Snooker Cue Selection Question

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ChrisinNC

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This coming Thursday I’ll have the opportunity to play snooker on a true 6x12 for virtually the first time ever. I’m playing with a customer / friend who was a regular in our room and moved out of the area a few years ago. He would play snooker on our 5x10 pool table, as we purchased a set of 2-1/4” snooker balls and we marked the table for him, so he could play / practice. Once in a while I would play with him, although we usually played 9-ball on that table. About a year ago he purchased a used 6x12 and recently had it refurbished with new cushion rubbers and cloth.

My question is should I try to play with my 12.2 mm Ignite Mezz shaft and cue with a 4-inch butt extension, or should I play with his backup 61” snooker cue with a considerably thinner shaft / tip he’s offered me to use?

Obviously I’m planning to use minimal if any left or right spin, as I’m sure the smaller, lighter snooker cue ball will deflect completely different than what my subconscious brain has learned to account for when playing pool. It’s not like we’re playing for $, but I take pride in my game and would like to choose the cue that will give me the best chance to play decently.

My apologies if I should have posted this on the snooker forum, but I’m specifically looking for input / advice from those here who play both pool and snooker (with the smaller balls) and whether they choose to use the same or different cues?
 
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ChrisinNC said:
This Thursday I’ll have the opportunity to play snooker on a true 6x12 for virtually the first time ever. I’m playing with a customer / friend who was a regular in our room and moved out of the area a few years ago. He would play snooker on our 5x10 pool table, as we purchased a set of 2-1/4” snooker balls and we marked the table for him, so he could play / practice. Once in a while I would play with him, although we usually played 9-ball on that table. About a year ago he purchased a used 6x12 and recently had it refurbished with new cushion rubbers and cloth.

My question is should I try to play with my 12.2 mm Ignite Mezz shaft and cue with a 4-inch butt extension, or should I play with his backup 61” snooker cue with a considerably thinner shaft / tip he’s offered me to use?

Obviously I’m planning to use minimal if any left or right spin, as I’m sure the smaller, lighter snooker cue ball will deflect completely different than what my subconscious brain has learned to account for when playing pool. It’s not like we’re playing for $, but I take pride in my game and would like to choose the cue that will give me the best chance to play decently. Thanks for any input anyone here who plays both pool and snooker (with the smaller balls) can offer.
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i've played quite a bit with a 11 mm predator z shaft. it works but it's a bit clumsy imo, not ideal
 
skogstokig said:
i've played quite a bit with a 11 mm predator z shaft. it works but it's a bit clumsy imo, not ideal
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That’s what I was going to mention....snooker background here...if you can run 100 with a snooker cue, you can run 100 with a Z shaft....Poolmanis had a 147 with one.
 
Snooker cue is preferable. Good poolplayers can usually play snooker pretty well with a pool cue. Once you've reached that high level, it seems easy to transfer between different cue sports and of course the familiarity of your own cue is a plus. However...12.2 mm is going to feel clumsy on the snooker table, there is no other way to put it. For the longest time I used my snooker cue in Blackball (which has a smaller cueball). I played ok with it, I thought, until I had to compete at the highest level. The thickness/stiffness of the cue imposed limitations on position performance that were brutally unmasked at this level. Getting that dedicated cue allowed my game to progress.

If you want the true snooker experience, I'd go for the snooker cue. It's quite a bit different from a good pool cue, but it's made that way for a reason. I use separate cues for every cue sport I play and it works well. However, I would expect that it will be very awkward in the beginning. It's just the way it is. If it's a one time thing, you can use your pool cue and that will probably give you better performance on this one occation. If you intend to learn snooker and play it more in the future, then definitely go for the snooker cue.
 
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pt109 said:
That’s what I was going to mention....snooker background here...if you can run 100 with a snooker cue, you can run 100 with a Z shaft....Poolmanis had a 147 with one.
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If you can run a 100+ break in snooker, you could probably do it with a broomstick. 😊👍
 
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David in FL said:
Use the snooker cue

If you’ve never played before on a real snooker table, deflection will be the least of your difficulties! 😁


I also recommend ensuring that any young children are out of earshot and any breakables are kept out of reach. Drinking may help too. 😂
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So what will be the hardest aspect? Distance, tight pockets or something else? I’m used to playing on a 10 foot pool table with 4-1/4” pockets, so I’m hoping that might somewhat help?
 
