New Respect For Snooker Players.

[john schmidt]

hi

im flattered that you think i could be competitive in snooker.i however do not think i could be, especially in only 2 years.i would have to have never played pool and only snooker for the last 15 years then i would think its possible.i have in the little snooker ive played on a 6by12 ran two centuries its quite tough but if i played it all the time i think running a 80 in 14.1 would be of about equal difficulty.there is things in my stroke stance grip etc that probably is not helpful to playing great snooker.these same things that hurt me in snooker are needed to play great pool.likewise some things you have to do to play great snooker do not help at all in pool.yes snooker players pot great but so do i and im usually hitting it hard and going 3 rails for shape.when they do that in snooker the crowd goes crazy.in pool we do shots like that all the time .just different games thats all ,not harder than each other not easier than each other just different.

 

[raybo147]

Over in England they have the Pontins International Open Series. This is the ticket to the pro tour. Basically there is 8 tournaments that I think anyone can enter and at the end of it the top 8 (i think) players in the points get on the pro tour with the chance to qualify for the big TV tournaments and all the cash. Any jam up young pool player over here who wants to have a go (SVB?) would have to take this route. The problem is this means a lot of time in England and a huge expence with no real guarantees although a guy like SVB could probably play on the Euro Tour when he is over there. The reality is that anybody wanting to try this would have to have sponsorship and would really have to give up pool and immerse themself into snooker. The standard in these qualifiers is scary high but I would love to see someone from here try. Hey if you can hit a 70 you can take a game from anyone

If anybody on here knows Kelly Fisher she would be a good person to ask about getting on the pro tour. I am pretty sure she was playing in these qualifiers just before she came to the States.

 

[worriedbeef]

im flattered that you think i could be competitive in snooker.i however do not think i could be, especially in only 2 years.i would have to have never played pool and only snooker for the last 15 years then i would think its possible.i have in the little snooker ive played on a 6by12 ran two centuries its quite tough but if i played it all the time i think running a 80 in 14.1 would be of about equal difficulty.there is things in my stroke stance grip etc that probably is not helpful to playing great snooker.these same things that hurt me in snooker are needed to play great pool.likewise some things you have to do to play great snooker do not help at all in pool.yes snooker players pot great but so do i and im usually hitting it hard and going 3 rails for shape.when they do that in snooker the crowd goes crazy.in pool we do shots like that all the time .just different games thats all ,not harder than each other not easier than each other just different.

spot on tbh

 

[raybo147]

John what you could do if your schedule would allow it would be to practice a little bit and then go and play in the US National Snooker Championships. They have held it in CA for the last couple of years and a guy called Alan Morris who posts on here runs the show. There is a website called SNOOKERUSA.com which has all the details. If I can make it I am going to play this year but it is not pro level snooker and with a little prep work and your very straight stroke you would have every chance of snapping it off and getting the paid trip to the World Amateurs. A little out of your element but sometimes you gotta try different stuff right? I don't think a high level pool player has ever given this one a go which is kinda surprising.

 

[Boro Nut]

John what you could do if your schedule would allow it would be to practice a little bit and then go and play in the US National Snooker Championships. They have held it in CA for the last couple of years and a guy called Alan Morris who posts on here runs the show. There is a website called USAsnooker.com which has all the details. If I can make it I am going to play this year but it is not pro level snooker and with a little prep work and your very straight stroke you would have every chance of snapping it off and getting the paid trip to the World Amateurs. A little out of your element but sometimes you gotta try different stuff right? I don't think a high level pool player has ever given this one a go which is kinda surprising.

I'm not sure Alan himself doesn't qualify soon by becoming naturalised, which will raise the bar significantly. It's hard to judge the standard simply from the scores, but I suspect I could find quite a few in our town alone who could mount a serious challenge at the moment. My club team have all posted centuries in league action, including a 132 total clearance. It wasn't even the best break in the league that year. Admittedly it's a rare event, but that's what passes for run of the mill nowadays.

Boro Nut

 

[raybo147]

I'm not sure Alan himself doesn't qualify soon by becoming naturalised, which will raise the bar significantly. It's hard to judge the standard simply from the scores, but I suspect I could find quite a few in our town alone who could mount a serious challenge at the moment. My club team have all posted centuries in league action, including a 132 total clearance. It wasn't even the best break in the league that year. Admittedly it's a rare event, but that's what passes for run of the mill nowadays.

