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My favorite are the "this is an amateur table?" or "this is amateur tournament right?" guys when someone misses a shot. Then someone else will say no, it's a professional tournament, which inevitably turns into a snooker vs pool debate. And also inevitably, someone will claim that it's...

Shaw and many other pros are "leaners." Check this out: To be more specific, it's a combination of a slight angle and a slight lean. I'm cross-dominant which means leaning more than angling is more comfortable and accurate for me in terms of ensuring both my back foot and "vision center" are...

My consistency skyrocketed when I started standing on the shot line with my back foot and then leaning over a bit to get my head on the shot line, too. Previously I was standing with my head square on the shot line, which meant my back foot was way over it. Then I would do some contorting to get...

If hitting that shot with low left is the right way to hit it, then why is hitting it with low center the wrong way? Is it solely because of the risk of a skid and the outside helps prevent that? Other than that, aiming is aiming. There's nothing inherently more difficult about aiming the shot...

It's interesting to imagine a world where Trudeau wasn't a crook and the IPT became a mainstay in pool. Imagine multiple events annually paying out hundreds of thousands of dollars for first place. Assuming it was still ongoing from 2005, would pro pool have twice as many good players now? I...

This never made sense to me. Using a little side doesn't lock you in to using exactly the spin you anticipate. If you can't find/hit center ball accurately and consistently, you can't find/hit a little side (or however much you anticipate the effects of) accurately and consistently either. If...

Efren’s two big IPT victories account for nearly one-third ($700k) of his career earnings.

Thanks for all the replies, everyone. After thinking about this for a few days, I now realize that I simply haven't trained myself to play well in these conditions the same way I did leagues/tournaments. I think it comes down to a "want it" factor. I desperately want to play well in league and...

I've always thought that pool could be/is a nice "real world" activity for the younger generation when they're tired of being glued to screens all day. It's got a lot of things going for it. Relatively easy to pick up, impossible to master. Pleasing to the eyes and ears. Doesn't require much...

It does seem like the list of upcoming players is pretty much full given the eligibility/age requirements. There are the four you listed, plus Carlo Biado and Jasmin Ouschan. I also think that JL Chang gets in. That would take us through 2029. From there, a floodgate of elite players become...

He will probably be inducted in 2024. Might need to be 40 for the entire calendar year you're inducted? I could see it going something like: 2023 - Feijen 2024 - Biado/SVB 2025 - Biado/SVB After those three are in, there will be a small gap in time before the next crop of elite players are...

sjm, how do you think brief periods of complete dominance factor into Hall of Fame consideration? Let's say Sanchez-Ruiz regresses back to his pre-2021 self and never wins another major and instead just wins a few European events here and there for the rest of his career. Does his 2022/2023...

At close to 650 Fargo, you would be a strong 7/9 and approaching super 7/9 status in most APA territories. From what I've seen I think it goes something like: 525-550 is a weak 7/7, 50-55% win rate 550-575 is a standard 7/7 or weak 7/8, 55-60% win rate 575-600 is a standard 7/8 or weak 7/9...

9s can also grab a quick 20+ points off a single ball in hand if they're shooting well. They'll run out that rack and then have a decent chance of running out the next, especially on a bar box. So one foul by the 7/7 can quickly erase their handicap advantage.

I play my best pool in two scenarios: when I'm practicing (and focused on improvement), and when I'm playing competitively in a league match or tournament (assuming I'm not overcome with nerves). I play my absolute worst pool when I'm playing friendly matches. I think the issue is twofold...

Mika's warm-up strokes seem like they would absolutely eliminate any tension in your arm, which is obviously a huge plus when playing pool. For a long time I tried to emulate the most robotic pros out there with the rigid warm-up strokes, the very pronounced pause, and the very slow initial...

Longest I've witnessed was a 9 ball match between a pair of SL 1s on a 9' Diamond table. They could only make a ball if their opponent missed and hung it in the jaws. Anything more difficult than that was almost a guaranteed miss. And even when they were shooting at hangers, they were liable...

Man, now I want to see FSR vs Gorst in a major tournament. They are the players to beat at the moment.

I lived in two apartment buildings that had grey cloth on the tables in their common areas. They were cheapo furniture tables, but I found myself really liking the color.

Amazing how FSR has gone from David Alcaide’s compatriot and “understudy” to possibly the best tournament player in the world right now (or at the very least tied with Gorst).