Bank and double shots: potting off the cushion
A bank shot — a double, in British usage — sends the object ball into a cushion and back out into a pocket. It is the shot most amateurs play with pure hope.
The geometry is the same mirror trick used for escaping snookers, applied to the object ball instead of the cue ball.
Finding the aim point
Imagine the table continuing beyond the cushion you intend to use, with a mirrored copy of the target pocket in it. Now aim the object ball straight at that mirrored pocket.
Where your line crosses the real cushion is the point the object ball must strike. Pot the object ball to that point exactly as you would pot it into a pocket, and the rebound does the rest.
This turns an unfamiliar shot into a familiar one: you are no longer playing a bank, you are playing a normal pot at a target on the rail.
Why your banks come up short or long
The practical consequence: choose your pace first, then pick the contact point to suit it, rather than finding the point and then deciding how hard to hit.
- Pace. Harder shots rebound at a shallower angle — the ball comes off the cushion flatter than the geometry predicts. Softer shots rebound closer to the ideal angle.
- Cut-induced spin. Cutting the object ball puts a little sideways roll on it, which alters how it comes off the rail. Full-ball banks are far more predictable than thin ones.
- Cushion condition. Older, softer cushions rebound differently from new ones. Your numbers from one table will not transfer exactly to another.
Practising banks so you actually do them
The problem with practising banks is that nobody chooses to play one. Given the option, you will take the straightforward pot every time, which means the skill never develops.
A rule that requires one bank in the run fixes that. It also changes how you plan the whole clearance, because you now have to decide which ball is the bank and set up the angle for it in advance — which is exactly the thinking a real frame demands when a bank is your only option.
One forced double per run — enough to change your planning.
When a bank is the right shot
That last one is the mark of a thoughtful player. A bank you would not mind missing is a much better shot than a bank you need to make.
- The direct pot is blocked and the bank is genuinely available.
- The direct pot exists but leaves you nowhere, and the bank leaves the white better.
- You are playing a two-way shot: the bank might drop, and if it misses, the cue ball finishes safe.
Common questions
- How do you aim a bank shot in pool?
- Mirror the target pocket across the cushion, aim the object ball at the mirrored pocket, and note where that line crosses the real cushion. Pot the object ball to that point.
- Why do my bank shots always miss short?
- Usually pace. A firmly struck ball rebounds at a shallower angle than the pure geometry suggests, so it finishes short of where you aimed. Soften the shot or allow for the flatter rebound.
Stop choosing your own drills
CueCards deals you a randomised drill at your level, tracks whether you made it, and moves your skill rating accordingly. Free to start, no ads.
Deal a drill