New Here? - Introduce Yourself

I played very little until arrival at retirement community. I learned fast using YouTube but then slowed. I was potting balls better than beginners but the same as players who were just winging it. I did months of the back-and-forth drill. I videoed myself and found I had a helluva lot of wobble. I have been discouraged at how much wobble-rich, terrible-stroke playing I have done.

I test my stroke by using AimRight ghost-ball card and aim as instructed. As an AimRight YouTube video explained, if you can’t make close shots with that ghost-ball card (and your vision is alright), there is probably something wrong with your stroke. Find it on YouTube by searching for AimRight Straight-Cut Drill Introduction

I am a sucker for training aids figuring I can learn faster with them. My latest? A set of mirrors from Australia to test my vision “Snooker, Pool & Billiards Training Aid For a True Cue Action”. Worst training aid? CutShots billiard balls Aim Trainer. They are pretty, though.


Cue Shots billiard ball.jpg



Pool cues are cool: the range in prices, cues as art, why some love Meuccis, whether cues matter, and whether I can make a buck selling them. I was selling a used Lucasi hybrid shaft until I found Ebay vendor selling the same shaft new at half the MSRP price.

I am selling a Viking 513 cue now because, although the butt was a 5/16x18 joint, the quick-release-joint pilot prevented my CueTec 5/16x18 shaft from connecting. The auction is hot — 48 bids in one day.

I have the CueTec Cynergy 10.5mm shaft, a Lucasi 12mm wood shaft, carbon-fiber butt from Tickle Cues in North Carolina, Players cue, Elite snooker cue for the hell of it, a Dufferin jump cue, $15 cue stick from Temu.com (weighs 13 ounces).

Where are used Cuetec SVB butts, Predator Sport 2 butts, Predator 314 shafts, and H-series McDermott butts? Lots of Ebay vendors selling them new.
 
AxisBloodmoon said:
its hard to imagine being able to hit accurately with all those random marking shapes and colors.
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Those different shapes and colors are required for their aiming system to work. I posted a comment to CutShots and its Youtube site asking explain how it works when you have a very thin cutshots. I give them credit for not deleting it. See
 
Hi Everyone!

My name is Craig. I have been playing for around three months and play to an APA Level 4. I did play Snooker in the UK in the 1980's and 1990's and my pool game is developing quickly. My favorite player back then when I was a kid was Eddie Charlton. I am trying to learn the game methodically and play and practice for maybe 6 hours per week. I still tend to roll the cue ball but that said I am told for my newness to the game I am very good at safety play and laying snookers on people, hence my league nickname: "Cagey Craigey." I seem to have a good talent for cut shots and am starting to develop my banking skills and a little (very little) use of English. I also have a better game with a mechanical bridge than my APA Level suggests!

I have been trying out many cues and although people may laugh at my choice, I have found the Imperial Drifter Sneaky Pete Cue to be one I like very much. I like a traditional looking cue and the ones I have tried with wraps and so on, just do not feel like a cue to me. Right now, I am also having them make me a 22oz break cue that I will get a hardened tip installed. I also like to dress up to play pool, dress shirt, nice pants, vest, but that is just me own peccadillo, it puts me in the mood to play,

In winter time I live in Mesa, AZ and in summer time in Northern CA (because of work) so I am looking forward to meeting lots of new people on my pool hall travels this year. I would love to hook up with some players anytime and play!

Thanks,

Craig.
 
jameson71 said:
Hello all. Grew up with a pool table in the basement, mostly playing Friday and Saturday nights with my babysitter as well as during the day at the boys club. After turning 21 I once again began playing many Friday and Saturday nights.

Not sure what has gotten me back into playing, but I have certainly noticed that a lot of the pool halls I used to ignore are no longer around, and many smaller places that used to have a table I would play at no longer do, especially bars and "gentlemen's clubs." Currently living in Northern VA just outside of DC.

I found the book "Minnesota fats on pool" in my basement when I was a young kid, so I had a head start on learning about things like draw and follow, but side English was not well explained and I had never been successful using it. I have already learned much (BHE, FHE, natural pivot) thanks to this site and the references to Dr. Dave's. Still can't use side English for position, but CJ's "TOI" did remind me of some adjustments I used to make on cut shots at the boys club which have helped me recover some of my game. I also love reading the old pool stories e.g. the "dumping" in Vegas or CJ's road stories and many others about how things used to be in the "old pool rooms."
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Strange. There are plenty of pool rooms in the Northern Virginia area. Where are you?
 
Hello from Idaho,
I just started playing pool in November of 23. A way stay in touch with my neighbors in Idaho City, during the winter. Our small town has four tables at different locations and in different conditions.
Maybe, once a week play in Boise to cue it up on first rate tables.
 
Hello everyone!

Finally, I have been approved to post on here! I am considered myself as a beginner, Eventhough I did play during college years and so on, but was never much into pool games. 20 years later, I have a chance to set up my table, and I totally forgot how to aim, strike and pockets the balls. Going by muscle memories, my strikes are not consistent, and I can’t pocket balls as I would want to. I have been practicing my strike, but still am very confused about aiming toward the target balls, and how I could pocket them.

I found out that there are 2 systems, one is a spinning system and another is dead center system. Even if I go with dead center, and ghost ball for aiming, at close range, soft and slow hit, I find that at angles, I have to go off the dead center of the cue ball in order to pocket the target ball. Why is that ? Isn’t it always dead center of the cueball for the stronger foundation ?