The pro snooker players use cues closer to 57 inches long. They do routinely uses extensions for stretch shots. They are also really good with the bridge (rest).
 
Bob Jewett said:
The pro snooker players use cues closer to 57 inches long. They do routinely uses extensions for stretch shots. They are also really good with the bridge (rest).
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At 6’5” I play with a 60” or 61” pool cue, so on a 6x12, I assume I’d want to play with at least that long of a cue.
 
ChrisinNC said:
So what will be the hardest aspect? Distance, tight pockets or something else? I’m used to playing on a 10 foot pool table with 4-1/4” pockets, so I’m hoping that might somewhat help?
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The surface area of the table will be a challenge, the pocket cut as well. The cloth is different and so are the rails. You are probably going to pot very well, and may be able to make some very nice breaks, but I think you may find certain shots and situations challenging. It seems you like large tables and small pockets, so I think you'll love the real snooker table. The biggest challenge will be playing shots with a rest, I think.
 
ChrisinNC said:
So what will be the hardest aspect? Distance, tight pockets or something else? I’m used to playing on a 10 foot pool table with 4-1/4” pockets, so I’m hoping that might somewhat help?
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The geometry of the pockets. The mouths are radiused and will reject almost anything that doesn’t enter the pocket cleanly. What you would consider a simple shot down the rail to a corner pocket, will be rejected like the pimple faced kid at a junior high school dance! Oh yeah, the cloth has grain and will roll differently up table, down table and cross table.

Sending snooker to the States was England’s way of repaying us for the Revolutionary War! Bastards!

Alcohol won’t make it easier, but it can dull the pain a bit. 😁
 
Spinning WITH the nap resembles spinning at pool.
spinning AGAINST the nap, squirt is magnified.
 
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pt109 said:
Spinning WITH the nap resembles spinning at pool.
spinning AGAINST the nap, squirt is magnified.
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The weirdest thing in all of snooker is what happens when you play against the nap. You shoot slowly with left sidespin against the nap, the cueball turns right at the end of travel. I don't think I ever got truely used to that. I learned to compensate, but it still looks totally weird and off to me.
 
Straightpool_99 said:
The surface area of the table will be a challenge, the pocket cut as well. The cloth is different and so are the rails. You are probably going to pot very well, and may be able to make some very nice breaks, but I think you may find certain shots and situations challenging. It seems you like large tables and small pockets, so I think you'll love the real snooker table. The biggest challenge will be playing shots with a rest, I think.
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He had Hainsworth Northern cushion rubbers and Simonis/Strachan snooker cloth installed, so it apparently plays lightning fast. To make things worse, he says that with the new cushion installation, the pocket opening specs unintentionally turned out a little tighter than pro tour snooker pocket specs!
 
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ChrisinNC said:
He had Hainsworth Northern cushion rubbers and Simonis/Strachan snooker cloth installed, so it apparently plays lightning fast. To make things worse, he says that with the new cushion installation, the pocket opening specs actually turned out a little tighter than pro tour snooker pocket specs!
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That's going to be a challenge. I've played quite a bit on tables like that, and it takes some getting used to. The equipment specs sound top notch. You'll have a blast I'm sure.
 
Straightpool_99 said:
That's going to be a challenge. I've played quite a bit on tables like that, and it takes some getting used to. The equipment specs sound top notch. You'll have a blast I'm sure.
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I’m trying to keep my expectations very low. I’m hoping I don’t get too hooked, as we simply don’t have enough room for a 6x12 unless we eliminated two 9-footers.
 
To me it's just because it looks like pool doesn't mean it plays the same. Certain shots which are pretty standard in pool can be almost impossible in snooker. Also if you really want to play snooker be sure you know the rules.
 
I'd stick with a snooker cue for snooker and an American pool cue for American pool.

I have dedicated cues for both English pool and snooker, but I used to use a snooker cue for the former. I now only use my snooker cue for its intended use, and picked up a custom Peradon for pool.

Does the snooker cue you'll be using have a butt joint for extensions? If not, I'd stick with your pool cue for shots out of reach. Some snooker tables do offer very long cues which rest on hooks below the long cushions, but these are few and far between, now that nearly all cues come with butt joints.

Hope you enjoy your first snooker experience! It's a shame it's not more popular in the States.
 
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