(S&D) Safety & Defense – The Concept of BPI: Examples

(About the author)

Safety Toolbox (Advanced)

(This is today’s bit of advice from the book Safety Toolbox.)

The following game examples explain how to use BPI to beat your opponent. Always remember, that number is an average. During half of his innings he pockets more balls than that number, and half of his innings he pockets fewer balls.

8 Ball example

You have a BPI of 3. Your opponent’s BPI is 4. There is a tough cluster that has tied up a solid and a strip. He has 6 balls remaining (counting the 8 ball), you have 2 balls remaining, one of which is tied up in the cluster.

Bust up the cluster and free your ball (close to a pocket if possible), even though his ball is also opened up. Count on him dying with 1, 2, or 3 balls left on the table.

Result? He clears the table of most of the possible interference balls, leaving an easy opportunity to run out. Even if you get into trouble, use a safety against his last couple of balls. This should be an easy win for you.

9 Ball example

You have a BPI of 3 balls. Your opponent’s BPI is 4. You are shooting the 3 ball. Assume a couple of the remaining balls are easy to make.

Set him up with an easy shot on the 3 ball. Let him run the rack for a while. Somewhere around the 6, 7 or 8 ball he creates a problem for himself. He hands the table back to you.

If he was careless, you have an easy run out. If he played a safety, enter into a safety battle. Wait for him to make a mistake – you get an easy win.

Reality-check

Do not overestimate your BPI. If anything, underestimate it. If you need a reality check on your BPI, perform this exercise:
a) Assuming you think your BPI is 3.0, toss four balls on the table.
b) Start with ball in hand.
c) Record how many you can pocket in one turn.
d) Do this 10 times.

If you are truly at 3.0, half the time you should make all four balls and half the time you should make only one or two balls. If you can’t do this, you are not a 3.0 BPI. Whatever you think your BPI is, toss one extra ball out on the table and go at this 10 times.

 

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