Plan the whole table, not the next shot
Before your first shot after the break, look at the table as a map. Count your balls and sort them into three groups: balls that are easy to pot now, balls that are awkward (tight to a cushion, blocked, or needing a thin cut), and balls that are in the way of others. Then decide the order in which you will clear them.
- Deal with problems early. A ball stuck against a cushion or hiding behind an opponent's ball gets harder, not easier, as the table clears. Pot it, free it or move it while you still have other balls to play.
- Break up clusters. Two or three of your balls touching can usually be separated with a controlled shot early. Leave them and they will cost you the frame late.
- Keep the 8 ball in mind. From the start, ask where the 8 is and which pocket you would like to use for it. A shot that leaves you a simple 8 ball is worth more than a spectacular pot that leaves a hard one.
Position play
Position means leaving the cue ball where your next shot is easy. Every pot has two results: the object ball goes down, and the cue ball ends somewhere. Good players choose the second result first.
- Pick the next ball, then work backwards. Before you shoot, decide which ball you will pot next and where you would like to be standing to pot it.
- Prefer an angle to a straight shot. Leaving the cue ball slightly off the line of the next ball gives you an easy cut and room to move on. A dead-straight shot is easy to pot but usually leaves the cue ball stuck in the same place.
- Use the three basic paths. After contact the cue ball goes forward (follow), stops (stun) or comes back (draw). Learn each at soft, medium and firm pace in practice mode.
- Mind the speed. Most position errors are pace errors. If the cue ball is arriving too far up the table, hit softer, or use a little draw.
- Avoid the cushions. Leaving the cue ball on a rail gives you fewer angles and makes it easy to scratch.
Using spin sensibly
Spin is a tool, not a decoration. In 8Baller the cue-ball widget lets you change the tip position, and it is tempting to use a lot of it. A few rules of thumb:
- Centre ball is your default. Plain shots are the easiest to repeat. Use spin only when it gives you something specific.
- Follow (above centre) helps when you need the cue ball to travel on past the object ball, for example to get from one end of the table to the other.
- Draw (below centre) lets you stop the cue ball after a straight shot, or bring it back for the next ball. It works best on firm, straight shots, and is more limited on thin cuts.
- Side spin changes the angle off the cushion. Use a small amount, and remember the cue ball also takes a slightly different path to the object ball. Test it in practice before you trust it in a match.
- Reset after use. Press 0 or double-click the widget so that your next shot does not start with spin you forgot about.
Safety play
A safety is a deliberate shot that does not try to pot, but leaves your opponent with no good shot. It is one of the best ways to beat a stronger player, and the higher computer levels use it well.
- When to play one: when the only pot available is low-percentage (a long thin cut, a difficult bank), when potting would leave you stuck, or when your opponent is running a lead and you need to change the position.
- How to play one: hit a legal ball first, then make sure a ball reaches a cushion (otherwise it is a foul). Ideally you leave the cue ball tucked behind one of your opponent's balls, or against a cushion at the far end of the table.
- The soft touch: a safety is usually a slow shot. Practise rolling the cue ball a short distance to a cushion and back with a gentle stroke.
- After a foul: when you have ball in hand, take a moment. Often the best move is not to pot the nearest ball, but to place the cue ball where you can pot and then continue.
Break strategy
- Place the cue ball off centre. Many players find it easier to hit the head ball squarely from a position to one side of the head string rather than from the middle.
- Hit the head ball full and firm. Aim for the centre of the front ball. A hard, square hit spreads the balls and drives more of them to the cushions, which is what makes the break legal.
- Control beats power. A break that scratches or fails to hit four cushions costs you the table. If you are scratching often, ease off a little.
- Think about the 8 ball. Because it is in the middle of the rack, a hard break often loosens it. If it drops, the 8 is put back on the foot spot and you shoot again, with nobody winning.
- Read the table after the break. Take time to look at the new layout, and plan before you shoot the next ball.
Common mistakes
- Rushing the shot
- Most missed pots come from not taking the time to line up. In practice mode, take the extra second on every shot.
- Hitting too hard
- Extra power magnifies error and sends the cue ball somewhere you did not plan. Choose the softest pace that does the job.
- Ignoring the cue ball
- If you only look at the object ball, you will pot it and then find yourself with a hard next shot. Always know where the cue ball is heading.
- Forgetting the 8 ball
- Potting your last ball and leaving the cue ball on the wrong side of a cluster can lose a frame you had won.
- Playing a pot you should not
- If the odds are poor, a safety is better than a gift of ball in hand.
- Using the same shot on a different table layout
- Check the angle again each time. Small differences in where the cue ball stops change the line.
- Giving away fouls
- Check the first ball you will contact. On a closed table, hitting the opponent's ball first, or the 8 too early, hands them the table.
- Panicking when the clock runs
- In multiplayer you have 45 seconds per turn. Learn to decide quickly: your plan should already be formed by the time it is your turn.
How to improve faster
- Spend ten minutes on the practice table before a session. Use the drills for banks, cuts and long pots.
- Use Replay shot to see exactly where a miss went wrong.
- Step up one computer level at a time. When you beat a level comfortably, move on.
- Play multiplayer when you feel ready. Your rating will settle after a number of matches, so do not worry about the first few results.
- Learn the rules properly. Many lost frames are caused by fouls, not by missed pots.