Getting Started

Safety

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hi, I'm a 9-ball player who is changing schools. Today I took a placement test at my new school for the first time and decided to search for "Billiards" on my GPS after the test. It turns out, there is a place only four miles from my school. So I went to have a look and they had about 10 carom tables and 4 pocket pool tables.

I thought this would be a good chance to learn carom billiards and three cushion billiards and improve my nine ball game at the same time.

I heard that there are a lot of small carom games that I should learn before I start playing three cushion. Is this true? Should I start with the small games or can I just jump straight to three cushion? Whats a good book/video to get me started if I don't even know the rules yet?

Thanks!
 
I would also like to add that watching three cushion videos online, I noticed that there are a lot of basic/foundation shots that are used repeatedly. Is there a place I can find all these shots listed together in one place?
 
For beginners, I would suggest Robert Byrne's book:

Byrne's Standard Book of Pool and Billiards available most everywhere.
 
If you can afford it man i bought a copy of Ceulemans Mr 100 its kind of intense for a beginner but i am muddling my way through and having a great time doing it. and most importantly LEARN THE BREAK from there the rest is easy. I taught myself the game ( probably why i still suck lol) by watching others and shooting for the corners first and then adjusting the shot from there. Good luck man and if you learn anything good pass it along lol.

Charlie
 
Safety said:
Hi, I'm a 9-ball player who is changing schools. Today I took a placement test at my new school for the first time and decided to search for "Billiards" on my GPS after the test. It turns out, there is a place only four miles from my school. So I went to have a look and they had about 10 carom tables and 4 pocket pool tables.

I thought this would be a good chance to learn carom billiards and three cushion billiards and improve my nine ball game at the same time.

I heard that there are a lot of small carom games that I should learn before I start playing three cushion. Is this true? Should I start with the small games or can I just jump straight to three cushion? Whats a good book/video to get me started if I don't even know the rules yet?

Thanks!

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=72012

--- Bringing back memories
 
Safty, There tons of Carom information on the webs. Start with :

http://www.usba.net

http://www.cuetable.com

http://www.caromtv.com

One of the best download site for printable diagrams [202 pages] is Tom Bolton's Billiard site:

http://web.ndak.net/bolton/billiards2.html

But don't forget to ask the billiard room you found if there any three cushion players, who will show you or teach you the game.

ProfessorQBall magazine is the best magazine for the Three Cushion Player. Checkout

http://www.professorqball.com

Bob Watson
 
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Safety said:
Hi, I'm a 9-ball player who is changing schools. Today I took a placement test at my new school for the first time and decided to search for "Billiards" on my GPS after the test. It turns out, there is a place only four miles from my school. So I went to have a look and they had about 10 carom tables and 4 pocket pool tables.

I thought this would be a good chance to learn carom billiards and three cushion billiards and improve my nine ball game at the same time.

I heard that there are a lot of small carom games that I should learn before I start playing three cushion. Is this true? Should I start with the small games or can I just jump straight to three cushion? Whats a good book/video to get me started if I don't even know the rules yet?

Thanks!
I'm sure your getting a lot of advice - Byrne's Advanced Book on Pool and Billiards - has a section on how he would teach a beginner 3-c assuming that person has played pool. But a lot depends on your angle concepts, if you are a good pocket player (9 ball - straight) you can go into 3-c and be a good 3-c player instead of going to caroms. Blomdahl started off as a snooker player and I don't know if he then went to straight caroms , of course his father was world class. The late Irving Crane - a pocket player finished 2nd in a world 3-c tournament. Efren plays top notch 3-c,
the late Harold Worst took 3-c world title and titles in straight pool, and I doubt if he played straight rail. MY advice would be to try and find a good 3-c player and see if they will play with you, and try to get in a handicapped 3-c weekly tournament if you can.
 
and get yourself a good bottle of whiskey or whatever you drink and a hell of a lot of patience because it is the most infuriating game in the world. Even when you get good at it expect stretches where you cannot hit a ball, every well thought out shot gets kissed out, or you have a ball sitting in the corner and you roll around it and come out without ever touching the ball. There needs to be a 3 cushion support group.
 
Amen - there is nothing like missing that BIG ball in that corner by a kiss or worst of all going around it!!
 
My question is, where in the world did you find a room with 10 carom tables and 4 pocket tables?

Dave Nelson
 
Dave Nelson said:
My question is, where in the world did you find a room with 10 carom tables and 4 pocket tables?

Dave Nelson

in heaven, my friend, in heaven. Or Queens.
 
jimshovak said:
For beginners, I would suggest Robert Byrne's book:

Byrne's Standard Book of Pool and Billiards available most everywhere.

That was the first book I ever picked up about pool. I read through most of the book but I stopped before the 3 cushion section because I didn't think I was good enough to try it yet. I was still trying to absorb the rest of the information in the book. I let someone barrow the book, like I do with all of my other pool books and videos, and never got it back. I guess I'll have to make a trip to the book store. Thanks for your help!


