Search results

Anyone can play if they qualify.

There is actually a video somewhere of two top snooker players talking about this. I recall one of them saying it was "fascinating" (or a similar superlative) how 8 ball players look for the "key ball" before they attempt to runout. Obvious to anyone who has played and learned 8 ball, but an...

English pool is even more ridiculous for house rules than American 8 Ball. This might change now that English 8 Ball on TV is mostly played to a ruleset that makes sense and is internally consistent and coherent - but much league pool in the UK is played according to various versions of "old...

That's pool! When you are outplaying your opponent you, on average, get more rolls than them because you are intuitively and instinctively playing two way shots better (most shots in 9 Ball have a two way aspect although this becomes more and more second nature as you improve to the extent that...

My guess is that Ian Anderson has jumped into the pie because Barry Hearn could already have some fingers in it. We'll see....

Yeh I enjoy listening to him and his perspective. He is very much a rookie in this kind of set up. But they all were.

No chalk has ever been a problem on powder blue or grey.

The Guardian and the New York Times spell the word out when they deem it appropriate to do so. Maybe take it up with them? This is a pool forum, not a prayer group.

I've always preferred gray, with powder blue a close second. With the advent of Shark Grey, it's good to see it's now a mainstream color. I prefer tournament blue over green but both are fine too.

Yea fair in that they apply equally to both opponents. However, not fair in that they can give a disproportionate weight to a single rack in a race. Hence the inverted commas- there is a context here.

Yeah that's ok too - if both players are of a certain handicap or above the race will be of a sufficient length for the normal rules to be "fair".

Agree. Handicap tournaments with short races are better when played no 3 foul and no golden breaks (respot the nine).

World class players such as Gareth Hibbott and Tom Cousins, who have dabbled in 9 Ball, have Fargo ratings in the low to mid 700s. While these ratings are not robust, this suggests they would be competitive against top players in short races. I think any world class cueist, from any discipline...

It's a foul. No two ways about it. In a friendly game or training session you sweep up early. But in a pro tournament, or an amateur one that has any degree of integrity, it's a foul everytime.

Must be him then.

I agree, he played a shot. Probably more than one shot actually. I've never seen this before - even seasoned recreational players know you can use the tip to position the ball but you can't hit the ball with the tip. It's not even a question, it's a foul.

Stone cold foul. It doesn't matter what his intention is. He hit the cue ball with his cue. I've played in tournaments where the TD said you can only use your hand to position the cue ball - which I think is daft and beyond nitty. But in this situation he played a shot, probably even an illegal...

Set score on the left. Current set game score on the right. In line with most sports but yes they could sign post it better.

The rule changed a few years ago. It used to be call shot.

English pool is played on a 7 footer and, despite the smaller balls, it's a tougher game than "American" 8 ball at the pro level because of the rounded snooker-style pockets. It's still a run out game at the elite level and results depend heavily on the break. But these guys mostly don't even...