What's the Move?

By Jimmy Reid

Biding Your Time

You're Yellow, and Red has just left you with this shot. What to do, what to do?

Very often in a difficult situation, players just take a makeable shot that will give them some sort of a possibility to run out. For example, in this position, Yellow may quickly elect to play the 2 ball in the corner and come out for the 1 ball in this bottom side pocket, perhaps giving yourself some kind of chance to break out the 4 ball, but as you can readily see, this could spell disaster.

So Yellow needs to go back to step o­ne. Walk around, chalk up, and study the table. Ask yourself what happens if I shoot off the left or right side of all the balls that are mine.

After a lot of thought and deliberation, I think that the best possible play is to bank the 1 ball up near the 4 and 11 balls. The 4 ball does go straight in the side with either ball in hand or perfect position later, and the 11 ball can't be made straight in anywhere.

Banking the 1 ball past the 4 and 11 balls would be ideal, but we're looking at the results of a reasonable hit here without any risk of breaking up the 4 and 11 by playing this shot too hard.  Trying to win this game from here is a world of trouble for Red, who could play off the right side of the 9 ball and try to leave Yellow o­n the right side of the 8 ball. Yellow could then try to bank the 2 ball two rails or kick it o­ne rail and bring it back toward the end of the table in the direction of the 4 and 11 balls. You could also bank the 2 ball two rails just past and toward the middle of the table. Whatever Red does from this position, he's a big underdog to win this game.

What did you learn about 8-ball? Don't always try to play those difficult run-outs and dig your own grave. Take your time and show a little patience, especially when you can leave your opponent in a nearly impossible situation.

Had Yellow tried to play the original runout, he would've been about a 5 to 1 underdog to win this game. Now he's about a 5 to 1 favorite to win. Some difference, huh? There's something to be said about slow play-it's more like just biding your time. By playing this o­ne move, Yellow has put this game o­n layaway and will pick it up later.

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