New to snooker, snooker or regular cue

MikeF

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hi,
I've playing snooker on a 10 ft table for the past 6 months at our local senior center here in Tennessee. All the players use their regular cues, as I have. I'm debating getting a snooker cue, would it really help? I'm really enjoying snooker, very challenging, although it's fustrating with the smaller balls & small pockets with rounded corners.
 

paaca

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
The main thing is the size of the balls. I have a 10 foot snooker table and the balls are 2 1/16 inches in diameter. A pool cue with a tip of 11mm or more would not perform properly and would be difficult to put English on balls that size. I ditched my pool cue and went to a snooker cue with a tip of 9.5mm. Much better. Tip size is not the only factor in working the cue ball but it is important.
 

MikeF

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Thanks for the response. I'm unsure of the snooker ball size, didn't realize there were different sizes. I went ahead and picked up a snooker 3/4 snooker cue, the shaft dimeter. is 9.7 mm...
 

HurdyGurdy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Mike, I was going to suggest that you get one and try it out, which it looks like you did. You can get CueSoul snooker cues with a case on Amazon for around $70, and they ship from within the states.

If you've found that you do like your snooker cue, Woods Cues in China have a wide variety for a good price (shipping is decent as well) and they will custom build one for you for under $300. Woods Cues sells Chinese 8 ball cues as well. Also, Schmelke has a snooker tapered shaft that is 10.5mm.

PS, if the snooker balls you're using have the numbers printed on the colored balls, then they are more than likely 2 1/8".

You're fortunate, not many people play snooker around here.
 

MikeF

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Mike, I was going to suggest that you get one and try it out, which it looks like you did. You can get CueSoul snooker cues with a case on Amazon for around $70, and they ship from within the states.

If you've found that you do like your snooker cue, Woods Cues in China have a wide variety for a good price (shipping is decent as well) and they will custom build one for you for under $300. Woods Cues sells Chinese 8 ball cues as well. Also, Schmelke has a snooker tapered shaft that is 10.5mm.

PS, if the snooker balls you're using have the numbers printed on the colored balls, then they are more than likely 2 1/8".

You're fortunate, not many people play snooker around here.

I only played 1 game with it (a used Brittania 3/4) Saturday afternoon, didn't set the world on fire, it was different but I feel I'll like it a lot once used to it. The balls are 2 1/8"...
 

Renegade_56

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
For the record, 2 1/16 balls are used for foreign snooker on 12 foot tables. 2 1/8 balls are for american style snooker, and played on 10 ft tables.

My 10 ft snooker table was set up with 3 3/16" pockets. I changed the rails and made it a pool table as I much prefer 1 pocket and straight pool, but watching snooker on you tube to me it appears the pockets are a bit larger on the 12 footers than they were on my 10 footer.

So the european tables with bigger pockets and smaller balls would appear to be a bit easier, well until you consider it's extra 2 feet of length and directional baize.
 

acesinc1999

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
For the record, 2 1/16 balls are used for foreign snooker on 12 foot tables. 2 1/8 balls are for american style snooker, and played on 10 ft tables.

My 10 ft snooker table was set up with 3 3/16" pockets. I changed the rails and made it a pool table as I much prefer 1 pocket and straight pool, but watching snooker on you tube to me it appears the pockets are a bit larger on the 12 footers than they were on my 10 footer.

So the european tables with bigger pockets and smaller balls would appear to be a bit easier, well until you consider it's extra 2 feet of length and directional baize.

For the record, the "foreign snooker" is better referred to as "world snooker" (though I actually prefer to call it "English snooker" since that is in fact where the standards were set). Also, to confirm, yes you have the ball diameters exactly correct....2-1/8" is apparently the American standard (I've not played that myself) and 2-1/16" is the world standard (though with today's metric system, they actually define the ball diameter as 52.5 mm, close enough to not bother about the minute difference).

