What is good strategy to playing 9 ball pool?

Question

Im playing in a tournament on sunday and im used to 8 ball. What are the strategies to the 9 nine ball game? How should my mentality change?

Thanks

Answer 1

Well I'm not sure what Adam is talking about size difference and spin difference between 8 and 9 ball because any tournament I've ever played in they use the same ball sets.  I guess maybe he is from a different part of the world then I (WI).  Anyway....  Just play your game man.  Play smart, play safe when you need, and play smooth.  Its just sticks and balls my friend.  Good luck to you, and keep rackn em up!

Answer 2

It's true about position play, but it also makes it easier to play safeties since you know what ball your opponent has to go for.  Don't be afraid to play defense if you're not confident in your shot, or play a two-way shot.

Breaking up clusters is also a bit different.  Usually in 8 ball, you want to take care of the most difficult balls first, but in 9 ball, it's obviously in order.  If the 2 ball is tied up, you have to break it out off the 1 ball or get in a position to play safe.

Also forgot to mention the push out rule.  After the break, you can call a push out and it's basically a free shot after which your opponent has the option of taking the balls as they lie or passing it back to you.  This can be used if you want to put yourself in a position to make a shot you think your opponent can't make.  It's a little trickier when playing someone more skilled than you, but it's something to watch out for.

Answer 3

Play   position   play    and   play   defense.   Also   ride   the   9   which   means   when   you   can   hit   the   lowest   numbered   ball    into   the    9     and    make   it    in   a    pocket.    Just    relax   and   take   your   time.   Also   watch   as    much    of   the   other   games   as    possible.   That   is   a    good   way    to    learn.

Answer 4

Avoid mistakes, if not sure on your shot, be defensive.

Answer 5

You can take more chances with combos trying to win because your opponent has to hit the lowest ball first. If it is blocked off, he will have to bank the cue ball just to hit it, and will miss so you are up again. Go for the win.

Answer 6

One of the things in 9-ball is that 3 straight fouls is loss of game.  Often when playing in tournys if the person I was playing makes a foul in one of the first few games, I'd try to beat him on fouls.  It's a great way to demoralize an opponent.  One thing for you to keep in mind, always leave yourself a way to at the very least get a hit on the next ball, or you put yourself at risk of the same.  Play safe when you need to or have to.  9-ball matches are pretty much always multi game, so if unless you're playing top flight people you don't usually have to worry to much about losing 1 game early, you can pretty much be sure you'll get up to the table again.  Learn the rail, the diamond system, you have to know how to get around the table to the next ball and to get the hit.  If you don't have your own stick getting one is recommended, it doesn't have to be a $500 stick, just something decent that you will always know how much english it will put on the ball.  Also get a good tip on it.  The rest is pretty much just the basics.

Don't know what that other guy was talking about with different size cue ball, with the exception of a bar table where they have to sort the cue out, it should always be the same size as all the others.  Same thing with pocket size, a pocket should be snug with 2 balls in it side by side for the corner at least.   Doesn't matter what the game is.

Hope this helps.

-Michael

Answer 7

Get as many as you can of course

leave no shot for the apponent

look for easy combos to drop the 9

The break, kill kill kill

Answer 8

Hey there. There is a fair bit of difference between 8 ball and 9 ball, such as your position play has to be better on 9 ball. This is due to the fact that you have to pot the balls in order. However the pockets are bigger and easier to aim for so take this into account when getting good position. You can aim for different sides of the pocket to get a variety of angles.

The amount of spin you can get in 9-ball isnt as much as 8 - ball, seen as the cue ball is the same size as the other balls on the table (unlike 8-ball where it is smaller, therefore easier to use spin)

Just make sure you think about position alot more in 9-ball and you should pick it up fairly quickly. Best of luck to you, i used to love the thrill of entering pool tournies.

P.S try and get a good cue aswell for 9-ball, it is worth investing in a high quality one if your are of a high standard, plus you can easily win your money back :p

Edit: By the difference in ball size i mean that when you play 8-ball the cue-ball itself is smaller than the other balls on the table, this enables you to use more spin. However in 9-ball all the balls are the same size. Im from the UK btw.

Answer 9

Not really much difference in my mind....do not just shoot balls to shoot balls.....if you cannot run out the table then don't.....always look for a defensive shot in these situations....start by warming up with all 15 balls and run them in sequence...will make it a little easier when you get to only 9 .....plus you can also tune up your defensive shots.....good luck!

Answer 10

Try to think 3 balls ahead. By that I mean, when you're on the 2 ball, you should be looking at where the 4 ball is, so that you can  play proper position on the 3 ball to set up the 4 ball shot. Many people only look to the next ball or don't look ahead at all in 8 ball, and that will kill you in 9 ball.

When you don't know how to get a good safety, or don't have enough balls to hide it, seperate the cue ball and the object ball. Many players cannot make long shots reliably, so making them take a very long shot is often a good play.

Play within your means. If you're faced with a shot you are not confident you can make, look at your safety options. There's no prize for trying hard shots in 9 ball. If you miss, you'll often lose the rack. If there's a cluster you don't know how to deal with, play a safety before you get to it so that you can re-evaluate the situation or let your opponent deal with it.

Good luck and have fun.

Answer 11

knock the balls into the pockets works for me.