Presenting myself (newcomer) + questions

[Solartje]

hi all,

im new on this forum , so thought it might be nice to present myself.
im a 28year old civil engenier from Belgium (Europe). i know i write alot of grammar errors in english , so hope u give me all a brake.

ive started playing ball-games since im 17. Started with french billiard for 2 years, done 3-band (that the name?) for 2 years, snooker for 6 years, and i started to play pool this summer.

first time i came in contact with pool was in 2001. a friend was participating in a open championship and i subscribed myself just for the fun. lost in the qualifying rounds straight pool 49-51 vs a woman, and 36-51 vs a guy. i thought i had no chance at all , so i continued to play snooker. (now it seems the woman is the #1 belgium pool player, and #2 is pascal budo member of the national team, who has done some nice things in the european championship. i trained for about 2 months, and did my first ranking tournament last week. i passed the qualifying rounds, and finished 17th in the national championship earning my first ranking points.

now some facts: i dont got any pool cue, i just take one from the club. as weird as it sounds, this has given me alot of mental advantage over other players. im the only player in the championship without a cue. pêople laugh and think i dont have a chance, but i love to see there reaction after i win. (kicked out the #2 of last ranking and the #4). i still have to learn ALOT, as pool is alot different the snooker.

now i have some questions for u all.

q1: does anyone have a picture of how they put there hand on the table where the cue slides over. (im used to play snooker, where the balls are smaller, and i cant find a comfortable way to put my hand higher for the bigger bals)

q2: i found on the colums how to brake a 9ball game, but is there any post that explains how to brake in a 8ball or 14-1 game?

q3: why do some players ive met (top 16 players of my country), use snooker-cue as there playing cue.

q4: do u think i should continue playing with the local club cues, till im a good player, or should i buy one even in my non-pro / training stage.

q5: i dont have any good pool players, or teacher in my country, we dont get to see any pool game on the tv. (only snooker on bbc channel), and most pool video's - books that people talk about in this forum are for US persons only. is there a good place where i could buy these books/video's in belgium or where they can ship it to Europe.

q6 my national tournaments are almost all 9ball. what books - video's are the once ud advice me. (i think im a good player...) when i train 14-1. id say this is my average in 10racks.

1/10 : run out
2/10: i miss 1 ball before i run out
5/10: i miss 2 balls
2/10: i miss 3 balls.
(i usually miss in the last 4 balls)

i think i could win vs the ghost with 9balls. (ps do u have to pot the balls in order after u brake, or can u just pot anything ?)
having played french billiard, i know how to use all the english effects and how the cb his path will be after touching a ball, and the 3 cusion ball game helped me play with cussions. the snooker made me a good potter, now i just need to learn the tactics of 9ball.

ill probably have alot more questions, but these are the first that come to mind.

ps if there is a post for newcomers to read , so they dont make new post with silly questions that have been asked and explained toroughly before, let me know.

greats, from ex-snooker player interested in 9ball.

greats, solly

ps are there any belgium players here apart from me?

 

[breakup]

now i have some questions for u all.

q1: does anyone have a picture of how they put there hand on the table where the cue slides over. (im used to play snooker, where the balls are smaller, and i cant find a comfortable way to put my hand higher for the bigger bals)

While I’m dredging up old photos from previous posts today.

Louie Roberts had one of the prettiest bridges around. You could do worse than emulate that in IMHO.

 

[Solartje]

thx for replying breakup.

mm guess i need to change alot...

any explanation why ull never see a snookerplayer puting his vinger Over the cue, but most pool players do? i think (but im probably wrong as every pool player uses this position, but doesnt the finger over the cue gives more fraction? as fraction is in function of the moisture on your hand etc, its hard to count how much fraction this will give, and makes it harder to find the right pace to get a position u want.)
is it to prevent u from moving your cue up after a shot, so u got a nice folow true? i use the snooker position. cue in between my thumb and first nockle (right word?) of my hand. would u advice me to change my bridge hand? (as ive been playing like this for 6 years..)

just found a new q too, on the brake of a 9ball game. where do they put there hand and how? (picture would be nice, as a picture says more then 1000 words, ive tried to understand some posts, but my english really isnt good enough to be sure what people write.

