Middle Pocket Loser
General Points
Middle pocket losers are not only a deadly scoring force, they tend to form the backbone of amateur Billiards. If there is one shot that is worth practicing to improve your match-winning ability, this is it. The middle pocket loser is one of the main half-ball shots that form the basis for successful Billiards. Some players choose to score mainly by middle pocket losers as they are relatively simple to play and are shots from which many championships have been won.
Standard shot
The first step to playing a successful middle pocket loser is to set the cue ball for the natural angle. Play the shot with top and at least a thick half-ball. It is important to hit the object ball thick so that most of the momentum from the cue ball is transferred to the object ball, which makes judging the pace of the object ball much easier. Get into the habit of always hitting at least a thick half-ball so that you do not have to judge 2 things, thickness of contact and strength; you simply have to judge the strength! Once you are proficient at the shot, you can start to hit the object ball thicker than normal.
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Contact and Side
The thicker you hit the object ball the less pace you need for the shot. You can vary the path of the object ball by playing a thicker or thinner contact, but remember that the thinner you contact the object ball the more pace you need to bring it back for a middle pocket loser and judging the strength now becomes much more difficult.
When the object ball is close to the pocket it is often best to use some running side; this pushes the object ball away from the side cushion and more into the middle of the table. When the object ball is close to the D or well away from the middle pocket, it is often best to use some check side.
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Red or white?
If you are playing the red, the idea is generally to bring the object ball back for another middle pocket loser by hitting the thick half-ball. If you are playing the white, a sequence of middle pocket losers is not desirable as it is normally much better to leave the white in a position to play a cannon. The following video shows a typical sequence of middle pocket losers:
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Basic BilliardsStandard shot
Set the cue ball for the natural angle, placing it on the middle spot in the D and the object ball in line with the left spot in the D and 58 inches (1473 mm) from the baulk cushion. The position may need some adjustment depending on the conditions. You should aim to bring the object ball up and down the table in a straight line and back to the start point. Remember to address the cue ball at 12 o'clock and to hit a thick half ball. Practice until you can score off this shot 7/10.
Variations
Move the object ball to a new position, mark the position with a small chalk mark and now try to set the cue ball yourself; you will find this more difficult. The key to middle pocket losers is learning to see the natural angle; the shot itself is quite easy once it is set correctly, but initially you will probably find this difficult. Therefore, repeat this shot until you find the correct position for the cue ball. Repeat the whole procedure enough times until you are confident that you can make the shot about 7/10 from any new position.
Controlling the direction of the red
Move the object ball reasonably close to the pocket and this time play the shot with some running side, to push the object ball more into the middle of the table. Hitting the object ball slightly thinner than the standard thick half ball contact will also help to push the object ball away from the side cushion, but remember that the thinner that you hit the obect ball, the more strength you will need in the shot. With the same red position try different playing the shot with check side and also plain ball. You will see that the red takes different paths and this is something that you should remember for your future middle pocket losers. The shaded triangle in the diagram more or less represents the ranges of the initial path of the red, depending how you play the shot. Once you become more proficient at these shots you will be able to slightly adjust the contact of the shot and use side to vary the red path by quite a large degree.
Practice Targets
| Beginner | 5/10 | Success rate for a 'standard' middle pocket loser will be low at first but should very quickly improve as you learn to recognize the angle. The main problem with this shot is setting the cue ball in the D. Once you become reasonably proficient at this there is quite a large margin for error in the shot and you should achieve quite a high success rate. |
| Club Player | 9/10 | An average player will get most of their attempts but will tend to play the shots too thin and cue the object ball from side to side, quickly running out of position. |
| Professional | 10/10 | Top players generally miss very few of these shots and are able to adjust the path of the object ball more or less as they wish. Nevertheless, they are not guaranteed to get the ball back for another middle pocket loser, although they would expect to do this around 8/10. |
Very close to the pocket
This shot is often badly played. It is important to miss the middle pocket top jaw with the object ball but then to hit the side cushion as soon as possible after that. A touch of check side helps and the object ball should follow the path shown, coming out into the middle of the table.
Thicker contact shot
If this particular shot was played as a standard half ball shot you would cut the object ball towards the side cushion. Therefore, if needs to be played much thicker than half ball. Use top and check side and try to keep the object ball away from the side cushion.
Slow shot
Play this shot as a true half ball (slightly thinner than a standard shot) and use some check side, leaving the object ball over the middle pocket.
3/4 Ball run-through
This is the 3/4 ball loser and is more advanced than the other strokes. It is a very useful shot to know although most players would now choose to pot the object ball (if it is the red).
Remember
- Set the cue ball for the natural angle
- Address the cue ball at 12 o'clock
- Hit a thick half-ball every time
- Bring the red back for another middle pocket loser
Common Mistakes
- Addressing the cue ball at centre or worse still, below centre.
- Hitting the object ball too thin or varying thickness of contact on a standard shot.
- Not critiquing properly e.g. if the ball does not return far enough for another middle pocket loser the usual problem is too thin a contact and although more pace would produced the desired result, it is wrong to play thin and fast - the primary fault here would normally be the thin contact.
