are at it, and they can often sneak the cue ball up around the back side of the stack at the same time :)

Also, many strong run-out artists (Ronnie Allen in his prime, for example) like to 'get above the balls' and work down from there. If you are a good shooter, that's a very strong approach. From above, if you are shooting any object ball that is above the stack, from there you can drop down on either side of the stack, which is a key move if you want to get 'all the way out' :)