 

[Snapshot9]

Welcome ...

hi all,

im new on this forum , so thought it might be nice to present myself.
im a 28year old civil engenier from Belgium (Europe). i know i write alot of grammar errors in english , so hope u give me all a brake.

ive started playing ball-games since im 17. Started with french billiard for 2 years, done 3-band (that the name?) for 2 years, snooker for 6 years, and i started to play pool this summer.

first time i came in contact with pool was in 2001. a friend was participating in a open championship and i subscribed myself just for the fun. lost in the qualifying rounds straight pool 49-51 vs a woman, and 36-51 vs a guy. i thought i had no chance at all , so i continued to play snooker. (now it seems the woman is the #1 belgium pool player, and #2 is pascal budo member of the national team, who has done some nice things in the european championship. i trained for about 2 months, and did my first ranking tournament last week. i passed the qualifying rounds, and finished 17th in the national championship earning my first ranking points.

now some facts: i dont got any pool cue, i just take one from the club. as weird as it sounds, this has given me alot of mental advantage over other players. im the only player in the championship without a cue. pêople laugh and think i dont have a chance, but i love to see there reaction after i win. (kicked out the #2 of last ranking and the #4). i still have to learn ALOT, as pool is alot different the snooker.

now i have some questions for u all.

q1: does anyone have a picture of how they put there hand on the table where the cue slides over. (im used to play snooker, where the balls are smaller, and i cant find a comfortable way to put my hand higher for the bigger bals)

q2: i found on the colums how to brake a 9ball game, but is there any post that explains how to brake in a 8ball or 14-1 game?

q3: why do some players ive met (top 16 players of my country), use snooker-cue as there playing cue.

q4: do u think i should continue playing with the local club cues, till im a good player, or should i buy one even in my non-pro / training stage.

q5: i dont have any good pool players, or teacher in my country, we dont get to see any pool game on the tv. (only snooker on bbc channel), and most pool video's - books that people talk about in this forum are for US persons only. is there a good place where i could buy these books/video's in belgium or where they can ship it to Europe.

q6 my national tournaments are almost all 9ball. what books - video's are the once ud advice me. (i think im a good player...) when i train 14-1. id say this is my average in 10racks.

1/10 : run out
2/10: i miss 1 ball before i run out
5/10: i miss 2 balls
2/10: i miss 3 balls.
(i usually miss in the last 4 balls)

i think i could win vs the ghost with 9balls. (ps do u have to pot the balls in order after u brake, or can u just pot anything ?)
having played french billiard, i know how to use all the english effects and how the cb his path will be after touching a ball, and the 3 cusion ball game helped me play with cussions. the snooker made me a good potter, now i just need to learn the tactics of 9ball.

ill probably have alot more questions, but these are the first that come to mind.

ps if there is a post for newcomers to read , so they dont make new post with silly questions that have been asked and explained toroughly before, let me know.

greats, from ex-snooker player interested in 9ball.

greats, solly

ps are there any belgium players here apart from me?

Solly ... Welcome to the board. It is always nice to have foreign players
on here. They add different perspectives and views to things.

TheOne is a pro player from England - Craig Riley
Mjantti is from Belgium or Finland

Yes, when playing the ghost in 9 ball, you have to shoot the balls in
ascending order (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9).

Books about 8 ball and 14.1 (Straight Pool as it is called) should explain
various breaking techniques. You might also want to learn how to
play 1 Pocket, as it has become popular again here in the USA.