Boro Nut

Boro it was the same in the league I used to play in back in Northern Ireland. I was the only one in my 3 man team who hadn't hit a 147(my highest is 144). You don't have to be naturalized to play in the nationals over here, you just need to have been living in the states legally for 5 years(green card is fine). If any top young player from the USA wanted to test the waters of top class snooker, this would be the way to do it. If you win here you go to the World Amateurs which is a full on pro level tournament. If you can hang at the Worlds then you could have what it takes. Boro if I was over where you are now I would be looking for a sausage supper. Also whoever wins the World Amateur gets pro tocket for the next season.

 

[Jaden]

seriously a 70?

Over in England they have the Pontins International Open Series. This is the ticket to the pro tour. Basically there is 8 tournaments that I think anyone can enter and at the end of it the top 8 (i think) players in the points get on the pro tour with the chance to qualify for the big TV tournaments and all the cash. Any jam up young pool player over here who wants to have a go (SVB?) would have to take this route. The problem is this means a lot of time in England and a huge expence with no real guarantees although a guy like SVB could probably play on the Euro Tour when he is over there. The reality is that anybody wanting to try this would have to have sponsorship and would really have to give up pool and immerse themself into snooker. The standard in these qualifiers is scary high but I would love to see someone from here try. Hey if you can hit a 70 you can take a game from anyone

I scored a 72 the first day I tried to play snooker. Now I had been practicing nine ball and rotation on the snooker table with skill balls for some time and I don't know if I could do that consistently, but I might have to play a little more snooker and see how I can do....

 

[Russ Chewning]

All I'll say about it is this:

Both games are great fun! I played snooker over in Thailand for about a month and a half when I was there on deployment, and had a ball. When I came back to the U.S., I was lucky enough that my home hall had a
6x12 snooker table covered with Simonis, and I used to practice on it with pool balls.

I will say one thing, however.. All the good snooker players that I have seen play pool, they don't play the same style of position. Anyone who has watched enough Accu-Stats videos knows that the top top top pool players usually play position in very similar ways. I think that's generally because there's an easy way to do things on a pool table...And then there's all the other ways.

The players that don't consistently do things the easy way (i.e. the "right" way) don't get consistently high results.

Is it possible for a guy who has been playing pool all his life to play out of his mind, and execute all the wrong shots perfectly for one tournament and win?

Yes, it is. And this has happened a few times.

Is it possible for a snooker player to play in a pool tournament to play out of his mind, and execute all the wrong shots perfectly, and win?

Yes, it is.

A 9 foot pool table versus a snooker table brings up the same argument as a bar table versus a 9 foot pool table. When balls are closer together on a smaller surface, position zones are smaller.

When snooker players have to spin the ball to get into small position zones, yes, they will have a good tournament once in a while, and execute those spin shots perfectly. Over the long run, they are not going to execute those shots as consistently as Reyes.

And in a game like One Pocket? Where creatvity is rewarded even a bit more than execution? Forget about it. No one that didn't grow up on a pool table is going to be able to touch Reyes.

I like the variety in the games, myself. I play snooker, pool, 3-Cushion, and have even played a little straight rail billiards.

All take different skills, and with VERY few exceptions, those that grew up with a certain game are always the ones who end up dominating it.

Russ

 

[raybo147]

I scored a 72 the first day I tried to play snooker. Now I had been practicing nine ball and rotation on the snooker table with skill balls for some time and I don't know if I could do that consistently, but I might have to play a little more snooker and see how I can do....

Jaden did you have a run of 72 or score 72 in the whole game? It is a common phrase we used to use because 19 times out of 20 if you hit a 70 break you are going to win that game. You would hear people using this phrase when they were about to play some monster they are not supposed to beat. It's kinda like playing Efren a race to 5 and saying to yourself "if I can hit a 5-pack" The reality is usually somewhat different.

 

[Jaden]

NO a run

Jaden did you have a run of 72 or score 72 in the whole game? It is a common phrase we used to use because 19 times out of 20 if you hit a 70 break you are going to win that game. You would hear people using this phrase when they were about to play some monster they are not supposed to beat. It's kinda like playing Efren a race to 5 and saying to yourself "if I can hit a 5-pack" The reality is usually somewhat different.

