Billiard Game Strategies

Nine Ball Strategy

If possible, run all the balls off the table from the break. If that seems unlikely, keep an eye out for good safety possibilities. Play to miss and leave the cue ball where it is impossible or very difficult to hit the object ball. If your opponent fails to hit the lowest object ball first, you get ball in hand anywhere. Look for shots to pocket the nine ball early, but if you play a combination shot on the nine, be sure to hit it firmly enough that the nine is not left as a duck sitting in the jaws of the pocket in case you miss. If you push out after the break, try to leave a hard shot but not impossible — make it hard for your opponent to decide whether to pass it back to you.

Eight Ball Strategy

UK Rule

Determine if running the table is possible. If not plan on playing safe at some point. Never shoot balls without having another shot or safety in mind for the next shot. If you clear most of your balls off the table and give your opponent a chance they will probably run the table. Pocket balls until you reach your safety shot and try to snooker your opponent so they have to kick at balls or foul and give you an opportunity to win. The best type of safety is one that snookers your opponent and clears up any balls you have clustered. This improves your chance of winning on the next turn and puts your opponent in a bad position. When you have a free shot look to use it to clear up clusters or knock opponents balls that block yours out of the way. Trying to make a ball on a free shot is not always the best play.

APA Rule

Determine if running the table is possible. If not plan on playing safe at some point. Never shoot balls without having another shot or safety in mind the next shot. If you clear most of your balls off the table and give your opponent a chance they will probably run the table. Pocket balls until you reach your safety shot and try to snooker your opponent so they have to kick at balls or foul and give you an opportunity to win. The best type of safety is one that snookers your opponent and clears up any balls you have clustered. Which improves your chance of winning on the next turn and puts your opponent in a bad position. If you are breaking you can win by pocketing the eight ball on the break. Try to break from near the side rail and hit the second ball as full as possible. The eight ball will tend to go in the opposite side.

BCA Rule

Determine if a running the table is possible. If not plan on playing safe at some point. Never shoot balls without having another shot or safety in mind the next shot. If you clear most of your balls off the table and give your opponent a chance they will probably run the table. Pocket balls until you reach your safety shot and try to snooker your opponent so they have to kick at balls or foul and give you an opportunity to win. The best type of safety is one that snookers your opponent and clears up any balls you have clustered. This improves your chance of winning on the next turn and puts your opponent in a bad position.

Snooker Strategy

Play safe until a good shot opportunity is presented. During the Red phase, make sure you can get shape on a colour when pocketing a Red. It’s not worth leaving your opponent a good opportunity for a 1 point score. The best safeties snooker your opponent giving you a chance to score if the ball on is not hit and forcing a kick shot that could leave you a good opportunity. If you can’t snooker your opponent with a safe leave a long shot as they are difficult to pocket on a snooker table. Play to pocket the Blue, Pink and Black as they are worth the most points. You can play shots that are both offensive and defensive by playing shape on balls toward the baulk end of the table when all Reds are near the rack. Shooting a Red and running the cue back up the table leave a long shot if missed and a possible score on the Yellow, Green, or Brown if made. During the Colour Phase try to run the table if possible. If there are balls on rails or in clusters play the open balls and then play safe. Keep track of the score. If you are behind and there are not enough points on the table to win you need to play for a snooker to score the extra points necessary. If you are ahead and there are just enough points left on the table for your opponent to win don’t take chances and sell out. Play conservatively and shoot balls when sure of pocketing or play for snookers to get enough points where your opponent needs snooker.

Nine Ball Game


Eight Ball Game


Snooker Game

Billiard Advanced - Jump Shots

Striking downward on the cue ball by raising the butt of the cue and bouncing the ball off the table into the air is called a jump shot. This shot is legal as long as the cue ball is bounced off the table. Jumping balls by using the cue stick to dig under and miscue is illegal. Jump shots are a lot like Masse’ shots in that the butt of the cue must be raised. The main difference is how much the cue ball gets pinched between the cue tip and the table. If there is significant pinch, the cue ball can’t jump because the cue tip is in the way and the ball will Masse’. If there is little pinch, the ball will jump. It is possible and quite common, to get a little jump in conjunction with a Masse’. The secret to jump shots is getting the correct butt angle. This, along with cue tip position and stroke speed, will produce differing launch angles and jump distances. Turn on tracking and play with jump shots before attempting them in a game.

The best angle for jump shots varies between 20 and 40 degrees with the cue tip position moving downward as the angle increases.