Q3: They probably have played Snooker mostly, and don't play enough
pool to warrant buying a separate Pool cue. Snooker cues have smaller
tips than Pool cue tips.
Other Posters know more than I about books, but www.Amazon.com
would be a good place to look. You will have to search on 'Billiards'.

q4: I think you should buy a cue. Now, are you going to be playing
Snooker or Pool more? If a lot of Snooker and a little Pool, then buy a
Snooker cue and use for both. If you are going to play Pool mostly, then
buy a Pool cue. How much can you spend for a cue? Several cuemakers
here in USA will ship to Europe, and www.Eurowest.com is in Germany,
and makes good cues.

Q5: again, www.Amazon.com and (help me out other posters)
Q6: same as Q5.

You can do 'searches' on here by searching for a phrase, such as
'Break cue' or 'videos' or 'books' and it will return all the threads related
to those phrases. This is a good way to see past discussions about
what you are interested in. Or you can search by a user name, say
like mine, 'Snapshot9', and it will return all threads with me in them.

I hope I have helped a little. Some other posters need to take over to
help you with your other questions I did not answer.

Again, welcome to the board, glad to have you here.

 

[breakup]

thx for replying breakup.

mm guess i need to change alot...

any explanation why ull never see a snookerplayer puting his vinger Over the cue, but most pool players do? i think (but im probably wrong as every pool player uses this position, but doesnt the finger over the cue gives more fraction? as fraction is in function of the moisture on your hand etc, its hard to count how much fraction this will give, and makes it harder to find the right pace to get a position u want.)
is it to prevent u from moving your cue up after a shot, so u got a nice folow true? i use the snooker position. cue in between my thumb and first nockle (right word?) of my hand. would u advice me to change my bridge hand? (as ive been playing like this for 6 years..)

just found a new q too, on the brake of a 9ball game. where do they put there hand and how? (picture would be nice, as a picture says more then 1000 words, ive tried to understand some posts, but my english really isnt good enough to be sure what people write.

I’m not an instructor and would not presume to give instruction (especially around this crowd!!). I just happened to have that picture handy that illustrates a good bridge. Maybe someone else with a background in instruction will contribute.

Welcome aboard

cheers

 

[Solartje]

ive totally stoped playing snooker since 2 years. (i stopped as university was taking to much time). and when i started to play snooker again, i just felt like it was time for me to move on to another game. and i chose pool.

i train about 12H/week, and every saterday/sunday i either do ranking tournaments, or open competitions. as im not a top32 player, i need to qualify for every tournament, so i actually play more competitions then i do train. tournaments = around 15H / week.

i know loontjes makes good tables, so guess thats the best place to buy a pool cue too. ive seen SO many posts here about cue's and well... when i read them i dont have a clue what people are talking about.. hope the people at loontjes can explain me all in my native language and explain how to find a good cue for me. (its weird but i dont feel good playing with a own cue, its like if im a pro, and people expect me to be good, where's im just a newcomer... but its true that its a waste of time to train with club cue's... guess ill just have to buy one.)

ill try the amazon site for the books and video's, (stupid i didnt think of it before, but i thought the books werent known enough to be sold in a big site like amazon. guess in the US uve got ALOT of pool players)

ill train with the ghost method next week (im ill for the moment). and post some results. i set myself a goal of being a top50 player after my first season. btw im not doing the rankings to win them, just to learn alot. as its the only place where i can see good pool players.

thx for the nice reply's and the welcome. really nice to meet other people, who share the same passion. I never thought id be playing pool in competitions but now that i think about it, i think i got the perfect background to be a good pool player. snooker + 3band/cusion? + french billiard just covers everything i think u need to know (apart from opening shots, game tactics, etc).

 

[renard]

Here are a few bridges from the pro's.

 

[renard]

Here are a few more bridges from the Pro's.

I believe a closed bridge (where the finger loops around the shaft of the stick) is used more when using a harder stroke by 9-ball players. The finesse shots and difficult shots that require a small degree of error usually use an open bridge (with the shaft of the stick on top of the hand.) This is just a rule of thumb in my opinion.

