Cue Tips: It’s all about your position
Rack ’em up!
Some players judge their game by how many balls they have on the table when they lose to an opponent. Well, if your opponent breaks and makes the 8-ball on the break and you are left with seven balls on the table, does that mean you played poorly? Of course not, and that may demonstrate why the number of balls you have on the left on the table when you lose does not indicate how well you played your game. If you wish to judge how you played your game, consider how well you controlled the “position” you got for the cue ball while also making balls to a pocket.
They are very close to being of equal importance for a win.
I played in the League against Schelagh Fredson and was left with 6-balls on the table when she won. I missed once, then played an excellent safety from which she was able to get out of. I played a good second safety, from which she made her ball, for the win. We both played well, but she played better. If you play well and still lose, isn’t it just that the other player either got a good roll or played better? If you are playing at your best and still lose, aren’t you still playing well for your ability?
If you are making balls and putting the cue ball where you wish, win or lose, isn’t that a better indicator of how well you are playing? I have watched people playing pool choose the only ball that, if missed, will give a position to the opponent for an easy win. They focus on making the ball into a pocket and not on the cue ball’s position after the play. When they lose, they remain focused on the pocket, “if only I hadn’t missed, I might have won.” Though, had they gotten a good position for the cue ball, their opponent wouldn’t have had an easy win. If you want to play well, also emphasize where the cue ball stops after the shot.
8 wins; Welcome Inn Team # 1: 7 wins; Tip Top Team # 2: 4 wins; Angelina’s Grille & Bar Team # 1: 4 wins; Angelina’s Grille & Bar Team # 2: 4 wins; Welcome Inn Team # 2: 2 wins.
Brady Baumgartner; Angelina’s Grille & Bar Team 2: Tony Matlick; Tip Top Lounge Team 1: Danny Casteel and Jubilee Placido are tied; Tip Top Lounge team 2: Randy Gibson; Welcome Inn Team 1: Ian Rubesch; Welcome Inn Team 2: Omie Behrns.
Ian Rubesch, with 15 wins. Danny Casteel and Jubilee Placido with 14 wins. Steve Jackson, Tony Matlick, and Will Niemeyer with 12 wins. Brady Baumgartner, Randy Gibson, Steve Neal, and Bruce Silveria with 11 wins. Congratulations!
Visit Angelina’s Grille & Bar, Golden West Saloon, Tip Top Lounge, or Welcome Inn: all maintain a calendar of play. Look to the list for someone you know and find where they play. You might join a team, meet new people, or watch the 8-ball games as they are played. League play starts at 7 pm and is over by 10 pm. Tournaments, if held, will take a couple of more hours to complete, and anyone can enter. If visiting Fort Bragg, test out your game with local players! Good company, food, and music, a full bar with Shuffleboard, Dice, and/or Dart games in addition to billiards for entertainment. Angelina’s Grill and Bar also features Karaoke Friday evenings. If you
like a venue with an outdoor Patio, try Milano’s bar, friendly patrons, a full-service bar, and a patio to enjoy the outside air. Come and enjoy today in Fort Bragg.
Cue Tip: If you face an opponent that is down to just the 8-ball and have most of your balls still waiting to be made, how do you win? To be sure, the odds are against you, but if you can use your balls to block access to theirs, even hitting their 8-ball, it is a start. Every ball of yours that you play to a pocket must also accompany a “leave” that gives no shot or an inferior shot to your opponent. That may require some extra time figuring out which ball and to which pocket is to your best advantage, and that also leaves the lowest chance, if missed, for an easy shot for your opponent. Contact me at mcbohanon@gmail.com.