Is There Such a Thing as ‘The’ Shot? In Any Pool Game?

sunnyone

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Jun 6, 2010
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nyc
Dear Gentle Readers,

In the tremulous tapioca (no, not shaky puddin’! Louts!) that seems to be the essence of my pool-brain, I’ve been thinking about pivotal pool shots.

In one-pocket -- to me anyway -- the most intriguing shot is, so often, the one following the break.

(A boyfriend I used to know compared it to the second-shot options on a golf hole where you’re supposed to make in five tries. But the good golfers shoot for four, or even three. My meager point, I think, is that the second shot positions a golf guy to go for it or, alternatively, to play it safe in that particular encounter. Okay, I don’t really understand golf!)

Having watched an hour or so of the Steinway 14.1 competition, I am, of course, now uber-qualified to comment on the subtleties of straight pool.

Here, it seems to me, that the break-out shot -- the one following a 14-ball run -- is central to the success of the following inning. I was continually startled (not, unfortunately, an uncommon phenomenon when I’m watching pool!) by the variety of strategies for this crucial shot:

Hard / medium / soft.

Low / center / high.

Right / center / left.

Okay, the usual suspects.

Beyond that, what I gathered from the commentators, was that the player would select a precise entry point into the rack -- a specific ball, the gap between two balls, a tiny slice of one particular ball -- all coordinated with the above options.

Plus ... the decision to stay down table, go up table, go up table aggressively and return apace (Thorsten Hohmann) … etc.

Is there a similar key-shot philosophy for other games?

Such as banks? Is there a comparable, consistent, turning-point shot in that game?

My sense is that in the bang-bang rotation games, and in 8-ball, the break is critical. But is there also a win / lose decision point that often follows the break?

Or, am I over-reaching in trying to find a strategy pattern that even a pool-doofus such as I am can understand?

Rigorous inquiry, billiards-wise, is my life,

Sunny

P. S. Speaking of the Steinway 14.1, wasn’t it grand to see Astoria spotlighted!

P. P. S. And, speaking further of Queens, here’s a fun little trivia question: can you name the five NYC boroughs in alphabetical order? You can win tons of free drinks with this one. Even among the natives. Especially among the natives!

(Hint: the correct answer is not: Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island.)
 

vapros

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May 24, 2004
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baton rouge, la
Sunny (hello, pal) in one-pocket, there will be pivotal shots in some games, but they can occur at any point, and might surprise both players, especially among less skillful players. But in many games there will be no such shot and the game will be fought in the trenches, as in digging a ditch.
 

gulfportdoc

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Jun 25, 2004
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Gulfport, Mississippi
P. P. S. And, speaking further of Queens, here’s a fun little trivia question: can you name the five NYC boroughs in alphabetical order? You can win tons of free drinks with this one. Even among the natives. Especially among the natives!

(Hint: the correct answer is not: Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island.)

Is it because Bronx is actually "The Bronx", so it should be 4th? I'm a NYC expert because I lived there for 8 months in '67/'68.:D

Doc
 

NH Steve

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Apr 25, 2004
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New Hampshire
I think for One Pocket, the pivotal shot can come up at any point in the game, which is one of the great things about One Pocket. Because it is a short race to eight balls, a few ball swing here or there usually makes the game -- with much grinding in between of course, as vapros said. Of course, the better the players, the more balls per swing :D

It might even be said that it is the "mistake free" grind that defines our game -- those pivotal scores that arise along the way are just the occasional white caps punctuating the endless ebb and flow of waves upon waves of the zillion critical shots of One Pocket.
 

tylerdurden

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Oct 1, 2011
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Sometimes the right shot is the wrong shot. Sometimes the wrong shot is the right shot.

The right shot is opponent dependent in my opinion.

We're also not always comfortable with executing the right shot. This really confuses things.
 

gulfportdoc

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Gulfport, Mississippi
... It might even be said that it is the "mistake free" grind that defines our game -- those pivotal scores that arise along the way are just the occasional white caps punctuating the endless ebb and flow of waves upon waves of the zillion critical shots of One Pocket.

Why, Steve-- you've waxed poetic. It reminds me of the old gag retort: "You must be a poet, but don't know it; but your feet show it, because they're Longfellows..." (groan).

Doc
 

lll

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Mar 19, 2007
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vero beach fl
in every game there is often a key situation that often determines the outcome.
so yes there is a "the shot" in any pool game but its not the same shot in every game.
jmho
 
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