May 2011 by Luby Publishing Inc.

W W W. B I L L I A R D S D I G E S T. C O M

INSTRUCTION SPECIAL

Bank Shot Breakdown THE SECRETS TO SUCCESS WHEN GOING OFF A RAIL PLUS:

KING RALF: Souquet Prevails At Players 10-Ball STORY TIME: Part Two of Norman Mailer's The Greatest Thing

MAY 2011

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CONTENTS

Vol. 33, No. 6 M A Y

2 0 1 1

Features 32 THE GREATEST THING II The thrilling conclusion to Mailer’s short story of a hitchhiker who is on the wrong end of a hustle.

MAILER: B. CALL; SOUQUET: J. RATKE

by Norman Mailer

38 SPRINGING AHEAD Players, including Diamond Open champ Ralf Souquet, flock to Allen Hopkins’ 19th Super Billiards Expo. by Nicholas Leider

43 CHESAPEAKE-ING 38 44

When in need of a win, Mika Immonen’s got no better place to go than Chesapeake, Va., where he won the Masters 10-Ball title. by BD Staff

44 BANKING LESSONS Head back to school with this lesson plan for learning the intricacies of banking. by BD Staff

Columns

On the Cover

12 FROM THE PUBLISHER Value Added Mike Panozzo

64 TIPS & SHAFTS An Offhand Suggestion George Fels

BILLIARDS DIGEST

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Players may not list the bank as pool’s most important shot — until they’re faced with one. Check out this month’s instructional feature focused on sending a ball off the rail. Illustration by Jenny Bradley

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CONTENTS

Vol. 33, No. 6 M A Y

2 0 1 1

Departments

The Premier Billiards Magazine since 1978

FOUNDER

PUBLISHER

MORT LUBY JR.

MIKE PANOZ ZO

MANAGING EDITOR

NICHOL AS LEIDER

6 YESTERYEAR Legend Steve Davis captures his first world snooker title.

8 MAILBAG

ART DIRECTOR

JENNY BR ADLE Y PRODUCTION MANAGER

L AUR A VINCI

One reader examines a timely problem in February’s Chronicles. CONSULTING EDITOR

GEORGE F ELS

10 BD NEWS The top finishers at Barry Behrman’s Masters wait for paydays.

12 AD INDEX Your guide to BD’s advertisers.

14 WINGSHOTS

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

ROBERT BYRNE MIK E SHAMOS SENIOR WRITER

MIK E GEF F NER CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Want more BD in your life? Check out the new BD Vault website. Also, pool pros and fans raise funds for the George San Souci family.

17 STROKE OF GENIUS Daniel Sanchez makes one heck of a debut on American soil.

48 CHRONICLES by Mike Shamos A look back at the “The Hustler” 50 years after it hit the big screen.

DAVID ALCIATORE R. A . DYER JAY HELF ERT BOB JE WE T T SK IP MALONE Y TED LERNER L ARRY SCHWART Z ANDY SEG AL NICK VARNER MARK WILSON N AT ION A L A DV E R T ISING RE P.

CARL A BONNER

54 TOURNAMENTS Ga Young Kim keeps collecting the big-time hardware in Taiwan. Also, Andy Segal plays masterfully at the WPA Artistic Worlds.

58 TOUR SPOTTING Floridian Hunter Lombardo hopes to hit his stride in 2011. Plus, Yu Ram Cha aces the WPBA Regional Championship.

PRESIDENT KEITH HAMILTON BUSINESS MANAGER

ACCOUNTING ASSOCIATE

NANCY DUDZINSK I

QUIAN A MAYS

61 FELT FORUM New products to freshen up your game.

62 MARKETPLACE Check out some great offers. LUBY PUBLISHING INC.

Practice Table Instruction 20 Quick Hits: House Pro Robles keeps your focused. 22 24 26 28 30

Plus, Straight Talk and Darren Appleton is On the Spot. Nick Varner • Strategies David Alciatore • Illustrated Principles Larry Schwartz • Solids & Stripes Bob Jewett • Tech Talk Andy Segal • Trick Shots BILLIARDS DIGEST

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122 South Michigan Avenue, Suite 1506 Chicago, IL 60603 (312) 341-1110 FA X : (312) 341-1469 w w w.billiardsdigest.com email @ billiardsdigest.com BILLIARDS DIGEST (ISSN 0164-761X) is published monthly by Luby Publishing, Inc., 122 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 1506, Chicago, IL 60603 USA. Telephone 312-341-1110, Fax 312-341-1469. Periodicals postage paid at Chicago, IL and additional offices. SUBSCRIPTION RATES in the U.S. and possessions, one year (12 issues) for $48; two years, $80; three years, $115. CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Send new as well as old address. If possible, furnish label from recent issue. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to Billiards Digest, 122 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 1506, Chicago, IL 60603.

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YESTERYEAR

Davis Tops at Crucible + 10 YEARS AGO +

+ 20 YEARS AGO +

Billiards author (and BD contributing editor) Robert Byrne joined three-cushion’s long-dominant Raymond Ceulemans in being elected to the BCA Hall of Fame. Byrne, who has penned some of the best instructional content the game’s ever seen, was chosen by way of the BCA’s Meritorious Service category. Ceulemans, meanwhile, amassed more than 100 titles in three-cushion billiards and was elected to the Hall’s Greatest Players wing. Jeanette Lee, sidelined for all of the 2000 season, claimed her first title of the new millennium by topping Karen Corr in the final of the women’s division of the BCA Pro 9-Ball Open.

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BILLIARDS DIGEST

According to the 1991 Consumer Product Safety Commission, pool and billiards accounted for a rather astounding 4,135 injuries that required emergency room visits in the prior year. And you thought the only injury you could get from playing pool was a bruised ego! If you thought longtime BD contributor and breathing billiards encyclopedia Mike Shamos had eyes only for pool, you’re wrong. He received the 1991 Black & White Scotch Achiever’s Award. Why? Dr. Shamos amassed a collection of more than 10,000 bagpipe tunes that serves as a resource and reference for bagpipers worldwide.

DAVIS WON THE FIRST OF HIS SIX WORLD SNOOKER CROWNS IN 1981.

+ 30 YEARS AGO + A year after losing to Alex “Hurricane” Higgins in the final of the World Snooker Championship, Steve Davis dominated the 1981 event for the first of his six world titles. Then just 23 years old, Davis entered the event as the betting favorite, despite being seeded just 15th overall. After eking past Jimmy White in the first round, he then ousted Terry Griffiths, Higgins and defending champ Cliff Thorburn en route to the final. There, he defeated Doug Mountjoy, 18-12, in front of a riveted audience at the famed Crucible Theater in Sheffield, England. Already well-known in the snooker circles, Davis rocketed to superstardom by taking the £20,000 title in front of the BBC’s viewing audience of 10 million.

