Player leaves me like this

nataddrho

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Mar 5, 2014
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10
The shooter has the better position, clearly, playing the cue ball to the bottom rail is fruitless and incorrect. If at all possible you must try to play the cue ball up table in some fashion. Steve's option with kicking to the top right quadrant of the table is an option that I would strongly consider especially if i'm playing an opponent who isn't a strong ball striker. Even then if my opponent is a fairly strong ball striker Steve's option is still viable because of the risk/vs return value the option has.

Another option that I see that is also available is playing through the 11ball and going up table with the cue ball. This option will leave your opponent with a fairly simple return off the 4ball but his return could possibly leave you with a good return off either the 4ball or 7ball. Also playing off the 11ball could leave your opponent with a return off the 6ball, this return plays much more difficult than the return off the 4ball for your opponent which puts him in a ..'must perform" situation.

The reason you must go up table with the cue ball is because you are giving yourself a chance to further develop your position with little to no risk, and could possibly find yourself in a very advantageous position if your opponent doesn't execute his return shot well. Remember that in positions like this one playing your shot where the cue ball is left on the bottom rail is surrendering your position.

Hopefully I have instilled some strong principles in strategic play when balls are configured close to the way they are here.

Dr. Bill

Dr Bill,

I think I understand what you are suggesting. Since my opponent has contributed to accumulating my side with balls in an attempt to replay his defensive position in front of my pocket, the best thing to do is to force him to perform from the worst possible position, locked to the top rail. I suppose i've been focused on evaluating MY risk-vs.-reward scenarios, but the dimension I should add to my gave is evaluating HIS risk-vs.-reward scenarios too. Thinking this way, I now see a bunch of options.

Thanks guys
 

wincardona

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Dallas Tx.
Dr Bill,

I think I understand what you are suggesting. Since my opponent has contributed to accumulating my side with balls in an attempt to replay his defensive position in front of my pocket, the best thing to do is to force him to perform from the worst possible position, locked to the top rail. I suppose i've been focused on evaluating MY risk-vs.-reward scenarios, but the dimension I should add to my gave is evaluating HIS risk-vs.-reward scenarios too. Thinking this way, I now see a bunch of options.

Thanks guys

Correct, this game initially started with balls by your pocket and your opponent was able to negate the more dangerous threats by moving balls away from your pocket by moving them further up table. Now the balls are still positioned in your favor and you have to figure out how to stop the process of balls going up table which will level the playing field which obviously you don't want to happen. By leaving the cue ball near the bottom rail you are cooperating with him and making his job easy by moving balls further up table and positioning them on his side. Hopefully you can see the advantage of your position and how to preserve the edge you have, and then hopefully to build off of it.

Dr. Bill
 

1pwannabe

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Oct 17, 2015
Messages
887
If your opponent does this to you often as you state, putting the balls near your side pocket and blocking banks/shots to your hole, then he's most likely playing old school 1P. This strategy goes all the way back to Hayden Lingo, who was a strong proponent of congesting your opponents side thereby blocking them from making any kind of easy shot and allowing you many places to put whitey with little risk of selling out.

If it gets too congested, get them out of there. You will lose more often than not, which must be the case in your post or you wouldn't be asking advice on what to do. There is danger in letting your opponent control the position so easily.
 

Tom Wirth

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Delray Beach, Florida
The shooter has the better position, clearly, playing the cue ball to the bottom rail is fruitless and incorrect. If at all possible you must try to play the cue ball up table in some fashion.

Another option that I see that is also available is playing through the 11ball and going up table with the cue ball. This option will leave your opponent with a fairly simple return off the 4ball but his return could possibly leave you with a good return off either the 4ball or 7ball. Also playing off the 11ball could leave your opponent with a return off the 6ball, this return plays much more difficult than the return off the 4ball for your opponent which puts him in a ..'must perform" situation.

The reason you must go up table with the cue ball is because you are giving yourself a chance to further develop your position with little to no risk, and could possibly find yourself in a very advantageous position if your opponent doesn't execute his return shot well.

Dr. Bill

I like and agree with all the points you are making here, Bill. Especially about how ineffectual it would be to bring the cue ball back to the foot rail when in possession of such a dominating table position, regardless of the game score.