Here is my Gandy table. Thank you for all of your advises
 
Hello all -- pool player from Northern NJ here. Been playing my entire life, absolutely and thoroughly enjoy the game, and was fortunate enough to pick up the love for the game from my dad. He was a high-level player who played with some of the local legends around the NJ area, and for many years and even today, I was known as "The Watcher" because I would never dream of playing with those guys, but loved watching them constantly! I know/knew the local legends -- Jersey Mel, the Amazing Grasing (Bruce), Spanky, Ginky, Lodi Joe, and even some of the true legends of the game, like Country and Blood. My dad knew them well and I was fortunate enough to meet them, got to know them, and watched them play all over the NJ/NY area.

So, just wanted to say hello and hope everyone is doing great! Hit 'em straight!
 
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PoolPlayerNNJ said:
Hello all -- pool player from Northern NJ here. Been playing my entire life, absolutely and thoroughly enjoy the game, and was fortunate enough to pick up the love for the game from my dad. He was a high-level player who played with some of the local legends around the NJ area, and for many years and even today, I was known as "The Watcher" because I would never dream of playing with those guys, but loved watching them constantly! I know/knew the local legends -- Jersey Mel, the Amazing Grasing (Bruce), Spanky, Ginky, Lodi Joe, and even some of the true legends of the game, like Country and Blood. My dad knew them well and I was fortunate enough to meet them, got to know them, and watched them play all over the NJ/NY area.

So, just wanted to say hello and hope everyone is doing great! Hit 'em straight!
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welcome to the site
would love to hear some stories
especially about country/blood/ and ginky
you cam pm me if you wish
 
bbb said:
welcome to the site
would love to hear some stories
especially about country/blood/ and ginky
you cam pm me if you wish
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Thanks for the welcome bbb...Ginky was local (before his move to Queens) and I used to see him a lot. I didn't know him well, but he recognized me and knew me by name as I hung around with some of the guys he knew very well. Also, we were much closer in age than some of the older crowd so we fit much better because of our age. After he "retired" and when he making his comeback(s), he mostly played at a place called Castle Billiards, in E. Rutherford, NJ, not to far from the Meadowlands racetrack. He would stray over to a place not too far away called Billiards Cafe, in Lodi, NJ. One time he came into Lodi and was trying to make a game (initially 9-ball) with a local, somewhat new guy, "Black Rob" (from Paterson, NJ), who arrived on the scene with a bang, and is a story unto himself, LOL. The postering started and went on and on. They went from 9-ball to one pocket and the back and forth didn't stop. They finally landed on 9-ball, I don't remember the weight, but it was a race to 5, $100 a game. Ginky was a bit impatient, even when he was trying to make the game, and just wasn't in-stroke. He lost the first game, won the second, got a call, and said he had to go. They agreed to meet later that night, but it never happened. Once he moved to Queens, I only saw him a few times in his home room, Steinway Cafe Billiards, and he was really battling some of his demons.
 
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Black-Balled said:
Hi
I like early mornings and late nights, but not in the same day.
I like food and alcohol, together and apart.
I prefer curvy brunettes and exotic girls.
I eat almost anything though.
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Over 52,000 posts since Mar 4, 2004 and you are finally getting around to introducing yourself ? How long does it take you to take a pool shot ?

Dave <-- asked but does not want to know
 
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PoolPlayerNNJ said:
Thanks for the welcome bbb...Ginky was local (before his move to Queens) and I used to see him a lot. I didn't know him well, but he recognized me and knew me by name as I hung around with some of the guys he knew very well. Also, we were much closer in age than some of the older crowd so we fit much better because of our age. After he "retired" and when he making his comeback(s), he mostly played at a place called Castle Billiards, in E. Rutherford, NJ, not to far from the Meadowlands racetrack. He would stray over to a place not too far away called Billiards Cafe, in Lodi, NJ. One time he came into Lodi and was trying to make a game (initially 9-ball) with a local, somewhat new guy, "Black Rob" (from Paterson, NJ), who arrived on the scene with a bang, and is a story unto himself, LOL. The postering started and went on and on. They went from 9-ball to one pocket and the back and forth didn't stop. They finally landed on 9-ball, I don't remember the weight, but it was a race to 5, $100 a game. Ginky was a bit impatient, even when he was trying to make the game, and just wasn't in-stroke. He lost the first game, won the second, got a call, and said he had to go. They agreed to meet later that night, but it never happened. Once he moved to Queens, I only saw him a few times in his home room, Steinway Cafe Billiards, and he was really battling some of his demons.
Click to expand...
thanks for the story (y)
 
Hey. I've been lurking for a bit, figured it was time to say hello. I've been playing (poorly) for 40 years, with a 20 year break in there somewhere. I'm really enjoying playing again, having my own table certainly helps. Did most of my playing in the 80's & 90's at the Comet Tavern in Seattle.

I've been getting quite the kick out of the banter in the forums. Most of it seems largely good natured, so that's a plus.

Thanks to my lurking I've added a few things to my billiards arsenal... Taom chalk, a couple of Rhino shafts, magic rack, etc. None of these things will make me a better player, really, but like most of us, I'm a gearhead. Must accumulate toys! Re: the Rhino shafts, I almost wish I hadn't bought them. I like them so much I pretty much don't touch my fancy & expensive (by my standards) McDermott. It just sits on the rack looking pretty.

That's about it. Cheers.
 
Hi. I played quite a bit in the Air Force. Now retired, and after a thirty year break, I'm playing again. Kind of. I recall being much better, but maybe not. Maybe a lesson to see if an easy fix.
In the Portland/Vancouver area if anyone has recommendations.
 
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Greetings,
The old is new again. I played in my mid teens in the sixty's as if nothing else existed. Then again at least once every ten years. Now I've joined a local group and a league team and am building a pool room. I looked for a nice used pool table nationwide to get a feel for prices and styles but found one locally stored in an enclosed trailer in a pasture. The money saved will be spent restoring it to functional with new rubber, Simonis etc. P. Vitallie. 9', excited for the multiple challenges.
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