May 2011

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MAILBAG

Timing Is Everything To the editor of Billiards Digest: There was an intriguing, but impossibleto-believe, statistic in February’s Chronicles about a marathon three-cushion match that took place in 1911 between Tom Hueston and Sam Lazarus. In a single-session, lasting 12 hours and 25 minutes, Lazarus outlasted his opponent by a score of 500 to 495 in 837 innings. The problem arises because, if you believe the reports, the two competitors combined for 2,667 shots attempted, which would mean that the players had to average 215 shots per hour. As someone who has helped run a weekly billiard tournament for more than 10 years, I know that the average player takes about 100-105 shots per hour, that 70 shots is a very slow tempo, and that 135 is very fast. Today’s shots average about 11-12 seconds on super-fast tables. This means that at 70 shots per hour, a player spends about 40 seconds per shot approaching the table, thinking about the shot and lining it up. At 135 per hour, the amount of time spent on those activities averages just 15 seconds. Of course, this theoretical maximum could not have been achieved in a legitimate contest where the competitors were actually trying to win and were doing some thinking, some stroking and some chalking up, not to mention 1,672 “swaps” of who had the right to be standing at the table. A pace of 215 shots per hour (for the two players) allows only seven seconds between shots, and any reader who tries to do that (in three-cushion) for any length of time will see that it is impossible. David Levine New York, New York Mike Shamos replies: I agree with David, who is a real authority on threecushion. The original data came from two very detailed articles from The New York Times on April 24 and 25, 1911. On closer examination, something has to be wrong with the reported statistics. It was

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claimed that the score after 87 minutes was 100-99 in 161 innings. That’s an impossible pace of 352 shots per hour. Even if the players could manage 108 shots per hour each (which they would have to do to total 2,667), there’s no way they could keep it up for 12 hours with no bathroom breaks. Urban legend, I say, and thanks to David for keeping us honest.

FEEDBACK FROM VALLEY FORGE Dear Sir: I have been going to the Super Billiards Expo since it started. As usual, Allen Hopkins did a remarkable job. As busy as he gets, he always has time to talk to guests and answer questions. This year, I took a friend to the Expo and

With all the new gear and custom cues, the Super Billiards Expo was truly our Christmas. he had a great time. With all the new gear and an unending line of custom cues, this was truly our Christmas. Everything about the show was top of the line — until we met Earl Strickland. Outside of the pro arena, Earl was carrying on about how he was the greatest living legend in pool. I’ve heard this before, so I really didn’t give it much thought until his next statement. Surrounded by a small crowd, Earl started getting louder about other pool players. “I hate them all,” he said. “I can’t stand them anymore.” As my friend looked at me and asked if all pros were this temperamental, before I could answer, Earl shouted, “If I had a machine gun, I would go in there and shoot them all.” At that time, the small crowd started to scatter. Earl then entered the pro arena. We followed him in and sat right next to his table. Earl made a few more

comments to the tournament director. At this point, Earl was thrown out of the tournament. I have attended hundreds of tournaments around the world, and this is the first time I have ever seen this kind of conduct from a professional. I applaud the tournament director for his actions. It is a shame that a player as good as Earl cannot conduct himself as a gentleman. Still, the Expo was just as super as ever — and my hat goes off the Allen Hopkins. I can’t wait until next year, but I hope Machine Gun Earl stays home! George Widzbell Scranton, Pa. Dear Sir: Ah, the Super Billiards Expo! Maybe I’m a bit cynical after 40 years as a die-hard supporter of the sport, but I always expect the other shoe to drop with Allen Hopkins’ annual festival. But year after year, the show only gets bigger and bigger — and, in my opinion, better and better. How he has managed to weather the economic storm that has spelled disaster for a lot of other people involved in the industry proves that Hopkins has a great understanding of what people want out of the Super Billiards Expo. My only worry about the show is the increasingly popular all-night party that takes over the bottom floor of the convention center every night. Now I’m not saying the place should close at 10 p.m., but a portion (probably a very small minority) of the late-night crowd seems to be there for the wrong reasons. I’m all for good, clean action. But I’m not a fan of the somewhat hostile vibe I’ve felt in the last few years. H. Hollinger via BilliardsDigest.com Dear Sir: Another fun weekend in Valley Forge. With so many amateur and pro players attending the events, I think it’s impossible to see everything worth seeing. Jennifer C. via BilliardsDigest.com

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Breaking

News

MASTERS PAYOUT FALLOUT

Behrman promises payments to top finishers; Mosconi Cup points list tweaked.

Chesapeake, Va.

THE FIRST time promoter Barry Behrman organized a spring companion to his long-successful U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship, things didn’t work out exactly as planned. Held in April 2001, the Masters 9-Ball Championship failed to attract the expected interest from both players and spectators. Behrman lost nearly $50,000, while the top dozen left the event owed upwards of $40,000. Unfortunately for the top eight finishers at Behrman’s 2011 Masters 10-Ball Tournament — held March 1-5 at the U.S. Open’s home in Chesapeake (Va.) Conference Center — this year’s event ran according to a nearly identical script. The $25,000-added tournament attracted just 57 players, while the gate fell well short of expectations. As a result, Behrman issued post-dated checks to the top octet, who was in line to earn $41,000. “I’m very sorry it had to be this way for the eight players involved, but I’m doing the best I can,” Behrman said. “And for over 38 years have tried to do just that, my very best for the players.” Behrman cited a number of reasons for the Masters underwhelming attendance, both in the number of participants and spectators: the World 8-Ball Championship and U.S. Bar Table Championships, held the week prior, kept some players away; the scheduling of concurrent American Poolplayers Association event prevented amateurs from attending; and fans were reluctant or unable to make a second trip to the Chesapeake area (after the U.S. Open) for a long weekend sweating matches. Considering the problems of a decade ago, how would the players react to leaving Chesapeake empty-handed? Pretty amicably, actually. Johnny Archer — president of the newly organized players group, the Association for Billiard Professionals — stated that he “commiserates” with Behrman, while having “no reason to believe that [the post-dated checks] will not be good.” Ralf Souquet, who received a portion of his $7,000 for a second-place finish at the Masters in cash, was issued a check for the balance, which he intended to deposit after returning to the U.S. on April 19. “The turnout wasn’t as good as expected and that’s a problem that Barry might [have] miscalculated,” Souquet said. “You should never count on money from the gate in order to pay prize money. The prize money should be

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guaranteed, no matter how many players and spectators show up.” Still, Souquet expressed no intention of skipping this year’s U.S. Open — as long as Behrman makes good on the owed money. “Barry has always paid his dues, so I don’t see any reason for not attending the U.S. Open in October,” Souquet said. “Of course, the situation is never ideal if the players don’t get paid in time. … [But] I try to see the situation from the promoter’s side as well.” Behrman stated he fully intends to hold a Masters event in 2012.

MATCHROOM ADJUSTS U.S. RANKINGS Essex, United Kingdom

MATCHROOM SPORT, the promotions firm behind the Mosconi Cup, has announced a major change its newly installed rankings system, which will be used to select three players from both the American and European sides. The American points list, formerly scheduled to be a combination of eight domestic events and four international tournaments, has been trimmed to 10 events. The four international events (the Beijing Open, World Pool Masters in Manila, World 9-Ball Championship in Qatar and China Open) have been replaced by two double-elimination stops on the Florida-based Seminole Pro Tour. Considering the significant financial burden assumed by many American pros to travel and compete in Asia, the change will be welcomed by many Mosconi Cup hopefuls who are not fixtures in international events. “Initially we felt that ‘international’ events were important in the grand scheme of things,” said Matchroom’s Luke Riches. “However, after discussions, it became apparent that, for a variety of valid reasons, the willingness of American players to travel to the Middle East and Asia was very limited.” Additionally, the points list will omit each player’s poorest performance, so rankings will actually be an accumulation of nine of ten tournaments. Considering September’s Turning Stone Classic, a points event, clashed with Matchroom’s World Cup of Pool, this tweak will allow the two Americans selected for the World Cup event to compete without being disadvantaged in the Mosconi Cup rankings.

