SVB/Alex...Don't Clean The Balls?

Johnnyt

Johnnyt

Burn all jump cues
Silver Member
I have two questions. 1) When SVB and Alex were playing a 3 day race to 100 on TAR, after the first day they both told TAR NOT to clean the balls. Anyone know why?

2) When the TV/Stream table/cloth and slate gets very hot from the old type lights does it make the table play harder or easier...and why? I should know the answer to this as guys in the booth have talked about it many times. I never listened because I don't plan on being on TV or Stream anytime soon or my mind is really going. I ask this because my table outside on the patio plays better when hot. Thank you in advance for the feedback. JT
 
Table play easier when is hot, pockets are more generous. Same goes with polished balls, and polished balls also pick english differently.
 
I find very freshly cleaned balls are tough to play. They pocket easier down rails but they just play funny for a few hours. Guessing because you typically play with balls that are NOT freshly polished and muscle memory is telling you how to hit the balls as "normal" and they don't play "normal" while that fresh sheen is on the balls.
JMO
 
Johnnyt said:
I have two questions. 1) When SVB and Alex were playing a 3 day race to 100 on TAR, after the first day they both told TAR NOT to clean the balls. Anyone know why?

2) When the TV/Stream table/cloth and slate gets very hot from the old type lights does it make the table play harder or easier...and why? I should know the answer to this as guys in the booth have talked about it many times. I never listened because I don't plan on being on TV or Stream anytime soon or my mind is really going. I ask this because my table outside on the patio plays better when hot. Thank you in advance for the feedback. JT
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They don't want the balls to slide .
 
"Q" Protectors said:
I find very freshly cleaned balls are tough to play. They pocket easier down rails but they just play funny for a few hours. Guessing because you typically play with balls that are NOT freshly polished and muscle memory is telling you how to hit the balls as "normal" and they don't play "normal" while that fresh sheen is on the balls.
JMO
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When I start to miss more than normal for me I put a clean polished set up and most of the missing goes away. This might be all in my head though. JT
 
Johnnyt said:
When I start to miss more than normal for me I put a clean polished set up and most of the missing goes away. This might be all in my head though. JT
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I've actually noticed the same thing when I let my balls go too long between cleanings. At 1st I think that my game is just off... then I'll clean my balls and it gets back on track again. Like Johnnyt... it might just be in my head... but now days when I'm jawing the pockets a lot, then I know it's time to clean them boys.
 
Johnnyt said:
When I start to miss more than normal for me I put a clean polished set up and most of the missing goes away. This might be all in my head though.
Click to expand...
I don't think it's all in your head. A cleaner set of balls will simply have less throw than dirty balls. Less throw means a greater margin for error.

Just my guess, but I think they didn't want the balls to be cleaned to simply make the game tougher. If I thought I was the best player in the world (which I'm sure both Alex and Shane think so), then I would adjust better to tougher player conditions, giving me the edge. But again, that's just a guess.
 
My bet would be that in a long race, you don't want big changes in the middle of it, once you're sighted in and adjusted to conditions. I remember playing a big tournament down at Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA...a rain storm came in during the middle of the tournament, and the humidity jumped about 20%; the tables suddenly played wet. Even AAA players like Shuff started missing balls or position all over the place...it was freaky, like someone threw a switch.
 
I'm going to guess they didn't want to clean the balls because they had already been practicing with them dirty and cleaning them would throw everything off. The balls would slide and the english would take differently.

I remember in one of their matches (I believe it was in the race to 100), Alex was on a roll catching up to Shane, and then he asked for the balls to be cleaned. After they were cleaned, the cue ball rolled further and resulted in Alex being out of line a few times. And also some shots went in for Shane that wouldn't have gone if the balls weren't cleaned. It cost Alex some games he most likely would have otherwise won.
 
I frequent three different places. Two of the places keep their balls very clean while the latter doesn't. After getting used to dirty balls and the way you can grab and spin them in, I find it difficult to go to a clean ball set because spin won't alter their paths as much. With dirty balls, I find that I cut them thick and spin corrects the thicker cut. With cleaner balls, if I try the same cut, I miss on the thick side. Same for the other way around however. Of I've spent a few days with clean balls, I find a couple of surprises like knowing that I hit the ball well but spun it way thin.
It's just a matter of adjusting.
Dave
 
The balls are right when they are polished most players don't like that they want to do things with the balls to make them move or hold more and that is more possible with dirty balls not clean balls.

On a freshly cleaned table with polished balls a naturally rolling ball straight at a good will go into the foot rail will hit the rail and come back sliding for 4-6 inches before it picks up roll going back up table. Straight pool players like to the crisp reaction of balls off other balls when they are clean but then they are not loading up the cue ball as much. John Schmidt would prefer to use clean balls on a clean table the cleaner the better. Many straight pool players agree with this approach, probably also the same with billiards and high end snooker.

Now when playing games such as short rack rotation or bank many players like the balls to grip a little more. Bug's was one of if not the best banker of all time and he liked to use a lot of powder and that powder would get on the table and on the balls and when the balls got dirty he could do stuff that is not even possible with clean balls. Bob Jewett shoots an impossible 90 deg + cut shot on YouTube, he explains dirty balls are the key to this they grip more.

Now why do those guys mentioned want to keep the balls the same probably because they were in tune with the setup. I doubt they thought it would ,make it tougher for the other guy rather each wanted to maintain the consistency they had going at the end of the night.

Clean Balls - React more consistently, roll farther

Dirty Balls - Allow for more transfer of spin, shorter, more common
 
elvicash said:
The balls are right when they are polished most players don't like that they want to do things with the balls to make them move or hold more and that is more possible with dirty balls not clean balls.

On a freshly cleaned table with polished balls a naturally rolling ball straight at a good will go into the foot rail will hit the rail and come back sliding for 4-6 inches before it picks up roll going back up table. Straight pool players like to the crisp reaction of balls off other balls when they are clean but then they are not loading up the cue ball as much. John Schmidt would prefer to use clean balls on a clean table the cleaner the better. Many straight pool players agree with this approach, probably also the same with billiards and high end snooker.

Now when playing games such as short rack rotation or bank many players like the balls to grip a little more. Bug's was one of if not the best banker of all time and he liked to use a lot of powder and that powder would get on the table and on the balls and when the balls got dirty he could do stuff that is not even possible with clean balls. Bob Jewett shoots an impossible 90 deg + cut shot on YouTube, he explains dirty balls are the key to this they grip more.

Now why do those guys mentioned want to keep the balls the same probably because they were in tune with the setup. I doubt they thought it would ,make it tougher for the other guy rather each wanted to maintain the consistency they had going at the end of the night.

Clean Balls - React more consistently, roll farther

Dirty Balls - Allow for more transfer of spin, shorter, more common
Click to expand...

very nice explanation. ;-)
 
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