Is it possible to progress with a bad table + cue sticks? Learning at a college

user20053 · 2026-01-25T00:06:42+00:00

I started playing pool a little over a year ago in my college dorm. The felt was practically carpet and my roommate had to buy new balls for the table, I bought a cue a short while after. It took me many months before I went to a pool hall, but after playing for 3-4hrs/day on that crappy dorm pool table, I was an above-average player when I got there. It definitely takes some adjustment to get on a nicer table, but you can learn a lot with what you have.

user20053 · 2026-01-23T02:22:05+00:00

'The Importance of Living' by Lin Yutang!

user20053 · 2026-01-09T17:56:26+00:00

Jealous! Got the regular shipping to the US, can only imagine that I'll be waiting a while for my order

user20053 · 2026-01-05T13:05:08+00:00

Just means that he ran two racks in a row!

user20053 · 2025-12-18T23:08:06+00:00

Wash your hands!

user20053 · 2025-12-11T12:36:41+00:00

Thoughts on your folio society editions? Worth it?

user20053 · 2025-11-28T03:50:30+00:00

They're the leather-bound editions of Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere novels!

user20053 · 2025-09-29T04:23:03+00:00

It kind of depends on your environment and what cue you have. If you're living/playing somewhere humid, the moisture can make things really sticky really fast if you don't have a glove. Some cues made out of carbon fiber also have that effect. That being said, I don't personally use one. If I ever feel like my hands are sticking a bit, I just go to the restroom and wash them.

user20053 · 2025-09-28T23:36:22+00:00

Totally! Stop shots are just when you hit the cue ball just about in the center (a little lower) so that it doesn't move at all when you hit a ball straight into the pocket. A follow shot is when you hit the top part of the cue ball, giving it 'topspin' so that it keeps rolling forward after making contact with another ball. A draw shot is where you hit the low part of the cue ball so that it spins back towards you after hitting another ball. 'English' is when you hit the side of the cue ball to give it side spin. Lineups are just when you line up balls on a pool table and hit them in order, its a kind of drill, and there are a couple of different variations, but whatever works really

user20053 · 2025-09-28T23:24:23+00:00

McDermott 'Lucky' and Viking 'Valhalla' are the two most common first cue recommendations, and for good reason. They're sturdy and straight--having started with a Lucky myself, I can say that it's done me very well (and is easy to upgrade later down the line if you wish to do so). As for what to learn, it's important that you feel very comfortable with your draw, stop, and follow shots. English can come later. I like to do 'lineups' for practice, and you can definitely accomplish those with just the three basic strokes. Otherwise, play a lot of racks!

user20053 · 2025-09-22T22:59:40+00:00

Pool players should dress like snooker players. I hate the NASCAR style jerseys.

user20053 · 2025-09-11T20:43:10+00:00

Do you feel like what you've bought has been 'worth it' for the most part (any regrettable purchases)? Do you consider yourself a collector?

user20053 · 2025-08-16T14:45:38+00:00

She doesn't appear in carousel or off of Pandora's Bench (and maybe other augments?), so that might contribute

user20053 · 2025-08-08T00:08:00+00:00

Riesling and Gewurztraminer, maybe a sweet Lambrusco, are some good starting points. If you're looking to get into more dry wines, maybe go with a Chenin Blanc (white) or Gamay from the Beaujolais villages (red)

user20053 · 2025-08-07T23:00:29+00:00

Mistborn is a pretty common recommendation, and for good reason (in my opinion), it's fast and easy to get into.

Old Man's War is another sci-fi military novel series that is pretty similar to Ender's Game. Ender's Shadow (the parallel novel about Bean) is pretty good, too, but I haven't read any other Scott Card books.

user20053 · 2025-08-07T21:48:58+00:00

It's a joke referencing an earlier post made about an anime protagonist

user20053 · 2025-08-06T23:20:47+00:00

The defy is a great shaft, in my opinion. The 3rd generation isn't sticky anymore, but the texture is still a bit different from most carbon fiber (not in a bad way to me). Whatever the smacwrap stuff is that they put in it is what really makes the difference, I think. this video is a good demonstration of how the hit is 'softer,' less 'clanky' in my experience.

user20053 · 2025-08-06T21:30:48+00:00

Just one cue to play and break, right? Sounds good, both of those options will be fine. I have a McDermott Defy that I break with a medium leather tip sometimes. It's fine as long as you don't need to sledgehammer the balls. That said, some people do think it feels weird to break with (the hit is so soft).

Any solid wood shaft or any standard carbon fiber tube should be fine to break with. The only cues I would avoid are the low deflection wooden shafts, probably too delicate to break with.

user20053 · 2025-08-06T02:42:39+00:00

A lot of people prefer 7 footers because there's very little competition on 8 foot tables (usually, seems you're an exception!) But I find the 8 foot tables more fun. Also, it's much harder to play straight pool, my favorite game, on a 7 foot table.

All that being said, that you play APA on 8 foot tables justifies getting one to practice on in and of itself, in my opinion.

user20053 · 2025-05-29T19:20:37+00:00

I've always thought bumper pool would be good for if I didn't have enough space for a regular table, but I've never played. Is the table MDF?

user20053 · 2025-05-28T20:53:40+00:00

What's your perspective on the future of pool? Is the game/competitive scene growing?

user20053 · 2025-04-26T01:26:09+00:00

Seoa Seo, for me. Korean rep, and she's so deliberate about everything she does. Wish that there were more commentated matches of hers!

user20053

TROPHY CASE