Can anyone give me some good 8 ball strategies?

Question

I play the game backwards , deciding on the 8 ball shot first , then the ball before the 8 and so on......

Answer 1

I think that you are saying that you look at where the 8 is and you back out from there planning your run out.....the first thing is finding the key ball that will get that last shot just before the 8 so you can complete the run out......and as you said plan the un out from there.....always remember that 8 ball under BCA rules is really a "war".....you have to have "soldiers" to sacrifice in order to win the "war"....if you cannot run out then don't knock them in just to to that......there is not an "uglier" feeling to be down to the 8 ball....you don't have a shot and your opponent has all or most of his balls still on the table....with just a "half-way" decent player and you find yourself in this position....."you better get the rack"..."you just lost".....and when you can't run out leave the most difficult shot for your opponent....this is not "dirty pool"....but clean smart pool.......think...think...think!! you have to in 8 ball....that's why I don't play it too much...."too much thinking".....it is truely a "chess type" game.....good luck on the tour!

Answer 2

Hey there eightbraker. There's a really good book that I would recommend you read. I believe it's called, "The 8-ball Handbook for Winners", by Larry Schwartz. You can find ordering information in Billiards Digest magazine, and I'm sure you can find it elsewhere. Heck, if you like, I could maybe send you my copy if you promise to return it. I'm going to paraphrase Larry here a little. I like to think of the balls of my suit as little soldiers. Every time that you sink a ball, you have one less soldier in the field to help you in the war. So, if you aren't confident that you "will", (not "can") run out from where you are on the table, you might want to think twice about pocketing any balls. How many times have you seen people break and run 6 or 7 balls and then not leave themselves anything to shoot at? The upcoming player now has an open table without any of his opponent's balls getting in the way. I know that a lot of people like to play a very offensive game, and that's okay. It can be hard to play defense in 8-ball, especially on a small bar table where kicks and banks are much shorter. It's possible to run a few balls with the goal of playing a great safety towards the end too. 8-ball is really a good mix of offense and defense. Any time you can leave your opponent more work, it's a good strategy. Sometimes, I'll intentionally pocket my opponent's ball, that would've been a good pivot ball for their run. Or, I'll put one of their balls on the cushion, or frozen to a cluster of balls. My general rule for when to go on the offensive is whether or not I would normally make the shot 4 out of 5 times. Any less than that and it's too risky. That's just my personal standard. Happy Shooting, buddy. M.D.-BCA Instructor/Referee.

Answer 3

Hmmm..hadn't heard of it played like that, but there's a lot of different games I haven't heard of. I usually play the regular 8 ball, and sometimes 9 ball.

What I do it, always have a game face, but be humble at the same time. You can act humble and people will still respect you if they know you are a good player. I don't play well consistently, but I also drink when I'm playing.

If you haven't learned this yet, try thinking about how to leave yourself open for the next shot. If you think about it too much, though, you'll distract yourself and miss the shot in the first place, so it's not easy. Only a real good shooter can shoot and often leave himself another shot on purpose. I do it sometimes and just take it in stride.

Practice as much as you can, and do as you have done here; don't be afraid to ask. You can learn a lot from others, and make more friends along the way.

Answer 4

8 ball is a very good, tough game. Most amateurs play 8 ball too in bar leagues etc. which is confusing to me. Basically after the break you need to look at which balls you are going to choose, look at what shot you have and go from there. Alot of times solids might be better to play but you only have a shot to make the 10 ball. You need to look at a pattern and plan every shot from the first ball. Look at trouble balls and how you can break them up by getting position on a certain ball and know once u break them up you have a ball hanging for your next shot etc. Look at where the 8 is and find which of your balls is good to use to get on the 8 and leave that ball there. When you get out of line then you have to change your plan. You don't have to run out all the time if your jammed up. If your out of line look to roll up on one of your balls that's on the rail and snooker the guy and let him kick. Its pretty hard to tell you what to do on the Internet haha. good luck!

Answer 5

sorry don't have any at the moment