Can I Beat Gareth Potts at Chinese 8-Ball? 🎱

In the last video, we learned all about Chinese eightball pool. So, we're going to have a best of nine. Now, what do you reckon is a good start for me? I know

the start is you I can take balls off right at the end. The way they do the the handicap and the start in China, they do a ball. You'll break off. Yeah.

If you make a ball when you you visit to the table, you can choose one ball to take off and then it's just a normal frame to decide who breaks first. We lag

off what we call a lag. So, up and down the table closest to the back cushion breaks. This looks a pretty good

breaks. This looks a pretty good standard lag, you know. And I think you've done me.

We might have to get the tape measure out. Yeah, you done me. I think I've

out. Yeah, you done me. I think I've just got you. Yeah, you just just got there.

When I went low, control the CQ ball, though.

Okay. Open table. So, you can pick you pick your ball. Now, if I'm taking stripes, it's not a bad table anyway.

No, it isn't. No, I think I'll take this away. Yeah, I think that's a good choice

away. Yeah, I think that's a good choice for you.

Not for me.

So, you want the angle to go down table though, which you've got. It just

doesn't stop. Problem ballwise, the 12 ball in the middle of the table would be the first thing I would look at. I

didn't I did think about taking that one off to be fair. Yeah, but I might regret. I mean, obviously, it's got a

regret. I mean, obviously, it's got a nice pocket to the middle. It's just

getting good on it.

Nice. that natural angle to drop on it.

See, I'm going to This is a snooker bone. I'm going to try and kind of in

bone. I'm going to try and kind of in the pink ball, but perfect. Good shot. But if that went

perfect. Good shot. But if that went wrong, you may have been on the nine if you slid by it. Yeah.

the trace aside. Oh, hit it. Took the

pace off at the side. Is that enough?

No, I don't think so.

Good clearance. At least I won a game.

make five none. We might have to go back to a level game. So what is it normally best of when you play these tournaments for the next one? The the big events are always best of 25 in the first round. So

race to 13, right? So you know at this game that's a uh that's a long old slo really. Generally the best player on the

really. Generally the best player on the day or on the match should generally win over that distance. And of course it increases the further the tournament

goes. just went a fraction high.

goes. just went a fraction high.

Yeah. So those races would increase.

Yeah.

[Applause] I want to use that five ball as use that five ball as the connect ball to get down the table. That's why

I've left this one. So the cq ball isn't really traveling too far. Just play a little soft stun shot and get that. This

is obviously your last ball before the eight ball, is it? Yeah. And playing

down that line, I'm almost like playing on a choice of two.

Two goes in any middle.

[Applause] Nice. And that this being on the table

Nice. And that this being on the table doesn't affect it, does it? Yeah. I

mean, in a match, what would happen is cuz there's two balls on you, it's a little bit fiddly to remove. But because

the weight of the balls, it doesn't unless you're rolling it dead weight, it doesn't really deviate the CQ ball. But

obviously in a match, the referee would mark the ball. Okay. Okay. Take it off.

So need a bit of running side. Does it get

side. Does it get up? Oh, it's in the middle of the road.

up? Oh, it's in the middle of the road.

Now I can take it off. That's not nice.

off. That's not nice.

To be fair, I I don't I can't see me clearing up anyway, but So, it's a thin one into the middle and then off close, isn't it?

[Applause] Yeah, good shot. But yeah, those little because of the weight of the ball, that's one of those shots where it has to be hit so slowly, right, and so deep

on the cub to get the cub to bite so quickly, you know, obviously to to avoid the off. So I think, you know, that the

the off. So I think, you know, that the strike on the CQ ball is very different to what snooker players are used to to nineball pool. You watch like the Efron

nineball pool. You watch like the Efron Reyes in America is a different technique and the queue action is completely different Chinese ball, isn't it? Yeah. And I think that's where the

it? Yeah. And I think that's where the snooker players are having unbelievable techniques and queue actions. Obviously,

they're not going to miss many balls.

The players that come from the American pool game that are used to, just to give you an idea, as I said, these are 3.3 in pockets. The American players play on

pockets. The American players play on 4.5. So, they're over an inch wider and

4.5. So, they're over an inch wider and and it can hit here. If you hit the anything here, it's not going in. Right.

No, because the pockets on on the American table, the pockets are cut square. So what they aim for is they

square. So what they aim for is they always aim for near knuckle because of the squareness. It hits that and shoots

the squareness. It hits that and shoots in. So here the wing balls are the seven

in. So here the wing balls are the seven and the 14. So I'm going to try and get these tracking towards the middle. Try

and control the CQ ball.