May 2011

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Mike Panozzo

O A lifelong print journalist, there is much to dislike about the digital age’s impact on the dissemination of news. Its insistence on immediacy, with only passing interest in accuracy, grammar and style, makes me gnash my teeth. Its general disinterest in graphic design is also annoying. (Does that paragraph make me sound old?) Still, I embrace all that is good about electronic media, and one of the best things about cyberspace is its vastness and, in turn, its value as an enormous file cabinet. It has become the world’s local library (Wikipedia aside!), and that is where I find it most attractive to those of us who still believe that magazines will never disappear. Welcome to the BD Vault. The BD Vault is the online complement to Billiards Digest, not as a news site (that is the domain of BilliardsDigest.com), but as an archival site that will allow subscribers access to information that previously would have required the painstaking process of physically looking through “old issues.” Instructional articles are far and away the most read and re-read pages in Billiards Digest, and scouring back issues for tips would normally take subscribers hours upon hours … and that’s assuming the subscriber has all of his or her back issues at hand. That will no longer be the case. In the BD Vault, into which only current subscribers have access, a billiard enthusiast looking to improve his 9-ball game need only click on the “9-Ball” button in the “Instruction” section of the site and up will pop dozens of instructional articles by a host of BD contributors. Over time, as more past issues are poured into the Vault, the number of options

will be in the hundreds! Additionally, all of the article listings have taglines that capsulate the topic. Not interested in 9-ball? How about “Strategy,” or “8-Ball,” or “The Mental Game?” All articles are filed under the appropriate heading. What’s more, you’re not limited to searching by subject. You can also search by author. Love Bob Jewett? Scroll through all of his articles. Same for Nick Varner, Larry Schwartz and more. But while instruction is the heart of the BD Vault, there is much more. Having been around for more than 75 years (33 years as Billiards Digest, and 42 years as National Bowlers Journal and Billiard Revue), the photo library at Billiards Digest is as exhaustive as there is in the industry. Every month new photos will be added to the site, from Ralph Greenleaf to “Cowboy” Weston, and Efren Reyes to Allison Fisher. And what’s a “members only” site without unique video? The Vault will feature video content not available anywhere else, including exclusive interviews with the greatest players to ever play the game! All this as added value solely for the loyal subscribers to Billiards Digest! It’s been a mammoth undertaking, and will be a work in progress for some time. But it’s an exciting project and one that gives scope and perspective to Billiards Digest’s long and rich history that awes even a grizzled old editor of 30-plus years behind the desk! So, dear subscribers, log on to billiardsdigestvault.com and follow the sign-in instructions. Enjoy, and remember, the site will constantly be added to, so the benefits to being a BD subscriber, whether you’ve been one for one month or 30 years, will continually grow!

May 2011

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+ QUOTABLE+

“You have to earn your luck by working hard and making the right decisions.” RALF SOUQUET, WHO WON THIS YEAR’S PLAYERS 10-BALL CHAMPIONSHIP (PG. 40).

Dear

OPENING THE VAULT

JeDaenaetrte

Billiards Digest unveils exclusive website for subscribers only. THE BLACK WIDOW ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT POOL LIFE, LOVE AND ETIQUETTE.

EMEMBER THAT great instructional article Nick Varner wrote about pattern play? Remember Bob Jewett’s great explanation of “throw?” How about that great photo of Earl Strickland from the 1991 World Championships? Or Minnesota Fats’ acceptance speech at the 1984 BCA Hall of Fame Banquet? Wouldn’t it great to have access to those articles, photos and videos right at your fingertips? As a Billiards Digest subscriber, you can — and w DO — with the new BD Vault. The BD Vault, a value-added benefit exclusively for BD subscribers, is an incredible online resource that pulls from the vast archives of the industry’s oldest and a most respected magazine, Billiards Digest. In the BD Vault, subscribers have access to all of the instructional material published in the magazine over the past four years. And previous years will be added every month until the Vault is updated with every instructional article ever published in BD. Every single one! Even better, subscribers can search for articles both by author and by subject. Want every instructional that focuses on 8-ball? Just click the 8-Ball icon. Fascinated with trick shots? Subscribers can search through the archives of Willie Jopling or Andy Segal, or they can simply search “Trick Shots” and get the best of both contributors.

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The Vault also houses the best of BD’s seemingly bottomless photo files. With images dating back to the 1930s (Billiards Digest was the offspring of National Bowlers Journal and Billiard Revue, first published in 1913), the photo section of the BD Vault will be updated on a monthly basis with a collection of images chronicling the game’s rich history and most colorful characters. And what would an online complement to the magazine be without video? Not just aany video, mind you, original video, including exclusive interviews with many of the legends of the game. New content will be added on a monthly basis. Because the BD Vault website is exclusiv sive to the magazine’s loyal readers, only current subscribers will be allowed access. Log on today at billiardsdigestvault. com, where sign-in instructions guide subscribers through the site.

PROS RALLY ROUND ‘GINKY’ AT EXPO The Super Billiards Expo, held just outside of Philadelphia, has always had a strong New York flavor, with much of the Big Apple’s pool community making the trek down the New Jersey Turnpike. This year’s celebrations, though, took a tragic turn when news spread that George San Souci had died on March 8, just two days before the show opened. Since he stumbled into Chelsea 16

(Q)

I almost always play on bar tables, but I want to see how I do on 9-foot tables. Do you have any hints or suggestions that the transition? Hank S.; Wadsworth, Ill.

(A)

When you go from a bar table to a full-sized table, it’s important to know that the task of choosing your target as the table gets larger. The difference is the environment. It will take time to make the adjustment, but you aren’t changing anything fundamental about the game. So how do you get through it? Just keep practicing, and little by little you get more comfortable with the way the table looks. Imagine that I ask you to walk across a six-inch plank that’s running across the floor. You’d say that’s no problem. But if that plank was raised higher and higher off the ground, the same simple task seems much harder. Once you grow comfortable with the situation, though, you should be able make it across the plank, regardless of its height. The same is true with the bigger table. Get acquainted with the 9-footer and you’ll be fine. And remember to trust your stroke. No matter what table you’re playing on, you have to trust your stroke!

SEE THE BLACK WIDOW AT JEANETTELEE.COM

May 2011

4/13/11 10:25:13 AM

numbers

BD IN BRIEF JOSEY ACA CUEMAKER OF THE YEAR At the Super Billiards Expo, for two decades one of the largest gatherings of custom cuemakers in country, Keith Josey was honored as the American Cuemakers Association’s Cuemaker of the Year for 2011. Learning the fundamentals of woodworking from his father, Skip, Keith began working with cues in the 1980s. By 1992, Josey responded to increased demands by launching Josey Custom Cues with his wife, Sherri. Currently based in Savannah, Ga., Josey is best known for building aestetically pleasing cues that blend beauty and playability.

APA SENDS SUPPORT TO JAPAN In the wake of the unprecedented natural disasters in Japan, and the ensuing nuclear crisis, the American Poolplayers Association made a $5,000 donation

# G A M E #

50 to the Red Cross. The APA had a presence in Japan since 2007, as the Japanese Poolplayers Association, which has nearly 1,300 participants. In addition, the JPA plans to match the APA’s donation with its own contribution to the Red Cross of Japan. “The members of JPA and I are very appreciative of the support by the APA and its members for the people of Japan,” said JPA President Noriyuki Nanjo.

LEENDERS TO REMAIN EPBF PREZ During the general assembly of the European Pocket Billiard Federation, Gre Leenders was reelected president, meaning he will serve six more years atop to continental federation. In addition, Montenegro, North Cyprus and Turkey were accepted as full-time members, bringing the total number of EPBF countries to 38.