Playing through the eleven ball is a strong move, however I'm thinking a stronger play might be to drive through the one ball, bringing it two rails, (top rail/side rail), and to the foot of the table while sending the cue ball slightly left of the center diamond on the head rail. With a ball on the foot rail you will have all but eliminated that area of the table as a safety zone for your opponent. That is if you can hide the one sufficiently. This should force a far more defensive response from your opponent and allow you to increase the pressure.
Maybe the angles aren't there for this shot. The image we have to work with seems a bit distorted due to the size of the balls compared to the table but the idea was the point I was trying to convey.
Tom
 
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Billy Jackets

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how about caroming the 4 ball off the 7 toward your hole, the 7 comes to your side and freeze him on the left side of the 11 ball , do that a couple of times in a session and you won't see this any more . If he doesn't adjust his thinking , make this type of setup your best friend.
Just pick shots that move balls to your hole and freeze him on a ball
going the wrong direction.
 

Cowboy Dennis

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how about caroming the 4 ball off the 7 toward your hole, the 7 comes to your side and freeze him on the left side of the 11 ball , do that a couple of times in a session and you won't see this any more . If he doesn't adjust his thinking , make this type of setup your best friend.
Just pick shots that move balls to your hole and freeze him on a ball
going the wrong direction.

Now there's an idea:).
 

NH Steve

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New Hampshire
I had a regular sparring partner for about a year that liked to get under the balls early and force a drag out uptable game. That kind of game was not my long suit and he knew it of course, lol. Finally I started to pay attention to what kind of shots I was leaving him early on that readily enabled him to do that. Once I realized that, I was able to look for alternatives that made it tougher for him to shape the game the way he wanted to.

If you play this guy regularly, try to pay attention to how the game is developing. For example, maybe you could start looking earlier for opportunities to send him way up table, whereas maybe now you would be leaving him down table, behind balls, but he is finding a way to maneuver through to your corner area. Once he gets one strong shot to get tight under your balls near your pocket it gets easier for him to maintain that and harder for you to change it up.

At least in the position you drew up at the start of this thread, he has left you some air so you do have some different choices.
 

wincardona

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I like and agree with all the points you are making here, Bill. Especially about how ineffectual it would be to bring the cue ball back to the foot rail when in possession of such a dominating table position, regardless of the game score.

Playing through the eleven ball is a strong move, however I'm thinking a stronger play might be to drive through the one ball, bringing it two rails, (top rail/side rail), and to the foot of the table while sending the cue ball slightly left of the center diamond on the head rail. With a ball on the foot rail you will have all but eliminated that area of the table as a safety zone for your opponent. That is if you can hide the one sufficiently. This should force a far more defensive response from your opponent and allow you to increase the pressure.
Maybe the angles aren't there for this shot. The image we have to work with seems a bit distorted due to the size of the balls compared to the table but the idea was the point I was trying to convey.
Tom

Tom, imo you must go up table with the cue ball, i'm certain of that, the difference with playing off the 1ball vs. playing off the 11ball is that playing off the 1ball is an excellent shot and will produce more often a shot on your next turn at the table than playing off the 11ball. However, playing off the 11ball will leave the 1ball in the position that it's in which will make it tougher for your opponent to play off the balls on your side of the table from the up table position. I believe the 1ball in the position that it's in offers a more stable and difficult configuration of balls to deal with for your opponent in subsequent innings. I do understand and agree that playing off the 1ball will put more pressure on your opponent to perform on his next inning but weakens your position there after.

Dr. Bill
 

wincardona

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how about caroming the 4 ball off the 7 toward your hole, the 7 comes to your side and freeze him on the left side of the 11 ball , do that a couple of times in a session and you won't see this any more . If he doesn't adjust his thinking , make this type of setup your best friend.
Just pick shots that move balls to your hole and freeze him on a ball
going the wrong direction.

Billy, if you can execute your shot the way you describe it it would be a very viable option, however, the cue ball is frozen to the bottom rail and sticking on the 11ball is not realistic. Also the carom off the 7ball sending the 4ball to your side is not laying on the angle to do that. If the cue ball was off the rail enough to control it and the carom angle produced the action you described then your option would be very valid and certainly worth shooting.


Dr. Bill
 

cincy_kid

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Cincinnati, OH
I also like bringing the CB up table. I would shoot high (with a little right spin) into the 4 ball and push the CB towards the head rail.

Something like this:

 

Cowboy Dennis

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Dec 16, 2008
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Detroit,Michigan
how about caroming the 4 ball off the 7 toward your hole, the 7 comes to your side and freeze him on the left side of the 11 ball , do that a couple of times in a session and you won't see this any more . If he doesn't adjust his thinking , make this type of setup your best friend.
Just pick shots that move balls to your hole and freeze him on a ball
going the wrong direction.

If you want him to "adjust his thinking" just try shooting at the correct pocket:D. That'll scare him:p
 
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