Search results

Check out Flow Master Pool at Center Pocket in Bowie. I've not tried the format, but from their website it sounds pretty good, a mix of 9-ball, 10-ball, and 8-ball. I have played in the room, and it is near perfect, seemingly endless Diamond 7s and a handful of Rasson 9s. The folks who run...

Thanks for putting these together. Top-shelf oral history, not just of the pool world, but of the United States.

I don't have any affiliation with the author, but Pleasure of Small Motions has been a huge help for me. Realizing that thinking in words is antithetical to playing in dead stroke has been a huge benefit to my game. Getting out of your own way is a question of silencing the self talk, and just...

That's exactly it. I like hard, expensive games. Variously, I enjoy professional BBQ contests, competitive golf, sailboat racing, and pool. Pool and golf have been the most compelling because it is so hard to stay at an elite level. Dealing with adversity well has a few steps: 1...

I think the hard part is no one stays the best for long, or even for a long time. Even the very best at anything have to deal with adversity. The people who are able to stay at a high level for a long time are those who can deal productively with defeat. Understanding what went wrong is...

This is a timely thread. I recently read Pleasure of Small Motions: Mastering the Mental Game of Pocket Billiards. It is a good book. One of the best take-aways is that you have to find more than one definition of success in the game. It can't just be winning, because always winning is...

I had a similar problem. I solved it by not playing 8-ball anymore. I'm in a 9-ball league, and I only play 9 and sometimes 7 against the ghost for practice. I notice changes in my stroke between the two games, especially if playing 8 on a bar box and 9 on a GC. I get used to a little punch...

I have had a similar experience. I had a brain-fail and accidentally submitted a spec that made no sense when ordering a break cue. They phoned me to see if I that's what I really intended, and we got it fixed. It would have been easy to make the cue I ordered and make the problem mine, but...

The problem isn't the handicapping, it is the eons it takes to get through matches. I was recently at a tri-cup played at a place with all Diamond 7s. Nearly every match ended up in sudden death. The 23 rule, plus sub 4.5 inch pockets makes for absolutely glacial events. It isn't like the...

I've always admired her mechanics. Since the 90s she has always had a simple, effective way of cueing.

I think we're agreeing. It makes total sense that the Diamond 7ft tables dominate the modern game. They take up the real estate of a bar box but are suitable for elite players. My point is that when you replace all of the bar boxes with Diamonds the game is less approachable and more...

This is one of the best arguments for standardization. In the old days, not really that long ago, we had real pool on 9 footers, and bar pool on bar boxes. They weren't really the same game. Moving from a slow, loose, bar box like a Valley to a GC was a brutal change. APA was/is designed...

That's totally it. It was called the Outdoor Life Network at the time (now Versus). Thanks so much. I have memories of watching those events, but until today, I've not been confident they weren't fever dreams.

SJM, was IPT the one on the Outdoor/outside Network? Slow cloth, break from the box, men and women together? I have a clear memory of such a spectacle, but I can't find evidence of it ever existing.

Bring back seven ball! Simple to understand. Fun for the average person to play. You can run a race to 20 in the space of an NBA game.

There used to be two rooms in Newport News Virginia. One was Obelisk Billiards Club (a really class room), and Spinners (a little scary). They both had good names and could accommodate players at any budget.

All of the advice in this thread is very good. QBall is a great room, but not super convenient from Navy Yard. Rocket Bar in Chinatown is just okay. Very disrespected GC tables. They are 9 footers, but usually dirty, nappy cloth. I play there a lot anyway. Continental in Rosslyn has a mix...

I think it is 9 on the spot, cue in a box that is roughly one diamond either side of center table behind the head string. The break box is a little more complicated, but I don't recall how they decided to draw the lines.

I like a softer hit, so I've been quite happy with mine. Their stock tip is quite soft though. If you haven't tried a firmer tip, you might give that a try before chucking the cue. Though, I must admit, I've been eying their keilwood shafts. If I order one, I'll share my experiences here.

I play Schmelke cues. For your budget you could get a player and a breaker, maybe fit a keilwood or carbon shaft in the budget as well. Made in USA. Not fancy, but honest.