Allison Fischer does very well with just an open bridge all the time. Yet I believe if you never have used a closed bridge before give it a try. For me I had to force myself to use it exclusively for 2 weeks til I felt comfortable using it. It was well worth it.

 

[jsp]

Welcome Solartje...you'd probably be a good candidate to help with the pool vs. snooker debate that has been going on...

Maybe I shouldn't go there.

 

[Solartje]

jsp, sure. thats the point of a forum no? what post is it going on? ill be glad to make some posts. Also thx for the welcome happy to see this a nice forum with not TO many flaming.

renard: THX alot for the pictures, they are lovely. ive tried it for 10minuts before writing this post, and... it feels very weird. ALOT of friction. ill give it a go for 2 weeks, and see how it goes. maybe its just an impression, but i feel less stable with the finger over the cue but that might be the practice or just me doing it wrong. it did was nice to read that some top players use a open bridge. having played like this for 10 years, its SO hard to learn a new way. but it does seem to be better when u have to put your hand on the cussion. by putting your hand over the cue instead of under like in snooker, your cue is more horizontal... so this might be better, but ive just seen on BBC how john parrot explained how to keep your cue when u got the cb close to a cussion and the result might be the same... i guess its all about how U feel the best, but i was just wondering why the bridge difference was there (read: is there a scientific explanation why one would be better then another? but guess not.)

 

[renard]

q3: why do some players ive met (top 16 players of my country), use snooker-cue as there playing cue.

q4: do u think i should continue playing with the local club cues, till im a good player, or should i buy one even in my non-pro / training stage.

q5: i dont have any good pool players, or teacher in my country, we dont get to see any pool game on the tv. (only snooker on bbc channel), and most pool video's - books that people talk about in this forum are for US persons only. is there a good place where i could buy these books/video's in belgium or where they can ship it to Europe.

Q3: I also belive that snooker players are very comfortable with thier snooker cues and buying another cue for 9-ball is just an added expense for them. Americans player snooker all the time with thier big 13mm cues all the time.

Q4: Sounds like you are already good enough to take the next step and purchase a cue. You might start out with a production cue as they are usually less expensive than custom cues and it will give you some idea of the nuances in a cue by owning one. Nuances like: The feel of the hit, how is it weighted (forward, butt heavy), what is the joint made of, and the taper and/or size of the shaft 9mm-14mm.

Q5:The amazon link is a good one and the only one I know that ships in europe.

 

[Solartje]

ive tried to play pool with my snooker cue, but i dont like it at all. i prefere a clubcue over my good snooker cue anytime. i just is to light for those masive balls. i feel like im gona brake my cue, and it makes me hold back on some shots where i need power. (ofcourse i dont brake with it) with shots where i dont need any english im ok with it, as i know my cue, but as soon as i have to use alot of english i just dont got any feeling on how hard i need to play the shot. it feels like the cue is to thin and light to get any action on the poolball (its not, i can screw back some meters without a effort, but it just feels like it, maybe thats what u call the feel of the hit?) also it seemed i misscue alot too. CB jumping, scratching , etc the chalk didnt seem to grip the ball like i wanted it. mmm now i think of it. is there a difference between snooker and pool chalk? maybe stupid q, but it seems snookerchalks are light blue and pool are dark blue. but maybe its just a color, and it has no influence at all.

ive checked on loontjes site, and ive heard predator is a good cue, but they cost like 1000 $ :s i really dont got this type of money. dont got a jump cue either, or a braking cue. could u give me a price range of what would be a ok cue to train and use for the moment? 100 - 200$ range? or is that just a waste of money for the poor improvement compared to clubcue's? (the money side is important as u cant be a pro in country, just an example. if i had finished in 8th place in the last ranking, i would have won 20$, wich is the price u pay for the inscriptions... so yes, i do think its a good think that our competitions are about fun and not about money. on the other side, being a good player with good gear and lots of training cost ALOT, and its hard to finance it all, if u cant earn some $'s with the game.) also i dont think hustling is done here. i might have done it myself 2 3 times, but it was more for a free beer or something , then about ripping someone off.) how do u guys think about all this?


ps finding this forum, reading so many posts, posting myself REALLY makes me wonna SPEED to the club and train for hours, but im sick. id better go to bed and see some snooker on BBC1 before i get all frustraded i cant go out.


