Problem of the week 10. - Pool, Snooker, and Billiards -- Two Plus Two Poker Forums

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Problem of the week 10.

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10-21-2010 , 10:11 AM

Wamy Einehouse

rack 'em

Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 4,653

This is an advanced UK 8 ball problem. You are playing a county captain who is close to pro standard in a league game of world rules UK 8 ball on a high quality and very tight pocketed UK 8 ball table. You are to play as red after your opponent missed a hard last yellow which bounced back into the middle of the table.

For anyone not versed in world rules UK pool the full rule set is here. The basic key rules are that a ball must make contact with a cushion after contact unless snookered on all your balls, a foul gives the opponent two visits to the table but not ball in hand or a free ball unless snookered on all their balls (in which case you can have either), and that deliberate fouling is allowed.

Also, UK pool tables have very tight, rounded pockets like a snooker table, making any rail shot very hard compared to a US table. As such, assume that attempting to pot the one along the rail at the bottom of the diagram is a very, very hard shot that will often go wrong for even the best players.

Solution

Spoiler:

UK 8 ball is quite a different game compared to most other forms of billiards in terms of strategy, and nowhere is this more true than in terms of pocket control. Skilled UK 8 ball players are masters of stealing the tight pockets on the small tables, keeping the game as tight as possible, and then running out the second all of their problem balls are in play.

In this problem we have one difficult ball, lots of different possible safety shots, and a few different dual options. Against an amateur there are lots of shots that are fine here – basically anything that leaves a snooker and moves our ball off of the rail should be more than enough to win the game, but against a very skilled county level player our priorities change.

Against very skilled players, we have to start taking a few more risks to try and make their life as hard as possible and our life as easy as possible, as they are more than capable of potting the yellow off of one rail from simple snookers enough of the time for us to take some extra risks.

In this particular case, there is one shot that stands out above all others as the one that does both of these things to the maximum effect. The correct shot here is to aim to hit the rail ball down the rail with lots of left hand side at a pace sufficient to pull the cue ball close to the red below the yellow like so:

As you are aiming just to get your ball over the pocket and not pot it, you can manipulate the exact angle you hit the red in order to adapt to the table conditions and angle, which actually makes this shot quite easy for any semi skilled or better player. Played well, this shot leaves our opponent in a very hard snooker to get safe from, control of a pocket, and most of the time an easy run out on our next visit if they go for it, or two shots and an easy table if they go for a deliberate foul – more than enough incentive to play a shot that carries a bit of extra risk/difficulty when up against a very good player.

Solution: You should play to get the red over the corner pocket and use left hand draw/side to get as close to the red under the yellow as possible.

Last edited by gregorio; 10-28-2010 at 11:43 AM.

10-21-2010 , 10:42 AM

Yeti

Abominable

Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 23,208

something like this?

obviously a horrid diagram

10-21-2010 , 12:42 PM

sixfour

should be called sevenfour

Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 74,816

yeah, i'd go something like that, just roll it slowly towards the corner pocket. natural angle tucks it in close to the red nearest the yellow and helps to clear up the hardest ball.

and rail shots aren't THAT hard. not us table easy obv but nowhere near snooker hard

10-21-2010 , 04:34 PM

The Brickie

Carpal Tunnel

Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 11,399

I'm taking the tough red down the cushion right now, screwing the cueball back to almost exactly the centre of the table.

10-21-2010 , 05:39 PM

Dying Actors

Pooh-Bah

Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 3,966

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Brickie

I'm taking the tough red down the cushion right now, screwing the cueball back to almost exactly the centre of the table.

at first i thought this suggestion was good. but actually i think there might be enough room to squeek through the 8 and red to thinly cut the yellow into the top corner. you'd risk leaving this shot when there are better 2-way/safe alternatives.

10-21-2010 , 05:46 PM

wigan rl

old hand

Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 1,474

With yeti here

10-21-2010 , 09:12 PM

AshleyLong

journeyman

Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 264

for me the gut reaction would be to take the top red in to the top corner and screw back, but a lot of that would depend on the exact angle and with out being able to get down to the table level its hard to say.

if the angles to big your screwing towards the top rail which leaves the yellow on if you miss. if the angles to small your screwing across the table towards the middle pack. I'm hoping to leave the cue ball in the middle of the table and then attempting the double off the bottom rail to leave the final red in to the bottom corner pocket (assuming the ball is potable and not to close to the black). if you miss the double your leaving the cue ball in the middle of the table and he's snookered on the yellow.

how ever im a very very bad pool player (more of an arm chair fan tbh). and missing the double (which is a low % shot on this kind of table) leaves us in a bad situation as even if he misses the yellow our red is not easily potable....

i look forward to your enlightening words on the solution.....

10-22-2010 , 05:16 AM

mack848

old hand

Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 1,354

I agree with Yeti.

I wonder how many guys suggesting the pot down the cushion actually play on tight UK 8-ball tables?

10-22-2010 , 03:26 PM

The Brickie

Carpal Tunnel

Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 11,399

Quote:

Originally Posted by mack848

I agree with Yeti.

I wonder how many guys suggesting the pot down the cushion actually play on tight UK 8-ball tables?

I don't see a downside if you get the cueball in a large area where the yellow is not potable, likely snookered.

10-22-2010 , 03:57 PM

#10

Dying Actors

Pooh-Bah

Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 3,966

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Brickie

I don't see a downside if you get the cueball in a large area where the yellow is not potable, likely snookered.

seriously. just hit it soft to keep that pocket covered if you miss. its one of the safest 2-way shots you'll ever get.

edit: although it probably is better to just miss and keep the ball by the pocket, since you have no follow up shot.

10-24-2010 , 01:30 AM

#11

Ray Zee

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 17,920

bank the rail ball cross corner and bring the cue up hiding his ball.

10-28-2010 , 11:45 AM

#12

gregorio

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 39,313

solution added to op

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