3 minute read
ONE POCKET PATTERN PLAY
In the Game of “One Pocket,” the pattern play is endless, and the types of shots and layouts are limitless.
In “One Pocket,” you’ll find that there are very few “ Hard and Fast Rules,” and a lot of the patterns aren’t so common, as opposed to other Pocket Billiard games.
For this reason, One Pocket is the game to play if you want to use your creativity and imagination to its fullest.
One of the reasons One Pocket is one of the hardest games out there is simply because every skill in pool that you’ve ever developed comes into play.
Shooting dead straight, cue ball control, controlling the object balls, safety play, kick shots, bank shots, caroms, and much more.
That’s right, every conceivable shot can come into play in a single game.
Because of the unpredictable nature of the game, you’ll never be able to think a full rack ahead.
Too many situations change. The balls get moved around, and you’ll never know what your last ball will be.
There’s always one excellent place to leave the cue ball, and that’s generally as close to your opponent’s pocket.
Leaving your opponent close to their pocket generally
leaves them with no straight-in shot options.
In fact, it often causes them to have to bank their shot. Leaving them close to their pocket can prove to be frustrating and counterproductive for them. It’s also a great pattern play and strategic move to fall back on when you’re not sure what your next move should be.
The intricacies and high characteristics of One Pocket it analogous to a game of Chess.
Just like in Chess, One Pocket can be broken into three basic components: the beginning game, consisting of both typical and not-so-typical opening moves; the middle game, in which balls tend to get shifted to the other end of the table; and finally, the end game, in which one or both opponents only need just one ball for the win, and this is when you’ll generally see a lot of defensive play.
At the end of the game, only a few balls will be left, and the odds are high that either you or your opponent will need only to pocket one more ball for the win.
In the next article, I will be covering “The One Pocket Break”! And some of the various shots that you’ll need in your bag to be successful at One Pocket!
Until then...
HappyShootin’
From “The White Wolf”
