Lowell said:

In terms of appearance think my favorite style of cue is:

-4, 5 , or 6 sharp, colored points (not floating)
-linen wrap, especially with color or speckle
-substantial but not overly busy inlay work

I particularly like when the butt sleeve has some sort of rounded motif, like ovals to balance out the sharpness of the points (and pointy inlays like diamonds, when present).

Joss seems to be the only production cue company that still makes these, though the ones that fit the bill are all over $800. I figure I'll treat myself next black Friday if there is anything on sale at Seybert's. Are there any other cuemakers who make these sort of cues for less than say, $1000 (or slightly above)?

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I haven't seen a joss with sharp points in a while. Not claiming to be an expert on them, only saying that all of them I have seen are inlaid, rounded points.

ShootingArts said:

When I have to aim at a point I can't see I walk to where the point I need to hit the object ball is. Then I lock onto that spot with my eyes and walk back to where I am shooting from. Pool tables don't move and if I really feel the need I can slide a hand on the outside of the table. Might take a few tries at first to not lose your attention on the spot but without much practice it works.

Hu

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Often - at least on pool pockets, you can visualize the whole thing from where you stand. There are many imaging tricks not the least of which is the tangent line. You need to see the perpendicular relationship but that should be built into the way a player observes the table.

gregcantrall said:

There was a court case in the state of Washington where a losing party in a money match claimed it was a gambling debt and therefore uncollected.
The judge found it was a contest of skill with elements of luck. They were required to pay the debt. [emoji2369]

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My recollection is that usually pool is treated as a game of skill, where wagers between participants are not illegal. Bets on the rail is a different story.

Games of chance (like dice or roulette) and games of mixed skill and chance (like poker) are usually the ones that are illegal except at licensed casinos.

Both the above would depend on state laws.

Whether this distinction matters under the definition in the BBB, I don’t know.

do you really want refs to make calls on what they think the physics is of the shot or the aftermath of it?

what if balls are close and you get a legit force follow and the ref says the physics say your ball cant go that far forward so its a foul.
or many other situations. your understanding and his may be entirely different.

how about a ref. on a seesaw two guys equal weight one is sitting on it and another gets on and it goes up. wouldn't he rule that the guy who just got on is heavier?

two guys have a contest to see who can suck more water up a long tube. at 34 feet they both cant suck up any more. so the ref rules its a tie as they are exactly equal in sucking power.

how much physics are a normal pool ref. supposed to know or be able to understand.

4 point player cues are my favourite. No inlays, just nice wood and some tasteful veneers. Never cared for flame or bright neon coloured veneers.

I remember around 93-94, Johnny came through the inland empire and we got a call he was matching up with Francisco Galindo at his room in San Bernardino (Gold Ball Billiards) for $10,000 a set. Johnny giving Francisco the 8. We went over there and watched that. Johnny ended up $30,000 loser. Francsico was one hell of player. Him and Ernesto were probably the best Mexican players around.

When I have to aim at a point I can't see I walk to where the point I need to hit the object ball is. Then I lock onto that spot with my eyes and walk back to where I am shooting from. Pool tables don't move and if I really feel the need I can slide a hand on the outside of the table. Might take a few tries at first to not lose your attention on the spot but without much practice it works.

Hu

More info -- registration is now open.

2026 USA National Pool Championships -- July 5 - 11, Dubuque, IA
Venue: Grand River Center
Registration: BCA-Pool.com (opens April 22, 2026)
Format: Double modified to single elim. last 16
Rules: World-Standardized Rules
Host Hotel: Holiday Inn, Dubuque

Events:

Men's 10-Ball (64 players)
Men's 9-Ball (64 players)
Women's 10-Ball (64 players)
Women's 9-Ball (64 players)
Wheelchair 10-Ball (32 players)
Wheelchair 8-Ball (32 players)
U17 boys, U19 boys and girls 10-Ball
U17 boys, U19 boys and girls 9-Ball

Champions and silver medalists in the men’s and women’s divisions will earn the opportunity to represent their country at the WPA World Championships in their respective categories.

Gold, silver, and bronze medalists in the junior divisions will receive automatic invitations to compete in the World Junior Championships in 9-Ball and 10-Ball, to be held this November in San Antonio.

iusedtoberich said:

Well besides that, it only lines up with the ghost ball, which is all imaginary and hard for a beginner (or a good player) to "see the center of in order to sent the center of the CB there"

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Other components of geometric aiming give you the _base_ of the ghost ball...

Bob Jewett said:

Well, it can be the basis for the ideal aim which is then modified according to the shot details. Beginners have to start somewhere.

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Well besides that, it only lines up with the ghost ball, which is all imaginary and hard for a beginner (or a good player) to "see the center of in order to sent the center of the CB there"

iusedtoberich said:

I don't understand how anyone can aim at the geometric contact point. It's not reality. The CB squirts and swerves and throws the OB.

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Neither is GB. I use BHE and judicious speed no issues.

Bob Jewett said:

There's a whole forum for aiming topics. Maybe this thread will get moved there, but in the meantime....

Suppose you can keep the contact point in mind, say it happens to be a feature on the object ball. What do you then do with that point once you get over to shoot the cue ball?

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You learn to visualize this:



Diagram is lopsided but you get it. Once it sinks in, you can just visualize this:


This depicts a different shot but who's counting. Three dots in a tilted line across the face of the ball; the highest one is the OB contact. You can connect the dots while standing to determine the stick line. I find that's usually all you need; some kind of line.



Portrait artists have to imagine a whole universe by comparison.

SumTin4U said:

Is the Capone the standard 58"?

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Yes....these are all great playing cues.

iusedtoberich said:

I don't understand how anyone can aim at the geometric contact point. It's not reality. The CB squirts and swerves and throws the OB.

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Well, it can be the basis for the ideal aim which is then modified according to the shot details. Beginners have to start somewhere.

Island Drive said:

I know a team group that placed high in vegas, all got taxes taken out before getting their checks as payment.

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I think the only time that is supposed to happen is if they have not submitted a TIN to the organizer or they have no TIN. That will often be true for foreign players.

Well, maybe one other situation. I have been contacted twice by the IRS about players who had played in tournaments I organized. They said something like, "If you see Mr. Smith again, please let us have first crack at any funds he might be due. He seems to be careless in his bookkeeping and tax filing."

skogstokig said:

challenge of champions was winner take all though, not really comparative

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Saver, anyone?

sjm said:

Only the top few on the money list back in the early 1990s made $50,000 for the year. As for the Sands, it used to have gigantic fields, sometimes more than 256, so the prize money wasn't very strong in view of the field size. The Sands was probably the second biggest event (or third behind the BCA Open) of the year, behind only the US Open 9ball. There wasn't much money in tournament pool until the PBT took off circa 1996. That's why so many more of the action players steered clear of the major tournament scene back then.

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The Sands had two events twice a year, a pro event and one for a regional nine ball league (USPPA). The league event may have gone over 256, but I don't think the pro event ever got that large. The league event drew a lot of spectators for the pros. Room were maybe $39 per night and that was before the casinos invented resort fees.