Answer for Jay Helfert

R

Run the Century

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Jay asked on TAR last night why some people lay the butt of the cue onto the rail when they rack (rightly observing it puts the butt into a vulnerable position). The reason I do it is because continuing to lay the but on the table (assuming you have an irish linen wrap) will dirty up the wrap if you play on tables that arent cleaned regularly. Look at how dirty your bridge hand is after a short while after playing. Your linen wrap picks up the same dirt. If you play with a leather wrap you have no worries.

Not looking to start a flame war. Just an observation from an anal cue owner.

Chris
 
I don't understand why Jay is so hung up on this. He even had a thread about this some time back. I do it because I don't want chalk dust on my shaft. A lttle moisture from my hands ends up on the cue and if you lay it down flat on the table, you know chalk dust will get all over it.

So Jay, get over it. There are plenty of other problems that need our attention! :)
 
I think -- and I may be wrong -- that Jay's line of thinking may stem from being a pool room owner. :wink:

A lot of lay pool people, meaning those who don't know as much as the forum members here know, will take a house cue and lean it on the wall after they are finished or between shots. :eek:

When you lean a cue on the wall like that, it can cause the cue to warp. :frown:

There might be one school of thought that placing the cue on the table, with the butt end on the rail, could cause the cue to warp. :o

I'm just throwing this in the thread as food for thought. I don't care one way or the other! :grin-square:
 
It seems to me that its easier to pick back up when the racking is done as it has an air-space under it already. That's why I do it.

A friend of mine always laid his flat on the table. He hapharzardly picked it up one time & caught the bumper under the rail...not so hard to do. The tip end shot up into the light...dinging the shaft.
 
Bingo....

mosconiac said:
It seems to me that its easier to pick back up when the racking is done as it has an air-space under it already. That's why I do it.

A friend of mine always laid his flat on the table. He hapharzardly picked it up one time & caught the bumper under the rail...not so hard to do. The tip end shot up into the light...dinging the shaft.
Click to expand...

This is the correct answer. Also when laid flat on the table, the cue is usually picked up insecurely with the fingertips and when the bumper catches under the rail, it is pulled from your hand causing damage to the cue when it hits the edge of the table, the balls, or the floor.
 
Keeping it clean

I am of the school that lays the butt of the cue on the rail although I have gotten careful that I just lay a few inches of the butt on the rail making sure it doesn't stick out past the table where it can get hit and knocked off the table.

I do it purely to keep the entire cue clean, most particularly the shaft. With a wrapless butt on my cue I'm not particularly worried about it but the tip chalk is highly abrasive and I don't want any chunks of it I can avoid getting on my cue's shaft. This is long standing practice, once I selected a house cue I treated it's shaft like gold for the time I played with it. I went decades avoiding holding anything wet in my bridge hand, something deeply engrained from playing pool.

I don't consider there to be any real risk of the shaft warping from the small amount of time that the cue is unsupported. A more valid but slight risk is the cue getting broken. Somebody has been careless where they were leaning and put a hand on a cue and snapped it a few times when it was in this vulnerable position. This happened in my local pool hall which was enough to cause a handful of people in there to warn me about the practice. I sometimes bring a cue holder that grips it securely and place my cue in it but most of the time I simply lay it on the table, butt on rail. Of course my cue is a working cue and I wouldn't shed a tear if it was damaged or destroyed. If I had a cue like JoeyA's POW/MIA tribute cue or another that couldn't be replaced I might be more careful with it.

Hu
 
But on rail

If you have never seen a person lean over a table to say somthing to the racker and heard that sound of wood cracking you have been lucky . Lay it flat , wipe it off , play on
 
I lay it flat and wipe it off. That is what Sigel did. Plus he rolls the break cue before he breaks to make sure it is straight.
 
8ballEinstein said:
I don't understand why Jay is so hung up on this. He even had a thread about this some time back. I do it because I don't want chalk dust on my shaft. A lttle moisture from my hands ends up on the cue and if you lay it down flat on the table, you know chalk dust will get all over it.

So Jay, get over it. There are plenty of other problems that need our attention! :)
Click to expand...

I don't recall ever starting a thread about this. It's not a big deal to me how other people treat their cues. So there is nothing for me to "get over", but thanks anyway EINSTEIN!

