The good players adjust. I’m not saying I’m a good player but I thought about getting a set of balls that were stock Valley balls. I didn’t. Went to VNEA for the first time last spring. It is a great time. You know what? The Valley tables aren’t identical but they play fine. You go down there and hit some balls and adjust. You will play about like you play. Your opponent will play like they play. You will win some, lose some and probably won’t lose a match because someone had more experience with the particular cue ball. Maybe you will at the highest level, but at that level the players…..adjust. The cue ball plays different from a measles ball which is different from a red circle. I thought some more about getting a set of balls or a magnetic cue ball. I haven’t. Why? Because I will go down there and adjust. It won’t be like my table in my basement with Simonis and my light and my Aramith pros. So what? If I work on my stroke I can draw the magnetic ball. Some bad sets of balls in bars I don’t even want to adjust to because they may not be balanced. Some sets in a recent league I played in were really bad.

Saw SVB playing challenge matches on a Valley with stock balls. I didn’t wait in line, step up etc…. He can adjust to that cue ball. If he plays a WNT event he adjusts. Predator event? He adjusts. Guess what? He plays really good on an unfamiliar table with imperfect lighting and stock balls…

I guess what I am getting at is it is great to have an appreciation for good equipment. We should want good equipment everywhere. But when it comes to competing, you have to get out of your own head and compete. Maybe the table is playing super short because of humidity. Maybe the balls suck. Go play.

I really appreciate your openness about social anxiety and such. I am trying to be positive here, not critical. I think you might have a lot of fun if you found a BCA or VNEA league and played enough to go to Las Vegas. Just play singles maybe. I am not the most social person, the most enthusiastic league player etc.., But if you loosen up a little you will meet some people you like, have some fun, and be forced to get out of your head and your house. That can be a good thing. And go play on some lousy equipment and use Master chalk. You will survive.

I would guess all they truly care about is the tip and that the shaft is smooth. Not that they don't have a preference but some things are more important.

Do some of the euro and Asia pros get travel and lodging, etc?

dendweller said:

In straight pool, is intentionally keeping the tip on the ball longer than it takes to propell the ball in an effort to kind of nuzzle the ball into a spot still just a one ball penalty? Some people are saying it's worse than that, I don't see that in any rules.
Thanks

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There is no explicit rule against what you might call manipulating the balls with a foul. This is something that needs to be covered better.

Do the Chinese tables there play short and bouncy like Diamonds, or long and normal bounce like GC's? I KNOW you know what I'm talking about.

big balls and small balls depending on how the table returned the cue ball what they used..

i loved it as i never use draw/ or only a tiny amount and make it look difficult when gambling with an unknown.
as that is the tip off of how good you are.
the big ball was better as most decenet players had trouble figuring where to hit the object ball in their vision.

the small ball good players could draw it fine, as the tables were smaller so didnt have to move the cue ball as much.

Bavafongoul said:

Turtle racks work fine for most games but for 14.1or 1 pocket, it isn’t suitable and you really need to rack the pool balls.

The opening break shot and object balls reaction requires the object balls not be impeded or affected by a plastic template used to form the 15 balls rack pattern. A template helps for pool games using a hard struck break shot but otherwise it’s not intended to be used in straight pool or one pocket. You want a honest tight rack that is formed sans any template.

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I play primarily 10b, but yeah if I'm playing 14.1 or 1p obviously use the actual rack.