Recent content by Bob Jewett

Ron Kilby used to post here, but not for a while. "kilby" I think he started making cues about 1985.

In your experience, is there always a referee present?

Considering how often it happens -- almost never in typical league games -- there is no reason to put a limit on intentional illegal contact. The real reason it's in there is because snooker has/had a rule that you should never benefit from a foul. It's unsportsmanlike and very lower class.

I wonder if it was possible to ask for a video review. The WNT did not have it available the last I heard.

The clock does not change until it is legal for the incoming player to take a shot. The clock is best switched by the outgoing player and I think it is a very good thing that the outgoing player is forced to return to his seat promptly.

Ummm... What about the announcers? I agree about the director (who chooses the view). This seems to be a pretty common problem. Let's see the opponent's reaction instead of the cue ball which is going towards a cluster. It really requires pool understanding and I think they are often stuck with...

Try equal offense instead. There was actually a league system of it around 1990.

What is the actual rule?

Their clock is visible to them every time they go to sit down and turn it off. My experience in using game clocks is that it does speed up play. When the chance to lose the match if they run out of time is looming over them, the slugs put on running shoes. Another advantage of a chess/game...

The "coaching" at 2:00 in the foul video looks to me like it is the "ref" saying whether a ball overlaps the rack outline. The referee, if there was a referee, is supposed to do that. But I don't think Bob was a referee.

The advantage of being there for the first rounds is that you can pretty easily watch the top players you want to see. Maybe it will be an easy match for them, but you still get to see them up close with the many-table layout. But, yeah, the more important and dramatic matches start at 64.

The major 3-cushion matches have per-shot clocks with time keepers on each table. In carom leagues, they use chess clocks. I think you are wrong about the goal. If a player has a very complicated shot, the audience can understand that the problem requires time. And the player will have to play...

For those who were wondering, here it is: https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxtF1yx25ylsIP4FTTdymPwcI9ojlXpVxD?si=k8Jhq2JqlrmEmWXu

It is not a per-shot clock. It is a total time used clock. There is no need to see it continuously. If you start with 40 minutes as your time for the race to 7, the exact time is of no concern until you get really low, and then you know you need to step lively. And if you need three minutes to...

That's not what modern game clocks look like. There are free apps that do the job. A dedicated, physical, programmable, electronic game clock is about $50.