Dustin:
Что, вы не говорите русского?
Seriously though, great post! The topic of Pyramid came up yesterday as well,
in another thread (post #47).
For those not familiar with this great game, here's a good summary:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_billiards
Because of the extremely tight pockets (tightest pockets in any cue sport, including snooker), Pyramid players develop a certain cueing style, with a lot of power -- Evgeny Stalev is a good example. The design of the pockets on a Pyramid table (12' x 6', btw) allows one to hit them very firmly. This is because the acute "cut" of the pockets results in very defined "horns" at the end of the cushions rubber at the pocket's aperture, and these "horns" are easily bent out of the way with a firm stroke. (In fact, if you
look closely at these horns on a well-used Pyramid table, you'll see where the cloth has been worn off these horns from players forcing the balls past these horns.)
What happens when a Pyramid player plays the American sport of pool? Highly accurate potting, and some of most incredibly powerful breaks you'll ever see. I mentioned Evgeny, and if you want to see his break (on par or probably even more powerful than Charlie Bryant or Francisco Bustamante, IMHO), check out this U.S. Open match of Evgeny against Warren Kiamco:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=PkCG3q2PDa4
(At about 9:20 in the video, you'll get to see the first of many of Evgeny's powerful breaks.)
Enjoy!
-Sean