Years since Twentieth Century-Fox released “The Hustler,” which was briefly retitled “Sin of Angels” during production (pg. 48).

$20,000

Take-home for Players 10Ball winner Ralf Souquet, who outlasted Robb Saez in the final (pg. 28).

9,000

Total attendance at this year’s Super Billiards Expo, according to show organizers (pg. 38).

YOU MAKE THE CALL: STARTING OVER With Mike Shamos

QUESTION: You’re the referee in a tournament game of 9-ball under World Standardized Rules. Player A is about to break, but he miscues and the ball rolls slowly down the table. Before it crosses the headstring, he grabs it, puts it back in position and then executes a legal break, sinking the 6. His opponent, Player B says, “Foul. I get ball in hand. And I think it’s unsportsmanlike for him to pick up a ball in play.” Player A is ready: “The game doesn’t start until the cue ball crosses the headstring on the break. Until then it’s in hand and I didn’t do anything wrong.” What should you do? ANSWER: Tell Player A to get a newer version of the rules. The old World Standardized Rule 5.14 stated, “A game starts as the cue ball crosses over the headstring on the opening break.” This rule was crazy since it allowed all kind of mischief, like hitting the cue ball twice. The World Pool-Billiard Association came to its senses and by 2005 the rule had been changed to read, “On the opening break, the game is considered to have commenced once the cue ball has been struck by the cue tip.” That’s an improvement (although “once” should be replaced by “the first time”), but it must have been too logical for the WPA. In the 2008 revision it was eliminated altogether. The current rules define when a shot begins, but not when a game begins. However, there’s a special regulation 18 that covers our situation precisely. It’s unsportsmanlike conduct if “the player miscues on a break shot and tries to prevent the cue ball from following its normal path by deflecting it with his cue stick or by some other means.” May 2011

May11 Wingshots.indd 15

BILLIARDS DIGEST

4/12/11 2:35:47 PM

PROS AID ‘GINKY’

CUE CRITIQUE: BOB MANZINO This tasteful cue is a modern interpretation of a classic design.

DENO ANDREWS: Manzino offers so many fantastic attributes in this cue: beautiful silver-framed windows, silver-framed points, and an ivory faux-ring in the forearm that tricks the eye nicely. As expected from Manzino, the inlay work is clean and elegant. Everything is properly scaled and proportioned, although my opinion is that the abalone gets lost in the stark black-and-white theme of the cue. Simply put, the cue is absolutely beautiful, and falls just short of monster status. DICK ABBOTT: This is a beautiful cue that flows. Nothing is overdone, each component compliments the other. The abalone inlays are perfectly executed, and the silver veneers outlining the points and windows are a very nice enhancement. I especially like the rings in the middle of the forearm — a nice touch without being gaudy. The cue is tasteful, but is just short of a monster.

POOL ON TV

All times EST; check local listings

JIM STADUM: Manzino’s silver work is some of the best in the business, and this cue is no exception. I like how he trimmed around the ivory inlays in between the points with silver. The overall design is simple yet elegant. Ebony, ivory, abalone and silver go together very nicely and make this cue look expensive. A beautiful cue but not quite a monster. CONCLUSION: The CueZilla.com panel agrees that this example of Manzino’s work is elegant, but not quite a monster. CueZilla.com offers expert critique of custom cues from the perspectives of the cuemaker, historian, collector and dealer. The goal is to determine whether or not a cue is a “monster.” Visit CueZilla.com to read reviews and join the discussion.

M AY FOR COMPLETE LISTINGS, SEE THE TV SCHEDULE AT WWW.BILLIARDSDIGEST.COM

AT PRESS TIME, ESPN HAD NO BILLIARD-RELATED PROGRAMMING FOR MAY (Any updates, if made, can be found at www.BilliardsDigest.com)

BILLIARDS DIGEST

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Billiards as an 18-year-old, “Ginky” San Souci, 39, quickly developed into one of the nation’s most promising talents. Though physical problems curbed what was a promising career, San Souci remained a highly respected figure among New York’s pool scene. Inside the Valley Forge Convention Center, San Souci’s friends and fellow professionals began efforts to raise money to assist the San Souci family. All weekend long, a healthy rotation of top professionals welcomed challenge matches at the Predator booth; upwards of $2,500 was collected in JOE RATKE

Bob Manzino created this version of a window cue, but with an updated look. Using ebony, abalone, silver veneers and decor rings, Manzino elegantly combines colors and design elements. All the white on the cue is ivory, and the wrap is black lizard. Built in 2005, this cue features a solid ivory half-joint, a black G2 pin and matching ivory, ebony and silver joint protectors.

- continued from pg. 14 -

Souquet (front), Williams and Robles (right) took challenge matches.

donations by players and spectators in the pro arena; and donations through AZBilliards.com’s online forums totaled more than $1,000. In total, the San Souci family received more than $10,000. “It’s been outstanding,” said his sister, Irene San Souci McDonagh. “Everyone has been just phenomenal. We wouldn’t have been able to do the things we did without the help. [The money raised] was enough to take care of the gravesite, the headstone and the funeral.” Closer to home, Amsterdam Billiards, the Tri-State Tour and billiards benefactor Joel Schapiro also donated to San Souci’s memorial. “It was a blessing,” McDonagh said. “I was so panic-stricken when it happened, thinking, ‘How are we going to do this?’ “But to see the support he had, it really was a ray of sunshine for his entire family.”

May 2011

4/12/11 2:35:52 PM

STROKE OF GENIUS Recounting the greatest shots in pool history V ide o pr ov ide d by Ac cu - St at s

PLAYER: Daniel Sanchez EVENT: Sang Lee Open DATE: May 14, 1992

OR THOSE unfamiliar with the dis-

cipline of three-cushion, it doesn’t take very long to see why the noble game offers an endless supply of material for this column space. In this month’s Stroke of Genius, we look back at the 1992 Sang Lee Open, held at the 12-time U.S. champ’s own room. Daniel Sánchez, then the reigning junior world champion, was making his American debut in the Big Apple. In his first match, the 18-year-old upset reigning world champ Torbjorn Blomdahl, only to then face Lee in front of a hometown crowd. Sánchez fell behind early, but caught fire in the 50-point game. Putting together strong runs of five and six to claim the lead, the youngster then uncorked this little six-rail dandy. As commentator Robert Byrne said, a player would be foolish to even attempt

this shot on anything but the most perfect of conditions, with the cleanest balls and ultra-fast cloth. Needing to send the cue ball on a circuitous journey off six rails, Sánchez loaded up on high English and drilled the left side of the yellow. With the cue ball slightly hopping from the powerful stroke delivered by Sánchez, the yellow crisscrossed the table. The cue ball easily avoided the kiss while navigating the bottom half of the table, and then made a straight line for the top left corner and the red. It clipped the outer edge of the red, before coming to rest just a few inches from the corner. Sánchez went on to win the match to the surprise of Lee’s hometown crowd unaccustomed to seeing the proprietor on the wrong side of a 50-point score line. The stunning debut on American soil was no abberation; six years later, Sánchez was the world champion, and he remains one of the world’s finest three-cushion players.

Sanchez goes five rails to score at BILLIARDSDIGEST.COM

. Diagram 1

May 2011

May11 Stroke.indd 17

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CUE & EH?

