Positional play (billiards)

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In billiards, positional play describes the game with the white ball in constellation with the colored ball to be played. Good positional play is generally characterized by the fact that you are not forced to tackle risky balls when you are in a shot .

8 ball

In the 8-ball version of the pool there is no positional play at the kickoff. If a ball has fallen, the player chooses one of the two color groups ( the full or the half ). Then he perforates an object ball of the corresponding color. When the ball is hit , the cue ball can be controlled with spin in such a way that it is then placed in a desired position so that the next ball can easily be punched again. However, the more spin is used, the more difficult it is to punch the ball safely. He then continues the positional game - ideally - until the game is won. It should be positioned in such a way that the simplest possible balls can be punched, which also make it possible to place well on the following balls (this is, for example, problematic if the game ball, object ball and bag are in a straight line, because positional play is severely limited by the missing angle).

9-ball

In the 9-ball pool variant , you always play the object ball with the lowest number on the table first. However, all object balls can be punched. You try to play with spin in such a way that the cue ball, after having punched the object ball, allows you to continue playing on the next higher object ball. In some cases it is possible to punch the 9 (the winning ball) using a combination. In order for this to be correct, the object ball with the lowest number on the table must of course have been played beforehand.

14/1 endless

At 14 and 1 endless , the player looks for any ball after the break to punch. With the push, the player plays the white ball (possibly with spin) so that he then has a light ball again that he can punch. The special feature here is to use the positional play in such a way that the last object ball remains in place so that it is easy to punch and the rebuilt rack is easy to open to gain new opportunities to play. Experienced players are able to shoot a table on and off several times in a row , i.e. clear the table in one shot .

snooker

In snooker , positional play is important right from the kick-off. One must be careful to play in such a way that a red ball is touched and the cue ball moves in such a way that it comes into a difficult position for the opponent to play. If a ball is punched, the positional play is important in order to be able to place well on the next ball to be played. If the cue ball is placed in such a way that the opponent cannot play a red ball on both sides with it in full, this is called snooker . Positional play is also important in the endgame on the colors. After punching one ball, the ball can be placed on the next colored ball in such a way that it is easy to punch again. Due to the different cut shape of the pockets on the pool table , punching is a bit more difficult. Therefore, effective positional play is all the more important.

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