Can you play good pool with any Cue?

You leave home and forget your cue, can you play good with any cue? Some people claim they cannot shoot good without their personal cue! Thanks for your input.
Regards,
Lock N Load.


I have zero chance to play good with out my cue, i'm the most cue sensitive player i ever saw, I thinks is related to lack of talent. pisses me off, its weak.
 
I have zero chance to play good with out my cue, i'm the most cue sensitive player i ever saw, I thinks is related to lack of talent. pisses me off, its weak.
Give yourself a little credit, Eric.
I feel that..the WORSE you play, the less the cue matters.
 
Like PT109 said give yourself a chance! Fatboy2.

I have zero chance to play good with out my cue, i'm the most cue sensitive player i ever saw, I thinks is related to lack of talent. pisses me off, its weak.

Try working a few games with a good house cue, tell yourself you can do this with no problem! At first just hit balls by yourself. Do this about an hour a day for a week and then tell me how you feel! Thanks for your input.
Regards,
Lock N load.
 
earl stricklands cue

hey buddy i was just reading you post about playing with your own cue . i seen a post a cue builder AZ name gulyassy talking about all the dif tips and weights and how long the cue was he tried till he got the perfect cue to match earls game me myself im a B player are worst lol but i think once you get use to a stick you come to know were to aim using left or right spin and you cant really do the same with any old stick dam sure not a house stick as all the poolhalls i have played in you have to search the dam place to find a stright 1 and they tend to use the cheaps tips they can buy so i think having your own stick is a big plus to my game never seen what you think though . so can you play just as good with any stick as you can play with yours
 
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Thank you for your input!

Yes. Pretty close to my best if the cue is not a complete piece of junk.

Hello Measureman,
I appreciate your words for the wise, and the not so wise.... A real pleasure for you to post in my thread.
Regards,
Lock N Load.
 
Hello Rich.

hey buddy i was just reading you post about playing with your own cue . i seen a post a cue builder AZ name gulyassy talking about all the dif tips and weights and how long the cue was he tried till he got the perfect cue to match earls game me myself im a B player are worst lol but i think once you get use to a stick you come to know were to aim using left or right spin and you cant really do the same with any old stick dam sure not a house stick as all the poolhalls i have played in you have to search the dam place to find a stright 1 and they tend to use the cheaps tips they can buy so i think having your own stick is a big plus to my game never seen what you think though . so can you play just as good with any stick as you can play with yours

Very glad to get your input on my thread. I hope all is going well for you my friend! I appreciate your interest. Whatever you do please do not get rid of your truck! Thanks for all of your help. I shoot with most of the time wherever I am playing.
Regards,
Lock N Load.
 
I can play well with virtually any cue, but the farther it is in feel from my regular cue (a Schon with a predator shaft) the more conservative I'm likely to play. I'm going to avoid big spin shots and tricky cuts and stuff for quite a while until I start to get the feel for what the cue can do. This could take a long time or a little, depending on how different it is, but eventually I'll figure it out.

I think in the long run most of us have to a certain extent built our games around our cues -- they are organic after all, not machine made, no two are alike -- so a change there is going to have a fairly significant effect, but certainly nothing insurmountable, especially for a good player.
 
I would have to say that a decent player would definitely play better with their own cue. If two good players hooked up and one forgot his cue, I would bet on the guy who brought his! On the other hand if they both forgot their cues, I would be looking to bet on the guy that has better "adapting to the conditions" skills.
 
Very well put, my dear fellow!

I can play well with virtually any cue, but the farther it is in feel from my regular cue (a Schon with a predator shaft) the more conservative I'm likely to play. I'm going to avoid big spin shots and tricky cuts and stuff for quite a while until I start to get the feel for what the cue can do. This could take a long time or a little, depending on how different it is, but eventually I'll figure it out.

I think in the long run most of us have to a certain extent built our games around our cues -- they are organic after all, not machine made, no two are alike -- so a change there is going to have a fairly significant effect, but certainly nothing insurmountable, especially for a good player.

Hello Gromulan,
Your input is very well stated! I thank you for your great words. You must be a good pool player?
Regards,
Lock N Load.
 
nope

If I don't use any sidespin I can play with anything.To play my normal game it must be a predator shaft.A house cue with a good tip will work in a pinch since it has similar deflection qualities but the taper makes it hard to play comfortably with.
 
Thanks for your input, Smoothstroke.

If I don't use any sidespin I can play with anything.To play my normal game it must be a predator shaft.A house cue with a good tip will work in a pinch since it has similar deflection qualities but the taper makes it hard to play comfortably with.