Oh that's unbelievable. I tell you what, good

unbelievable. I tell you what, good breakoff. Honestly, that's Yeah. Nice. I

breakoff. Honestly, that's Yeah. Nice. I

think I think it's much stronger. I'll

take that off, I think. Okay. Yeah, I

think I'm in trouble again.

Straight away. I don't think that was a great shot to be fair.

[Applause] Oh, deviated. Actually, did you

Oh, deviated. Actually, did you deviated?

Ah, it's dummy in that was Come a completely wrong shot, [Applause] but no.

What is no man's land? Might be okay.

You maybe get the cannon into the 10.

Yeah nice shot. So, obviously the eight ball needs

shot. So, obviously the eight ball needs a little bit of consideration. Yeah.

It go anywhere.

What a shot he's played in the area.

Look, thank you ever so much. Shot.

Brilliant. But obviously you in the in the earlier years of you playing this, you know, you used to play in some of the tournaments, didn't you? Some nights

when playing in China to say my recent trip, I did about nine cities playing in pool clubs. Some nights I get like if I

pool clubs. Some nights I get like if I get a a nice queue Yeah. with a nice feel to it and I know that I know the throw I can play all right but as I say the thing when I get if the ball's going

in the cushion and then and it's the same actually when you used to play snooker exhibitions you play someone that can't play the balls go everywhere the balls go messy and same in this it's even worse at this game playing people

who can't play oh the wind ball was in got kicked out the way made the four points this time Oh, I got four in and out. Four come in

and out. Yeah,

and out. Yeah, they've been good tables every time, haven't they? Yeah, they're nice

haven't they? Yeah, they're nice layouts. And that's the thing with the

layouts. And that's the thing with the softer brake, you know, okay, you make one but generally there's a lot easier layouts, which obviously for TV is good because a

lot more clearances from the brake, you I suppose like you know people watching the snooker like to see century breaks and Yeah. So I I I thought you might have

Yeah. So I I I thought you might have left one of these two for your last balls, but I suppose just a connecting ball to get down the table, right?

Oh. Oh dear. Oh no. Oh dear.

Can you jump to play this 12? No, I

can't. I can't even play the jump. What

are you going to try and do? Going to

have to try and come off the cushion and pop the 11 ball. Well, it'll be devastation on my part if this comes off. Complete

off. Complete devastation. the chalk, please. Tom,

devastation. the chalk, please. Tom,

let's try to keep the chalk from me. I

need to go after the bad one. No, no, no, no, no. I just might just do a dirty one

no. I just might just do a dirty one here.

Oh nice effort. Nice effort, Steen. That's thin.

effort. Nice effort, Steen. That's thin.

Nice effort. This is where you got to know like the tip. I need to play like maybe a bit of a spinny one. That's That's such a hard shot. The

one. That's That's such a hard shot. The

big D cell was always going to be on.

How have I missed that? How have I missed that part?

Fuming. I am

Oh. Oh. How's he missed that? Oh dear.

See, I got Oh. Oh, it's all happening in this

Oh. Oh, it's all happening in this frame.

How is that going to the shot?

That just shows the weight of the ball, doesn't it? For it to top off the ball

doesn't it? For it to top off the ball like that.

Yeah good shot. Uh, two chances. I mean the ch I

shot. Uh, two chances. I mean the ch I mean if I got one chance in a frame I've got to take it. I can't believe I had two chances. Do you still play much snooker

chances. Do you still play much snooker with Mark? A little bit. A little bit.

with Mark? A little bit. A little bit.

Uh I've always practiced like quite a bit of snooker from a young age. I've

never you know played in a tournament but I've always practiced it. And I

think certainly as we said before for this game I think you know it helps to have you know an okay if you've got an okay technique and you're able to play a little bit of snooker. I think

I played some pool with with Mark. This

is Seth Selby obviously in in China last summer. We played nineball. Yeah. On

summer. We played nineball. Yeah. On

eightball table which I I didn't think it was as good a game. I don't know what you do you play much in nine ball that there started to be some big events now in nineball. I actually won one last

in nineball. I actually won one last year in July. One of the big ones in China. The thing with nineball is

China. The thing with nineball is obviously you're playing position on one ball all the time. When you play snooker or you play eight ball, you play position options put Q ball in areas.

