Tips / Systems

Sunrise–Sunset system Sunrise–Sunset · thin cut

Add the cue ball, first-cushion and third-cushion numbers to get a tip-position step. Start by learning which way to send the first object ball.

Formula / route reference

Tip-position step = cue ball number + first-cushion number + third-cushion number

When to use it

A thin cut with the first object ball close to a long rail. It assumes a thickness that sends the first object ball toward the short rail.

Written and edited by TTBoys · How we write and check sources · Report an error

Sources and diagrams reviewed: 2026-10-10. Rules of thumb are practice references for a specific diamond scale and stroke. Geometric constructions are kept separate from real trajectories, and nothing was measured on a real table. On mobile, the table stays in landscape so the directions in the text match the diagrams.

What do you read from the layout?

Cue ball 2: read from the right on the bottom long rail.
First cushion −1: half a diamond left of 0 on the top long rail.
3rd cushion 2: one diamond from the left on the bottom long rail.

Slope and correction: The cue ball’s position and incoming direction go into the cue ball number. Don’t add the angle separately on top. In this textbook, 2 + (−1) + 2 = 3 is the 9 o’clock tip position step.

See the worked example and layout See related practice

If you’re new: the result is not an aim point

A total of 3 is not point 3 on the first cushion but tip-position step 3. Like South, it gives a tip position, but it uses a different path and scales. First decide the thickness that sends the red first object ball toward the short rail, then calculate.

1. Read the 0 point and the spacing separately

The example is cue ball 2, first cushion −1, third cushion 2. The first-cushion number is the source’s scale, read by matching the position of the first object ball near the long rail. The red dashed line is the starting reference line.

First-cushion number: on the top long rail, 0 two diamonds from the left, 1 for every half diamond
Cue ball number: 0 at the bottom-right corner, 1 for every diamond to the left
Third-cushion number: 0 at the bottom-left corner, 1 for every half diamond to the right

The beginner drawing shows only starts from the bottom long rail. Don’t solve the negative start table that continues onto the right short rail, or layouts with the first object ball far from the cushion, by extending this table on your own.

2. 2 + (−1) + 2 = 3, turn it into a tip position

Cue ball 2 + first cushion (−1) + third 2 = tip-position step 3

White cue ball → red object ball 1 → long ① → short ② → long ③ → yellow object ball 2. The red dashed line is the reference for reading cue ball number 2; the red arrow is the direction the first object ball must go, toward the short rail.

This article adopts the source’s one-hour tip-position table. The drawing shows the positions relative to each other, not the real ratio of tip diameter to ball radius. For the mirrored layout, flip the tip position left to right.

Here 0 is not the center but 12 o’clock at the top, with no side spin. The source explains moving the hour at the same outer tip-position radius. Don’t mix it with other materials’ 45-minute steps or tip units measured from the center. Practice the actual tip radius to fit your own cue and spin reference.

Check yourself: Cue ball 1, first cushion 0, third cushion 1?

1+0+1=2, which is the 10 o’clock direction on this article’s tip table. It does not mean moving 2 tips sideways from the center.

3. Check the object ball direction and long → short → long

If the first object ball hits a long rail first, check the thickness condition first. This is not a method that fixes half-ball thickness for every layout.
As a practice reference, the source gives a stroke that passes through about three balls and enough speed to travel three rails. It does not set a specific speed number or a hard hit as the answer.
At first, practice the small range of tip-position steps 0–3. If a calculation falls out of range, don’t substitute maximum spin.

The drawings are concept diagrams that explain the scales and the order of travel, not measured paths. Repeat with the same tip position, thickness and power, and adjust on a real table. Articles with a simulator link give a starting layout for comparison. The app’s results are not a real-world check of these rules of thumb.

Practice with the example layout

Back to the worked example and layout ↑

First set the thickness that sends the red first object ball toward the short rail. Then check that the cue ball goes long ① → short ② → long ③ → the yellow second object ball.

Point to the cue ball, the ball you hit first and the last ball, and say the cushion order.
Repeat the same layout 5 times and record where the first cushion and the calculated target actually land.
If the first cushion is already off, check your aim and thickness; if the first cushion is right but later ones drift, check spin and speed. Change only one thing for the next 5.

Sources and verification

지만호 · 비껴치기 일출일몰 시스템 — Checked the position of 0, the half-diamond and one-diamond spacing, the 2−1+2=3 example and the first object ball direction. Some clock-time typos in the text were corrected to match the one-hour definition.

Sources may use different diamond scales and conditions. The text notes which scale it uses and the limits of what was checked; the diagrams are our own concept drawings.