The actual size of proper world standard pockets is apparently a guarded secret as no public dimension actually exists. Instead, the size and shape of the professional pockets is very specifically defined as "conform(ing) to the templates owned and authorised by The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA Ltd)." So there is not an actual number attached to it as when comparing to your 10 footer pockets, but the generally accepted number for comparison is that the corner pocket openings as measured at the fall is 3-5/16", slightly larger as you said than your 3-3/16" and coupled with the slightly smaller balls of the world standard. None of this is straightforward though because even restricting pocket openings to those exact numbers, any good table mechanic knows that pockets can certainly be made easier or more difficult in several ways ranging from how the rubber is shaped to where the "fall" actually begins in relation to the cushions.

All that aside, to the OP's point, I can't even imagine trying to play snooker with a pool cue. I don't play pool all that often so when I do, I am just using a crappy house cue, but I swear the thing feels like a huge, heavy log in my hands. I would probably put a two foot long tear in my snooker cloth trying (and failing) to apply proper backspin with that thing!
 

HurdyGurdy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Man, I would dig being your next-door neighbor. The last 12' table I was around was at Shakespear's in Denver, and no one wanted to play.

I use a snooker cue on a 10' American snooker table using regular 2 1/4 balls. I consider it Chinese 8 ball on a ten foot table. I also started setting up more square to the shot line and using the four points of contact while cueing--and I've seen improvements in my game. Laughed at, pointed at, looked at? Yes, but who cares.

Back to the cue, with 2 1/4 balls I prefer a 10mm to 10.5mm tip, although 9.5mm works just fine (no damage to tip caused by bigger, heavier balls). And I really like the taper on snooker cues.

To the OP, If you're like me, once you get the feel for your snooker cue, you'll prefer it.
 

Rethunk

Snooker pimp
Silver Member
Hi, MikeF. This post is over a month old, but I figured I'd add my 1.5 cents. (You get a 25% discount).

If you don't have much of a problem switching between pool cues, I don't think it'd take you all that long to get used to shooting with a snooker cue. People notice the small tip at first, but after a while the straight taper may be what's most noticeable. If you shoot open bridge while playing snooker the you may not notice the diameter or taper as much.

With little evidence, I'll claim that pool players who start to play snooker will gradually lower their stance a bit. With a smaller diameter cue and smaller balls it just seems natural to get one's chin close to the cue.

If you're interested in an instruction book about snooker then you might find a used copy of Complete Snooker for the Amateur by Joe Davis.

If you're interested in getting a nice snooker cue without breaking the bank, consider a cue from Mike Wooldridge. HIs "Virtual Cue Maker" allows you to design a cue according to the style you like.
http://handmadecues.com/

Also, if you travel at all around your home state, then you can find more tables on this page:
http://www.findsnooker.com/Tennessee.html
 

pdcue

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
For the record, the "foreign snooker" is better referred to as "world snooker" (though I actually prefer to call it "English snooker" since that is in fact where the standards were set). Also, to confirm, yes you have the ball diameters exactly correct....2-1/8" is apparently the American standard (I've not played that myself) and 2-1/16" is the world standard (though with today's metric system, they actually define the ball diameter as 52.5 mm, close enough to not bother about the minute difference).

The actual size of proper world standard pockets is apparently a guarded secret as no public dimension actually exists. Instead, the size and shape of the professional pockets is very specifically defined as "conform(ing) to the templates owned and authorised by The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA Ltd)." So there is not an actual number attached to it as when comparing to your 10 footer pockets, but the generally accepted number for comparison is that the corner pocket openings as measured at the fall is 3-5/16", slightly larger as you said than your 3-3/16" and coupled with the slightly smaller balls of the world standard. None of this is straightforward though because even restricting pocket openings to those exact numbers, any good table mechanic knows that pockets can certainly be made easier or more difficult in several ways ranging from how the rubber is shaped to where the "fall" actually begins in relation to the cushions.

All that aside, to the OP's point, I can't even imagine trying to play snooker with a pool cue. I don't play pool all that often so when I do, I am just using a crappy house cue, but I swear the thing feels like a huge, heavy log in my hands. I would probably put a two foot long tear in my snooker cloth trying (and failing) to apply proper backspin with that thing!

