New to 3C

R

romberger1

Registered
I am very interested in learning 3C and I was wondering if anyone had advice on the best cue to get for starting? I do not mind spending money on a quality cue that is going to last me a long time and help improve my game. Also are there any good books to read to teach me the basic system?
 
Kilby, Dieckman, Layani, Longoni, Adam... They are all a good place to start.
 
Last edited:
Welcome to 3c. ddrumman has good advice. All of those brands are top quality and keep their value.

You are welcome to visit my site. If you are a USBA member, you receive an additional discount 5%.

www.trafficcontrolcaroms.com
 
romberger1 said:
I am very interested in learning 3C and I was wondering if anyone had advice on the best cue to get for starting? I do not mind spending money on a quality cue that is going to last me a long time and help improve my game. Also are there any good books to read to teach me the basic system?
Click to expand...

Prepare yourself for the pain.... :embarrassed2:
 
Romberger1; My name is Bil Smith, we in the 3 cushion world are always looking for NEW bllood for this facinating game.

I think you'll find my website: http://www.mr3cushion.com, interesting and helpful in giving you a somewhat more advanced look at 3 cushion billiards.

I invite tou to visit my site and enjoy it!
Bill Smith "Mr3Cushion"
 
any of the cues listed above are good. my first cue was a Gabriels actually (used to be repped by Mazin). for an inexpensive cue, it really had a good feeling. not sure if they are still sold any more.

I think the best book to start off with is Bob Byrne's standard of pool and billiards (older edition if possible). It covers most of the basic concepts and systems of billiards, but I think you really just need to play (and find others willing to play and teach you). where are you located?
 
I would start out with a wood pin joint, 12mm tip and the cue min. wt. should be around 510gr. Cue butt is about 28.25" and shaft is about 69cm.
Longoni is a great place to start because they have entry level cues for great price with same quality less expensive design and inlays.
Check out www.caromcue.com Hope this will help and hope 3Cushion will be very popular here in U.S.
 
Longoni's are fine, and if you want to get one that won't kill your budget pick up one of their 1-star starter cues.

PC Billiards and Ozone Billiards both carry some nice entry-level carom cues for somewhat sane prices.

Also, if you are getting into carom games, DO NOT START WITH 3-CUSHION!

Play straight-rail first. (Where no cushion contacts are required to score)

I am convinced that the biggest reason that 3-cushion is not popular in the USA is that average pool players are scared to death of the complexity of the game...

New carom players should get warmed up on straight rail so they can realize that carom games are played absolutely the opposite of pool. You score with the cue ball and play position with the first object ball and the force of the carom.

Then they can play some 3-cushion and realize that it really isn't that complex - you just need to be able to see the big target and kind of "reverse engineer" how to get to it.

Starting new carom players out on 3-cushion is like starting new pool players out on one-pocket. It can work out well - if the player doesn't quit out of complete frustration. Straight rail is much more rewarding at first - and trust me, if you screw up a position, you get plenty of practice with two and three cushion shots...

Have Fun!!!!
 
I am completely agree with Fox523, I started out playing Libre (free game) aka. straight rail billiard and now addicted to 3Cushion. My average on the straight rail is about 20-25 points. If you decided to start out with straight rail, remember the cue is much lighter than the three cushion cue.
 
hi guys

first i would like to say one thing : u can learn 3 cushion billiards and play a good level without starting for the rails variations .... the cues are diferent ( in weight , ferrule diameter ) and in the most times stroke are not the same.
for sure u most dominate the basics , followtrough and draw.
the issue is that most of the 3C players start in early days playing the rails and when they start to play 3C they fell more confortable.
u have f.example Blomdhal that never started with the rails and he is now what he is.
this is my opinion based on many readings and in my experience : i´m a 0,800 ranked player.

- the cues -

choose the cue by the joint : wood ,double jointed , schuler joint , layani joint.

wood - Adam, Longoni, Dieckmen
d.jointed - Adam
Schuler joint - schuler,stradivarius
Layani joint - Layani cues.
~I´ve shooted allready with all and by far the best for me is Layani ... really consisted and smooth stroke ... i have 2 customized by Thierry ( excelent guy )...send email .. he answers for sure.
schuler made by Ray where awsome two..but i prefer Layani ...
is better for u to buy a good cue for start because that way u only spend the money once. if u buy for start a less expensive cue , latter u are going to want a better one.

- the books - i have a good colection of books, europeans and americans, i have the Atlas books, byrne´s, doctoral , and a lot of spanish books.
to start use simple books with the basics sistems ... and the spanish books are very good. send me a message if u want to know more.

last advice : never give up ... it´s a hard game
 
I love the old book by Willie Hoppe, How to Play Billiards. It was invaluable to me when I first started rolling caroms around. It has lots of great set-up shots to work on and has a reasonably applicable break down of some diamond systems. If you end up liking schuler cues, work hard to find an old original, the older the better. His cues hit great, solid, stiff... and he as well as his cues were popular througout the 3C world thru the 90s. He however passed away, and his brand of cues was sold. Quality went up in the air with the advent of the Schuler Legacy cues..or Schuler SLC. Happy hunting, and remember to stroke the ball.
 
Thanks everyone for the suggestions,but I still have not been able to get a cue yet I am scared to buy something without trying it out. Do carom cues play like regular pool cues or are they stiffer.
 
romberger1 said:
Thanks everyone for the suggestions,but I still have not been able to get a cue yet I am scared to buy something without trying it out. Do carom cues play like regular pool cues or are they stiffer.
Click to expand...

On your cue answer: Pool cues are VERY different from carom. Carom cues are more stiff with a conical (or European) taper on the shaft and the male wooden thread is on the shaft instead of the typical pool cue having the metal male thread on it's butt portion of the cue.

Carom cues are usually a couple of inches shorter than the typical standard size pool cue of 58". Normally, the butt end of a carom cue is bigger than a pool cue's butt end (with the exception being Layani cues).

The normal tip diameter varies within the discipline of Carom billiards (Freegame/Balkline around 11-11.3mm, Cushion caroms = same as freegame, maybe?, and three-cushion billiards = 12mm [the norm]).

Whatever cue you try, make sure that you enjoy it and get aquatint with it. Like the #2 post mention, all those are great for a start. I'm looking forward in investing in a Longoni in the future (and Layani when I get better). :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top