We haven't had a problem of the week in a while, so I thought i'd post a position I found myself in a league game last night.

Was playing against someone very good (Blackpool good), 2 shot 8 ball on a tight english style 7" table.

My opponent has just jawed the 9 ball and scratched getting position on the black leaving me with 2 shots and ball in hand on spots.

[IMG]http://****************/apps/mediawiki/fpdb/nfs/project/f/fp/fpdb/0/03/8-ball-position.png[/IMG]


I'm never playing safe here as my opponent can make the 9 from any position on the table.

There are quite a few ways to play this, what are the highest %'ge shots to get out? (I didn't)

NOTE: Ball in hand in world rules means anywhere behind the head string, not anywhere on the table

I like planting the one onto the nine, leaving the one ball over the pocket. Next, drop the one ball in, getting straight on the two ball along the top cushion. Drop the two ball in and then use two shots to pot the black.

Real nasty spot. Over the table against a pro probably play to hit the one out, screw back into the eight, and hold for a nasty cut down the rail for the two with (hopefully) the other balls out.

Against all others just clip the two out into open play and go for a snooker/good safety but leave the black where it is. Although the nine is easy from anywhere on a tight table the black is anything but, and often here you are better off forcing your opponent to take on a risky finish with your balls all out - particularly if they have to use a rail to sink the nine and have no easy way of getting nice on the black.

World Rules you have no free ball (or ball in hand unless the cueball drops) unless you cannot hit both sides of one of your balls after a foul.

What Wamy said, but to be perfectly clear - planting the 1 onto the 9 is a foul in World rules.

horrible situation... I don't think I'd have the guts to open the 1 & 8 with my first visit in a league game (I presume this is standard WR one-frame pool). So much that can go wrong here and you're opening the 8 up so if it does go wrong you're toast. Plus even if you hit the 8 perfectly after screwing off the 1 you've got an absolutely nightmarish shot on the 2, tight angle and cueing off the cushion on an English pool table on your second visit... I'd need a new pair of pants after taking that on!

I'd be more likely to nudge the 2 off the cushion & very slightly closer to the pocket and leave myself low on the 1 to thin-tap it as close as possible to the 8 (and in-between the 8 and the 9) and also leave a snooker so the white is behind the 1 & 8. Crucial to get the snooker and tie up the 8 at the same time though, so ensuring being low after you nudge the 2 is key.

This way, even if he's good enough to pot his last ball from anywhere, if you've tied up the 8 (especially if he won't be able to see it from where the 9 is which is presumably his most likely position if he has to kick the 9 in) he's never clearing from there imo. I'd bet against Chris Melling kicking the 9 in and still getting on the black in that situation lol

I can't access cuetable from this PC but hopefully you understand what I'm saying here

The guy I was playing is currently practicing about 6 hours a day and in really hot form, and is an exceptional 'kicker'. The black being on a rail wasn't really an issue.

Interestingly I ended up in an almost identical situation last week except the 2 was off the rail, and 1/8 were closer to the middle.

First time I played the shot I played cushion first into the 1, pushing both 1 and 8 up the table.

The 1 ended up in a nice position in the middle of the table so I could get position on the 2, but the 8 ball ended up against the top rail dead centre. I made the 1 then 2 and had a shot at the black from about 30 degrees and jawed it.

I was against a much weaker opponent second time around and decided to play:

[IMG]http://****************/apps/mediawiki/fpdb/nfs/project/f/fp/fpdb/2/27/8-ball-position-2.png[/IMG]

Which worked pretty well and I got out easily.