PS, ive got the national straight pool competition this month, qualifying rounds are this saterday and sunday. im usually a much better straight pooler (i think it involves more snooker tactics then it does compared to 9ball) it also has double ranking points, so im REALLY hoping to do very fine. The double ranking points will atrackt ALOT of good players, but im still hoping for a qualification AT least, and maybe even a top16 spot. im sure that even just by reading the many posts here, ive already became a better player then before. (especially on the mental aspects of the game. the colums where VERY helpfull) mmm ok ill stop talking, what i wanted to say is: this is a GREATH place, and im glad i found it.

 

[Ehhh]

Little off topic here, but are you also Solartje from the LLD101 forums? Just curious.

 

[Timberly]

Welcome ot the forum Solartje! You'll find a few players as mentioned earlier (TheOne I know of for sure) that can give you some pointers on overcoming the transition from snooker to pool.

Also, if you've got some time on your hands, go to...
http://www.azbilliards.com/gallery/

That's the photo gallery from tournaments past that is full of player pics. There's a lot of candid photo's but there's also a ton of players shooting which will give you an idea of all kinds of bridges you can try.

Hope this helps!

 

[kyle]

Welcome to Az Solartje, A1 snooker bridges tend to be a little flatter, try raising your knuckles (while keeping your palm flat) for more height. A2 breaking, especially in 8 ball you may want to experiment from a couple spots I like to break from the rail hitting the second ball in the rack. For 14.1 is like a snooker break in the beginnig,after the game has started you want to break off your last remaining ball so you can continue your turn. A3 & A4 I'd suggest getting a pool cue you'll get used to the game and shots quicker than if you're using a different stick/tip/weight all the time. A5 I'll leave to our European friends (playing the ghost and other drills will help) A6 There are some videos and great websites out there try google (search;pool lessons,videos etc) a number of posters have links under there names (joe tucker) Your question on looping your bridge I think on most shots it's a comfort thing a closed bridge will help on power shots. There's a few Dutch posters around (berry?) don't recall anyone from Belgium, don't be concerned about your grammer none of us can spell either.

 

[trophycue]

Welcome Solartje...you'd probably be a good candidate to help with the pool vs. snooker debate that has been going on...

Maybe I shouldn't go there.

Now that's what I call.........stirrin the pot...........With a 2ft wooden ladle~~!!..............lmfao~!

 

[trophycue]

cue change

Welcome Solartje I am also a converted snooker player.........One of the hardest things for me was, gettin used to the a 9ball cue. I played with my snooker cue for a year or so, played fairly strong, with some wins over top pros.........but there was certain shots that you just need that extra wood for...........lol. I am using a predator 314 now.........you can find many threads on that subject....lol. For me the 314 is the best of both worlds.......JMO........good kuck to you~!

 

[tom]

Hi Solartje, I'm from Europe too, Italy, and I've been to Belgium at least a couple times for Eurotours (I remember Kortrijk sp? and Antwerp), I always met good people over there. I can confirm that Amazon delivers pool books fast and cheap, just got one last week. Here's a couple of good bridges for you , cya

 

[BAZARUS]

hi all,

im new on this forum , so thought it might be nice to present myself.
im a 28year old civil engenier from Belgium (Europe). i know i write alot of grammar errors in english , so hope u give me all a brake.

ive started playing ball-games since im 17. Started with french billiard for 2 years, done 3-band (that the name?) for 2 years, snooker for 6 years, and i started to play pool this summer.

