Strategy for world pool rules

[wiz888]

Hello and thanks for reading this.
I am only getting back into playing pool after not playing much over the last 7years. I recently entered a local competition using World Pool Rules and I relied on my potting mostly and got to the quarter finals. Inevitably I came up against a good player with an amazing amount of knowledge of the rules and knew exactly how to use the rules to his strategical advantage. I have specifically looked around for some information (books, documentation, websites etc) for the strategy of world pool and more specifically how to use the rules to my advantage. I am fully aware that there is no substitute for actually getting out there and playing better players to improve my game but I would like to work on my mental and strategy part of my game first. Any help or suggestions would greatly be appreciated.

[Watford]

It's a difficult one, I don't think there is anything out there that will tell you what you want to know. Could you practice with a town level player or watch a few interleague matches? I think that would be better than playing with average pub players. Half of them don't have a clue. There is too much to start naming random things to look for but I'll have a go at any specific questions. There are a few other 8 ball player here too. There used to be a uk 8 ball forum but I think it's gone now. I believe the old archive can still be found.

[wiz888]

Thanks for reply

Yeh Ive looked hard for the strategy part of world rules pool. Watching some very good players on sky, youtube and local matches it seems that how good a player is judged on whether the game is won or lost. Strategically, there seems to be a very fine line between being perfect and useless.

[gazza147]

I was also a Big Pool Player.

Check this Website out Below Very Good Site Regarding WORLD RULES / BLACKBALL RULES etc.....

www.wpa8ball.co.uk


Hope that Helps.

[Souwester]

I've played snooker for 20-odd years but over the last 7 or 8 months I've moved across to mostly playing pool under World Rules, and the transition was a little difficult - particularly, being a snooker referee, the notion of being able to play deliberate fouls.

A good potter will do quite well, but you do need to think tactically in pool, and think several shots ahead. You need to think how to get from one ball onto another, and how you might get difficult balls into potable positions, AND where you do have difficult balls, how you can make it difficult for your opponent to pot balls. Just because you have an easy pot or two on doesn't mean they're the best shots to play: knowing when to play safe and put your opponent in big trouble can reap far better rewards that an extra pot or two.

I've certainly learned a lot from playing some very good players in our league, and from a couple of (ex) pro players. Playing other distinctly average players doesn't do a great deal to improve your game.

[Citrus138]

Basically, smash 'em open and dish up!

A hard one to explain on an internet forum, so I would suggest watching or picking the brain of a good quality pool player. There's so many variables in pool, that it's very difficult to give a set guideline of what to do in a given situation.

[dantuck_7]

Played in a league match last night, and one of my team mates came up with one of the best piece of tactics I've seen for a while. I'll try and describe the situation so bear with me... black over the bottom right pocket, opponent was on yellows and had 3 balls left, 2of them slightly awkward on the left hand side of the table (one just below the middle - still pottable tho with the correct angle). His other yellow had the top right pocket covered with a red slightly behind it. My team-mate looked to be in a spot of bother, if we had lost this frame it would have gone to a decider and our last player had had one too many beers for my liking!

Anyway back to the shot he played, with tons of top-spin he played up the table from near the black and potted red and yellow, then the top-spin kicked in and arced the white to the top left pocket area and left virtually no shot on the last two yellows!! The angle that was left meant any pot on the easier yellow would have been an in-off into the black. His opponent tried to develop the yellow near the middle with his first shot, but misjudged it and amazingly the white trickled over to the black and knocked it in!! :-)

It does show with world rules that the tactics play a big part in the game. Its often as well the way you can force the pace of the game, it had gone from looking like a comfortable win, to their player being under a load of pressure in a couple of shots.