Who is your favorite player?

The very best pool players on the planet compete each year for fame and fortune. Some are passionately loud about the game yet some are silent assasins. Some are trickshot artists who use jump cues while others prefer to bank, kick or masse. Some are entertaining to watch while others are plain old boring.

Who are you favorite players in the following categories:
Mine are in parentheses

1. Break shot
(Francisco Bustamante)

2. Bank or Kick shot
(Efren Reyes)

3. Jump shot
(Fong Pang Chao)

4. Safety play
(Efren Reyes)

5. Personality
(Earl Strickland)

6. Entertainment
(Steve Davis)

7. Overall
(Efren Reyes)

Who is your favorite player and why?

Use a gently stroke to prevent your balls from rattling out

Do most of your balls rattle out when you try to pocket them?

Maybe you are stroking too hard, when a ball hits the edge of a pocket at high speed, it tends to bounce around and rattle out instead of dropping in. Practice using a soft stroke when pocketing balls and letting gravity suck the ball into the pocket. Sometimes it's best to use the least amount of force when shooting, it gives you more control, "feel" and you will also learn to follow through on your shot.

Here are some tips on how to improve your pocketing:

1. Set up a straight shot into the pocket, but use the least amount of energy to pocket it. Next try a 45 degree angled shot and use the same technique as above. And lastly try a 90 degree cut shot using minimal strength.

Notice how the balls roll and react to your nudges, and make sure to follow through on each and every stroke.

Now you can roll a ball in instead of cannoning it into a pocket, by minimizing on misses due to rattled shots, you will greatly increase your accuracy and also eliminate overhitting or overpowering shots.

Bustamante wins at Turning Stone Casino

Bustamante wins at Turning Stone
Francisco Bustamante won the 2005 Joss Tour Season Finale in Verona, NY.

Bustamante earned $10,000 for his win, while Hatch and Reyes came out 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Cue tips

Hey guys, here's a tip for removing all those dings and scratches from your cue shaft.

If you've dropped your cue or bumped it on things, you've noticed some damage on the shaft, these are barely noticeable when you play, but what do you do about those deep indentations that affect your stroke?

To raise the indentation, you have to wet the wood. That's right, soak up the area with a little water. The wood will absorb the water and sure enough the wood will expand a bit. After letting the shaft dry up, just sand the raised area and then polish your cue with your favorite wax or sealant.

There you have it, a great and easy way to fix your stick!

What's your cue?

What kind of cue stick do you have? Is it branded or customized? Do you have a break stick too? I'd like to hear about your choice of sticks, and why you chose them.

I use a custom made cue stick that is a little bit longer than a standard cue by about an inch and a half. It's great for those table length shots that need a bridge.

World Pool Masters

The World Pool Masters are coming soon. Aside from the defending champion, Germany's Thomas Engert, who is your favorite to win it all?

Billiards Blog

Welcome to Billiards blog, this is the place you go for news, tips, tricks, and whatever else related to Billiards.