Especially at snooker when you got 15 reds, you're playing on eight ball, you do the same. Sometimes you've got five, six balls and it's like put it there.

Where at nine ball, you're playing a rotation game. You have to land on your

rotation game. You have to land on your three ball and that's it. So I think from a Q ball control point of view, I think it's better. Right.

Okay. Still hasn't pointed one.

[Music] I think I know which one's coming off here. Yeah, it's a nob brainer, isn't

here. Yeah, it's a nob brainer, isn't it? Is it?

it? Is it?

No, I think you've got to I I would go spots and I would take the four ball.

Right. Yeah, but I don't fancy the two.

What about the the 13 don't go though?

12 doesn't go in here.

Right. Okay. All right. I'll take your advice already. That the two's filling

advice already. That the two's filling me with dread already shot.

The important thing with the two ball if you're going to play on it.

Yeah. You've gone the right way. You're

going to play on it last. Yeah.

I think for a lot of people that watch eightball, the biggest question they ask is about the patterns. you know, how do you take the balls in the right order?

And obviously the counting backwards thing of what you've done here is you've you've got your last ball. Yeah. Which

leaves basically as long as I'm straight on, it's a straight stun for the eight ball into the middle. So this was completely the right pattern. Played a

bad shot there though. We covered it short. I don't

though. We covered it short. I don't

know. further away from it than I wanted. Honestly, I can't just I can't

wanted. Honestly, I can't just I can't stand these. Oh, these tables.

stand these. Oh, these tables.

It's just in my head. I thought that was in to be honest.

[Applause] So, when are you thinking about moving this? Yeah. So, quite early to be

this? Yeah. So, quite early to be honest. What's the plan? What's the

honest. What's the plan? What's the

plan? So, I've got a couple of options.

Um, I either take this one out the way and then take this and try and leave an angle to pot this and top into it, right? Which means, you know, I'm

right? Which means, you know, I'm guaranteed to be on balls, right? Or I

could screw up off it now. Play it and play it almost as a top spin. Q ball

here. Right. If I miss, okay, I'll leave you snooker and I'm on this. Right. So,

I've already got like a a couple of Yeah, cuz there's things as well. If the

black was safe, you could even pot that to pot mine, couldn't you? Yeah. Play

the skill shot or the loss of turn shot just about trying to pick that exact line. Obviously, because you can't cheat

line. Obviously, because you can't cheat the ball. Well, it's like a millimeter

the ball. Well, it's like a millimeter out. You're you're Yeah.

out. You're you're Yeah.

ruined.

I think that might be okay. Yeah.

okay. Yeah.

[Applause] [Applause] I had a chance again.

[Applause] Yep. So, no one's pointed a ball for the

Yep. So, no one's pointed a ball for the break yet, right? No, we haven't. So, I

think like what what you would, you know, look for in a match is what's happening to the wing balls as in are they going high? Are they going low? If

they're going high, you may want to take a bit of pace off. If they're going to the near knuckles, which is low, inject a bit more pace. And there's loads of things to just think about. It's not

just a flat hit. So sometimes if you drop the queue on the tape back when it comes back, if you just drop it and then you're fractionally popping into it, that can pop them high, right? So when

you take the queue back, if you just drop the back swing, there you go. Oh, it's gone high again. So there's loads of different

again. So there's loads of different little technical things that you can do on the break that can manipulate where the balls go. It's not just a straight flat back swing. Again, none of them are

going anywhere. You very rarely put them

going anywhere. You very rarely put them in the corners then. R at that pace.

Very rarely, right?

You wouldn't risk five to take the green off here, would you? No. No. I think so.

That's a snooker shot, isn't it? Yeah. I

think so. I'm thinking if you miss a cannon, you got 10 other balls. But

yeah, I like uh just trying to drop him behind it.