All good points but...

The main reason English/International tables play so much easier than American tables
is less the size of the pockets than the geometry.
American pockets are MUCH more rounded and therefore reject shots that graze the cushion.

A less obvious hurdle is the effective size of the corner pockets for the Black(7) Ball
on its spot. Between the larger ball, rounder cushions(knuckle) and flatter angle, a shot(pot)
on the 7 from 2 feet away is about TWICE as difficult on a 10 foot American table.

Back when this was still America, most big cities in the North, West, and Midwest had
rooms with 12 foot American tables. I doubt the current crop of Brits would be making
many centuries on one of those tables.

As for the cue thing... that's all in your head.

Dale
 

M.G.

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Yes yes yes, get a Snooker cue! It will make things much easier and also help with your pool game. Balls are smaller and applying English will be easier, too.

If you like to invest money go for Acurate cues https://www.acuerate.be/ - they do LD!

If you don't really like Snooker cues too much (I don't, they dont have a proper bumper and no linen grip!) you can get a Cuetec R360 cue (butt) and a Fusion shaft. It's proper ash, proper brass ferrule, 9mm tip, even rather LD due to a very light ferrule.
That's what I use to play, also for Pool.

Standard tip is crap, get a Talisman, Phoenix water buffalo, Acurate tip or O'min - I'd recommend using a soft tip.

Welcome and have lots of fun!
Cheers,
M
 

MikeF

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
As I stated earlier I'd gone ahead & picked up a snooker cue. I used it exclusively for about 3 weeks, then started using my Scruggs playing 9 ball on the over sized Brunswick & Gandy tables & the snooker cue there on the 10 ft Brunswick snooker table. Switching back and forth with the cues was not productive, so went back to my Scruggs full time. If I was only going to play snooker I'd use the snooker cue but I still enjoy 9 ball. I'm holding onto the snooker cue...
 

pt109

WO double hemlock
Silver Member
As I stated earlier I'd gone ahead & picked up a snooker cue. I used it exclusively for about 3 weeks, then started using my Scruggs playing 9 ball on the over sized Brunswick & Gandy tables & the snooker cue there on the 10 ft Brunswick snooker table. Switching back and forth with the cues was not productive, so went back to my Scruggs full time. If I was only going to play snooker I'd use the snooker cue but I still enjoy 9 ball. I'm holding onto the snooker cue...

Try an original Z shaft on your Scruggs....they are snooker friendly and at least the butt
will be familiar.
 

Renegade_56

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
With little evidence, I'll claim that pool players who start to play snooker will gradually lower their stance a bit. With a smaller diameter cue and smaller balls it just seems natural to get one's chin close to the cue.

Let's not forget that Snooker Tables are generally 2 inches higher to the playing surface, so lowering the stance may be an illusion, to some degree at least.
 

Rethunk

Snooker pimp
Silver Member
As I stated earlier I'd gone ahead & picked up a snooker cue. I used it exclusively for about 3 weeks, then started using my Scruggs playing 9 ball on the over sized Brunswick & Gandy tables & the snooker cue there on the 10 ft Brunswick snooker table. Switching back and forth with the cues was not productive, so went back to my Scruggs full time. If I was only going to play snooker I'd use the snooker cue but I still enjoy 9 ball. I'm holding onto the snooker cue...

Hey, MikeF, are you still playing snooker?

It may take a few months of playing to get used to the snooker cue, the cloth on the snooker table, etc.

Schuler still sells shafts for different games, including a snooker shaft. Though you likely have a more refined touch than I, if you like the hit of the Scruggs you might also like the hit of a Schuler. I have a Schuler cue with a billiards shaft and (if I remember) a pro taper shaft.

http://www.schuler-cue.com/shafts.php

Though hitting with a different shaft may well seem like hitting with an entirely different cue, you just might find it an acceptable compromise.
 
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