Solution #17

Well since your opponent broke his stick...you need to make it worth his anger and run your remaining stripes off the table!

It appears that you either have to shoot a combo, or take the 12 ball before you make the 14 ball.

This shape is crucial...if you don't get a good angle to get the 14 ball...you'll have to get that shape off the 10 ball instead.

Once you get the 14 ball....it should be easy pickin'

If it looks like a scratch shot, just hit it softly and the 8 ball is money.

I usually shoot the ducks rail-first instead of cutting it back...lots of pool tables have a bad "roll-out" on them!

How would you do it?

Challenge #17

You are lucky...your opponent rattled the 8 ball (and broke his stick on the table) and you have a chance to beat him.

Definitely not easy...

Solution #16

I like taking the stripe down on the rail first instead of trying for the breakout shot first. If you try the breakout shot first, you need to break out the 9 ball and get shape on the 9 to get down to the 14 ball.  But by taking the 14 first, the breakout off the 13 should be easy with both the 9 and 8 ball down on the same end of the table.

Thoughts? What would you do?

Not So Hilarous

I bet at one point she also said, "I dont need go to collage"

Via 4 Dudes

Challenge #16

Your opponent scratched making his last solid and trying to break out the 8 ball. You have stripes and ball-in hand...win this game!

Solution #15

I like stripes here as all of the balls will go without a breakout...

I may start with the combination, but am showing an alternative method.

You are relying on getting your other stripe out in the open enough after the combo. This could easily be messed up, depends on your comfort level on the combo shape.

Parking With Style

I could understand parking too closely sometimes, when the angle is difficult.


But I need to get me some of these cards to hand out since we have to load kids in the back seat too...

Maybe I should just make some bad parking violations to hand out to bad drivers!

League Recap Week 13

Our team played the position round last week and managed to have a great week against them. Going 5-1 with a close match, winning 14-11 in 8 ball games. We were 2 rounds behind the leaders, but now have a 2 round lead...no looking back now!

We definitely won the key games last week...we didn't shoot our best, although Chas did have another 50 night. The round we managed to lose was the one that Chas ERO'd for a 10-0.

Tonight we have Drifter's Wood, 3rd place...we played them the first week with a nice 6-0 against them. Hopefully we can repeat that...

Challenge #15

This 8 ball run challenge comes from one of my dry breaks a couple weeks back.

Run these...

Solution #14

Shooting solids, I think either the 3 ball or 6 ball are fair options for the runout!

It is just a matter of preference here...I like them both, but think I'd probably shoot the 3 ball here!

My opponent the other night attempted a safety here and sold out the game to me when he missed the window. This window is pretty small since you can make the ball off the rail quite easily.

What is your opinion of playing a safety here?

Week 12 Recap

Well we played the Felt Lizards last Wednesday, and managed to go 5-1 and get within 2 of Broken English...

I can't remember if it was the 1st or 2nd round, but it Ryan and my dad were shooting and one of them needed to win. Ryan's opponent played a safety and left him a kick shot...

I wasn't paying attention to see him call the corner...but Brian surely saw him claim that pocket. I turned in time to see the kick and watch the 6 ball roll pocket speed into the corner. This one-rail kick bank got us the round and started us off nicely...

The very next round Brian needed to make 7 balls to get the round and this happened...

He was trying to cut the 7 ball in and it looked like he had room, but the cueball nicked the ball in front and drove the cue off line...knocking the 8 in.

We ended 219-151 for total and won 19 out of 25 eight ball games...

This screenshot is to settle an argument about our opponents this past week...this team won the WW Silver 2 years in a row before finishing 7th in the last season (2009-2010).

This will be next week's 8 Ball Run challenge...the first game I made 3 balls, but my other 2 breaks were dry. I snapped a picture of this one...

Big 12 Championship Trip

My wife, myself, Ryan from my pool team and his cousin headed off to Cowboy's Stadium last Friday night. Leaving our pool cues at home for a change...