No I had a run, after the break of course, of 72. I was practicing by myself first at rotation with the small skill balls and then I decided to try snooker. I knew the rules mostly but hadn't played before..

I broke by hitting the right rear ball and coming four rails up between the bottom three balls and then I kept shooting. I made the first red and went back and forth between the seven (black ball) and the other reds. I got bad shape a couple of times and had to shoot the six and the five but I had a total run without missing of 72.

 

[raybo147]

All I'll say about it is this:

Both games are great fun! I played snooker over in Thailand for about a month and a half when I was there on deployment, and had a ball. When I came back to the U.S., I was lucky enough that my home hall had a
6x12 snooker table covered with Simonis, and I used to practice on it with pool balls.

I will say one thing, however.. All the good snooker players that I have seen play pool, they don't play the same style of position. Anyone who has watched enough Accu-Stats videos knows that the top top top pool players usually play position in very similar ways. I think that's generally because there's an easy way to do things on a pool table...And then there's all the other ways.

The players that don't consistently do things the easy way (i.e. the "right" way) don't get consistently high results.

Is it possible for a guy who has been playing pool all his life to play out of his mind, and execute all the wrong shots perfectly for one tournament and win?

Yes, it is. And this has happened a few times.

Is it possible for a snooker player to play in a pool tournament to play out of his mind, and execute all the wrong shots perfectly, and win?

Yes, it is.

A 9 foot pool table versus a snooker table brings up the same argument as a bar table versus a 9 foot pool table. When balls are closer together on a smaller surface, position zones are smaller.

When snooker players have to spin the ball to get into small position zones, yes, they will have a good tournament once in a while, and execute those spin shots perfectly. Over the long run, they are not going to execute those shots as consistently as Reyes.

And in a game like One Pocket? Where creatvity is rewarded even a bit more than execution? Forget about it. No one that didn't grow up on a pool table is going to be able to touch Reyes.

I like the variety in the games, myself. I play snooker, pool, 3-Cushion, and have even played a little straight rail billiards.

All take different skills, and with VERY few exceptions, those that grew up with a certain game are always the ones who end up dominating it.

Russ

Russ you are spot on with that one. Snooker players are not used to leaving the sharp angles (the correct way to play pool) that pool players are very comfortable with and we all end up laeving everything too straight and then having to force the cue ball around the table. Any time I play pool I stuggle with this and I haven't played competitive snooker in 11 years. You just can't leave those kind of angles on a snooker table.

 

[raybo147]

No I had a run, after the break of course, of 72. I was practicing by myself first at rotation with the small skill balls and then I decided to try snooker. I knew the rules mostly but hadn't played before..

I broke by hitting the right rear ball and coming four rails up between the bottom three balls and then I kept shooting. I made the first red and went back and forth between the seven (black ball) and the other reds. I got bad shape a couple of times and had to shoot the six and the five but I had a total run without missing of 72.

Jaden that is pretty strong. It took me over a year to hit my first 50 (I was 13 at the time). If you can even hit 30's and 40's steadily you will be playing good snooker.

 

[Jaden]

I may practice some more and see what I can do...

Jaden that is pretty strong. It took me over a year to hit my first 50 (I was 13 at the time). If you can even hit 30's and 40's steadily you will be playing good snooker.

I may have to practice some more and see what I can do.. I had been practicing my nineball, eightball and rotation on the snooker table because I realized that when I played golf or practiced on the snooker table, I played better once I went back to the smaller table. I would joke with people that nineball was too easy on the little tables, (meaning the ninefooters). I think it was someone saying how much more money there was in snooker than pool that got me wondering how I could do, but I had no idea what good was and I still may not. There's too much I dont know about the game. I may have broken completely wrong and would just sell out the run to a snooker player or any number of things. There are just too many differences between the games. I felt that it was more that I had to have a perfectly straight stroke to make any runs at all on the snooker table that made me shoot better once I went back to the ninefooter, especially in nineball and rotation where I had to get position three or four rails sometimes.

I remember going to Australia and seeing all of the snooker tables and thinking, man why do they have so many snooker tables here. I couldn't get a game on the smaller tables to save my life. LOL. I don't know if a pool player could switch over. I do know that the main thing that has kept me so far from trying to go pro is the great difficulty of making a decent living here in the states as a pro pool player...

