In playing for any losing hazard, it should be remembered that the position
of one ball after the stroke is fixed: the striker's own ball will be "in
hand." Hence, he has only to consider the position of the object ball,
which we will suppose to be the red. Now, the object of the player is to
leave an easy stroke next time. As a rule, the red ball must be hit in a
certain spot to ensure the hazard, the only exception being when the red
ball is close to the pocket, and the player's ball close to the red. In
this latter case it is often the best plan to just touch or graze the red
ball so as hardly to move it, and--supposing, of course, it is not one of
the bottom pockets--to leave the red ball over the pocket where it is. If,
however, you are some way off the red ball, you will have to hit it in one
place in order to make certain of the hazard. Consequently, position will
simply depend upon _strength_. It is as well to remember that if a ball is
left anywhere near the middle of the table, there is always an easy hazard
left next time.
No player can leave a ball on a certain spot _exactly_. The greatest expert
cannot do more than leave it "there or thereabouts." In fact, very often,
in playing a losing hazard, all we have to do is not so much to play where
to leave the red, but _where not_ to leave the red.
Sometimes it may be the best play to try and leave the red ball close to
the white ball, so that the {309} next stroke will be an easy cannon. As a
rule, however, the best play is to leave the red ball over a pocket, so
that you can go in off it again next time. All the best "all-round" breaks
are made by a series of losing hazards with occasional cannons. It is in
playing cannons that the chief difficulty arises in getting position, but
before we discuss cannons, a few words about--