The Dead Combination: Two Balls, One Pocket

Trick shot #1 of 15Difficulty: ★☆☆Teaches: Combination shots and how frozen balls react

Two frozen balls lined up with a pocket go in almost no matter how you hit the first one. The easiest trick shot in pool, and a real game-winner.

White dashes: cue ball path. Yellow dashes: object ball path.

Setup

1. Freeze two balls together (touching) so the line through their centers points at a corner pocket.
2. Start about a diamond and a half from the pocket. Put the cue ball anywhere it can hit the back ball.

How to shoot it

1. Aim to hit the back ball fairly full, at medium-soft speed.
2. Don't aim the front ball. If the two balls are frozen and lined up, the front ball leaves along the line of centers and goes in.

Why it works

When two balls are frozen, the front ball is pushed out along the line between their centers. The cue ball only changes how hard it goes, not where. That is why players call it "dead."

Common mistakes

• Balls not quite touching. Even a tiny gap turns it into a real combination that you have to aim.
• Hitting the back ball with a big cut angle and lots of speed. Friction can "throw" the front ball off line, so stay near full.

In a real game

In 9-Ball, spotting a dead combination on the 9 wins games. Look for it every time two balls are touching near a pocket.