The FAQs of Pool & Table Billiards
Frequently Asked Questions for the Casual & Regular
Player
Buy this book!
This books is about all of the questions that people ask about the Green
Game. Take a look through the Table of Contents below. When you read this,
you can begin to see why this fascinating sport has attracted the life-long
dedication of millions of people.
Table of Contents
WELCOME 1
GENERAL FAQS 1
Laws of Pool 1
What is a pre-shot routine? 2
How can you forget your pre-shot routine? 3
What is a post-shot routine? 4
Can you achieve "perfect" position? 5
What is a good safety? 5
What are the different types of safety shots? 6
What is the purpose of safety/defensive play? 7
What happens when applying English to the cue ball? 8
What is this "killer instinct"? 9
What is an A, B, and C level shooter? 10
How do my energy cycles affect my game? 10
What are some good excuses for missing? 11
Can I mix family life with pool? 12
How does age affect skills? 14
You are addicted to pool if 15
What is the real secret to winning? 16
Why do you love pool? 17
How do you know when you are good? 18
What is the "Zen" of the Green Game? 19
What are some bad habits to avoid? 19
You are obsessive about pool when… 20
Why is luck (good & bad) such a big part of pool? 21
How do people get hooked on pool? 22
Where can you play pool? 23
Got any pool jokes? 26
GAMBLING FAQS 26
What about gambling? 26
Should you gamble? 27
What are some gambling handicaps? 28
What is a comfortable way to handle gambling? 30
PLAYING SITUATIONS AND CIRCUMSTANCES FAQS 31
How do you respond to a beaten opponent? 31
Can a losing match be turned around? 32
How can you warm up for a competition? 33
How can you get used to another pool table? 34
What can you expect in a handicapped league? 34
Can I do a restroom break during a match? 35
What can be eaten while competing? 36
What are the different tournament formats? 36
How can you stop missing cut shots? 37
Why do you play badly against a lesser skilled
opponent? 38
When breaking, should you inspect the rack? 39
How do you calculate the odds on a shot? 40
What do you need to know about one rail banking? 41
What is "pocket speed"? 41
Why do you choke on the game ball? 42
How do you analyze a lost match? 43
How can you play for long periods of time? 44
How do you handle a bad 8 Ball break? 45
What can give you an edge? 46
How much fair play is fair? 47
Can you get hurt playing pool? 48
How can you play a better bar table game? 48
What are recommended breaking positions? 50
How can you get over a slump? 50
How can you learn ball speeds on different tables? 51
Does drinking mix with pool? 52
How can you keep score with coins? 52
What are the different ways to keep score? 53
How does someone concede a game? 54
How can you handicap 9 Ball with a friend? 55
How can you handicap 8 Ball with a friend? 56
How can you play while nervous? 56
How can you rack for 9 Ball to make it easier or
harder to run out? 57
What is a well-racked set of balls? 59
Do you play the opponent or play the table? 59
How can you evaluate your playing skills? 60
What is sharking? 61
How can you stop someone sharking? 62
How do you handle an opponent who is a poor sport? 62
What if your opponent is an ass? 63
How do you handle an angry opponent? 63
How can you make an accurate 1 cushion kick? 64
What are the different kinds of break shots? 65
How can you improve side pocket shooting? 66
PRACTICING FAQS 67
What does it take to reach the top tier of players? 67
When I do practice, what should I do? 68
How can you get more practice time in? 69
How do you move up to the next level? 71
How can you gradually improve your game? 72
How long does it take to fix a bad habit? 72
How do you plan to run a table layout? 73
Will working out help improve your game? 74
How do you find a good instructor? 74
How do you practice with a friend? 75
What kinds of drills can improve your game? 76
How do you use the tangent line? 78
How can you shoot accurately with cue ball side spin?
81
How do you video tape yourself? 81
How much practice does it take to become an "A"
player? 83
What is "playing the ghost"? 84
How can you practice 1 Pocket alone? 85
EQUIPMENT FAQS 85
How do you clean your personal pool balls? 85
Do you need cue insurance? 86
How do you ship cue sticks? 87
How should you pack cue sticks for airline baggage? 88
What are the dangers of lending out your stick? 89
How can you get stains out of table cloth? 90
How do people abuse pool equipment? 90
Should you own your own set of pool balls? 91
Why are bar table cue balls different? 92
What do you consider in a used pool table? 93
What are dead cushions? 95
How do you take care of a pool table? 95
What are the different pool table sizes? 96
Why should you own your own table? 97
What should you consider when buying a cue? 98
Should you buy a custom cue? 99
Do you need a jump cue? 100
Do you need a break cue? 101
Do you need a shooting glove? 101
What about using those screw-on cue tips? 102
If you are tall, can you get a longer cue stick? 102
How can dings be removed from a cue shaft? 103
How do you clean the cue shaft? 104
Why is chalk necessary? 104
What sizes and shapes of cue tips are available? 105
Why does a new cue tip flatten after a few shots? 106
When should you change cue tips? 106
What kinds of cue tips are available? 107
What cue accessories are useful? 108
What is a cue extension? 109
TEACHING & LEARNING 110
What is the ghost ball aiming technique? 110
Are you right eye or left eye dominant? 110
How do you use a mechanical bridge? 111
Should you use an open or closed bridge? 112
How does an instructor use a video camera to help you?
112
How to check your stroke for flaws? 114
What are the fundamentals of a stroke? 115
How do shoot one-handed? 117
How do you stop from jumping up on a shot? 118
What is a good stroke? 119
How can you improve your break shot? 120
What are the different hand bridges? 120
How can you reduce miscues? 121
How do you shoot a straight stroke? 121
How do you do a controlled draw shot? 122
How do you do a half-table length draw shot? 123
What makes a smooth stroke? 124
How do you learn to play opposite handed? 125
How do you play a cue ball on the rail? 126
How do you teach children? 127
How do you help a beginning player? 128
How do you coach a new player on a team? 129
QUICKIE TIPS 130
Watching your betters 130
Twirling your stick 130
Talc powder 130
Standing on a pool table 131
Speed kills 131
Reduce choking (failure by fear) 131
Recommended bridge lengths 132
Time to practice 132
An easy way to stop jumping up on the stroke 132
MP3 player use 132
Home table room sizes 133
High humidity problems 133
Check for cue straightness 133
Cue stick lengths 133
Cue ball jumping 133
Clean chalk from clothing 134
Buy your own balls 134
GAME RULES SIMPLIFIED 135
14.1 Continuous 135
Straight Pool 136
Speed Pool 137
Rotation 138
Pool Snooker 140
One Pocket 142
Kelly (Pea) Pool 143
Fargo 144
Equal Offense 145
Cut-throat 147
Golf (simplified) 148
Cribbage 149
Cowboy Billiards 150
Chicago (rail version) 151
Chicago (carom-scratch) 152
2 Cushion Pool 153
Bowliards 154
Bottle Pool 155
Bank Pool 157
Any Eight 158
9 Ball (Back Pocket) 159
9 Ball 160
8 Ball (standard) 161
8 Ball (coin-op table) 162
8 Ball (Chinese) 162
8 Ball (bar rule notes) 163
8 Ball (1-15 side) 163
7 Ball 164
6 Ball 165
3 Ball 165
Basic Pool Playing Rules (BCA/World Rules) 166
POOL TERMINOLOGY 167