first time i came in contact with pool was in 2001. a friend was participating in a open championship and i subscribed myself just for the fun. lost in the qualifying rounds straight pool 49-51 vs a woman, and 36-51 vs a guy. i thought i had no chance at all , so i continued to play snooker. (now it seems the woman is the #1 belgium pool player, and #2 is pascal budo member of the national team, who has done some nice things in the european championship. i trained for about 2 months, and did my first ranking tournament last week. i passed the qualifying rounds, and finished 17th in the national championship earning my first ranking points.

now some facts: i dont got any pool cue, i just take one from the club. as weird as it sounds, this has given me alot of mental advantage over other players. im the only player in the championship without a cue. pêople laugh and think i dont have a chance, but i love to see there reaction after i win. (kicked out the #2 of last ranking and the #4). i still have to learn ALOT, as pool is alot different the snooker.

now i have some questions for u all.

q1: does anyone have a picture of how they put there hand on the table where the cue slides over. (im used to play snooker, where the balls are smaller, and i cant find a comfortable way to put my hand higher for the bigger bals)

q2: i found on the colums how to brake a 9ball game, but is there any post that explains how to brake in a 8ball or 14-1 game?

q3: why do some players ive met (top 16 players of my country), use snooker-cue as there playing cue.

q4: do u think i should continue playing with the local club cues, till im a good player, or should i buy one even in my non-pro / training stage.

q5: i dont have any good pool players, or teacher in my country, we dont get to see any pool game on the tv. (only snooker on bbc channel), and most pool video's - books that people talk about in this forum are for US persons only. is there a good place where i could buy these books/video's in belgium or where they can ship it to Europe.

q6 my national tournaments are almost all 9ball. what books - video's are the once ud advice me. (i think im a good player...) when i train 14-1. id say this is my average in 10racks.

1/10 : run out
2/10: i miss 1 ball before i run out
5/10: i miss 2 balls
2/10: i miss 3 balls.
(i usually miss in the last 4 balls)

i think i could win vs the ghost with 9balls. (ps do u have to pot the balls in order after u brake, or can u just pot anything ?)
having played french billiard, i know how to use all the english effects and how the cb his path will be after touching a ball, and the 3 cusion ball game helped me play with cussions. the snooker made me a good potter, now i just need to learn the tactics of 9ball.

ill probably have alot more questions, but these are the first that come to mind.

ps if there is a post for newcomers to read , so they dont make new post with silly questions that have been asked and explained toroughly before, let me know.

greats, from ex-snooker player interested in 9ball.

greats, solly

ps are there any belgium players here apart from me?

Welcome to the forum.

I have been playing snooker for about 2 years one year after I started to play at all. It really helped me in all sorts of things. My fundamentalls are good and aiming to. When I switch to pool I was still shooting with my snooker cue for long time before I bought a pool cue. Having to play pool with a snooker cue is good for accurate aiming. Since the tip is about 10/11mm you really have to bear down and hit the cue ball very precise. Snooker is much more "mechanical" game than pool. Lots of pool players kinda "fly around the table" and you woudn't be able to do it with a snooker cue. I would advice you to get your own cue. I'm sure you could play with a house cue and fool around with your opponents, but not for a long time. Having your own cue is like having your own car. You can ride a bus or ... your car. Also when you get use to your cue you will get a better feeling what you can do on a table.

 

[renard]

ive tried to play pool with my snooker cue, but i dont like it at all. i prefere a clubcue over my good snooker cue anytime. i just is to light for those masive balls. i feel like im gona brake my cue, and it makes me hold back on some shots where i need power. (ofcourse i dont brake with it) with shots where i dont need any english im ok with it, as i know my cue, but as soon as i have to use alot of english i just dont got any feeling on how hard i need to play the shot. it feels like the cue is to thin and light to get any action on the poolball (its not, i can screw back some meters without a effort, but it just feels like it, maybe thats what u call the feel of the hit?) also it seemed i misscue alot too. CB jumping, scratching , etc the chalk didnt seem to grip the ball like i wanted it. mmm now i think of it. is there a difference between snooker and pool chalk? maybe stupid q, but it seems snookerchalks are light blue and pool are dark blue. but maybe its just a color, and it has no influence at all.

