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Speed control. The pros always seem to hit the cue ball at the correct speed

The difference between these sports is that with tennis and baseball you are striking the ball, whereas in bowling and basketball you are throwing the ball. In tennis and baseball (golf too), you are told to "watch the ball". In bowling and basketball you watch where you want the ball to go...

When I had my GC3 recovered last year, I also replaced the rails (they were over 25 years old). Away from home, I usually play on Diamond tables with 4.5" pockets. So, I told the mechanic that I wanted my table to play as close to a Diamond as possible. He cut the pockets to 4 3/8--slightly...

To me, it seems like the problem with "bar rules" is that you only find out about the rule after you have violated it. I was playing in a tournament and pocketed one of my balls in the called pocket off another ball (it was obvious that that was the only way the shot could be made). My...

The "take what you make" rule favors weaker players. Even an APA 2 who makes a ball on the break will "select" the correct group 50% of the time.

I was in an airport (past security) in Texas not long ago, and I saw two guys each with deer antlers sticking out of their backpacks. These seem a lot more dangerous than a pool cue.

One way to tell if thee butt plate is ivory is to shine a blacklight on it. Ivory will show up white, whereas synthetic materials will have a blue or purple hue. You can buy a blacklight flashlight at a hardware store for around $10. That said, in my opinion ivory is not a good material for...

I agree. My general rule is to call a time out: (1) if the player is about to shoot a shot that will cause them to lose the game, or (2) if they are about to miss an opportunity to shoot a shot that will win them the game.

I bought Bar-co Reliners in the mid-1990s. They are leather liners and they reduce my corner pockets from 4 3/8 to 3 3/4. They are fine for practice because I have to execute the shot perfectly to make the ball. However, because they are leather, they do not play correctly. So I never use...

Buddy Hall

I have the 1985 edition and I found it very interesting. It's been a while since I read it, but I seem to remember that much of what he wrote in the 1960s is still true today. It's also worth noting that Polsky is a pool player, so he had a better understanding of the culture than most academics.

One of my favorite stories from the book is not about Buddy. It's about a time when St. Louie Louie borrowed a gun to raise some money to continue gambling.

I don't know about pool table cloth, but in general you should avoid warm or hot water on blood as it sets the stain. You should use only cold water.

This place had regular house cues. This happened more than 30 years ago in New Orleans (no jointed house dues back then).

I had something similar happen to me. I had my break cue (a Huebler merry widow) and my playing cue (a Schon with a floating points and a linen wrap). The person was looking for a cue and grabbed my Huebler. When I told him it was my cue, he put it down and grabbed the Schon. He gave it...

I've seen Bustamante do this. I guess that makes him a beginner.

The wrap on the cue looks like Cortland linen, which will have a very different feel than any linen wrap you will be able to get now. I would go with a leather wrap.

I agree about Taom (Pyro) chalk. I started using it when I had my table recovered, and rarely have to clean it. I view it as an investment because it will extend the life of the cloth. It seems to last a lot longer than Master.

After reading all of your posts I took another look at the pin, and it looks like it's an aluminum pin.

I have bought a couple of cues from Recollection Cues. Tom Watters is honest and easy to deal with. I agree with Dave in FL about Chris Nitti. I have one of his cues, and it plays and looks great.