 

[Boro Nut]

You just can't leave those kind of angles on a snooker table.

Oh I don't know Ray. I seem to manage it with sickening regularity.

Boro Nut

 

[raybo147]

I may have to practice some more and see what I can do.. I had been practicing my nineball, eightball and rotation on the snooker table because I realized that when I played golf or practiced on the snooker table, I played better once I went back to the smaller table. I would joke with people that nineball was too easy on the little tables, (meaning the ninefooters). I think it was someone saying how much more money there was in snooker than pool that got me wondering how I could do, but I had no idea what good was and I still may not. There's too much I dont know about the game. I may have broken completely wrong and would just sell out the run to a snooker player or any number of things. There are just too many differences between the games. I felt that it was more that I had to have a perfectly straight stroke to make any runs at all on the snooker table, especially in nineball and rotation where I had to get position three or four rails sometimes.

I remember going to Australia and seeing all of the snooker tables and thinking, man why do they have so many snooker tables here. I couldn't get a game on the smaller tables to save my life. LOL. I don't know if a pool player could switch over. I do know that the main thing that has kept me so far from trying to go pro is the great difficulty of making a decent living here in the states as a pro pool player...

If you can get in touch with Alan Morris (snookerusa.com) I might be wrong but I think he is based in CA. He plays jam-up snooker and he runs the USA snooker association. If you can hang with a guy like him you can hang with anybody in this country. The nationals are held in CA I think this May.

 

[Boro Nut]

Jaden that is pretty strong. It took me over a year to hit my first 50 (I was 13 at the time). If you can even hit 30's and 40's steadily you will be playing good snooker.

Actually if you could do that every time you went to the table and left it safe you could quite probably win championships.

Boro Nut

 

[jrhendy]

Not saying any of the following has any huge significance to this debate but will just mention these things for some added perspective.

Most (obviously not all) top snooker players are from Uk. As far as Uk goes we must first remember that "American" style pool using your balls/tables, especially 9 ball pool, isn't even a tiny little blip on the cue sport radar there. This makes the fact that they have produced a 9 ball World Champion even more remarkable. There are more regular 9 ball pool players in any one medium sized USA city than in the entire UK country. The ability and potential of top Uk snooker players at 9 ball is in fact only very rarely tested.

Snooker is still by far the most popular cue sport in uk.



Uk style pool and snooker are world's apart in the necesary skills etc. Therefore given that uk style pool is much closer equipment wise to snooker than 9 ball pool on American equipment you can safely say that 9 ball pool and snooker are on different planets in those respects and any comparison of the requisite skill/ability levels necessary to dominate in one over the other is highly speculative. There is a lot to be said for the common argument that all games are equally difficult to play.

I know snooker is the most popular cue sport in UK, but don't most of the people just watch it, not play it?

Pool is more of a participant sport in the USA than snooker is in the UK. John

 

[raybo147]

Oh I don't know Ray. I seem to manage it with sickening regularity.

Boro Nut

Sorry I should have said leave those kind of angles and then make the ball! Boro if you are ever bored a fun thing to do is buy a bunch of crisps and send them over to me!!! And the latest copy of Top Gear! Isn't Jon Birch from Middlesborough? Another top class player who is probably playing in some local league.

 

[chamillionare]

everyone is missing what i said in the first place which was there is no comparison between pool and snooker at pool you dont need anywhere near the skill or training time that you need at snooker which i think is obvious all snooker pro's need hours of practise everyday to maintain there ranking at pool you dont need to play everyday for hours ask elex p or cory d if they put in 3 to 6 hours of disiplined solo practise everyday like the top snooker pro's, that is what i said. but at pool you need alot more thought as there are way more combinations of things that can happen thats why i like pool games better

 

[Boro Nut]

No I had a run, after the break of course, of 72.

I agree that is pretty strong. I've seen decent pool players not pot a thing the first time they've stepped up to a snooker table. It's a daunting experience when the pool tables here are mostly coin op 6 footers, with odd sized or weighted cue balls. I'm not knocking the skill of the best 8 ballers - look at their IPT showing - but it's not a proper game if the balls aren't all the same.

Boro Nut