Back in the day, Dave Matlock was THE MAN on the bar box. But put him on a big table and he couldn't beat the top payers. My point is everybody has a speciality and this match is no exception. Bergman has his hands full regardless of the outcome.

Beautiful design & description of this fine Bob Manzino [emoji631]


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BilliardHome said:

Dealer here, but this is just a player tip. Wish someone told me early that a soft, still bridge hand matters more than a fancy stroke. I spent a year muscling shots with a death grip and wondering why my cue ball skipped or curved on longer shots. Loosen up, keep your grip hand relaxed through contact, and let the tip do the work instead of jabbing at the ball. Also seconding the center ball hit comment: most guys aim for center and are actually a tip or two off, which throws off every speed and spin calculation downstream. Get a buddy to watch your stroke on a mirror or slow-mo video, it's humbling but it fixes more leaks than any drill.

If you're shopping for your first cue, worth knowing what actually matters at the beginner price point, fuller guide here: https://billiardhome.com/blog/best-pool-cues-for-beginners

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In my opinion if you don't learn YOUR vision center you are wasting your time, it's not eye hand coordination, it's eye, brain hand coordination, if your brain is telling your hand you are hitting the cueball straight but you are not you will struggle with this game.

Patrick Johnson said:

View attachment 918993
Looks familiar...

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Looks like Joe Montana!

couldnthinkof01 said:

Bank it into the 15 and hope for good luck

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Yes. It might go in after the 15. At the same time, leave the cue ball frozen to the near cushion to be as safe as possible.

I'd bank the 8 to the middle of the table and lock them on the backside of the 10.

cueball2010 said:

I think this is the first time hearing this argument against using wood shafts. I have been thinking for a while of switching from my Revo to a 314 shaft so I can get more feedback. Maybe even keilwood. But apparently wood shafts play different depending on humidity. Humidity changes depending on the season and geo location. I mean humidity changes a lot all the time, like a rainy day. I would rather not add another inconsistency to playing pool if there is any truth to what she is saying?

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Dealer here, so grain of salt. The carbon shaft thing isn't really about skill level, it's about deflection and feel. Low deflection shafts let you get away with imperfect aim on cut shots because the ball squirts less, so yeah, that can flatten the learning curve some. But plenty of pros grew up on wood and never switched, guys like Efren didn't need a carbon shaft to shovel english on people. Pia's comments probably come from personal preference on hit and feedback, wood just feels different off the tip, more traditional thump versus the stiffer carbon response. Neither is objectively better, it's closer to picking a golf shaft flex than picking training wheels. If you're newer and want a rundown on what actually matters in a beginner cue, I wrote up a fuller guide here: https://billiardhome.com/blog/best-pool-cues-for-beginners

Swighey said:

There are more clusters. They happen more often even after good breaks. While any pro has a very good chance (and even a decent player has some chance) of breaking them up and leaving a shot, they are not 100% - so there is a degree of toughness to them, even more so for 9ft players.

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If you play rotation on 9 footers well, there is nothing to bar box 8 ball.

Looks familiar...