Billiard Advanced - Masse"

Striking downward on the cue ball by raising the butt of the cue will cause cue ball spin down. The cue ball path will curve. It is called a Masse’ shot. (This is the kind of shot banned by many house rules because inexperienced players are quite likely to miss the ball completely, stabbing down with the cue stick and tearing a gash in the table’s felt!) The cue ball will curve in the direction of any English applied to the ball; therefore, a Masse’ shot hit to the right side of the cue ball will curve to the right and so on. How much the ball curves, how sharp the curve is, and how fast the cue ball moves are of course determined by. The angle of the butt of the cue stick The cue tip position The speed of the stroke Masse’ shots are difficult to master, but with some work they can be quite effective.

The butt angle readout in the status area makes it easier to reproduce masse’ shots. Find out which angles work for certain types of shots and you’ll find it much easier to pull them off in game situations.

Billiard Advanced - Cue Ball Squirt

The effect of ball throw is not the only aiming complication when using English. When the cue ball is hit with English it will squirt off line. If you hit the ball on the right side of the cue ball, it will squirt left. The amount of squirt is depends on the horizontal cue tip position and the velocity of the stroke. The picture below shows the cue ball hit straight along the head string line with left English. Observe how the cue ball path squirts to the right. You’ll need to practice a lot to get a feel for playing shots with English.

Billiard Advanced - Spin Transfer

The spin of Cue Ball by using english will affect the object ball path. The same friction which makes an object ball throw also transfers spin from ball to ball. It’s a small difference. When using English, you should remember to compensate for Spin Transfer when you’re lining up your shot. Shown below are two bank shots hit with the same line and speed. The first shot is hit center-ball: The second shot is hit with left English: The rebound angle of the second shot is increased because of the spin transfer from the cue ball to the object ball. Left spin on the cue ball is transferred to the object ball as right spin, causing the rebound angle to increase. You can use English to offset ball throw (see Ball Throw). a small amount of left English is being applied to the cue ball to remove the throw effect.It cause the angular velocity at the contact point cancels the linear velocity resulting in no friction and no ball throw.

Billiard Advanced - Ball Throw

Ball throw usually determine the movement of object ball from target line to the real ball path. Balls are thrown off-line by the friction between balls. If the cue ball hits an object ball at an angle, the friction between the balls throws the object ball path off the target line. Target line determined by a line through the centers of cue and object ball at time of contact and the actual ball path. The amount of ball throw depends on the angle of the shot, the English on the cue ball and the speed of the cue ball. See Spin Transfer for information on how English affects ball throw. More angles will mean more throw. Higher velocity reduces ball throw.

Billiard Basic - Break

For some game Break is very important. Even we don’t exactly where the cue and object ball after the break. The point is strike as fast as possible. Hit the center of cue ball to avoid the failure of the break. Players usually break from the left of right side of rail behind the straight line. It will make easy to handle the table as our hand to stand. After the break, look at the cue angle between cue ball and the object ball. Make sure that you can pocket the object ball by its angle. If it is not possible to pocket the object ball do the push out. Try to leave a hard shot but not impossible to pocket, make it hard for your opponent to decide whether to pass it back to you.

Billiard Basic - Kiss

In pool, a kiss is a carom shot where two object balls are frozen together (touching each other) and a perpendicular line between them goes into a pocket. Just hit the object ball on the side of the ball opposite the pocket and it’s in. When a kiss doesn’t possible to pocket one or both of, try so make a safety shot. Make a difficult angle between cue ball and object ball by your shot. So the opponent will not possible to pocket.

Billiard Basic - Carom

A carom shot is where a ball (cue or object) hits off another ball. There are the two purposes when using a carom. First, make a good cue angle between cue ball with the next object ball if the next object ball is a ball that was hit after first object ball. It will make an easier way to pocket the next ball. When the some object balls are frozen in a side we have to take apart one or more ball by movement of cue ball. So the second purpose is to move the object ball close to holes nearby. Use the knowledge learned from the Cue Ball Path section to become proficient at caroms.

Billiard Basic - Combinations

A combination is a shot where two or more object balls are hit in sequence to pocket an object ball. To line up a two-ball combination, first figure out the necessary ‘’contact point’’ on the second ball the spot on the ball where you must hit it so that it will shoot into the pocket. Then determine the contact point on the first ball that will cause it to hit the second ball’s contact point. Now aim the cue ball at the first ball’s contact point. For some conditions a combination happen out of our control caused English and our power to strike.

