I play English 8-Ball and used to play snooker to an average local level (91 top competitive break).

I have run our local League in the UK Midlands for nearly 20 years and we currently have around 30 pub teams.

We use our own variant of old BPA rules. These are designed around the principle that the referees are not particularly knowledgable, often pay little attention and are frequently 'beered up'.

i generally stick to uk 8-ball in pubs etc. sometimes I venture down to a local pool hall when I'm in essex and play some US 8-ball or 9-ball. ironically my local pool hall at uni (keele uni near stoke) doesn't have US tables, it only offers UK 8-ball or snooker.

Hi JAM,

I guess... I'll be one of the few that loves to play straight pool !!

I grew up in Mass and started playing at the Sliver Cue in Woburn Ma in the 80's.... I'd like to brag about being a 100 ball runner but I'm not

I have played some 9-ball with your "Friend" at Counrty Club USA back in the day.... I even remember him doing a back flip off of the table Those were the days....

straight pool is amazing. i watched that shot and couldn't stop watching. later on crane made a *sick* combo shot that the announcer couldn't even see and i def didn't see and had to reply like 5 times to see how even crane saw it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlxOU...eature=related

at 7.19; i also love how the announcer calls them mr. X.

can i ask a strategy question: what do you do on the opening break in straight pool? i've never had any formal lessons in straight pool but i practice by myself and though occasionally i try weird things w/ the break, typically i do the corner ball w/ opposing english and try to bring the cue ball off the back and side rails to the kitchen end of the table leaving next to no shot or no shot for the next shot. i've always wondered what "real" players do on the opening break though. so when you're playing and have the opening break, what goes through your head? and does that change if you're in a high stakes game?

do you at anytime call a ball off the break and go for it? if so, which shot and why?

and what happens if your break ball is in the triangle region (i mean obv you wouldn't leave that as the break ball on purpose but what happens if that does occur)?

You'll lag for the break... Which means you'll both shot a ball to the head rail and back to the foot rail and the closest to the foot rail wins.

The advantage is to let opponent break...

The object of a legal break is to hit a ball and have 2 balls hit a rail... So you want to hit the cue ball softly enough off of the rack of balls, by hitting one of the corner balls thin enough to make...

1. the object ball to hit a rail and then moves back to the rack
2. that will make the other corn ball to the side rail and then back to the rack
3. then the cue ball travels back to the end of the table giving your openent no open shot

NO not really.....

No.... But I guess ???? If you playing for fun and the other player can only run 8 balls maybe ??? Place the cue ball close to the foul line and a ball width from the side rail.... Hit with center ball at the head ball (full ball hit) and the head head can be made in the side pocket....


It gets spotted on the foot spot and the cue ball will stay where it is on the table

I grew up in Woburn. Omg, Silver Cue was such a hole in the 90s. I guess it's under new ownership now and has been cleaned up. Haven't been there in years though. I used to like Breakers Billiards, which is no longer open.

Maybe it was a hole but a great place to play with lots of very good players. I played in the leagues.... I guess from 86-90 and then played anywhere there was a good game I did play in the monthly tournaments at Breakers and really good friends with the people that ran the room in the early 90's....

i played a ton at silver cue in the late 90s. they did change up the ownership and it cleaned up a bit for a while but now it's closed down as far as i know.

bump, please guys.
thanks

Really?! Ugh. Not many good pool halls left. Sucks.

Anyone know of any near Tewksbury, MA?

Maxamillians Billiards in Tyngsboro, MA has great leagues and great people....