Often players look at three or four balls on the table and think it is easy to run out. It may look easy when the first shot is easy to pocket

     Looking at Diagram 1, the 7 ball is easy to pocket. However, that is where the layout stops being easy. Anytime you have to go from one side of the table to the other and then back, it will be tricky. Not only tricky, but you will need good position on each shot.

     The problem is to play position on the 8 ball so you can get back down on the 9 ball. Sometimes players refer to this as going “uptable” for the 8 ball and “downtable” for position on the 9 ball. In Diagram 1, you can play position for pocket A and try to fall at C-2. To fall at C-2, you have to load up the cue ball with high right English, as much right English as you can get on there. And if you contact the cue ball with good speed, you will fall at C-2.

     However, sometimes our speed is not always perfect. You might end up at C-1. From C-1, you can still cut the 8 ball into pocket A and get position as shown at C-3 for the 9 ball. To end up at C-3, you must shoot with a hard stroke and contact the cue ball low with a lot of right English. Be cautious — it’s easy to overcut the 8 ball at a harder speed. Well, at least I have a tendency to overcut this shot.

     As shown in Diagram 2, it is easy to fall into good position on the 9 ball if you start from position C-2. You can pocket the 8 ball and draw over to the side rail and off to C-4 for position. Just contact the cue ball below center with a touch of left English. If you don’t draw back enough, contact the cue ball lower next time. There is a problem with this approach, however. When floating across to fall at C-2, instead of stopping short, you could go a little too hard. If you end up too close to (or on) side rail C, it may become very difficult to get back downtable for the 9 ball. As you may have noticed, there is not much room for error when trying to fall at C-2. Now, consider the option shown in Diagram 3. Contact the cue ball lower and with right English to bring the cue ball above side pocket B. Bouncing off side rail C, you try to fall at C-5 for position on the 8 ball for the side pocket. Once again, it requires good speed control to fall at C-5.

     But notice that now you are floating off the side rail C instead of dying toward the rail as you were when you were trying to fall at C-2 in Diagram 1. So you shouldn’t end up frozen on the rail if you aim for C-5. Even if it stops shorter, you can still cut the 8 ball into the side pocket D and float back downtable for position on the 9 ball at C-6. And if you go past C-5, you may end up with a thinner cut for the side pocket, or maybe a shot for one of the corner pockets E or F.

     The runout on the 7 ball, 8 ball and 9 ball may end up being easy, especially if you play great position. Great execution will tame even the toughest runouts. But anytime you start going back and forth for position, don’t take the runout for granted. You don’t have to be afraid, just focused. Be ready to bear down and execute.

     The reason I prefer the option in Diagram 3 is that the cue ball is less likely to tangle with a rail. Also, I know there will be some kind of shot to pocket the 8 ball and get on the 9 ball. And, even if you miss the 8 ball, your cue ball will end up near C-6, and you haven’t given away the game. By contrast, if you get on the rail, you might miss the 8 ball or fall in a spot where you can’t get back downtable for position on the 9 ball. You can probably tell that the cue ball ended up on the rail. Because of this, I try to avoid ending up on the rail when it is not possible to recover. Always remember to check out your options and learn to choose wisely.

     Good luck.