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azhousepro · Sep 3, 2026

On August 29th, a record-breaking 61 players gathered at Vinnie’s Bar & Grill in Concord, CA for the 20th Annual Dave Piona Memorial 8-Ball tournament. Played on four bar-box tables, this one-day event got off to a great start as the crowd watched with anticipation. The $50 entry, double-elimination format began as a Race to 3/2 but was shortened to 2/2 due to time constraints. The Piona family, Vinnie’s Bar & Grill, and Diablo Valley Pool League donated $1000 to the event. Dave Piona was a popular and talented pool player and instructor. He was well liked and respected by all […]

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KenneyTran · Sep 3, 2026

Thank you brother. Your decisive and quick payment was great. Thank you for all your support and smooth transaction. I’m looking forward to buy/sell/trade with you again.

Thank you again Mike.

middleofnowhere · Sep 3, 2026

Jaden said:
That's because shafts have gotten so much lower in the CB deflection department. The reason that the old school teachings had the bridge 8-10 inches was because that's where the standard wood shafts had their natural pivot point. Bridging at the pivot point gives a higher margin for stroke error/deficiency.

Deflection has gotten so low that the pivot points are much farther back. I've seen them as far as 19". So players naturally now end up bridging farther back and if you play with a low deflection shaft, it would behoove you to find your cue's pivot point and bridge there. This is also independent of using bhe.

People may think that parallel english works on sld(super low deflection) shafts but it doesn't. The only way that works is on tables with big pockets. On my table I'd miss every shot without adjusting aim or stroke somehow (3.9" corners). BHE and fhe are the best methods, but holding the bridge near or at the pivot point is beyond adjusting for side spin. It allows for stroke errors like swiping. Your cue ball won't go anywhere near where you were expecting but you'll still make the shot.

If you're using a really long bridge, any slight movement side to side on the backhand is exaggerated at the tip.

VarmintKong · Sep 3, 2026

dquarasr said:
My goal is to move from "Don't be thinking about (x, y, z)", because trying NOT to think about something brings it front of mind. My goals are to have some sort of mantra, some thing I can have my brain occupied with, so anything about shot execution can't enter my thought pattern.

What up DQ? Just a hack, so grain of salt, but I can relate.

Some great thoughts so far: Love the idea of the mind doesn’t recognize the negative, grooving the preshot routine into an automatic process, and my daddy taught me to pull the trigger on exhale.

You mentioned a mantra and bub I’ve got platitudes with attitude:

If I catch myself thinking about whatever once I get down I stand back up and tell myself “be present.”

If I’m in a situation where I’m awkward cueing or might want to over hit I remind myself, “be smooth.”

I’ve always had trouble being confident and not carrying over a mistake into my next opportunity.
Before I get down I’ll tell myself, “every day all day.” (in a rapper voice). Then visualize the shot with how the cue ball comes off the tip, like how much twist it has or when it will turn over from slide to follow. Get down and see if it jives, if yes make it happen, if not don’t force it.

If I had a cool name like DQuarasr, I would probably have a saying to build me up when I was on the key all or money ball like, “You’re about to get DQ’ed biotch!”

Shoot straight.

SnookersCO · Sep 3, 2026

Kent and I were very close the last 2 years of his life. He is currently on my mantle, watching me and my boys shoot balls. Our relationship was genuine, our trust and respect for one other was undoubted and reciprocated through and through. If you are a cue maker and worked with Kent, or you would like to discuss anything Kent taylor related, specifically his cues and what never got completed, please reach out to me privately. RIP buddy, think about you every day my friend!

jbart65 · Sep 3, 2026

jay helfert said:
It costs ESPN a helluva lot of money to produce these shows. There is a huge TV truck outside the arena. And a large crew. Plus the arena set up. It's called Production costs.

The ESPN broadcast looked like the WNT feed from what I can tell, Jay. ESPN simply may have had a truck there to retransmit the feed. I didn’t notice different camera angles or camera work. But I wasn’t there.

Perhaps ESPN lent a hand, but I have to believe WNT shouldered most of the production costs.

jbart65 · Sep 3, 2026

sjm said:
While it may not be an issue at all this year, in previous years, favoritism has been too prevalent in the selection of Team USA and some of the young players I have spoken to in recent years wonder whether Matchroom will ever permit young American pros to find their way onto the team as wild cards. The omission of Lukas Verner in 2025, America's best young player who had greater WNT earnings than Billy Thorpe, reinforced this message.

Frazer said player captains was a failure. She is desperate for the U.S. to win and will accept anything that accomplishes the goal. That’s why they brought back Johan after giving him a stiff arm for a few years.

sjm said:
I, for one, was in shock when Team USA went to bat in Europe in 2025 with the exact same team that had failed miserably on home soil a year earlier. Fewer young players will play in WNT events if the perception that Mosconi selection is not based on merit persists.

I think MR and Frazer have finally figured this out. She is talking up young players a lot now.

GoldCrown · Sep 3, 2026

dquarasr said:
I have tried that. Doesn’t work. My mind is ALWAYS active. I can’t turn it off. I am hoping to redirect it instead.

Thanks for responding.

