When safeties banned at money tournaments

[Billy_Bob]

I play at a small 8-ball money tournament which bans safeties and says you "must try to pocket a ball" with each shot.

It seems to me that these rules give an advantage to better players. Lesser skilled players can only shoot an obvious safety. However the higher skilled players have the ability to play a safety while making it appear that they are trying to pocket a ball.

The way they do this is by *where* they choose to pocket their ball. They may have a difficult cut shot into the corner pocket. But say this cut shot would send the cue ball back to the other side of the table and give their opponent a shot at one or more of his balls. So what the better player will do is to choose to bank it instead and shoot it to leave the cue ball near the banking end of the table in an area where his opponent will not have a shot should he miss. Or he could cut instead of banking.

So the better player can leave the cue ball in a nasty spot simply by selecting which pocket he chooses to "attempt" to shoot the object ball into.

Throw the cue ball and an object ball on the table. Anywhere will do. Now you have six pockets to choose from. Shoot the OB into one pocket and the CB will go this way. Shoot for another pocket and the CB will go that way. Bank it and the CB will go yet another direction.

Add follow or draw to your shot, and you can leave the CB just about anywhere on the table. Just need to "attempt" to shoot the OB into a pocket which will leave the CB where you want is all.

[Fran Crimi]

It's very simple: Stronger players shoot better, think better and move better than weaker players. If you put a stronger player on a level playing field with a weaker player, the stronger player will prevail.

If you want to neutralize the stronger players to give the weaker players a chance, then the only way to do it is to offer handicaps. Any other way is futile.

If the reason to not allow safeties is to move the tournament along, then fine. The stronger player will move along on the winner's side.

Fran

[Drop1]

I think its too bad they ban safties. Everyone starts out as a week player. learning safties is part of the game. And it won't matter,because as you pointed out the stronger player can fake a hit,converting it to a safty. I love to watch Efren Reyes play "one pocket" watch the safties he will shot,until he has a shot. Its a game of opportunity,and safties is part of the Art.

[Billy_Bob]

Yes, and the thing is it is the weaker players who want to ban safeties sometimes. They don't realize that they are shooting themselves in the foot!

[pooltchr]

Like Fran said...as long as both players are given the same rules, the stronger player always has the advantage. The only way to give the advantage to a weaker player is to give games on the wire, or a ball spot, or in some cases, play a race to 1 where luck can become a factor.
Steve