New member/New carom player

AlinEdm

AlinEdm

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hello AZ Billiards from a new member

Although I’ve known about this site for the five years that I’ve played 8-ball, I registered today to be a contributing member of the carom community. With only two months experience, I will certainly be asking more than giving advice, but hopefully other members can re-live their initial love for this game through my posts.

Yes, I do know how to use the “search” function, and will before asking questions. What I’ve searched out so far is that I am playing “Korean” 4-ball and 3-cushion here in Edmonton on 4x8 tables, and that I will need to do a lot more reading to get your collective advice on tips and cue preferences.

Having only moderate natural ability, I’ve been receiving weekly instruction at Alberta Billiard (subject of future tread), and am studying the second half of Byrne’s New Standard Book of Pool and Billiards. I should also confess that my fanaticism made me download the “Real Billiards” app for my ipod and the carom DLC for Hustle Kings on my PS3 (another future thread).

In closing, Byrne quotes Sir Astley Cooper in his book: “We should all sleep more soundly if we made it a rule to play billiards an hour or two each evening” (pg. 20). I’m not sure what he means since I lie awake at night thinking about those millimeter misses.
 
HA, yes those half mm misses will def drive you crazy. us bald guys claim to have lost a hair each time we've missed by one (of course... mine was originally by choice but figured out after several years how quickly the front lines are actually retreating up top there... lol) I have also played on the smaller tables but find myslef liking the larger 5x10 heated ones because of the increased speed and space. I prefer to have the ball travel as far as possible with as little effort as possible to be able to increase accuracy. nonetheless, i've played many different carom games on different tables and enjoy them all more than i did pool (which seems crazy seeing as how nuts i was when it came to practicing pool before i found carom). anyways - enjoy your new found love!
 
Thanks for the reply, Caromcorner. I have so few people to talk to about this game up here, unless I learn Korean.

The 5x10's are heated, literally? That is another new one for me. Unfortunately, like their business card says, the place where I play is "the first and only place for carom in Edmonton". So unless another Edmonton member knows of another location I will have to stick to the smaller table.

When you mention that you like to shoot with as little effort as possible, it made me think of how I am approaching the game. Right now I am trying to develop a standard stroke from which I can deviate from given the circumstances. Too many times though, I am coming up short, especially when choosing a five cushion route. I probably am exposing my lack of experience mentioning five cushions, but right now my memory bank of shots is quite small, and I have to resort to them for the time being.

As for the hair, I'm in big trouble. I've already pulled out half of mine over the years dating the wrong women.
 
Welcome

Hello and welcome to the Carom Forum. I think that it is great that our neighbors to the north are playing Carom. There is lots of interesting stuff about Carom that gets posted here. Ask as many questions as you can.
 
On this thread I should also relate a true and funny incident that happened to me on my first night playing three-cushion.

I had been given the business card I mentioned earlier at a CPA event and, since I had glanced at the chapters on billiards in Byrnes' book, I decided to give it a try. Before I went I took another look at the text and off I went.

I must have looked out of place when I entered, because one of the staff approached me right away and asked if I had ever played before. When I said that I hadn't, but had read a book, his reaction was like most of you veteran players right now. He said he would show me how to play.

After knocking around the balls for about a half hour we decided to play a game. He gave me the "break" shot, and I scored my first point ever using Byrne's shot #142 which I had memoized knowing that it would be the one shot that I could count on seeing.

When I turned to him I couldn't help but laugh at the incredulous look on his face when I told him that, really, I've never played before; I saw that shot in a book I had read.

Needless to say, I've been hooked ever since, and became a Robert Byrne disciple that night.
 
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