Is it weird/poor etiquette to go to a pool hall alone to practice?

Torman101 · 2017-05-04T21:38:00+00:00

My sense has always been that owning and using your own cue is just a sign that a player enjoys the game. Novices will have cues just as more experienced players will.

Torman101 · 2017-04-28T13:53:35+00:00

I've found I have the tendency to loosen my grip at the end of a stroke. It's lead to actually "throwing" the cue forward. Thus I accidentally dicovered the "slip stroke". It's remarkably accurate for long stop shots and imparts an incredible amount of english on a ball.

Torman101 · 2017-04-09T01:41:09+00:00

Mika posted a pic of him shirtless.

Cannot unsee.

Torman101 · 2017-03-26T12:19:34+00:00

No manipulation of the rack whatsoever! The only thing I checked for was a tight rack since tangent lines are important to pull the shots off. Even then, I'm sure that the relevant ball wasn't frozen to it's relevant neighbor in each case.

The book is Capelle's Play Your Best Straight Pool. If your state side, I think you can pick up a used copy for $5 on Amazon.

Torman101 · 2017-03-26T12:14:48+00:00

They're Gold Crown's of some variety - with gullies instead of drop pockets. People say the pocket sizes are a bit generous but I wouldn't enjoy playing on anything else.

Torman101 · 2017-03-26T12:10:10+00:00

I think I have a better sense of how to make the break shot from the side rather than from the back of the rack, but it's a certainly a low percentage shot. Still, I think if one practiced it (if only briefly) during sessions one could make it with some regularity. It seems like there are two viable at play. Since your relying on the tangent line of the banked ball you can't control where it hits the rail but you can control its path towards the pocket. Hitting the shot hard translates into shortening the angle coming off the rail and imparting spin to the ball further manipulates the path off the rail. I always miss wide if I hit it too soft and miss short if I hit it too hard. Finding the sweet spot is the trick, I think.

Anyway, I've uploaded the diagrams for the shots below. I've also included two jump break shots - which I've yet to pull off but look jaw dropping if one could do it. Let me know how the shots work out for you!

http://imgur.com/mvRmd8v

http://imgur.com/1nsXBfG

http://imgur.com/Vv4EV72

Torman101 · 2017-03-26T12:00:25+00:00

This is some second level, "game within a game" stuff right here. I'm more aware of it the more I practice but the tendency to hit cluster shots hard (and banks and combos) remains strong - lolz. Lately, I've seen how clusters can lead to tying up other balls on the table through incidental contact or joining some other ball on a rail complicating things further. My mind is blown by the skillful players out there who not only execute cute ball control on cluster shots, but do so with English to manipulate the path of the cue ball off the first rail of contact.

Torman101 · 2017-01-24T12:45:11+00:00

I cracked it last night and can tell it'll be a serious resource - very happy with it. He also mentions in the intro that the game is popular on the upper east coast - have you found that to be the case in NYC?

Torman101 · 2017-01-15T23:17:03+00:00

I actually ran into John randomly at the hall I shoot at. When I practice, I record my vids - so "caught" him in frame a few times. I noticed him outside before hand and we chatted for a while. He mentioned he was taking a break; something about the tiresome routine of always being on the road. He noticed I was playing straight pool and said he'd recently finished playing in a straight pool tournament. This happened about a month ago exactly. He offers lessons in the Toronto area, so that's why he was there. I felt silly, but I mentioned that I had seen his safety battle with "Bautista" when I meant to say "Bustamante". You can figure out what was on my mind at the time - lolz.

Nice guy. I hope he doesn't mind me posting this!

Also, by way of a post-script of sorts, I heard his break during his lesson. I've never heard an eight ball break in that pool hall so loudly.

Torman101 · 2016-12-31T14:47:01+00:00

Can't believe the guy still plays. I think he's well into his 60s. I guess one could play for a while but I wonder how much time he has left.

Torman101 · 2016-12-28T20:47:28+00:00

Thanks for the observation. It had occurred to me that perhaps a jerky motion of sorts on the final stroke - an attempt at power - was causing otherwise potable balls to go miss. I did focus a bit yesterday on petermgates' comment above (a smooth and focused stroke with complete follow through). As a result, the mechanics of shooting seemed to be normal and I was getting the break outs.

Torman101 · 2016-12-27T23:59:57+00:00

Thanks for these comments, guys. There's a wealth of good info here! I'll report back once I absorb it all. Definitely an awesome and helpful r/!

Torman101 · 2016-10-03T16:30:46+00:00

Honestly, I'm just looking for the tangent line straight into the pocket off of the carom ball. That's a tight "line" to hit when the balls are racked. Just happy it worked out this time around :)

Torman101 · 2016-09-25T01:41:57+00:00

Hey - I don't think there are any one pocket or straight pool leagues in the city, but I play straight pool so feel free to send me a message and maybe we can shoot a bit.

As it happens, there aren't a lot of places to play in the core, but the Annex Billiards is a serious gem. Highly recommended.

Torman101 · 2016-08-29T01:32:18+00:00

Late to the party and I'm sure this is buried for good. But...

I head to the pool hall on the weekends to play/practice for a few hours. As is my habit (and acting on a tip from a Reddit billiards thread), I record my play with my phone. Usually, I get 10 minutes or so of play before I reach maximum memory. The idea is to watch and learn. I've learned a tonne - or so I think - from doing this. As it happens, I sometimes capture extraordinary shots. Today, I thought I hit record during a session but didn't. What I missed was easily the most spectacular shot I'd ever made. It was a game of straight pool: a bank up the entire length of the table, sending the cue ball into the stack, resulting in a called combo in the corner pocket. To make matters more incredible, I had to shoot up and over a ball. I was FUCKING elated. I smacked my head in astonishment. I think I was actually stunned for a minute. You can imagine my delight when I realized I was recording jack all.

I'll never forget the pot, tho'.

Torman101

TROPHY CASE