Practice Straight Pool to Improve Your VP4 Play

Most players of Virtual Pool 4 are looking to improve. Some of you in both real life and VP4. I'm going to propose to you the game I think is the best practice, Straight Pool. This also applies to real life if you are an intermediate player or better. For VP4 it applies to just about anybody because you already have a great stroke and in real life you need to develop that first. So any VP4 player that has learned to pocket balls should start practicing Straight Pool. If you are a seasoned VP player, you should play Straight Pool as that will take your game to the next level.

Straight Pool is going to help develop cue ball movement skills and teach you good pattern play, both required to run a lot of balls in Straight Pool. Cue ball movement is critical in pool to shape up the next shot. Typically you need to play two balls ahead of the one you are shooting to get the proper positions. Pattern play is basically the process of deciding which balls to shoot in which order, and what ball paths to take to get to each ball.

Straight Pool is great for teaching both because there are lots of pattern choices and many shots require precise cue ball movement. Playing the correct patterns and paths is conducive to precise cue ball movement because you can play shots in ways that are more reliable and consistent. Unlike games like 9-ball most shots are pretty easy in Straight Pool. But that does not make it easy as you have many blocking balls, clusters, and getting the cue ball in the wrong position can prematurely end many runs.

The best way to play pool is shooting easy stress free shots. The way to do that is knowing what patterns to play for consistent cue ball movement. I'm not going to get into how to play patterns, or move the cue ball in this post. I recommend you try playing some Straight Pool in Practice By Myself mode and see how high a run you can make.


Steve Chaplin

Virtual Pool 4 Online



Super Admin
Category: Virtual Pool

14 Responses to Practice Straight Pool to Improve Your VP4 Play

    TheLuckyCue October 17, 2012 at 02:28 am

    Thank you for the advice. Although I have known about this for a long time it is also a good reminder to keep your game in good form. It is by far one of the best games to play to keep you tuned up.

    Hanterp October 17, 2012 at 04:24 am

    In VP3 I practiced a lot in straight pool. My biggest stumble block was to open the pack of balls bit by bit. I often runned out of position or I concentrated so hard on the position that I missed the pot. Sofar I did not play Straight pool in VP4 ( busy to play snooker ) but I certainly will play it again.

    Super Admin October 17, 2012 at 09:55 am

    Usually you don't want to try to open balls bit by bit. In Straight Pool after you break the balls it is better to try to clear blocking balls and to work out how to play the rack without trying to break up other balls. If you are gently bumping balls in a controlled manner, that is ok. Always best to not move balls unless you know exactly where they are going.

    Pool Shark November 17, 2012 at 10:27 am

     I agree Straight Pool is a great way to practice.

    RTC-UK November 19, 2012 at 06:31 pm

    Straight is good, yet I'd say if you run out of position, there may often be another ball to keep the break going.


    Cribbage is another good game to improve your positional play, as you need to pot the balls in 'pairs' to add up to 15. ie: 6 & 9 or 3 & 12 etc, & then the 15 ball last.

    It's the first to pot 5 pairs that wins & you may enjoy finding the best route from your first ball potted, to it's paired ball avoiding all others along the way. Also even if you're snookered after 1st ball potted, you can still recover with a combo, as you only need sink second paired ball, you don't actually have to hit it as 'the ball on'.

    It can get tricky once a few are potted without their paired ball being potted, because they come back up & you can get a line of balls through 8-spot all tying each other up.
    Then it becomes good to practice not only potting your 1st ball, but caroming it's paired ball out & into play.
    I hope anyone who has avoided this game due to not really knowing rules, will now try it out.

    RTC

    Edited November 19, 2012 06:34 pm
    Diver December 1, 2012 at 09:05 am

    I didn't realise about the ball on not being hit first.  I'll take another look. :o)

    riterman August 16, 2017 at 09:47 pm

    The article tells everything except HOW.  What do i click to get on a table to play/practise?

     

    Diver August 16, 2017 at 10:27 pm

    Best way to practice alone is with VP4 Offline. That has a lot of training tools and also instrucitonal videos. But you can practice on VP4 Online by yourself. Just create a Match room, set it up for Straight Pool, you can play just one player.

    lisal February 7, 2015 at 02:49 pm

    OI just started and i cant seem to figure out how to practice alone. Dont want to bother others while i get the hang of it.  Lisal

    Super Admin February 11, 2015 at 05:11 am

    Best way to practice alone is with VP4 Offline. That has a lot of training tools and also instrucitonal videos. But you can practice on VP4 Online by yourself. Just create a Match room, set it up for Straight Pool, you can play just one player.

    David Matlock April 7, 2016 at 02:32 pm

    VP4 would be great way to practice if the physics were entirely correct.  I've played tens of thousands of racks, mabye hundreds and there are on occasion shots that happen in VP4 that are simply pysically impossible.  Half the time on the higher levels the corners play like a Snooker table if you hit the ball with any speed at all, especially if you use straight draw.  English does not reverse often times when it should and don't even get me started about the number of combinations that no one was even looking at that just "go in".  It's a fun game, but i can't play it much, it takes about a 2 and half balls off my regular game if I forget I'm on a real table.  Good game for novices.  Pro...just go outand play on real tables, you can learn nothing from this.  9 time Bar Table World Champion David Matlock

    Edited April 8, 2016 11:37 am
    caz207 May 1, 2016 at 12:17 am

       

     

    Edited May 3, 2016 09:48 pm
    GP May 9, 2016 at 05:43 am

    Referring to David Matlocks posting above ,I think it would be almost impossible to create real time physics in any virtual game or simulation.One shouldnt compare Vp4 to playing on real tables but should enjoy and accept it for what it is. I personally feel its an awseome simulation and comes damn close to the real thing.One just needs to practise more to get a better feel of playing and controlling the cue and of course..a little improvising here and there should improve your game

     

    Edited May 10, 2016 05:51 am
    lisal May 21, 2016 at 08:29 pm

    Thanks to all of you for the knowlegable responses. This is a very fun game be it real or online.

    Just like real tables, some have their own little kwirks. So does VP. It is all fair and fun so long as one remembers it is a game.   

    Lisal

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