Gold Crown IV

Gold Crown IV
FastMikie's Fun House, Del Mar, California

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

8-ball prescription


El Maestro honored me with a visit.
We shot some 8-ball for a couple of hours.

He says he can't figure it out.
He says when I shoot straight pool,
I play well, making the right choices.
But when I shoot 8-ball,
I have a challenge with strategy.

And my 9-ball game is strong.
So what's going on with my 8-ball game?

El Maestro gives me something to try.
I'll let you know if it works.


(blog top)


2 comments:

Robert Johnson said...

Forgive me if you know this already.

Do you have "Play Your Best Pool" (or Eight Ball or Nine Ball) by Phil Capelle? He mentions shot windows, shot selection, odds of running a sequence of balls, when to play safe.

I prefer playing 8 ball over 9 ball because it seems more "chess-like" to me. The winning plan is not strictly making balls, but to set myself up for a runout while denying the runout to the opponent. Sometimes a slightly tougher shot alternative is selected by me if it leaves my opponent tougher -- depending on my odds of making (missing) shots and how well it sets me up for a runout. Determining a "key ball" (last ball which sets me up for the 8 ball) helps me finish easier.

Robert Johnson said...

Great teachings ("EBooks") at http://www.tomrosspool.com/
I am looking it over again. Samm Diep has a blurb there too.