Lol I was thinking about that after I posted it. There is a simple 2railer.
Why are Masse Cues not used in normal play?
- Thread starter Ky Boy
- Start date
Lol I was thinking about that after I posted it. There is a simple 2railer.
There's a million shots, that I would shoot, before I tried to masse'.
If anyone wants to play me a set and use their masse' cue the entire match, I'm all up for it... LOL
.............
Last edited:
I think Efren is less reluctant to shoot masse shots than most. I've heard that when he was left frozen or nearly frozen to a ball on the foot rail at one pocket with the shot pointed at his opponent's pocket, he just played a little masse shot, circled around the object ball and brought the cue ball back to the foot rail on the other side of the object ball so the balls then pointed at his pocket.
OMG listen.... I'm saying a masse is a lower probability shot then a two or three railer. Im not saying it isnt an option I'm saying if you play the probabilities (which you should) a masse is almost never the correct option.
One issue I run into doing a masse with my playing cue is speed. It's really tough to hit a masse shot with precision and put speed behind. And that is something a masse cue could help with.
I really do appreciate the comments and thought it was a worthy topic to discuss. For the most part, it seems to come down to the comfort level of each person as to whether they feel a masse cue could be incorporated into their game.
I really do appreciate the comments and thought it was a worthy topic to discuss. For the most part, it seems to come down to the comfort level of each person as to whether they feel a masse cue could be incorporated into their game.
"Do the curve shottttt!"
A masse shot I play fairly often is when I finish close to (say 3 inches or less), but on the wrong side of a relatively easy pot. Pocket the ball with masse, which isn't too hard with a little practice, after which the ball reverses direction. My playing cue suffices. I also use them to get out of the odd snooker in 8 ball, where it doesn't matter if you finish close to the ball you want to hit.
50 inches long, 21-26 ounces, and a 14-15mm tip. Roughly.
This raises the issue of what's legal. If the tournament, league, or event is following WPA (world-standardized) equipment specs, a cue must be:
• at least 40" in length
• no more than 25 oz. in weight
• no more than 14mm in diameter at the tip
So quite a few massé cues might flunk the weight and tip-diameter limitations.
Last edited:
Those rules are for pocket billiards. Ive never seen anyone use a masse cue for pool, other than trick shot shows and tournaments.
Chuck
I would say the opposite, keep the options 2 dimensional, kick or masse. Pool became 3 dimensional with jump shots and shot quality went down, imo. What would Efren do? Kick or masse, not jump
I haven't seen a masse cue used for normal play either Chuck. That's why I posted this thread as a think out of the box thing and to see if becoming proficient with one has value.
Gary
While most vastly under use the masse' shot in rotation games, the ones that are feasible are more than capable of being done with a regular playing cue. A masse' cue is not needed for normal play.
Here is the shot from Byrne's "Complete Book of Pool Shots". There are 349 other shots in that book you may also be interested in.
And i'm sure you're right Neil.
Do you think if someone had a high proficiency with a masse cue they could see some distinct advantage in various games by using one?
Or is the reason we don't see them because they are just not practical?
Gary
It must have went over your head...
I did not imply jumping is better, nor did I ever say anything about what Efren would do. My point was, that if you are jammed up and if the cue ball cannot be kicked or jumped into the object ball, a masse shot will not help. If you can masse into the OB, then there is definitely a way to kick or jump into it. Then of course, how much spin are you referring to as a masse shot.
Masse' cues are very practical for those big masse shots that you see in trick shots. But, those kind of masse shots are not practical in a game of pool.
Once in a blue moon, I do see a shot possibility that would require a big masse. (multiple rails involved) But, too rare to learn how to do it on demand on strange equipment.