MIKE PAGE

CALENDAR ACS ACS Nationals

IT HAS BEEN A YEAR AND A HALF SINCE PAGE’S FARGO (N.D.) BILLIARDS TOPPED BD’S 2009 BEST NEW ROOMS CONTEST. WE CHECKED IN WITH HIM TO SEE HOW THINGS ARE GOING...

May 7-14 Tropicana Las Vegas Las Vegas, Nev. www.americancuesports.org

BAY AREA AMATEUR TOUR

What’s been a key to Fargo Billiards establishing itself? We’ve rejected the conventional wisdom that a room must be either a players’ room or one that appeals to the general public. Through tournaments, leagues and instruction, much of our attention remains on creating and maintaining a stellar environment. What is the biggest challenge in establishing your business? Nurturing 60 employees, many of whom are students or have other jobs, takes a lot of energy. But our employees are amazing ... and their enthusiasm is infectious. Ten years down the road, what changes will room owners face? What pool has going for it is that it’s a remarkable rich, yet simple, face-to-face social activity that can be enjoyed any time of the year and at any age. I predict that while much of our interaction in the future will be remote, there will also be a resurgence of community and local interaction. Pool as a niche subculture may fade, but pool as a community-gathering activity will flourish.

BILLIARDS DIGEST

May11 Calendar.indd 18

May 28-29 Murfreesboro, Tenn. (615) 893-0088

Fast Eddie’s

July 23 Largo, Fla. (727) 330-7822 Aug. 20 Lakeland, Fla. (863) 688-4460

BCA POOL LEAGUE BCAPL National 8-Ball Championships May 11-21 Riviera Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, Nev. www.playbca.com

CUESPORTS INT’L U.S. Open One-Pocket Championship May 13-15 Riviera Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, Nev. (702) 719-7665

U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship May 16-21 Riviera Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, Nev. www.playcsipool.com

June 12 Rockaway, N.J. (973) 625-5777

Maryland State 14.1 Open July 23-24 Big Daddy’s Billiards Glen Burnie, Md. (410) 760-1332

EUROTOUR Dynamic Nine Austria Open July 7-9 Sankt Johann, Austria www.eurotouronline.eu

FLAMINGO BILLIARDS Ultimate Billiards June 26 Fort Pierce, Fla. (772) 464-7665

NWPA Malarkey’s

INDUSTRY EVENTS BCA Billiard & Home Recreation Expo

PREDATOR 9-BALL

July 13-15 Sands Expo Convention Center Las Vegas, Nev. www.bcaexpo.com

INTERNATIONAL EVENTS World 10-Ball Championship May 9-15 The World Trade Center Manila, Philippines www.wpa-pool.com

U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship May 16-21 Riviera Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, Nev. www.playcsipool.com

China Open June 6-12 www.wpa-pool.com June 25-Aug. 4 www.wpa-pool.com

June 25-26 Syracuse, N.Y. (315) 488-4888

Rockaway Billiards

June 11-12 Tacoma, Wash. www.nwpatour.com

Kolby’s Corner Pocket

Kory’s Pool Room

May 7-8 Atlanta, Ga. (770) 454-7665

INDEPENDENT EVENTS

WPA World 9-Ball Champ.

DISHAW CNY TOUR

Mr. Cues II

MEZZ PRO-AM TOUR

DESERT CLASSIC TOUR June 18-19 Tempe, Ariz. (480) 829-7344

MAXIM BILLIARDS TOUR

June 4-5 Goldsboro, N.C. (919) 759-0071

The Corner Pocket

Wally’s

What’s something you know now that you would’ve loved to know before the doors opened? That everybody on the planet drives separately to everything — one patron, one car.

Murfreesboro Billiard Club

JOSS NORTHEAST TOUR Bison Billiards June 4-5 Williamsville, N.Y. (716) 632-0281

Snookers Billiards June 11-12 Providence, R.I. (401) 351-7665

Turning Stone Classic XVII Turning Stone Casino Sept. 8-11 Verona, N.Y. (800) 771-7711

LONE STAR TOUR Bogies Billiards

Raxx Pool Room June 4-5 West Hempstead, N.Y. (516) 538-9896

Amsterdam Billiard Club June 18-19 New York, N.Y. (212) 995-0333

Park Billiards July 23-24 Bronx, N.Y. (718) 829-3051

SEMINOLE PRO TOUR Capone’s Billiards July 8-10 Spring Hill, Fla. www.semprotour.com

Snookers Billiards Aug. 5-7 Providence, R.I. www.semprotour.com

TIGER CLASSIC TOUR Side-Pocket Billiards May 15 Seminole, Fla. (727) 399-0890

TRI-STATE TOUR BQE Billiards May 21 Jackson Heights, N.Y. (718) 779-4348

USBA USBA National Championship May 9-13 Tropicana Hotel Las Vegas, N.Y. www.usba.net

VALLEY NAT’L EIGHT BALL

GSBT

May 7 Houston, Texas www.lonestarbilliardstour.com

Classic Billiards

Crazy 8’s Pool Hall

May 14-15 Conyers, Ga. (770) 679-5278

June 11 Port Arthur, Texas www.lonestarbilliardstour.com

June 1-4 Bally’s Las Vegas, Nev. www.vnea.com

VNEA International Championships

May 2011

4/11/11 9:45:19 AM

JERRY FORSYTH

IN I NSST TRRUUCCT TI O I ONNAAL LSS

Practice Table

INSIDE 20 QUICK HITS + Bite-sized bits to upgrade your game. By BD STAFF

22 STRATEGIES +

GET A HANDLE ON YOUR BRIDGE HAND (PG. 28).

Kiss your way out of trouble. By NICK VARNER

24 ILLUSTRATED PRINCIPLES + Check the video on these tricks. By DAVID ALCIATORE

26 SOLIDS & STRIPES + Get to know more than one system for aiming so you’ll always be ready. By LARRY SCHWARTZ

28 TECH TALK + The length of your bridge matters. Here’s an experiment to prove it. By BOB JEWETT

30 TRICK SHOTS + When the cue ball’s frozen to a rail, try these nifty compression shots. By ANDY SEGAL

May 2011

Practice0511.indd 19

BILLIARDS DIGEST

4/13/11 10:36:35 AM

INSTRUCTIONALS

Bite-sized bits of top-notch instruction

BD HOUSE PRO: TONY ROBLES

OpeningShot Q)

I’ve come across players who, when faced with close hits, will quickly shoot before I can get a ref. Any advice for such situations? Martin T.; Carson City, Nev.

A SHARPENED FOCUS LAWRENCE LUSTIG

with Mark Wilson

Proper etiquette when notifying your opponent you want to call the referee seems like a sensitive subject, but it really shouldn’t be. In most situations, the non-shooter is responsible to call an official to preside over the borderline shot. Your opponent should understand this beforehand, but it’s still imperative that you recognize a shot as borderline and ask your opponent to stop. When a shot is struck without a referee, he has no recourse and generally will award such shots to the shooter. That being said, there will be times when a close shot was not expected and you didn’t get a referee. In these instances, you will be at the mercy of your opponent, who was so occupied with attempting the shot that he/she may not have seen a foul. When this happens, you should declare a foul. If your opponent protests, explain why the shot was a foul in a nonconfrontational, calm, factual way, all while maintaining eye contact. After you have stated your position, you have to be prepared to concede the shot to the shooter. Seldom does one shot determine a match’s outcome, but letting the situation affect your mindset will mean bigger problems.

BILLIARDS DIGEST

May11 QuickHits.indd 20

Robles covers keeping your head in line.