Concentration… my mind is my biggest enemy. The key word is confidence. Believe in your self and execute. Have a big head. Know you can make the shots… assuming you do it in practice. Someone said if think you are going to miss you are going to miss. The older I got the worse my concentration got. And that causes self destruction.
I’m looking to start over with an instructor for the x time. Lost concentration and motivation… I was moving forward for a while.

jbart65 · Sep 3, 2026

sjm said:
I think both the WNT and the Predator PBS are starting to make some headway in making pool more respectable, but I think the bigger issue is the culture of the poolroom itself. Until the typical poolroom is a place where parents are comfortable leaving their children to play, participation among juniors will disappoint, and I do not think we have accomplished this yet in America. It will help if televised pool causes parents to have more respect for the game, but unless they come to view the poolroom scene as respectable, it may not be enough.

Ambitious to say the least, but as you say, an uphill climb.

Payne McBride can’t even play in one pool hall in Indianapolis because he’s not 21. Limits his competitive play, he said.

j2pac · Sep 3, 2026

If it were mine, I wouldn't take less than $1500.00, plus shipping and item insurance.
Very nice cue.

crocdoc said:
MY FRIEND HAS A SCHON HE BOUGHT IN THE EARLY 1990’S AND HE’S TRYING TO FIND OUT A CURRENT PRICE TO ASK TO SELL IT
ORIGINAL GOOD CONDITION-STRAIGHT-3 SHAFTS-2 ORIGINAL AND ONE HE BOUGHT A FEW YEARS LATER-ALL WHITE INLAYS NATURAL
TRIED TO FIND A MODEL # NO LUCK
GETTING AN APPROXIMATE RETAIL WOULD BE GREAT THX

jbart65 · Sep 3, 2026

sjm said:
I think the motives extend beyond this.

We are already seeing some of the top Asians bowing out of WNT play, in large part because they can now earn a solid living at home through the Duya Tour and Heyball. There are also high-purse Predator PBS events in Asia, with events in both Vietnam and Indonesia in the next month.

Perhaps. Yet the push into the U.S., starting with the Florida Open, began before the Ko brothers shocked the non-Asian pool world by making China their base of operations.

I don’t think Predator hurts Matchroom yet, not much. It doesn’t hold enough events. But it does add to the motivation.

sjm said:
If the Americans continue to skip or perform poorly at the WNT majors, they will stop showing up. Three members of Team USA from 2025 (SVB, Woodward, Thorpe) skipped both of the two WNT majors contested in Europe.

Frazer doesn’t seem worried about players missing some majors. She know it’s costly for most players, even top players, to travel around the world.

sjm said:
Even when they do show up in American-based events, they are failing (0 quarterfinalists at Vice City, 2 quarterfinalists at the Florida Open, 1 quarterfinalist at the Arizona Open, 1 quarterfinalist at the Phoenix Open and 1 quarterfinalist at the US Open). The American players, as a group, are in a very long slump and American fans will gradually lose interest unless some young American players emerge as world class players.

Agreed.

sjm said:
As American pros, because of their mediocre results, must manage their participation costs more than most, building a greater presence in America might just be their only shot, and the Matchroom management team is a capable one that surely understands this.

This fits in with my broader argument.

sjm said:
I do not see much progress being made in this respect. Perhaps, though, I am uninformed.

It’s all new as I outlined in another post. MR also created a ‘Next Gen’ rankings system like the one for WNT pros.

The next step, I strongly expect, is to add a junior apprentice to each Mosconi team. They might get to play in the team event and perhaps one doubles match. The aim would be to seed the U.S. team in particular and encourage more young players to join Next Gen events.

sjm said:
I think Hayden Ernst is just 14. Matchroom's commitment to having junior events in conjunction with their majors is something I ave always admired. They do it in America as well as at majors contested elsewhere. Yes, some of these youngsters have possibilities.

Correct, and corrected.

DuroUser · Sep 3, 2026

Yes, those are pretty cool gamer graphics. And yes, I don't think I am there yet in some functional aspects. I think that for the next version I will work on resource allocation, a.k.a. keep track of table usage and assignments (maybe only for tournaments). Graphics wise, I don't think I will go with the gamer style, but sure, there is a lot that can be done even without it. My main goal at the moment is functionality. I want DuroMatch to feel like an enhancement to your lifestyle. I want the week to week competition to be engaging and meaningful. I'll keep working on it. Thanks again for your invaluable input.

twofacedbass · Sep 3, 2026

Selling my JFlowers SMO carbon fiber shaft, 12.5mm, radial pin, with a Zan Grip Hard tip installed.
* Used only 2 times
* Excellent, like-new condition
* Rolls straight with no issues
* Great hit and feel—I just prefer a different setup

Asking: $300 OBO

Located in Tucson, AZ. Willing to ship at buyer’s expense. PM me if you’re interested or have any questions. Accepting Zelle, Venmo, Cashapp. and Paypal.

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Jason Williams Wins 20th Annual Dave Piona Memorial 8-Ball

Kenney Tran

Thoughts on players who seemingly take Zero practice strokes, before shooting / final follow through?

Thought patterns ...

kent taylor

Team USA and the future of the Mosconi

Team USA and the future of the Mosconi

Thought patterns ...

Team USA and the future of the Mosconi

Schon price and model #

Team USA and the future of the Mosconi

Starting Local Pool Leagues

JFlowers SMO 12.5mm Radial CF Shaft

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