Well, I'm I'm just saying all the time cuz I don't want to pop one down the cushion. So, yeah. And I think the game

cushion. So, yeah. And I think the game can get you a bit where So, I just want to It just keeps running. Yeah, that's

quick, isn't it? Wanted to leave myself where I can just use the extension and not have to use the rest cuz a pool player, we're not the best with the

rest. Almost had to take me medicine a

rest. Almost had to take me medicine a bit there. I was a bit scared of that

bit there. I was a bit scared of that myself. I've put I've put the

myself. I've put I've put the Oh, yeah. You can't really take the

Oh, yeah. You can't really take the pink, can you? Cuz blue doesn't go anywhere. No. Can I just hold it? Let's

anywhere. No. Can I just hold it? Let's

see if I can just hold it off the 13. Ah,

13. Ah, clever.

Clever. Yep. That is 42 now. Ah, let's

see if we can try and show you the the breakoff where the wing balls go because it's such a big part of this game, the break, you know, especially at the top level. If you're not making balls off

level. If you're not making balls off the brake, then it's impossible to win.

As simple as that. What I've been working on is sometimes now if they're using a triangle, not the magic rack, we have to break the balls even harder, right? Obviously, there's a big skill in

right? Obviously, there's a big skill in trying to hit the balls hard. So, I've

been sort of trying to work on hitting him a little bit harder off me hand, off an open hand, which is hard. I can hit him hard from the bridge here, but I feel like the cub's too far away. So,

I've been working on trying to get the cub obviously close anywhere. Yeah, you

put it anywhere beyond the line. Okay.

So, I've been trying to work on hitting him a bit harder off the hand.

[Applause] I think he was just toying with me the first few.

Yeah, they broke. Okay.

So, straight away like for the pattern, it's take one end of the table away, which is the four ball. So, yeah,

get up to it. You don't want to be straight on it. You want an angle. You

obviously want the CQ ball back down the table. And then the CQ ball now can

table. And then the CQ ball now can effectively track down the table and I'll have a choice of all five balls really.

Well, I was going to say there you'd want the two ball away first. Oh, don't

drop on that 11. Stop.

You've snook it. I've never ever snooker myself on there. Am I just on a

there. Am I just on a five? I said I have choice of all five

five? I said I have choice of all five balls. I got a choice of none. I was

balls. I got a choice of none. I was

thinking Okay, it's because of two cuz obviously it clears the black. Clears

the black. Yeah. Yeah. And you're right.

You know, the black is a little bit, you know, but it still goes in there. Yeah.

All right.

I wanted to keep that there. Yeah. See,

I want to keep the seven as my last ball. Right.

ball. Right.

A slow a chance to get back in it.

Although it's not an easy [Applause] one. It's never been a shot, is it? And

one. It's never been a shot, is it? And

that's taken the skill shot option out of it.

Oh my god. Oh my. I just can't I just can't

god. Oh my. I just can't I just can't put a ball on these tables.

could have gone wrong. That's a messy one. Could have gone wrong.

one. Could have gone wrong.

Get in.

Oh, I appreciate the help. I think you Yeah, we got it. I I think I would clear the bottom here and like maybe get to the side, Christian, you know, to take

cuz the the plants are so tough.

Oh, yeah. Well played. It's okay with the pocket.

This is the easiest shot. He's played this lovely.

shot. He's played this lovely.

Yeah. Didn't hold out much hope missing that one.

Good dish.

Have you ever missed the final black in frame? Yeah. Yeah, I have. Yeah, because

frame? Yeah. Yeah, I have. Yeah, because

you know what? What what what Cuz I was thinking like if you look the patterns, you're normally always perfect on the black. Yeah. It's just sometimes

black. Yeah. It's just sometimes obviously it can be close to a rail, right? So, you know, if it's close to a

right? So, you know, if it's close to a rail, then you have a chance of missing it. And that's when that maybe your

it. And that's when that maybe your pattern of clearing clearing the balls halfway through, you would maybe try and disturb it at some point.

Right. 43. Let me back in. Okay.

I think this train is a bit [Applause] harder. Okay.

harder. Okay.

Oh, not the easiest leave, is it? No, it's

it's pot. It's getting on to the next stripe isn't it? Place

it? Place This is obviously the last one, right?

Yeah, it's going to have to be the last one. If I can just play a little screw

one. If I can just play a little screw shot on the back of it. But it's a little dabby one. That was a nice shot.

one. That was a nice shot.

[Applause] Good job.

[Applause] Well played. Well played. Well played.

Well played. Well played. Well played.

That was good.