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Game Psychology of Snooker |
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The most important stroke in the game is the break off. Unlike in pool, you don't smack it as hard as you can in the hope of sinking a ball. There are no limitations on cushions you must hit etc.
So, players will break off in such a way as to prevent their opponents not having a chance to pot the ball, and hopefully, not leave an easy return safety shot. Safety shots are not frowned upon in snooker! The tactics are an important part of the game. Once reds get knocked up the other end of the table, as sometimes happens in safety play anyway, the balls go near cushions, and colours get knocked into unpottable positions. So should a player have a chance of a pot, he wouldn't make a big break (sequence of pots), because half of the balls are tucked away on the cushions in unpottable positions. It's to neither players' advantage to do that. The situation of knocking reds towards baulk and using the black for safety does happen sometimes, when playing a containing safety from baulk if you cannot get the cueball back there for safety, or if there is a red in baulk, so you wouldn't be safe by leaving the cueball there. But it's to neither players advantage. |
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Last Updated ( Friday, 10 July 2009 )
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