Think Backward

This commandment works especially well in the games of Eight Ball, Nine Ball, and Straight Pool. In Eight Ball and Nine Ball, you begin with the game-winning ball (the 8 or 9). In Straight Pool, you begin with the shot you want left on the table as your break shot for the next rack to continue your run. Thinking backward doesn’t work for One Pocket because you might never know which ball will be your game ball. (The most manageable way to play your patterns in One Pocket is to think three balls ahead.)

Thinking backward is rather like working a crossword puzzle. You complete the words you know first, using them as clues to the next words. In the same fashion, by beginning with the last ball you intend to pocket, you pick the pocket it will go

4

Figure 6.8 Every table tells a story; don’t fight what the table is telling you.

Nine Ball is the simplest game in which to think backward because you know every ball you need to make and in what order. You’ll never need to decide which ball to play first, only how to play the ball to get to the next ball, right up to the 9-ball. But at the same time, thinking backward is critical because you don’t have the luxury of changing your mind about which ball to shoot first, as you might in Eight Ball or Straight Pool.

In figure 6.9 your opponent has been kind enough to miss and leave you a possible run-out. Of course, it becomes a probable run-out if you first establish where you want to pocket the 9-ball. Looking at the lay of the table, you decide to pocket the 9-ball in the left corner pocket. So, how will you get from the 8-ball to the 9-ball? Then, how will you get from the 7-ball to the 8-ball? Finally, where must you go from the 6-ball to be on the 7-ball? As you look at these balls, you should realize that you must begin by shooting the 6-ball in the upper-left corner. Draw the cue ball off the long rail, attempting to get straight in on the 7-ball in the side. Shoot the 7-ball as a stop shot; then shoot the 8-ball in the corner and allow the cue ball to go three (or four) rails. The biggest mistake players make in a run-out like this is not getting on the 8-ball correctly to have the easiest and most natural path back to the 9-ball. It’s criti-cal in Nine Ball to play the correct patterns as they come up in game situations.

Thinking backward in the game of Eight Ball requires you to pick the pocket for the 8-ball, and then decide how you’ll manage the trouble balls on the table; then pick a key ball (the ball before the 8-ball) and work backward from there. This might often present a slightly more difficult first shot, but it will be to your advantage to take the tougher shot first in order to run the rack the right way. See figure 6.10. Your opponent has missed her last ball before the 8-ball (the 10-ball). She did you a big favor in the process by removing all the clutter of her own group of balls. As you can see, the 8-ball is in a relatively difficult position near the left side rail. Now you need to make a pattern-play decision. You have a few key balls to choose from—the 7, 3, or 4 ball.

We’d opt for the 4-ball in the side because this will allow you to work from one end of the table to the other and give you the easiest route for a resulting easy shot on the 8-ball. Begin with a stop shot on the 1-ball, which will leave you fine for the 5-ball.

4 Figure 6.10 Thinking backward is important in the game of Eight Ball. Figure 6.9 Thinking backward through the rack, beginning with the 9-ball.

E4276/Kanov/fig.6.11/296226/alw/r1

Figure 6.11 Thinking backward in a straight pool run-out.

A fun exercise to learn these principles of position play doesn’t even require a pool table. Just watch TV. That’s right, find a match on ESPN or ESPN2 (there’s at least one every week;

www.poolmag.com/calendar.

cfm lists TV schedules daily), and see how many of our five com-mandments you can identify.

It’s trickier than you think, so pay close attention. There’s no better way to learn than observ-ing how the pros get it done, rack after rack. Also note just how often they play safe when an opportunity doesn’t exist.

You’ll soon be predicting their every move faster than the color commentators.

Top pro Johnny Archer has won numerous titles, including pool’s most prestigious: The US Open 9-Ball Championship. Catch him on TV to see how he uses the five commandments of position play to run the rack.

You’ll want to come off the rail for the 6-ball, and when shooting the 6-ball, bring it out for the 7-ball. You shoot the 7-ball, and then the 3-ball, bringing the cue ball up the table for a straight-in or slight-angle shot on the 4-ball.

A simple shot on the 4-ball results in another simple shot on the game ball.

The run was made easy by first looking at the 8-ball, then determining your best key ball to the 8-ball (the 4-ball), and then finding the least difficult way to click off the other balls, slowly working your way to the bottom end of the table.

Figure 6.11 illustrates how you might manage a Straight Pool run, again by thinking backward. There are six balls remaining on the table. Unlike Eight Ball or Nine Ball, in which

you always know the 8-ball or 9-ball will be your game ball, in Straight Pool you must choose which ball will allow you the best break into the next rack. We’ve shown two balls that would make good break shots here—the 5 and the 14. Either will work fine, but if you have this luxury, know that this is where being right- or left-handed can come into play. If you’re left-handed, the best ball for your break shot would be the 14. Right-handed players will be more comfortable shooting the 5-ball. If you’re left-handed, you’ll use the 9-ball as your key ball for the 14 break ball. If right-handed, you’ll use the 2-ball as your key ball to the 5-ball.

photo by Jerry Forsyth

Continuing to work backward from here, you would shoot either the 1-ball or the 12-ball. For this rack, let’s assume you’re right-handed. In this case you begin with the 12-ball, bringing the cue ball back to the center of the table for a stop shot on the 14-ball. This will allow a shot on the 1-ball, playing the cue ball off the long rail for the 9-ball in the side. Again, a stop shot for another stop shot on the 2-ball in the other side, and you’re left with a perfect angle to pocket the 5-ball. Send the cue ball into the next rack of 14 balls and continue the run.