I will only add that once a player has his cue roll off the edge of the table and ding the shaft he will curtail this practice. Trust me when I tell you it happens. Once that cue starts to roll it's too late.

As someone else said. we are talking about break cues here, not playing cues. A simple wipe with a cloth cleans any chalk dust off the butt. That wasn't so hard, was it?
 
I also put the butt on the rail as Hu does, The part of the butt on the table is not very much so it wont roll off the table, never actually had a problem with that happening to me. I like to keep my cue clean and do not like chalk all over it which some tables can be dirty and even if they are not it will build up especially on those classic white/green speck linens.
 
mosconiac said:
It seems to me that its easier to pick back up when the racking is done as it has an air-space under it already. That's why I do it.

A friend of mine always laid his flat on the table. He hapharzardly picked it up one time & caught the bumper under the rail...not so hard to do. The tip end shot up into the light...dinging the shaft.
Click to expand...

This is exactly why I do it...... and for rolling off the table? That must be due to an un-level table, or just plain clumsiness. The cue should really be laid down flat along the long rail, but players who play a lot know how to rack in less than 5 seconds.

For me, it's really much smoother to pick your cue back up if you lay it on the rail. It's just part of my routine.

Actually, standing it up and leaning your cue against the table like most rec players do is the only way I see it rolling off the table.
 
At one time, in this area of MI, there were many players who liked to break the balls the instant the rack was off the balls or before you could place the rack in the holder and step away from the table.

There is even a rule in a local league that calls of lose of match if the cue ball hits the racker!

Because of this I made it a habit to lay my cue across the table in front of the rack and pick up the cue as I stepped away from the table after I finished racking. I never had anyone break while the cue was still on the table.

Steve
 
never put your cue stick in front of the rack and never lift the rack off the table if the breaker is aiming his shot. with the cue across the rack if he hits, the cue ball is going airborne right at you.
tell him to wait till you are away from the table. ive seen a few teeth go flying.
 
jay helfert said:
I don't recall ever starting a thread about this. It's not a big deal to me how other people treat their cues. So there is nothing for me to "get over", but thanks anyway EINSTEIN!

I will only add that once a player has his cue roll off the edge of the table and ding the shaft he will curtail this practice. Trust me when I tell you it happens. Once that cue starts to roll it's too late.

As someone else said. we are talking about break cues here, not playing cues. A simple wipe with a cloth cleans any chalk dust off the butt. That wasn't so hard, was it?
Click to expand...

Maybe you don't remember this - http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=100513&highlight=butt+rail

When I read it, I couldn't believe you were so adament about this subject. Many veteran players have a rhyme and reason for laying the butt end of the cue on the rail and it's not because they're trying to look cool. Also, it's not just break cues we're talking about. If the game is loser rack, then the racker is not usually walking up to the table with his break cue.

I'm not trying to bust your balls on this. I prefer to lay the butt on the rail but if others prefer something else, I'm not going to explain why my way is much better. I just don't care.
 
Not too cool

Is it cool if I just stand it up in the corner pocket beside me while I rack?


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I do not like this one seems like alot of problems could happen here














:D[/QUOTE]
 
jay helfert said:
I don't recall ever starting a thread about this. It's not a big deal to me how other people treat their cues. So there is nothing for me to "get over", but thanks anyway EINSTEIN!

I will only add that once a player has his cue roll off the edge of the table and ding the shaft he will curtail this practice. Trust me when I tell you it happens. Once that cue starts to roll it's too late.

As someone else said. we are talking about break cues here, not playing cues. A simple wipe with a cloth cleans any chalk dust off the butt. That wasn't so hard, was it?
Click to expand...

I was taught to lay the cue Jay Helfert's way (right or wrong) for his stated reasons.

It was considered good etiquette when using someone's cue to lay it flat and a "breach" to lay it on the rail.

The first people I can remember laying their cues on the rail were pro's (who usually don't buy their cues) lay their cue on the rail for whatever reason and I wonder if subconsciously that started a trend.

Just like I wonder if people started using 3 rail position (not every case) when 1 rail will suffice for position. I like Buddy Hall's stated policy on position use the fewest # of rails needed when it counts.

If Mr. Helfert's 's era says lay it on the table I will continue to do so.
 
the right way

obviously the correct thing to do is break down both the break and playing cue and stow them safely back in your case in between racks...of course, I still keep a well stocked Y2K shelter...
 
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