ive checked on loontjes site, and ive heard predator is a good cue, but they cost like 1000 $ :s i really dont got this type of money. dont got a jump cue either, or a braking cue. could u give me a price range of what would be a ok cue to train and use for the moment? 100 - 200$ range? or is that just a waste of money for the poor improvement compared to clubcue's? (the money side is important as u cant be a pro in country, just an example. if i had finished in 8th place in the last ranking, i would have won 20$, wich is the price u pay for the inscriptions... so yes, i do think its a good think that our competitions are about fun and not about money. on the other side, being a good player with good gear and lots of training cost ALOT, and its hard to finance it all, if u cant earn some $'s with the game.) also i dont think hustling is done here. i might have done it myself 2 3 times, but it was more for a free beer or something , then about ripping someone off.) how do u guys think about all this?


ps finding this forum, reading so many posts, posting myself REALLY makes me wonna SPEED to the club and train for hours, but im sick. id better go to bed and see some snooker on BBC1 before i get all frustraded i cant go out.


PS, ive got the national straight pool competition this month, qualifying rounds are this saterday and sunday. im usually a much better straight pooler (i think it involves more snooker tactics then it does compared to 9ball) it also has double ranking points, so im REALLY hoping to do very fine. The double ranking points will atrackt ALOT of good players, but im still hoping for a qualification AT least, and maybe even a top16 spot. im sure that even just by reading the many posts here, ive already became a better player then before. (especially on the mental aspects of the game. the colums where VERY helpfull) mmm ok ill stop talking, what i wanted to say is: this is a GREATH place, and im glad i found it.

I've never used a snooker cue on regular pool balls, so I can't compare the discription. But I believe we are talking about the same thing when describing "feel." The tip, the joint, and the make of cue all give a certain feel when striking the cue ball. That feel especially in 14:1 is critical when playing small position (in confined target zones.) I like a medium tip, and a steel joint. Wood to wood is a good joint as well and will probably play much like the clubcues you have been using. What I suggest is talk with some of the players that have pool cues and ask if you can hit some balls around with it. I know by your description there are not many being used, yet I would still look.

I don't think there is much differance in chalk. I played pool in Italy, France, Israel, and Spain with an old Muecci cue. The equipment was usually poor but the chalk was pretty much the same grade. I prefer Masters chalk by the way. I not sure of the reason for the miscue's maybe someone else who has used a snooker cue in this fashion could elaborate.

Gambling for money here in the U.S. is pretty normal. Depending on the location your playing at you can play for fun (no wager invovled.) Wager for beer money ($2), sometimes up to $5 or $10. Other places the sky is the limit, scary sums of money. Those are the games that are fun to watch. You learn so much.

We play in a lot of local tournaments here, usually a $7 to $10 entry fee. Depending on how many are in the tourny the winner takes home around $70 to $200. I saved my winnings to purchase all my pool equipment.

Hustling is pretty rare in that most players know all the hustles already. What it comes down to is who is the best talker driving a bargain of a spot (handicap.) The best advice is don't gamble with a stranger, Thats when you get hustled. When you play for money it brings out your best game. At least it does for me most of the time. Knowone wants to loose thier hard earned money. There are times you just don't shoot as well as your capable so you quit as soon as you can and cut your loses no matter what handicap is offered. I feel there are more qualified posters on this subject than I, but thats just my opinion.

Good luck in the national straight pool comp. will be pulling for you to shoot your best.

P.S. I know there was a thread on here from someone looking to buy an American cue from over in Europe somewhere. That might give you an Idea of what we have and price ranges. There are plenty of cue makers with sites and production company cue sites as well. Just do as search here:

http://www.google.com/