Alex Kazakis of Greece faces a tough situation.
With the cue ball behind the red 3, he has to
hit the yellow 1-ball or lose the game.
Haven't done one of these in a while.
Understanding the situation is key: Josh Filler of Germany and Alex Kazakis of Greece are locked in a titanic safety battle at the Derby City Classic earlier this year (a safety is when you try to leave your opponent with a difficult shot; think "defense not offense"). They're playing 10-Ball on the Bigfoot, an oversized 10x5' table (regulation is 9x4.5'). Remember each player must hit the lowest-numbered ball on the table first. We pick up the action at 20:22. They're on the solid yellow 1-ball.
First you'll see Alex massé his way out of a tight fix. He succeeds in hitting the 1-ball, but unfortunately he doesn't catch a rail (to be a legal shot, either the object ball must be pocketed, or any ball has to touch a rail). It's a foul, his second. The player must be alerted that he's on two fouls, because three fouls in succession and he's done—loss of game (i.e., the rack). Josh takes ball in hand. Normally he would go on offense, but since Alex is on two fouls, he lays another wicked safety next to the black 8 ball, behind the solid red 3.
Josh has Alex right where he wants him—with a good chance he'll foul out. Alex knows that if he fails to contact the 1-ball, he loses the rack. Watch what he does next.
By the way, note that pool audiences are notoriously hard to impress—typically it's a bunch of old men sitting around granite-faced with their arms folded. It's hilarious how many times you'll hear a commentator say "the crowd applauds" or "the crowd loves it" or something along those lines, when there are only like four people clapping. You'll hardly ever hear a pool crowd break into spontaneous applause like this.
If you'd like to see what a dramatic safety battle looks like, watch all of rack 4, starting at 15:45. Pool is a connoisseur's game, and the harder it is to understand and the slower the action, the more the fans seem to like it.
Okay, that's it for pool posts for a while—no use clamoring for more.
Mike
Book o' the Week
The Mindful Photographer by Sophie Howarth. I only know of Sophie Howarth from her time as a curator at the Tate Modern in London, but my impression then was positive. Her brand new book (it only came out a few days ago) is about slowing down as a means of enjoying photographing more. It's said to contain a curated collection of photographs along with anecdotes and explanation.
The book link is your portal to Amazon from TOP, should you wish to support this site.
Original contents copyright 2020 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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