Waxing the cue ball? WTF is Kaci talking about now?
- Thread starter benjaminwah
- Start date
Xdecemberguy
New member
Well now I would say it's official..too many professional are getting suspicious and now this video has me convinced. We need a new rule that either the cue ball can be changed out at the request, or that players are only allowed to touch the cue ball with 3 fingers without swiping the ball at all. Eagle grip the ball. Complete BS that it has come to this..man I hate people that try to cheat. In this video it looks like half are cleaning and the other half are waxing the cue ball. Completely unprofessional, cheating, and ruining the game. Hopefully new changes are coming.
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Wow! And the first time I heard of waxing was at the 2025 WPC. How come nobody has brought this forth previously if waxing was a known thing in pool tournaments?
it's safe to say that the first clips doesn't indicate neither waxing or suspicions of waxing. if ralf souquet, the model of honesty and fair play, is walking around with wax in his pants pocket i will gladly prepare and eat crow for breakfast. i also don't think he even suspects joshua of it. but they weren't the first ones on that table.
niels, same thing, he's a fair play guy to the extreme. in rack your own matches he will collect the balls under his chest and rack without looking to ensure a random racking order. but obviously he was suspicious of wax there, as was aloysius. the reaction of the cue ball in that yapp clip was comical. again, doesn't necessarily mean suspicions against the opponent, but suspicions of foreign substance present.
(i use "wax" here to mean wax OR silicone)
100% agree. a way to test and detect wax/sil is needed, along with a system for cb placement (that is enforceable with only area refereeing, that's important to remember).
Yapp and Niels looked as if they were questioning the way the cue ball rolled.
George the Greek
Well-known member
The shuffleboard silicone spray i tried had a strong chemical smell when first sprayed then barely a whiff hours later but still had residue in the cloth enough to make a ball slick.
This has been going on for over twenty years, and I was aware of it, but the prevailing opinion among the pros was that so few were doing it that it didn't much matter.
It all came to a head this year because, in the crazy humid conditions of Jeddah, doctoring the cue ball appears to have been a more widespread practice.
Pool didn't really get caught snoozing here, but now that two of the Matchroom majors (World 9ball and Philippines Open) are going to be contested in super-humid conditions, managing this situation has greater immediacy than ever.
Again, it serves no great purpose to look back, but the heightened awareness of this issue gives pool an opportunity to better itself through modification of its practices and rules.
I was too curious, so I found the entire match on youtube. Below are some of Yapp's shots that could be explained by a very slick CB...
14:33 - CB "hydroplaned" after hitting the rail, resulting in very short position...
18:40 - Yapp probably intended for the CB to collide with the 5-ball, but inside english didn't take on the rail as expected...
25:21 - Yapp probably thought there would be more CIT with inside english, but slippery CB made him severely overcut shot...
But to be fair, the CB looked very slick from the very beginning. The video doesn't suggest at all that Chua had anything to do with the slick CB.
I'm not saying you are, SJM, but using conditions as an excuse for poor performance or as a justification for modifying equipment is so tired. If pool players had their druthers, the equipment, conditions (including temperature & humidity), break rules, etc. would all be identical at every event. I kind of hope that over time the various major events Matchroom is promoting start to have their own identities – similar to what we see in golf for example.
Want to win the World 9 Ball? You better be able to play on a wet table in conditions you absolutely detest.
Want to win the US Open? You better be able to string racks together.
Want to win the UK Open with its tiny corner pockets? You better shoot straight and stay in line because you will rattle that 7 trying to force shape on a tough 8 ball if you’re out of line.
billiards_watch
Well-known member
The videos on this page does show people messing with the ball.
I honestly do think they mess with it like a pitcher rubbing a ball with spit or foreign object.
I honestly do think they mess with it like a pitcher rubbing a ball with spit or foreign object.
I’m with you… I haven’t heard about it. This is my question… what’s the difference between polishing, waxing, and slicking the cue ball? Where is the line drawn? What products will be allowed and which ones banned? When I was a child my father used to have me clean the balls with toothpast - living in the dark ages!
Also I wonder now if the players are going to be sorry that they ever bought it to light? It’s like my son said “don’t cry when everyone is making pasta.”
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billiards_watch
Well-known member
I have never seen it done like the video showing a player putting the ball in his pocket. I don't think that should be allowed because growing up learning to play at a young age, the rule is don't touch the ball. There is "watch the hit", a common lexicon in pool, so putting the ball and hiding in it briefly for an innocent cleaning/waxing/polishing shouldn't be allowed.
Remember the opponent has to touch the ball and I wouldn't want to handle a cue ball that was just down some guy's pants. Pant pockets are dirty as it is.
Ball in pocket should have already raised a red flag.
Remember the opponent has to touch the ball and I wouldn't want to handle a cue ball that was just down some guy's pants. Pant pockets are dirty as it is.
Ball in pocket should have already raised a red flag.
The best answer to your question is in WPA Equipment specification:
16. BALLS AND BALL RACK
"..............balls should be unpolished, and should also not be waxed. Balls should be cleaned with a towel or cloth free of dirt and dust, and may also be washed with soap and water. Balls contaminated with any slippery substance – treated with a polishing or rubbing compound and/or waxed must be cleansed and dewaxed with a clean cloth moistened with diluted alcohol before play."
So the line is drawn quite visibly
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yes, this was my point earlier. the suspicions aren't necessarily directed towards the opponent, it's often not "maiden" equipment. this all has gotten very personal and tribal.. waxgate isn't over, that's for sure, but the blanket suspicions towards all filipino players needs to stop. and vice versa tribal responses