LOT OF players have trouble when

they first find themselves in pressure situations. But with a little work (and some experience), you shouldn’t be at the mercy of your environment. First of all, stop focusing on finding dead stroke, or the zone, or whatever. Stop worrying about your nerves or your teammates or anything else like that. Playing your best pool isn’t about a feeling. It’s about overcoming the challenges that present themselves to you. There’s no question pool requires a large amount of mental energy. But before we talk about getting your mind in the right place, it’s important to recognize that there are things you cannot control on the pool table. You got a bad roll? That shot is over. You missed

a shot you should’ve made (or made a great shot that really pumped you up)? That is over. You must keep your thoughts to the present. Keep focused on what you can do to play the kind of pool you’re capable of. For years, I was so wrapped up in feeling good and being comfortable at the table. As it turned out, this was a distraction more than anything else. It didn’t matter if I was comfortable; what mattered was that I was successfully completing each stroke. Before I learned to focus on the task at hand, whether that’s a specific shot or something you’d like to accomplish in practice, I would let that general sense of “feeling” get in the way of my game. If I didn’t feel all that great, I would press. I would begin to put pressure on myself to get into a groove, to find that perfect stroke. Even if I was feeling great, sometimes I relied on this too much. Instead of focusing on my stroke and thinking positively, I thought I could get by on this feeling alone. I wasn’t anxious or nervous, but I still was misdirecting my mental energy. With all this being said, visualization is a great tool. When you’re in the chair and your opponent is shooting, picture yourself playing a shot perfectly. See the object ball disappear in the pocket, while the cue ball comes to a stop exactly where you aimed. This way, when you get to the table, you’ve already rehearsed what must be done. Now, just focus on delivering a fundamentally sound stroke.

May 2011

4/12/11 2:36:06 PM

Drill Bits-

MASTER MASSÉ + WHY DO IT + Sometimes you need to curve the cue ball just a bit. Here, the 2 ball is barely blocking the cue ball’s path into the 1 ball. + HOW TO DO IT + Start with the balls placed as shown. (You stretch a piece of thread on the cloth to set up the edges.) Hitting down on the right side of the cue ball, you can avoid the 2 and pocket the 1. As you master one shot, move the cue ball and 2 ball farther back, in the direction of the red arrow. [Bob Jewett]

LAWRENCE LUSTIG-MATCHROOM SPORT

Quotes, Pt. V IN OUR last installment of quotes from the top players from ‘80s, Mike Sigel talks about his stroke and execution: “I used to be afraid to hit some shots with a normal stroke because I thought it might jar. So I’d ease up on it and dog-stroke it. My delivery wasn’t fluid. I’ve learned to use the same solid stroke on every shot. My stance and mechanics are always set when I get down over a shot. The last thing I worry about is lining the shot after I’m down. I stay set. If the shot isn’t right I get off it and set up again. Mechanics should always be the same. “Also, if I’m not playing well, I’ve noticed that my head might be a little higher or lower than normal, and I’m not seeing the shot right.”

New Cue? It’s easy to blame your equipment. It’s almost as easy to tinker with it. You can get gloves and powders and cues and wraps. But when it comes to implementing changes with your gear, take it slow. If you come across the greatest cue you’ve ever held in your hands, integrate the new cue into your game gradually. You want to completely understand and accept its differences with your current stick. This process, which may not sound ultra-exciting, will give you a greater understanding of your game. You’ll be able to recognize what the new cue can and cannot do. Plus, when the switch is made, you’ll be totally confident in the new tool.

“

As much as I look like it, I’m not a machine.

”

— Ralf Souquet

STRAIGHT

TALK GURU GEORGE FELS HELPS YOU RUN 100 WANT TO help your kid learn our glorious game the right way? Provide structure. Assign some modest form of practice drills in addition to knocking the balls around. The best one to start with is shooting the cue ball off the head spot, to check the straightness of his stroke and follow-through. Have him shoot straight at the side rail; if he executes correctly, the ball should come back and strike his cue tip. When he can do that five times in a row, have him include an object ball, making it come back and hit the cue ball again.

On the Spot DARREN APPLETON MAKES A MOVE — TO THE U.S. + How did your decision to relocate to the U.S. come about? It’s something that I’ve been thinking about for the last couple of years, ever since I started playing on the [International Pool Tour] back in 2006. Now, after just winning the U.S. Open, I think it’s a good time for me to make the move. + Will your schedule be affected at all by the move? I’ll still be traveling around to all the major events. Being a professional pool player, you do a lot of traveling, so it’s not like I’ll be around [Allentown, Pa.] all the time. ... But I won’t be playing as much in Europe, obviously. + Do you think the move will positively impact your game? I think it will. I’ll have more opportunities to play the best players. I’ll have more chances to get in action. I think I’ll just be even that much more involved in my game.

May 2011

May11 QuickHits.indd 21

BILLIARDS DIGEST

4/12/11 2:36:12 PM

+ S TR ATEG IE S + BY Nick Varner

KISS-SHOT ESCAPE

Clear blockers by sending the object ball on a detour.

AKE A look at Diagram 1. You are stripes, which look fairly simple to run. With the cue ball at position C-1, you have plenty of choices for your next shot. But look at the 8 ball down off the foot rail. It’s blocked from the corner pockets by the 1 and 2 balls. Looking at the table, you have a good shot on four of the five stripes. But whenever you’re playing 8-ball, you have to ask yourself: Where do I get started? What’s my plan for victory? You’ve got a number of choices, but I like starting with the 9 ball into pocket D. By starting with this shot, you can bounce straight off the rail to cue-ball position C-2. Now, you can play the 11 ball into pocket E, bringing the cue ball off the short rail into the middle of the table at C-3. This next shot is the key to the run. You want to play the 10 ball to kiss off the 2 ball and into pocket B. This approach opens up that same pocket for the 8 ball. You want the cue ball to end up near the 10 ball, because you need to be close to straight-in. You don’t want to have to cut the 10 ball at all when you play the kiss shot off the 2. It will be much easier to make if you can fully hit the 10 toward the contact point on the 2 ball. It’s only a matter of a few inches, but you don’t want to end up with the cue ball lined up with the 10 ball and the corner pocket. Cue-ball positions C-4 and C-5 in Diagram 2 are just a little off your intended line, but it’s much easier to miss the kiss shot from these angles. The two positions may just be a couple of inches off on each side of ideal position, but it’s like day and night in terms of difficulty. It is way too risky from cue ball positions C-4 and C-5. Speed control to get proper position for the kiss shot on the 10 ball is important. As you can see in Diagram 1, the cue ball is only a little more than

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Diagram 1

C-2 C-3

C-1

Diagram 2

C-4 C-3 C-5

a diamond away from the 10 ball. If you come up short after pocketing the 11 ball, you will be in trouble. Adding distance to the shot on the 10 greatly increases the degree of difficulty. Another important factor on the kiss shot is speed. You want to contact the 2 ball hard enough to get it out of the way, so the 8 ball can go into pocket B. That being said, you don’t want to hit it hard enough to leave the 2 blocking your shot on the 15 ball after you pocket the 10. Or you could shoot hard enough that the 2 ball goes past the side pockets, so you will be in the clear with the 15. Ideally, because you are hitting straight into the 10 ball, the cue ball shouldn’t move too much after contact.

