In 8-ball pool, if I fail a called shot, the turn passes to my opponent. There is also the option of calling safety, in which case the turn will pass to my opponent as well.
What is the advantage of calling safety?
1 Answer
Calling a safety guarantees that the turn will pass to your opponent, even if you make a ball. This can be helpful when you know that you will make your ball, and then leave yourself in an untenable position (somewhere that you will not be able to make a legitimate shot, and will be forced to scratch), or if you can do the same to your opponent (intentionally place the cue in a position where he/she will be likely to scratch).