Billiard Basic - Draw and Follow

Draw is hitting the cue ball by it's below-center will bring the cue ball back towards you. Follow, which is applied by hitting the cue ball above center, will move the cue ball forward, away from you. The farther away from center you hit the cue ball, the more spin will be applied given the same stroke speed is used. The actual spin is determined by cue offset from center, stroke speed, and distance between cue and object balls. Practice will be needed to determine stroke speed to get consistent results. With shots at an angle, draw and follow affect how the cue ball curves off of the perpendicular line. Follow shots will curve forward from the perpendicular line: As the angle of the shot increases, draw and follow have less effect on the cue ball path.


Stroke speed is very important for cue ball control. Using backstroke length to control stroke speed makes you more consistent. When accelerating the mouse smoothly, the same way for each shot, backstroke length varies cue ball velocity. The further back the cue tip starts, the higher the velocity when you hit the cue ball. For easy shots, pull the cue back a little. The harder you want to stroke the cue ball, the more you pull back on the cue.

Follow


Draw

Billiard Basic - Bank

When the cue ball hit the object ball and bounce the object ball off one or more rails then into a pocket, you’ve just pulled off a bank shot. The basic technique for aiming bank shots is to first assume that the ball will rebound at the same angle that it hits the cushion. This can be used to estimate the angle; however, pool tables bank shorter than a mirrored rebound angle. Making banks seems easy if an adjustment is made for the shortened bank angle. Unfortunately it is not that simple. The path of the banked ball can actually curve after the ball hits the rail. Any spin in the vertical axis (forward or backward) will cause the ball to curve after striking the rail. The amount of curve is dependent on the ratio of spin to the velocity of the ball. The higher the spin in relation to velocity, the more the ball curves. Note that what is meant by forward spin here means any rotation forward, and rolling is a rotation forward. Backward spin on an object ball is negligible and can only be caused by spin transfer. You can demonstrate what backward spin does by hitting the cue ball into the rail with draw spin. This shot is useful when kicking at balls. Banks are also be affected by English. The same angle bank with the object ball further from the rail and the same speed stroke misses the pocket. The friction of the table causes the object ball to start rolling causing the ball to curve forward after hitting the rail.

Judging bank shots is very difficult because of the number of variables affecting the rebound angle. You can simplify this by removing some of the variables from the shot. If you hit banks firmly removing most of the curvature caused by the object ball rolling.

Billiard Basic - Cue Ball Path

The cue ball always starts on a path perpendicular to the target line after contact with the object ball. The target line is the line the object ball takes. The cue ball then curves forward or backwards depending on the spin on the cue ball in the vertical axis (follow or draw). If the cue was hit in the center, it gets forward spin from the friction on the table. The curvature forward after contact with the object ball is determined by the ratio of spin to linear velocity. Linear velocity is the speed the ball is moving.

Cue ball curvature after striking an object ball is determined by how hard you hit the ball, how far apart the cue and object are, and any follow/draw you apply. Practice some shots using center-ball hits, and vary stroke speed and distance between the cue and object balls to get a feel for how much the cue ball curves.

Billiard Basic - Aiming

Practice aiming initially using center ball hits. One Easiest technique of aiming is to imagine that your cue stick is a ruler, try to make a straight line between cue ball and object ball and try to hit the imaginary ball full-on. You can get a new perspective by raising your head a foot or two for a better view of the angle between the pocket, object ball and cue ball. Then lower your head to line up the cue ball and object ball keeping the angle you saw in mind.

Billiard Basic - Cue Tip Position

The diagram below shows the terminology for different cue tip positions on the side of the cue ball.

Combinations of these are expressed as high right (follow and right) English or low left (draw and left) English. Distances from center of cue are usually expressed in cue tips, as in: ‘’follow with half a cue tip of right.’’ You might want to start out using center-ball hits only. Then, when you feel confident enough with the game controls to add a little more flair to your shots, practice using follow and draw to change cue ball paths. Follow and draw have the most effect on shots with less cut angles. English has its greatest effect on the cue ball’s path when the ball ricochets off of a rail.

The General Billiard Game Rules

This section will guide you to understand The General Rules apply to all pool games and Snooker. Exceptions to these general rules are noted in the Rules for each game.

Play by Innings

Players take turns at the table called innings. An inning continues until the player fails to pocket a ball on a valid shot, according to the rules for each game. And the turns will be taken by opponent.

Rack

The Rack is the number and arrangement of the object balls at the start of the game. Racks vary by game, but generally it is a triangle or diamond shape with the front ball on the foot spot. On the numeric Ball, lowest numbered ball is on front and the last ball on the center of the rack.