You should have a good angle to pocket the 15 ball into pocket A. The cue ball will bounce off the side rail and fall in line with the 12 ball. From this spot, you only have to stop the cue ball for perfect position on the 8 ball. 8-Ball is a game where you can put on your thinking cap and get creative. Often, when you first look at a layout, it looks next to impossible to run out for the victory. But many times, one shot will take care of a number of problems. The best solutions are found when you don’t have to take overly risky shots that can be missed. When this happens, usually your opponent has an easy game to win. You will play better pool by eliminating risk. Do this and you’ll end up in the winner’s circle.

May 2011

4/13/11 10:37:46 AM

560114md029.indd 23

4/11/11 11:21:33 AM

+ I L L U S T R AT E D P R I N C I P L E S + BY David Alciatore Ph.D.

TRICKY PROPOSITIONS

One last look at the Video Encyclopedia with three nifty shots.

[Note: Supporting narrated video (NV) demonstrations, high-speed video (HSV) clips, and technical proofs (TP) can be accessed and viewed online at billiards.colostate.edu. The reference numbers used in the article help you locate the resources on the Web site. You might want to view the resources on a CD-ROM or DVD. Details can be found at dr-dave-billiards.com.] HIS IS my 17th and final article in a series based on the “The Video Encyclopedia of Pool Shots (VEPS),” an instructional five-DVD set I recently created with past BD columnist and good friend Tom Ross. This article features proposition and trick shots from the last DVD, “VEPS V – Skill and Specialty Shots.” Diagram 1 shows the setup for a classic proposition shot involving cut-induced throw (CIT). Three object balls are frozen in a bent line, with the 5 ball and 11 ball also frozen to the cushion. With typical conditions, hitting the 4 ball into the 11 ball throws the 5 ball into the cushion, causing it to go wide of the pocket as shown by the “typical” path in the diagram. NV B.91 demonstrates how this fact can be used to your advantage as a proposition or joke to play against a gullible or unknowledgeable bystander, aka your “mark.” Here’s how it’s done: First, being careful to not let the mark notice, use a finger to apply some saliva at the contact point between the 11 ball and 5 ball. Next, demonstrate just how easy the shot is. With the secret spit at the contact point, there will be almost no friction between the balls during the hit, and the 5 ball will head virtually straight down the rail with little or no throw (see the blue path in the diagram). Then, challenge the mark to make the shot. Of course, it won’t be exactly the same shot, but that’s between you and me. When you set up the shot for the

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Diagram 1

Diagram 2

mark, apply a chalk smudge at the contact point. This creates cling (excessive friction) between the balls during the hit, and the 5 ball will be thrown into the cushion much more than normal, rebounding well wide of the pocket (see the red path in Diagram 1). You may want to view NV B.91 to see how Tom is able to prepare and switch the balls without the mark’s (in this case, me) noticing the subterfuge. While we were filming, the proposition didn’t go exactly as we had planned, but Tom

and I managed to improvise and pull it off anyway. The key to pulling off the proposition is to make sure the contact point is wet for the “set-up” shot. It can also help to use more speed because there is less CIT at faster speed, but be aware that more speed can cause the ball to rattle out of the pocket. Diagram 2 illustrates the classic “butterfly shot.” The goal here is to pocket six balls in six pockets. To set up the shot, first place a spare ball at the ghost-ball position shown by the

May 2011

4/11/11 9:54:37 AM

dotted cue ball in the diagram. It should be along the center line of the table, one diamond above the side pockets. Freeze the 1 and 4 balls to this ball along lines directly to the side pockets. Firmly set these balls in place by tapping them down with another ball. Now, freeze the other four balls so the lines of centers point to the short-rail sides of the target pockets. The exact angles required depend on the conditions of the balls (that is, the amount they throw). The 3 and 6 balls will need to be aimed farther from the pockets because they are thrown over a longer distance. When the cue ball (CB) is sent into the cluster, the 1 and 4 balls throw the other balls into the corners, and then travel down the tangent lines of

ball’s tangent line, and the transferred spin will change the rebound angle off the end rail for a straight-back bank into the corner pocket. The CB’s cut angle and bottom spin will help it clear the banking 3 ball. The bottom spin on the CB also will transfer a small amount of topspin to the 2 ball to help push it forward of the tangent line. In addition, because the 2 ball was frozen to the 1 ball and hit at an angle, it will naturally head slightly forward of the tangent line. Finally, the hit on the 2 ball will send the 1 ball into the side pocket. The ball most likely to give you trouble is the 3. The amount of transferred spin depends on ball conditions and shot speed. If the 3 ball goes long of the

Diagram 3

the 2 and 5 and into the side pockets. If the balls are set up correctly, this shot is actually difficult to miss, even if you don’t precisely split the 1 and 4 balls. Diagram 3 illustrates the classic “line of four balls” trick shot. This shot is also fairly easy to execute if set up properly. First, all four balls must be frozen, and the line through their centers should be slightly up-table of the side pocket to compensate for throw on the 4 ball. The CB should be aligned between the 3 and 4 balls, one diamond up-table, although the exact placement isn’t critical. Using draw on the cue ball, aim to hit the 3 ball just before the 2. The 3 ball will then throw the 4 ball into the center of the opposite side pocket. The 3 ball will pick up clockwise spin from the CB cut angle, and this spin will be reinforced by the cut on the 4. The 3 ball will go down-table along the 4

May11 Alciatore.indd 25

corner (in other words, hits the long rail first), use more speed to reduce the amount of spin transfer. If it comes up short (hits the short rail first), use less speed to create more spin transfer. More sidespin, though, will wear off on the way to the end rail at slower speed. You also need enough speed to have the 4 ball reach the opposite side pocket. You can also vary the CB position and the amount of draw to alter the action of the shot if necessary. I hope you have enjoyed and benefi fited from my series of articles featuring ing shots and gems from the “Video Encycyclopedia of Pool Shots.” David Alciatore is author of the book, ok, DVD and CD-ROM, “The Illustrated ted Principles of Pool and Billiards;” the DVD VD Series, “The Video Encyclopedia of Pool ool Shots;” and the DVD, “High-speed Video deo Magic.”

DO YOU MEASURE

UP? To find out, please take part in our annual retail survey. Each year, Billiard Retailer surveys the industry to uncover the numbers and trends you need to run a more profitable retail operation. But our findings are only as good as the companies that participate. By completing the confidential online survey, you’ll be contributing to key industry research. Plus, you’ll be better prepared to interpret the findings and make smarter decisions for your business. To participate, please visit www.billiardretailer.com and click on Retail Survey, where you’ll also find survey results from previous years.

4/11/11 9:54:44 AM

+ SOLIDS

STRIPES

+ BY Larry Schwartz

PLAY THE AIM GAME

Question exactly where you focus before and during a shot.

