Recent content by bellmagic

One game that I haven't seen mentioned, my Dad called "Cribbage". You break a random rack like you would for 8 ball, and if you make a ball you have to then shoot the other ball which adds to 15 (make the 7, try to get the 8). Then shoot the pairs that add to 15, saving the 15 for the last shot...

Yes, for bank shots and for kick shots. There are additional corrections, based on table, cushions, and cloth, and I was also taught to aim a bank as a cut shot if there is an identical table lined up with the one I'm playing on and I could aim at the corresponding pocket on the second table.

I've played on tables with everything from grey and camel/tan cloth to black, and prefer the lighter colored cloths. The camel and grey cloths show less shadows if the lighting isn't perfect, and the definition is cleaner/clearer when you're shooting on those tables. I actually have tan/gold...

I've been playing for a long time, and played with almost every type of cue made, even snooker cues. I find that for me, a 19oz radial pin Dale Perry with a Fusion5 OB shaft is about perfect. I also prefer a Kamui clear black hard tip with a nickel profile. I can get all the english I need, but...

Just for the sake of it, my Dad was a really good player and owned a pool room. Most of the years I was learning, all our tables had Gold cloth, because it was easier to keep clean, you were cleaner, and ball colors were brighter and almost any kind of lighting seemed clearer and there were...

I've been playing for a long time, and have owned and played with most of the "known" cues made. I've changed what I like, trying to find the best fit for me, and I've always loved wood to wood cues, Meucci, McDermott, Jacoby, Lucasi, Viking, and now play with a Dale Perry. For me, they are as...

Over the years, I've tried every chalk made and have found Morakami to work really well. I use a Kamui clear hard tip on every shaft, instead of using a softer tip to get more english when needed, and the Morakami chalk has a little more "grippy" texture than almost everything else. It means...

I'd play the 6 in the corner(pocket speed) with a little draw. Shoot the 7 in C with some follow, trying to leave the cue ball up between 1 and 2 diamonds on the E-D-C rail. Then shoot the 8 ball in B with top left and then pocket the 9 ball in E. Any pattern which follows almost "natural"...

The newer layered tips give you better control and more english if you play and really try to control the cue ball. But, you will have to find out what tip hardness is best for you. Soft tips will generally give you more english if you use a lot, but can mushroom and lose their shape over time...

I saw a brief message about you wanting to find someone to make a radial pin cue for you. Dale Perry makes great radial pin cues in general, and also made a very reasonably priced custom cue for me. It's beautiful, sweet, and after covid, I'll be back playing 3 or 4 nights a week at a pretty...

The proper alignment of both your body and hands help keep your game consistent. Most good shooters hold their cue firmly, but don't grip it like a baseball bat or a splitting maul. Firm, but primarily using your thumb and forefinger, seem to work best, because your wrist and arm seem to align...

I'm 72 and have been playing since I was about 12. I've tried every brand of cue made, and probably almost every tip made. I've played with snooker cues and regular cues. I like wood to wood joints, and all my cues have a low deflection shaft with a 12.5 mm Kamuii clear black hard tip with a...

I'm a league player and always use my jump/break cue to break. I've seen players break a ferrule on a shooting cue, and mushroom tips while breaking with a shooting cue and then have to continually have to reshape a soft-medium tip. The other thing I've found is that some full phenolic tips...

All cues are supposed to play like a 1piece house cue with a good tip and ferrule; you just can't break them down to carry them. Any decent 2-piece cue with a wood to wood joint should play really well. With a good layered tip(Kamui, Zan, etc) and a good LD shaft and ferrule, a good sneaky pete...

I've tried all the LD shafts out there, but have found that for me, the OB 1 seems to play the best, and has a very good "feel". I did change the tip to a Kamui Black hard, and think that's a very good combination.