ForumGhost516 said:
If you can afford it man i bought a copy of Ceulemans Mr 100 its kind of intense for a beginner but i am muddling my way through and having a great time doing it. and most importantly LEARN THE BREAK from there the rest is easy. I taught myself the game ( probably why i still suck lol) by watching others and shooting for the corners first and then adjusting the shot from there. Good luck man and if you learn anything good pass it along lol.

Charlie

I saw a trailer for the DVD...It looks more like a biography to me...does it include video of him playing as well?


Dave Nelson said:
My question is, where in the world did you find a room with 10 carom tables and 4 pocket tables?

Dave Nelson

Its in Walnut, CA. I haven't checked yet, but I would say its within an hour driving from Hollywood Billiards, Hardtimes Bellflower, House of Billiards, Shooters in Riverside, Danny K's, and Stix.
 
Thanks for helping me out with all the links and replies!...I have a lot of reading to do now. I'm also going to try to see if there is an experienced player there who will be willing to help me out. Thanks again everyone!
 
eze123 said:
and get yourself a good bottle of whiskey or whatever you drink and a hell of a lot of patience because it is the most infuriating game in the world. Even when you get good at it expect stretches where you cannot hit a ball, every well thought out shot gets kissed out, or you have a ball sitting in the corner and you roll around it and come out without ever touching the ball. There needs to be a 3 cushion support group.

TRUTH! OWWWCH!
 
cuetable said:
Hi there:

Among all the videos, we feel this is the best intro video to 3 cushion billiard: http://library.cuetable.com/showthread.php?t=1581

Please also feel free to browse around the same section for 100+ of other videos. Post a question using 3cCueTable here: http://cuetable.com/C/

Thanks for the link. The video was very helpful especially because I didn't know how people can actually try to set up in 3 cushion. The video game me a lot of ideas and was very helpful.
 
Safety said:
I heard that there are a lot of small carom games that I should learn before I start playing three cushion. Is this true? Should I start with the small games or can I just jump straight to three cushion? Whats a good book/video to get me started if I don't even know the rules yet?

Thanks!

The best book in english for the small games is "Daly's Billiard book" by Maurice Daly. I like to play the small games not because it is what one should learn before Three cushion, but because the small games are so fun, more gut based, and less system play.
 
Safety said:
Its in Walnut, CA. I haven't checked yet, but I would say its within an hour driving from Hollywood Billiards, Hardtimes Bellflower, House of Billiards, Shooters in Riverside, Danny K's, and Stix.

Is the billiard hall off Colima or Golden Springs? Is the billiard hall Korean owned? Are the tables at the billiard hall small? If you are interested in learning the game I suggest gowing to "Eight ball billiards" in the city of Maywood. Eightball billiards has 14 heated verhoevens but more importantly a lot of good players.

I am not Latino but from what I have seen the best three cushion players in the LA area are Latino. I am not saying that Vietnamese, old White guys, and Koreans are inferior players, it is just that the pool of Latino billiard players are greater and they churn out a lot more good players. If I offended anybody I apologize.

Dean
 
Hey Dean H, thanks for the info. Where do you play out of? Maybe we can meet up for a game some time. I'm a poor college student so we'll probably just be playing for fun/practice.

BTW....there is another place w/ a lot of hispanics near my house. It is called the Golden Cue. They had a couple of heated tables and even though I only stopped by there once to watch, I can tell that they're really good carom and golf (on a 6x12 snooker table) players. Have you heard of the place?
 
Safety said:
Hey Dean H, thanks for the info. Where do you play out of? Maybe we can meet up for a game some time. I'm a poor college student so we'll probably just be playing for fun/practice.

QUOTE]

I am poor too and do not play for money. About the only thing I play for is the table time. If we ever play will split the time on the table.

I usually play at Eight ball billiards in Maywood California, but sometimes I play at Southgate billiards in Southgate and Hard Times Billiards in Bellflower.

If you live near the San Gabriel valley I suggest going to a Billiard hall called "Mi Officina" (My office) in Montclair California on a street called Holt.

I was in the same position going to College at Cal State San Bernardino a few years ago. I had no money and no car back then. Only thing to do when I was not studying was play on a crappy pool table that was free, which got me hooked. What are you studying?

Mi Oficina Family Billiards
5461 E Holt Blvd # L
Montclair CA, 91763
Phone: 909-983-8939
Language Spoken: Spanish
Contact: Jose Luis Alvarado
Number of Carom Tables: 8
Description of Carom Tables: 8 heated Verhoevens
Room Type: Public

Eight Ball Billiards
5250 Atlantic Blvd
Maywood CA, 90270
Phone: 323-562-9092
Language Spoken: Spanish
Contact: Jose T Cerda
Number of Carom Tables: 14
Description of Carom Tables: 14 heated Verhoevens
Room Type: Public

South Gate Billiards
10511 Atlantic Ave
South Gate CA, 90280
Phone: 323-563-3392
Language Spoken: Spanish
Contact: Jose Reinaga
Number of Carom Tables: 9
Description of Carom Tables: 9 heated Verhoevens
Room Type: Public
 
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