You sound like you hit the balls real good! I appreciate your time and input.
Regards,
Lock N Load.
 
A wise guy........(ahem).... wise man i knew always said a good cue will only help you play as well as you can, it won't help you play any better.
 
Shoot "good", yes. Shoot your best, no. I made over four grand with a cue off the wall in '68, but never ran more than four racks till I got my own stick. You won't see anyone playing a real champion for real money with a house cue. Why do you think they started making sneakies?
 
Had to test this theory last night, showed up at the bar without my cue. I got killed the first game because I tried to juice my first shot and the cue ball must have went 2" off of line. After that game I realized I just had to play a different game with no side spin, short follow and draw shots were still playable. I ran 3 racks out (8-ball) finished my drink and went home.

Like has been already stated, you can play, but probably not your best.
 
I can play badly with any cue.

Actually I have trouble with the taper of house cues, because I am used to the pro taper of my predator shaft. I believe a pro level player can play with anything, but is more likely to make the more difficult shots with a cue he feels comfortable with.
 
Shoot "good", yes. Shoot your best, no. I made over four grand with a cue off the wall in '68, but never ran more than four racks till I got my own stick. You won't see anyone playing a real champion for real money with a house cue. Why do you think they started making sneakies?

Donny:

I agree. I visit my folks in Denver, CO, every year at Christmas holiday to spend some quality time (having a hectic work schedule here in NY makes it a rare opportunity for me to get out there). I hate to air-travel with my cues -- that's another topic, so I won't even go there. Back in 2009, I'm visiting my folks as usual at this time of year, when, on New Year's Eve, I decided to go out to the nearby watering hole, Greenfields Pool and Sports Bar, which also happens to be a well-known APA stronghold (i.e. holding regionals there). I had intended only to have a few pints of Guinness, maybe play a few racks or gamble some cheap sets to blow off some steam, and just have fun. Being a native NY'er and used to the big tables, I knew there were only barboxes there ("remember where you are, Sean, this is barbox country"), but I figured what the heck.

When I walk in, the place is PACKED. And I'm not just talking about the bar area -- it was standing room only in the entire place. Forget about grabbing a table to play; that area was packed as well. But I do hear the P.A. system (LOUD!), and they are announcing "last call" to enter an end-of-year-bash Open 9-ball tournament they were having. I didn't have my cues with me, but I figured that it was 9-ball on a barbox (easier). I also noticed that players had come in from miles around -- including from out-of-state (e.g. Wyoming, Nevada, New Mexico), so I knew that this was both easy, and a challenge at the same time because it drew in talent from miles around. I knew I was going to have my hands full, but I figured, what the heck, what a great way to celebrate the New Year, even if I get my butt kicked!

I pull a stick off the wall, examine it to make sure it's decent/playable, and jog over to the registration counter to hand in my fee (I think it was $20). Because of the sheer number of players, it was short races (race to 5), and all the tables were in constant match use. While waiting for my match to start, I do a little doctoring of the tip with my CueShark PUP and on the shaft with a Q-Wiz (I at least brought these with me, because they're small / easy to carry, and I knew there was a chance I'd play a little pool while out there).

Well, long story short, I end up winning the whole shebang. Using a house cue straight off the wall, and without the benefit of hitting a few balls with it first. Some matches I cruised through, others went hill-hill, but I was constantly adapting my play to the situation, and to the equipment. (Mostly, I found a "balls-to-the-wall" offensive approach to be best -- pocketing balls from everywhere, including when the opponent "thought" that pinning the cue ball to the cushion with the object ball at the other end of the table "was a good safety" on a barbox, but I digress...) Ended up pocketing a nice chunk of cash, for what was a spur-of-the-moment decision, and it made for a very nice vacation indeed! The locals weren't pleased that this "New Yawka" from out of town comes in and takes it with nothing but a "Wall-a-bushka." :D

Would I normally play championship-level events like this with a house cue? No way. But I had no choice in this situation. (Well, I did have a choice -- not enter the tournament at all -- but for my intent, which was to have some celebratory fun, it was a risk I was willing to take.)

I'm a firm believer that a good player adapts to the conditions. One shouldn't be *so* fixated on using very specific equipment every single time, otherwise, they're lost or hobbled. I think everyone should have a "Wall-a-bushka" game -- being able to use a cue straight off the wall, with some minor doctoring, and adapt his/her play accordingly.

That's IMHO, anyway; your mileage may vary.
-Sean
 
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