When you first begin learning how to play pool, you have simple goals. Usually you just want to sink as many balls as possible each turn and you pray to find easy shots and pray even more that you get to the 8 ball quickly. You are most likely going to shoot at every easy ball you see, and ignore the more difficult ones until you have no choice but to shoot at them. Yet you also probably wish you had more success at making balls and winning games, and get frustrated when the last balls are near impossible to shoot at. If you want to reach that goal, though, you need to adjust your approach to the layout on the table. You need to leave some of those easy shots alone until later on, where they can become useful for getting cue ball position on the really difficult shots.

The next thing to learn is to begin saving easy shots to be used as safety outlets later on. One of the troubles with eliminating the easy balls early is that you lose options for getting around the table. Cue ball position is integral to successfully running out a table, and sometimes you can use an easy ball as safety valve. Amateur players are prone to making mistakes with position, so that safety valve that you left nearby can become real handy in getting you back on track. I want to challenge you to start leaving easy shots alone until absolutely necessary. Start imagining ways that you can put those easy shots to use later on in a game to help you reach those other shots you normally deem “difficult”.

One way to go about this is to first locate the balls that are the toughest to make good position FROM. You’re in a spot where you can shoot that sort of tough shot in right now, but then what? You can’t see too many other good shots from there, but… you could probably get a nice clean line on that safety valve you’ve been leaving alone. Maybe now is a good time to utilize it. Maybe now you can shoot in that tough shot without trying anything fancy that might mess it up, then you can use the easy hanger that you saved to get around the table into the next position on another moderately difficult shot. Easy hangers will often offer a natural angle that you can use for easy position.

Another choice is to begin planning your run-out focused around a safety valve. Select a shot pattern that lets you take out several tough shots one after the other, even if the position-difficulty is higher than you like. Keep an eye on the easy shot that you have left alone as you work through the other balls that are near it. Be aware that you can always fall back on that safety valve if you accidentally mess something up with those tougher balls. You will be able to use the safety valve to get back on track with little fuss. So you see, having that outlet available can let you breathe easier while working through the tougher stuff. You will feel secure that there’s always a safe second option if you run into trouble.

So, remember that your job as you continue to learn how to play pool for beginners is to start getting creative with your shot patterns. Your goal changes from just making a few balls in before you lose to trying to run out the table every time. By choosing to use easy shots as safety valves, you give yourself a new weapon every time you step up to the table. The more outlets you can save up and use for emergencies, the better chance you have of getting through the whole table and getting a shot at that 8 ball! Remember to look for as many ways as possible to use a singe safety valve. The more flexibility you give yourself, the better your chances of getting to the finish line.

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