Lag

Method used to start a match. Players simultaneously shoot a ball from behind the head string, banking it off the foot rail and back to the head of the table. Striking the side rails or any pocket results in loss of the lag. The closest ball to the head rail wins. It is permissible to strike the head rail. If the lagged balls make contact during the lag, lag over.

Break Shot

A Break Shot is the shot that starts the game. Some games require the first shot of each rack to be an ‘‘open break’‘. To be a legal break, players must break from behind the head string. The break at least four objects balls make cushion contact. In matches that consist of several racks, the winner of each rack will break the following rack, called “winner break”

Call Shot

A Called Shot means the object ball and the pocket as specified for the shot. Most games require the shooter to call the ball and pocket for any shot that isn't obvious. The usual convention is obvious straight-in shots are not explicitly called. Called shots do not require details such as kisses or combinations, only the ball and pocket.

Pocketed Balls

A ball is considered pocketed if as a result of an otherwise legal shot, it drops off the bed of the table into the pocket and remains there. (A ball that drops out of a ball return system onto the floor is not to be construed as a ball that has not remained pocketed.) A ball that rebounds from a pocket back onto the table bed is not a pocketed ball.

Extra Balls Pocketed

For some games, if extra balls are pocketed on a shot, they usually count for the shooter.

Low Ball First

In some games (nine ball, rotation, etc.), the first ball and the cue ball must contacts be the lowest numbered ball remaining on the table, the next numbered ball followed.

Cue Ball in Hand

Cue Ball in Hand means the player can pick up and place the cue ball anywhere on the table. The break shot begins with ‘‘cue ball in hand behind the head string’‘, meaning that the shooter may place it anywhere in the top quarter of the table. Ball in hand also occurs after the cue ball is pocketed (scratched), hit off the table, and after other fouls in some games. Depending on the game, this may be either behind the head string or anywhere on the table.

When playing from behind the head string, the first ball struck must be on the other side of the head string. However, a ball behind the head string may strike first if the cue ball crosses the head string before contact, such as banking the cue ball off the foot rail. In case all legal target balls are behind the head string, the one closest to the line is spotted so the shooter is not forced to play an out-and-back shot.

Spotting Balls

Most pool games spot balls in situations where a rules violation or illegally pocketed balls require balls to be returned to the table. They are usually placed on the foot spot, or as close to the foot spot as possible on a line between the spot and the center of the foot rail. If several balls are spotted, they are spotted in numerical order.

Owed Balls

Some games penalize fouls by returning previously pocketed balls to the table. If the shooter fouls without any balls to his credit, he ‘‘owes’‘ a ball to the table, and it is spotted at the end of the next inning in which he scores. Several balls may be owed.

Delayed Balls

In some games, other balls pocketed along with legal scoring balls are spotted at the end of the shooters turn. If the shooter pockets all balls on the table the delayed balls are spotted so the shooter can continue.

Fouls

Fouls end a shooter's inning and are penalized according to the rules of each game. The following are fouls:

Scratch
Pocketed the cue ball.

Ball Off Table
Hit a ball off the table. If a ball jumps onto the rail and returns to the table, there is no penalty.

Contact the balls
Contact balls on the table by hand or any equipment.

Failure to Contact Object Ball
It is a foul if on a stroke the cue ball fails to make contact with any legal object ball first. Playing away from a touching ball does not constitute having hit that ball.

Fouls by Double Hits
If the cue ball is touching the required object ball prior to the shot, the player may shoot toward it, providing that any normal stroke is employed. If the cue stick strikes the cue ball more than once on a shot, or if the cue stick is in contact with the cue ball when or after the cue ball contacts an object ball, the shot is a foul.

No Rail
If no ball is pocketed, and at least one ball does not contact a cushion after the cue ball contacts an object ball. This usually comes up during safety (defensive) play or when the shot is played too softly.

Three Fouls

In some games, if one player fouls on three consecutive shots, there is an additional penalty, usually loss of the game. Games without a three foul rule may have a special rule to prevent stalemates.

Foot on Floor

Player must have at least one foot in contact with the floor at the moment the cue tip contacts the cue ball, or the shot is a foul. Foot attire must be normal in regard to size, shape and manner in which it is worn.

The Art Of Playing Billiard

Billiard is a game combining mathematics, intuition, and feeling. We will never be a billiard master if we can’t combine those three elements. A beginner often uses mathematical methods to play this game. Intuition and feeling are subsequently applied when the mathematical principles have been really understood. Some people consider billiard as a game merely using mathematical calculation. As a matter of fact, this calculation is just the basic of billiard.

