The 8-ball pool break shot is one of the most crucial parts of your game. It is the break that decides the lay of the table and plays a vital role in you gaining control of the table. Mastering the break in 8-ball pool is an art that can secure you a win in the game.
A powerful break puts your opponent in a fix and making you gain an upper hand in the game. In such a scenario, a weaker player will lose his confidence right from the start of the game. Most of the break shots in the 8 ball pool game are relatively easy to master. These break shots will definitely break the rack neatly and might even result in pocketing some balls. If you too are looking to level up in online pool, here are several ways you can master the online 8-ball pool break.
What are the different 8-ball pool break off goals?
When you are about to break the rack in the 8 ball pool game, there are mainly three objectives you are aiming to achieve:
Achieving a good split
One of your main objectives, when you hit the cue ball, is to get all the balls to spread nicely over the table with a few clusters as possible.
Potting a ball
The next thing you aim for is potting one or more balls to get an upper hand. This gives you an opportunity to gain control of the frame.
Not potting the cue ball
Quite often than not, players tend to pot the cue ball in their break shot which results in a foul. Your third objective while making the 8-ball pool break shot is to avoid potting the cue ball.
Keeping all of these objectives in mind, there are mainly two strong break shots that you must master in online pool.
Head-on Break Shot
One of the first break shots that you must master is the head-on break shot. In this shot, you place the cue ball in a way to directly strike the centre of the baulk area (rack). When you strike the first ball, it breaks through the heart of the rack and leads to a good split. In this shot, you have to ensure that you strike the cue ball square in the face so that you don’t pot the cue ball. You can also reduce some risk by deep screwing the cueball in the same direction that it took after being struck.
Cut-Break Pool Shot
Another popular 8-ball pool break shot is the cut-break shot. For this shot, the cue ball is placed at either of the two corners of the table near the cushion. You then angle the cue ball to strike the second ball in the rack with maximum force. This shot is an effective shot for the players that tend to lose the cue ball on the break. If you master the cut-break shot successfully, the cue ball will stay under better control and will probably push into the side cushion.
Also read: 5 perks of playing online 8-ball pool
Here are some of the other good online pool break shots that you can try.
#1
A popular break amongst the online pool community is where you place the cue ball towards the right-end of the Baulk line and aim towards the fourth ball. Your guidelines should be making an L-shape. You then add a little backspin and place the striking point slightly to the left of the ball. Once the angle is set, strike the cue ball with full force.
#2
This is probably an easier break shot as you don’t require to add any spin to the cue ball. In this shot, you place the cue ball at the left-end of the Baulk line and aim at the second ball in the rack. Your guide-lines will be forming an inverted-V shape, with the lines being adjacent to each other. You should then strike the cue ball with maximum force and break the rack perfectly.
#3
The next break shot you can try is by placing the cue ball at the right-end of the Baulk line with guidelines pointing at the center of the second and fourth ball in the rack. After aligning your shot, you will have to add some topspin to the cue ball and strike with full force.
#4
Another 8-ball break is a little complex yet impressive. This shot may take some time to set up, so you got to be a little quick. Place the cue ball at the top corner of the pocket and aim directly towards the second row of the object balls. After aligning the ball add a little top-left side spin to the cue ball and strike it with maximum force.
Conclusion
Maintaining accuracy and precision during these break shots requires regular practice. Keep practicing with these different break shots to see which one suits you the best and start perfecting your aim and stroke. If you master these shots, you can easily beat your opponent in the online 8 pool game. You can master the 8-ball pool break shots by playing the cash games on MPL to win cash prizes.
