Pool players, learning to play to win a bet

dblgutshot · #1 06-17-2005, 02:41 AM

I really suck at pool and do not enjoy it yet but some of my friends are really into it. In order to win a bet I need to beat one of the better players in a race to 7, I have 6 months to train.

Anyone recommendations on where to get started? Any good forums/books for beginners? I found a nice site called http://www.easypooltutor.com/articles.html and it seems pretty decent so far.

Any things to concentrate on?

My opponent is quite good, in 6 months I don't think I can beat him in skill but I'm thinking there must be some strategy I can employ to play defensive or something...I really have no clue at this point.

Any tips would be great, thanks!

I wish ed miller wrote pool books.

Alobar · #2 06-17-2005, 02:44 AM

you are fooked.

My advice, lots of practice, and hope you are some sort of naturally gifted pool freak.

dblgutshot · #3 06-17-2005, 03:03 AM

I may be able to get some "rules" or something changed in my favour as well.

Not sure what exactly yet but offer any suggestions that might lower my opponents edge. Thanks.

jakethebake · #4 06-17-2005, 08:46 AM

[ QUOTE ]
you are fooked.

My advice, lots of practice, and hope you are some sort of naturally gifted pool freak.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yea. Lots of practice is the only answer. Six months is plenty of time to become reasonably decent if you're in a position to be able to put in a lot of hours on a table.

dblgutshot · #5 06-17-2005, 08:11 PM

The bet is about $200 plus some odd stuff. It is more of a competitive thing than about the money. I suspect part of the bet also is because my friends simply want me to learn the game to play in their league if needed and some kind of bet would be the only way.

The origin of the bet started when I stated a good pool(not pro) player didn't require any special sort of god-given talent, I thought almost anyone could study and be just as good as some pretty good players (not professionals). I compared it to poker and said if I took the same approach to pool as I did for poker (lots of practice/study/thought) I bet I could be pretty successful as well.

Anyways I want to win the bet not so much for the money but to say I could do it.

We are playing 8 ball on those smallish tables you find in bars (coin operated) because that is what my friends play on in their pool league. My friend also just purchased one of these tables and I can practice on it almost any time I want.

I have a few friends willing to coach me for a bit so I will take them up on their offer as well.

I appreciate all of the advice given in this thread.

Thanks.

PS. Had my first short day of practice today. A friend just showed me some pointers and set me up to shoot 1/4 and 1/2 table length straight and angle shots for a few hours. I never enjoyed the game before but now that I see it takes quite some skill to it I think I will enjoy it more (I like competitive games).

HDPM · #6 06-17-2005, 11:48 PM

Pool and poker aren't all that similar in my opinion. Poker requires no physical skill. Pool requires knowledge, but it also requires that you execute a precise stroke. It looks a lot easier than it is.

dcasper70 · #7 06-24-2005, 09:00 AM

[ QUOTE ]
you are fooked.

My advice, lots of practice, and hope you are some sort of naturally gifted pool freak.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree, you're hosed.
If your opponent is really 'quite good', you have a very slim chance of beating him. Yes, you may get lucky, but the odds are against you.

There's a possibility that your current definition of 'quite good' will change after 6 months of practice. By that I mean that you may pick up some very practical skill and fundamental understanding of the game and realize that this opponent is really 'just average'.
Compared to your original 'I really suck' skill, 'just average' may look like 'quite good'.

If this is the case, your 6 months may put you somewhere around a coin flip.
If this is not the case, and he really is 'quite good', you will not win a straight 7 game race (very outside chance if it's 9-ball). One suggestion I have is to learn to play soft shots. If you're gonna miss, block the friggin pocket.

cbfair · #8 06-17-2005, 03:16 AM

I don't know about learning pool from a book or website... it's a physical skill best learned through focused practice.

Find a pool hall you're comfortable with (one with hourly tables, not quarter fed) and go there regularly by yourself. This is important, you want to play by yourself as much as possible. Rack balls and hit them. Practice breaks, practice straight-on shots, practice bank shots. just practice!

As you get better, begin to push yourself, break a rack and just focus on the toughest shots to make. Pay no attention to stripes or solids or the 8-ball, just find the toughest shot on the felt and sink it. Then do it again.

Pool is not a difficult game, but it does reguire discipline an lots of practice. Forget about the books and pick up a que!

The only technique-advice I have is to get way down low and look down the length of your cue find the spot on the OBJECT ball (not the cue ball) that makes a direct line to the pocket and make sure the cue ball hits that spot precisely. Take a moment and line your cue stick with that spot on the object ball, really fixate on that specific spot; then back away never taking your eyes off that spot and line the cue stick up so it makes a direct line through the cue ball directly to that spot on the object ball. Make a nice even stroke (takes lots of practice) and make the cue and object balls connect.

hogua · #9 06-17-2005, 02:16 PM

[ QUOTE ]
This is important, you want to play by yourself as much as possible. Rack balls and hit them

[/ QUOTE ]

What exactly are we talking about here?

mosta · #10 06-24-2005, 04:33 AM

[ QUOTE ]

The only technique-advice I have is to get way down low and look down the length of your cue find the spot on the OBJECT ball (not the cue ball) that makes a direct line to the pocket and make sure the cue ball hits that spot precisely. Take a moment and line your cue stick with that spot on the object ball, really fixate on that specific spot; then back away never taking your eyes off that spot and line the cue stick up so it makes a direct line through the cue ball directly to that spot on the object ball. Make a nice even stroke (takes lots of practice) and make the cue and object balls connect.

[/ QUOTE ]

unfortunately, nothing in pool is that simple. suppose you wanted to cut a ball as thinly as possible, as close to a 90-degree angle as physically possible. so you want to the cue ball to contact the object ball all the way on the side. well now, according to your instructions, you would aim the center of the cue ball at the side of hte object ball. unfortuantely, because the cue ball as width, it will not hit the outer edge--it will hit half-way in between the outer edge and the dead center. and you will get a 45-degree cut, not a 90-degree cut.

you have to use a complex system of estimation: 45-degree = half ball hit. 77-degree = quarter ball hit. etc. it is a cruel game. practice and more practice is the only way.

note also, spin on the cueball will affect the correct contact point, as will to a smaller degree speed of the cueball. but, because of friction ("throw"), the correct contact point given a cue ball with no side spin ("english") is in fact not the point directly opposite the target. it just gets worse and worse.