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RAVEN Custom Cues
Marion, IA 52302
Play Safe more often. People usually try to play safeties when they think they have little chance of making a shot toward the end of the rack. By that time good safeties are often hard to come by. Look for opportunities to play safe when they present themselves. It doesn't matter if you are shooting the first ball or in the middle of a rack. Unless you have a clear run-out a safety may be your best option. Ball-in-hand creates far more opportunity wherever you are in the rack. Safeties can be especially devastating after your opponent scratches or causes another foul. Remember in 9-ball three consecutive fouls is loss of game. In straight pool it is a loss of 18 points. There are two other important reasons to play safeties besides their obvious strategic value. (1) Playing a safety when your opponent doesn't expect it can throw him or her off balance. Safeties just bother some people. They become visibly irritated. If that happens the advantage shifts in your direction. It helps you gain an edge. Within the rules of the game and good sportsmanship do whatever you can to gain the edge. Unless your opponent is just a much better player than you are little things can make the difference between winning and losing. I'm betting you would rather win. (2) There are two ways to take control of the game. You can either run the rack so your opponent doesn't have a shot or you can play a safety he or she can't get out of. Again the advantage shifts in your direction. I once had an opponent play three safeties in a row on me from exactly the same spot. They were very good safeties and I missed the first two. I hit the third one, but in the process I moved the one ball that was a problem for him. I finally got out of his safety, but he won the game. Back to Play Better PoolTo RAVEN Cues Home Page | ||