Mathematics

Mathematical calculation is the basic of billiard technique. The calculation used in billiard is the measurement of the angle to pocket the billiard balls. The mathematical method used is “the angle of the shooting cue equals the angle of the struck cue ball”. This is the same with the principle of the light reflection on a flat mirror. Some billiard techniques can be formulated into mathematical methods, from the measurement of the cue shooting angle to the speed and direction of the struck cue ball or the other billiard balls.

Intuition

In billiard, the equipment used is a long stick called cue. No protractor is allowed to measure the desirable angle of the cue. Thus, we need our intuition to determine the angle in order to pocket the targeted balls. A short shot is likely easier to perform because of the ball dimension, on which part of the ball is going to be hit, and is easier to picture it in our minds before striking the cue ball. We will use our intuition most when the cue balls impacts the other billiard balls, either targeted or not. At the advanced level, we just rely on our intuition to strike the point or center hit of the cue ball so that it can hit the targeted balls with some extents of speed, as the center hit of the cue ball influences its speed and direction. Unintentional slippage from the center hit causes undesirable direction towards the targeted balls.

Feeling

Billiard is not only about how to pocket the balls but also to position the cue ball with the targeted balls. One shot influences the next ones. Positioning the cue ball with the other balls, we need a feeling of how much energy to hit the cue ball in order to make a desirable speed, neither too fast nor too slow, and eventually to position the targeted balls to the corners. How to lean our body and place our hands also influence the shots. In certain situations, we face difficult body positioning when the cue ball is too far away for normal hand bridging. It will be easier for us to make shots when we feel comfortable with ourselves.

We will see the combination of the three elements on the “Trick Shot” show. All of the three must be calculated and considered carefully to make the best shot, as the shots on “Trick Shot” are extraordinary and difficult ones.

One of the important rules in billiard is the emotion control. Some rules set certain time for billiard player to take shot. This doesn’t mean that he must shoot in a hurry. Do not make any shot when you are not sure that the targeted ball will go to the pocket. MEASURE, FEEL, then SHOOT…

Try these…

Billiard and Pool Story

Billiard is a game that is played sometime during the 15^th century in Northern Europe & probably in France. It was played indoors on a wooden table with green cloth, and a simple border was placed around the edges. It is played with the balls and wooden sticks called “maces”. The word “billiard” came from French either from word “billart”, one of the wooden sticks, or “bille”, the ball. Even the word “billiard” was come from French but English is one of the others country often mentioned as countries that possibly invented the game of pool, but each is debatable

The word “pool” means a collective bet. Many none billiard games, such as poker, involve a pool but it was to pocket billiards that the name became attached. The term “poolroom” now means a place where pool is played, but in the 19^th century poolroom was betting parlor for horse racing. The unsavory connotation of “poolroom” came from the betting, not from billiards.

This game was first played with two balls on a table with six pockets with a hoop similar to a croquet wicket and an upright stick was used as a target. During the 18^th century, the hoop and the target gradually disappeared, leaving only the balls and pockets. It was known as the “Noble Game of Billiards” since the early 1800’s. In 1600, the game was familiar enough to the public.

In the late 1600’s, the cue stick was developed, and the mace was no longer to use. For long time only men were allowed to use the cue while women were forced to use the mace because it was felt that they were more likely to rip the cloth with the sharper cue.

After the 1800’s, billiard equipment improved rapidly all over England, because of the Industrial Revolution. The leather cue tip was developed by 1823. Chalk was used to increase friction between the ball and the cue stick even before cues had tips. The two-piece cue arrived in 1829. Slate became popular as a material for table beds around 1835. By 1845 the vulcanization was used to make billiard cushions. By the 1850 the billiard table had essentially evolved into its current form.

From about 1770’s until the 1920’s, the dominant billiard game in Britain was English Billiards, played with three balls and six pockets on a large rectangular table. Before that time, there were no fixed table dimensions. Eight-ball was invented shortly after 1900; Straight Pool followed in 1910. Nine-ball seems to have developed around 1920. Through the 1930’s, both pool and billiards, particularly three-cushion billiards, shared the spotlight.

From 1878 until 1956, pool and billiard championship tournaments were held almost annually, with one-on-one challenge matches filling the remaining months. Billiards was revived by two electrifying events, one in 1961, the other in 1986, by the movies “The Hustler” and its sequel “The Color of Money”.

For over 200 years, women of fashion have played the game. In the past, it was very difficult for a woman to develop billiard skills because male players, her family, and friends usually did not support her efforts and it was not easy to find experienced female instructors or coaches. As these situations have changed, and continue to change, we can expect women equal men in ability and take the game to new heights.