Billiards/Pool Thread

Hello and welcome Bar Flies, Pool Sharks and the Geometry minded alike! I was not sure if this thread belongs in the Sports Section so I figured Off Topic for now.

I have started playing at a local bar twice a week for the past two months just as a way to leave the house and socialize with randoms. Now I find myself actually enjoying the game. I bought myself a basic pool cue, the ones at the bar have a fair bit of wear and tear and my favorite one gets swiped before I show up.

I know I have years of practice before I can run a table for the whole night on a regular basis. Any advice, tips or just general chat is appreciated.

Anyone here play?

elidib said:

When I was younger I would go around my city to free or low cost pool tournaments. Great way to practice without getting hustled, can make friends and strike up relevant conversation after your game to ask questions/improve, and you can watch the tournament frontrunners to see what they're doing, which shots they're selecting, etc. APA has tons of tournaments all over the country.

practice multiple gametypes - 8-ball, 9-ball, snooker, whatever else you can find. That way you practice more of the fundamentals.

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Thanks for the advice about the tournaments! I was unaware APA was so active.

I spent a few hours last night watching old US and European Open competitions. I am amazed at how well these guys perform under pressure. Shane Van Boening is impressive to watch. Here he gets an 8 rack run. Also seems like a super humble guy.

Quick update, I am still hitting the same bar twice a week and I have met some very skilled opponents, who have turned into mentors. Tight angled shots close to the pocket and the target ball resting along side the bumper, are no longer a high risk shot. I think playing with the same cue every time has helped a great deal.

The place is rather quiet until 8-10. Knowing this I have decided to show up an hour early practice before my usual group shows up. But wait the plot thickens! The two tables available are offset from each other, the difference in length was not immediately apparent. As it is I have been playing back and forth on an 8 and 7ft table, I still have not made up my mind about which one feels better to play on.

The next skill I need to improve is breaking. The few times I have "good" breaks I am using the bar's shorter cue. I am aware of "break cues" but improving my form is probably the better place to start.