We drove to Oklahoma City on Friday night, and drove the rest of the way on Saturday morning. At our gas stop in Kansas, I left the headlights on (they were on "auto" and I had the key turned over) and the Acura wouldn't start. There were an abundance of Husker fans at the gas station willing to help out! Got a jump and were on our way within mere minutes.

I landed us a couple cheap Holiday Inn rooms with my Priority Club points, mostly earned through work overnight stays. The next day we drove, I entered "Cowboy Stadium" into my DROID and it got us...well close to the stadium. Cowboy Stadium, Coppell, TX is different than Cowboys Stadium, Arlington TX.

Got to the game okay, Nebraska started off great with a 17-0 lead early in the 2nd quarter...then we started fumbling and getting sacked left and right. Tough to watch the Huskers piddle it away with a 20-17 lead going into halftime and the defense holding Oklahoma to 6 points in the 2nd half!

Lost 20-23

Here are a few pictures...

My wife's first Husker shirt!

Pregame tailgate, we showed up unprepared...it was my first road game though!

Cowboy'SSSS Stadium

A view from your seats...the stairs up were at a steep angle!

After the game, Applebee's had half price appetizers...we each had to get two then!

Challenge #14

You are solids

Run these!

Solution #13

Here is my attempt at running these remaining 3 balls out...

The 7 ball on the center of the rail makes it difficult to get shape..the 7 ball shot can be made tough with the wrong speed or bad direction very quickly.

I prefer the side pocket here for the 8 ball...just seems like a much easier shot and natural shape.

This run out isn't to difficult once you navigate to the 7 ball.

The shot below is what was suggested by my opponent saying that I made it " more difficult" than it needed to be.

How would you have shot the 5 ball to get shape? I didn't like going the other way as the window seemed small and was a straight line to scratch.

League Update, Week 10

Well, our last pool league night didn't go well against the new #1 team in our league...it started off really cruel the first round when this bad double-kiss roll that Ryan got cost us the first round.

After the scratch...it left their best player who is 39-6 overall in league an easy out. I would have done the same thing for the breakout most likely...

We ended up fighting back to 2-2, down 3 or so balls going into the last round. Chas (35-5) broke dry, but left it wide open to get ERO'd...it was the battle of the two top records in the league in that game and we got, well unlucky.

I played poorly my last game missing a breakout shot with ball in hand...and we lost the last round 50-20ish.

We will get to play these guys again in the week 12 position round...no mercy! (and maybe a few rolls...)

Here are the updated standings for week 10...the top team has their bye this week and we play the Felt Lizards and need all 6 to stay within striking distance of Broken English

Challenge #13

This weeks challege comes from a match I was playing in a recent tournament...there are a couple different ways to get out here, but the way I did it seemed wrong to my opponent.

There are a hundred ways to get out...but a million ways to screw it up!

Solution #12

This runout of stripes is not extremely difficult...a master opponent will probably get out half the time or so. I'd say I'm 50/50 in making the 11 ball and getting shape on the 14 ball.

The safety may be a little more difficult to get successfully, I hesitate to play a safety against a good player...but may do this against a weaker player. This logic has gotten me into trouble before as well.

This safety is maybe a better option since it will leave the 1 ball in a double kiss bank angle.

Who Is Awesome?

Just my daily reminder...

Need to start grabbing 2 on pool league nights...they have been rough lately!

Challenge #12

You opponent missed his 6 ball and gave you another chance...although they got lucky in leaving you a tougher shot.

Solution #11

I would probably try this 2 way shot here. If you can leave the cueball on the top right part of the table, you should have shape for your last ball and make it tough for your opponent if you miss.

Probably make this cut shot 3 out of 10

The alternative is a safety, the perfect shot would hide the cueball behind the 11. Getting your 11 off the rail is also a positive to this shot. The down side is that a little "roll-out" on the table could cause you to scratch or double hit the 11 ball.

Turning the table, if I were solid...the runout is tough even if you make the 7 ball in the side. You'll need a good angle on the 2 ball to get shape in a small window for the 6 ball.

This safety is pretty easy, just FIRST: make sure you make the 12 ball in the combo. SECOND: Error on rolling the cueball too far forcing your opponent to bank if you don't hook him behind the 7 ball.