I never use the diamonds. How many of you do?

I think this is how many of us work. I don't use a system with the diamonds but I sometimes use them as additional reference points along with the pockets. I am not likely to shoot a two or three rail bank without at least considering the diamonds but I am not going to calculate any numbers. The only system I used was poke andes pray and since I gave up praying I'm now using the poke and hope system. I'll be teaching that as soon as my copyrights become official!;)

Hu
I think a lot of people feel that using feel is guessing. I think you can be accurate most of the time.
 
I think a lot of people feel that using feel is guessing. I think you can be accurate most of the time.

The catch is that no matter what system you use, you almost always have to add a little bit of feel depending on if the table is playing long or short and just how far it is playing off. There was a table in Buffalo's old pool hall that had an air conditioner vent blowing hard on one side of it all summer because the old AC system couldn't keep up. The AC blew above one side and directly into the other side of the table. One half of the end rails played differently than the other half. One long rail was much harder than the other too! Warm air in the winter could make play interesting but not nearly as much as the AC in summer. Bring on your system and watch it fall apart if you don't adjust for that AC vent. It took feel to do that. By the time you made the basic adjustments for the Diamond red label playing short and the seemingly crazy rails, systems were just rough starting points! A great gaff table to play one pocket or banks on.(grin)

Hu
 
The catch is that no matter what system you use, you almost always have to add a little bit of feel depending on if the table is playing long or short and just how far it is playing off. There was a table in Buffalo's old pool hall that had an air conditioner vent blowing hard on one side of it all summer because the old AC system couldn't keep up. The AC blew above one side and directly into the other side of the table. One half of the end rails played differently than the other half. One long railand was much harder than the other too! Warm air in the winter could make play interesting but not nearly as much as the AC in summer. Bring on your system and watch it fall apart if you don't adjust for that AC vent. It took feel to do that. By the time you made the basic adjustments for the Diamond red label playing short and the seemingly crazy rails, systems were just rough starting points! A great gaff table to play one pocket or banks on.(grin)

Hu
Yes understaning things like how left and right english and follow and draws can close and open angles, how slide effects wider angles, clean and dirty balls, temperature changes, different cloth, different rails, angle in equals equal angle out, understanding that the cueball sinks halfway into the cushion making it go longer than originally looks, how speed can shorten or lack of speed can shorten or lengthen a angle, can really make guessing or feel quite accurate. I would say it's superior than a system.
 
Last edited:
Upon further review, I use diamonds on banks, but not 1 rail kicks, but not in any kind of system way. I'll find the natural bank using the diamonds, then adjust for where the OB actually is. You basically halve the distance of a parallel to the natural then drive the ball into that place on the cushion. I didn't even realize I did it until thinking about this thread a bit.

One rail kicks are looking at the position of the balls then driving the CB into a point on the nose of the cushion that will get the result I want. It really isn't a conscious system, just what looks right.
 
Back
Top