How to Play Pool Shots
Pool might look like just a fun way to pass time at the local pub, but it's a game of precision and strategy. You have to play offense (pocket your balls) as well as defense (keep your opponent from pocketing his). And it's a little like chess: you should always be thinking two or three shots ahead. You don't have to be an ESPN pool shark to play a decent game of pool.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
When breaking, aim just off-center of the ball in the top point of the triangle. This is one situation where hitting hard is good.
-
2
If your opponent broke but didn't pocket any balls, evaluate the table to choose whether you want solids or stripes. Look for the set of balls with the fewest "clumped" together and none right along the rail. These are hard shots that you're best off avoiding.
-
-
3
Always be one shot ahead in your mind. As you're getting ready to pocket one ball (hopefully), consider where this will leave the cue ball and whether that is a good position to make another shot. If you leave yourself trapped with no other shots, pocketing that first ball could cost you.
To get the cue ball to draw back after striking the object ball, hit it sharply well under its center point. To make the cue ball stop where it hits the object ball, do the same just at or slightly under the center point. For follow-through shots, strike the cue ball smoothly above the center point. If you hit the cueball to the right or the left (where the "northeast" or "northwest" compass points would be), also called "English," it will veer in that direction after hitting the rail.
-
4
If possible, leave balls that are poised on the edge of the pocket. Go for a harder shot, if you think you can make it. Blocking the pocket is a good defensive move to keep your opponent from making any shots there.
-
5
If you have no shots, play defense. Try to put the cue ball somewhere that will make your opponent's next shot difficult. You do have to hit one of your own balls, though. If you can move one into an easier position for your next turn, so much the better.
-
6
For hard-to-reach shots, use the bridge instead of leaning across the table or stretching beyond your comfort zone. Lift the bridge from the table as soon as you take your shot so that no balls carom into it.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Most bars with pool tables have their own "house rules." Familiarize yourself with these rules before you play.
If in doubt, hit the cue ball softly. Unless you're an exceptional player, hard hits are almost certain to bounce off the edges of the pocket and back onto the table.
In some places, the defensive move of planting the cue ball where the opponent can't make a shot is considered a cheap shot and could get you banished from the pool table. Check the rules of the establishment where you are playing.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit pool shot image by cherie from Fotolia.com
