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That makes two of us😁 (knowing what to do, and forcing yourself to do it, are two different things),

Forget tournaments. Little incentive to improve when you can’t find a room with serene environment/good equipment in reasonable driving distance, and players your own speed who are game for 14.1 action.

For what it’s worth: My game improved when I finally faced the maxims of: ‘NEVER (unless no alternative) choose any shot that you can‘t be absolutely sure of getting good position from’, and ‘NEVER move any balls that you don’t have to’.

True.

Interesting. When Eddie Taylor came to Monmouth, he advertised himself as a ‘world 14.1 champion’ (Johnston City?). Quite a feather in Maynard’s cap if he beat him at straight pool. As I remember, the match was maybe on a weekday (or Sat.?) afternoon, and I had to go back to high school briefly...

‘Buck Fever’?

One ‘fundamental’ that doesn’t come naturally to those who don’t play frequently, is choosing the best shot plan: After breaking & running down to the last OB in a recent 8-ball tournament final, all the dozens of things I usually have to consider seemed irrelevant since the ball was 6” from the...

I still have one of the first mid-90s Predator shafts, but it wasn’t spliced (another that was, bought soon after, plays exactly the same). I also immediately sold my Gus S. cues when I realized how predictable was the Predator’s lower deflection in comparison.

OK. After rereading the rules, I see now that even if you scratch, you have technically met the opening break requirements (color me chagrined). One point penalty, no re-break option.

Waiting for an official opinion (?). If the last line in rule 4.10 stated: “either” instead of “both”, it would clearly be a breaking foul. I have always played it as such, and though the definition of ‘driven to a rail’ might well include a scratch, it has never qualified as a legal opening...

?! BTW: Reminds me of when we were kids and didn’t yet know all the rules. Thinking we were only risking 2 points, we would actually try to leave the CB corner-hooked on the opening break, not realizing that a re-break wasn’t mandatory if you scratched, and a loose ball near the pocket plus...

Yeah, I had that backwards. After Crane would repeatedly dangle his big ‘ultra shiny‘ shoes in Willie’s line of sight by the pocket when he was down on a shot, it was WILLIE who would spill powder on them (and the pant legs).

I wasn‘t aware there was any ‘official’ game that requires calling more than just the pocket (?). The missed ‘4-rail-around-the-table’ shot that drops in the pocket I was aiming at shouldn’t spark any controversy in 14.1. Disgust (my opponent) maybe. Glee (me) for sure! Caroms & combos are...

Funniest story was from Mosconi’s book. A regular opponent would try to distract him by spilling powder on his shoe 😁.

It’s all rather intuitive (and obvious) once you start using the beads. Gets easier with practice. BTW: Something not discussed is the actual ‘vocal’ calling-the-pocket on every shot in straight pool (a la the ‘ref’, rack-boy, or whoever is sliding the beads/calling the score in the ‘HUSTLER’...

Ordinarily, I would say…’not‘ acceptable, since it annoys your opponent when he can’t communicate with you. But, like with earplugs also, the noise from a loud jukebox or a raucous crowd sometimes leaves no alternative. Do you at least remove them when not shooting if the room is quiet?

I think it is also good procedure for the player racking to announce the scores after he slides the beads tight (or adjusts the thumbwheels, for that matter). If there has been any error, better to catch/discuss it early, rather than after the game has progressed.

My approach also. If a loudmouth idiot doesn’t ‘get it’ when you’ve stopped playing and you’re just staring at him, he’s utterly clueless and not anyone I would play with. When YOU are at the table, you get to talk as much as you like then (a la Mike S.) If no referee attending, player in the...

The traditional bead string has 50 beads on each side of a fixture that divides the player’s scores. Every 10th bead is black (or is it 5, and 10 with a # flag?…can’t remember/been too long), and the ones between are a lighter color. You slide your 1st rack score beads at the low # end (away...

Also, girls are traditionally conditioned to avoid embarrassing men (by suppressing superior intelligence/skills), the assumption being that the majority of males want to play a dominant role in matrimony.