HEN A person first learns to play billiards, one of the first skills he or she acquires is how to aim. However, from the most novice player to the most advanced, the question comes up time and time again: What precisely do you aim at when lining up a shot? I was once on the road with a very talented pool player, and he asked me that very question so many times that it stuck in my head like an annoying song. For a long time afterward, I was never able to make a ball without asking myself, “What am I aiming at?” Many years later now, because there are so many acceptable answers to this question, I have learned and mastered many aiming techniques. It got to a point that when using these techniques, I found it harder to miss a shot than to make it. Because this isn’t an adequate forum Diagram 1 to discuss every aiming technique out there, I want to focus on just a couple methods. It’s also important to note that there is one consistent factor in all aiming methods: Visualizing the object ball going into the desired pocket, and the cue ball coming to rest exactly where you intend it to. The first aiming technique I want to describe utilizes the tip of your cue as your guide. This method can be very effective, especially when your cue contacts the cue ball at its center. When you use English on the cue ball, you have to take deflection into account, requiring you to adjust your aim. To explore this method of aiming further, I am going to start with a simple straight-in shot, as shown in Shot A

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in Diagram 1. Set up this scenario or a similar straight-in shot that you feel you should make eight out of 10 times. When you are ready to take the shot, look at the center of the object ball, and then line up to contact the cue ball directly in its center. Try to aim your cue so the tip of it would go right through the center of the cue ball and strike the exact center of the object ball. This will not only help your accuracy on straightin shots, but it’ll also help your followthrough. Remember, you are aiming at the same spot on both the cue ball and the object ball. If your stroke and

o Sh

altering your line of vision to aim at a shot. In Diagram 2, I have shown a shot that requires a very thin hit. This second technique is quite effective for this type of shot, especially when the cue ball and the object ball aren’t far from each other. Once you have put your head down and lined up this shot, move your head to the right in order to see how the edges of the cue ball and object ball will meet. This will give you a great view of your line of aim. All in all, this slight movement of your head will let you become very accurate with your aim on thin cut shots.

A Diagram 2

follow-through manage to hit both of these points of aim, it’s virtually impossible to miss. Shot B in Diagram 1 has an angle of approximately 45 degrees. On this shot, you can use the same technique, using the cue tip as your guideline. However, this time, although you will still aim at the direct center of the cue ball, aim the cue tip at the inside edge of the object ball, in this case the 2 ball. For other angles, you will want to experiment aiming the tip of the cue at other spots on the object balls. This way, when you recognize the angle, you’ll know exactly where you should aim the tip. A second aiming technique involves

Both of these aiming techniques can be used as primary aiming methods, or you can use them as a backup to some other method. Personally, I find that as much as I have played over the years, I mostly play by feel and muscle memory. However, when things aren’t feeling quite right or when I sense any doubt, I know that I always have a sure-fire backup system. For you readers, whether you are beginners or old pros, I suggest that you practice and experiment with different aiming techniques, including the ones I have outlined here. This way, you will have your own system to rely on in times of need. Good luck.

May 2011

4/13/11 10:38:13 AM

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4/11/11 11:39:50 AM

+ TECH TALK + BY Bob Jewett

FORCED ACCURACY

Perfecting the placement of your bridge can pay big dividends.

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Diagram 1

Bridge Board

Shot B

N MY last column, I tried to persuade you that placing your bridge hand exactly where it needs to be for a shot can greatly increase tolerance for an inaccurate stroke. This is important because bridge placement is a “static” part of the shot that can be done with as much care and attention as the shooter is willing to put in, while the stroke is an “active” part that requires precision from the moving parts of your body. If you tend more toward the klutz end of the spectrum rather than the brilliantathlete end, this concept could give your game a major boost. As mentioned last time, the main reason you can reduce the importance of an accurate stroke motion is that two factors come into play when you don’t hit straight through where you intend: 1) the stick has “swooped” off to one side at an angle (assuming that you have kept your bridge steady), and 2) the cue ball will “squirt” to the other side at another angle. If these two opposing factors can be made to cancel, it doesn’t matter that your stroke isn’t laser-straight, and the ball will go toward the intended target, even with mediocre mechanics. That’s all fine on paper, but it’s pretty radical to say that you don’t need to have a straight stroke to make tough shots. I thought I better reconnect with reality to make sure my reasoning was truer than my typical follow-through, so I did an experiment. It’s fairly easy to do, and I urge you to try it, if you have some spare time and an old board or two. The idea of the experiment is to place the bridge at precisely the same spot for multiple tries at the same shot and see if the theory holds up. To make sure that my bridge was in the same place on every shot, I was sure I couldn’t trust my hand; the repeatability had to be within about a hundredth of an inch

Shot A

or better. I made a simple mechanical “bridge board” out of a two-foot poplar board that was three-quarters of an inch thick and an inch and a half wide. I carved a smooth notch into one edge of the board near an end. I then placed the board on the table as shown in Diagram 1, with one end against the cushion and the bottom edge even with the headstring, which was marked on the 9-foot table I was using. With my stick resting in the notch, I could repeat the position of the cue stick with sufficient accuracy. (An inch and a half was not quite wide enough, so get a two-inch board if you try to duplicate my setup.) The next problem was finding a way to place the balls so their positions could be easily repeated. I could’ve used the standard donut-shaped paper reinforcements, but I wanted industrial strength positioners, so I cut some small squares from a manila folder and punched holes in them. With a little Scotch tape and some adjustment, I placed the balls for the shot on the 1 ball shown in the diagram. The result was startling. With the balls on their guides and the stick in

the bridge board, anything close to a straight stroke put the ball in the hole. A friend who was watching commented that I kept making the ball in the same side of the pocket, which indicates both that I didn’t have the balls set quite perfectly and that the shot accuracy I achieved was perhaps twice as good as necessary for this shot. (With more time, I would have moved something to re-center the shot.) The guys on the neighboring table stared in amazement as the ball kept going into the pocket with no apparent effort made at aiming. (Either that, or they had never seen a solid-state particle physics experimenter in action.) Up to this point, all of the shots had been without intended sidespin. The next step was to see how the bridge position would work for serious spin shots. I found that with the standard setup, I could also make Shot A with a lot of left English and follow to bring the cue ball straight back up the table. Of course, the shot had to be done at a particular speed, because the cue ball curves on any shot with sidespin, and the sharpness of the curve depends on the speed of the shot. Using right draw

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and shooting from the same ball and bridge positions, I could make Shot B to kill the cue ball on the end rail once I found the right speed. How much accuracy was I getting? It is fairly easy to calculate that the bridge board was placed too far to the right by about 1/70th of an inch (giving too thick a hit). Was I getting the benefit of squirt/swoop cancellation? Without the help of that cancellation, my back hand would have had to be within about a 20th of an inch of the ideal location to pocket the ball. My own experience is that my stroke is not nearly that consistent and often deviates by a quarterinch or more. The conclusion is that I was getting something like a factor-offive help from the cancellation. Emboldened by my success on a pool table, I moved on for a brief try on a 6-by-12-foot snooker table. The results were impressive, but not quite as amazing as on the pool table. I played about the same shot as in Diagram 1, but made the somewhat easier cut off the

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spot into the pocket at bottom right. The bridge board was aligned with the D with one end again against the cushion for left-right position accuracy. On the larger table with smaller balls, I found that my pocketing rate dropped from about 95 percent to about 30. My problem seemed to be my inconsistent stroke — I was not coming through straight enough for the correction to take care of the error. (If I had more time for the experiment, I would have searched for a better bridge length to achieve better cancellation. I was using a pool cue with snooker balls, and that is not the best match.) To fi x my crooked stroke temporarily, I remembered what Joe Davis had taught me. (Joe was the world champion at snooker for about 20 years and retired undefeated.) In one of his several books on how to play the game, he remarked that on each shot his cue stick was guided by three points other than his bridge hand and his back hand. In his now-standard low stance,

his cue stick rubbed on his chin, his tie — people used to dress up for the game — and his chest. I moved my stance a little so my stick rubbed against my chest. My success rate shot up immediately to perhaps 75 percent. I also tried sidespin shots on the snooker table. I found I could more or less duplicate the spin shots in the diagram, but speed on the larger table was even more critical to success. How can all of this help your game? Start by paying a lot more attention to getting your bridge hand in the right place. If your bridge length is close to that which is required for cancelling unintended spin in a particular shot, much more swoop in your back hand can be tolerated. Experiment with different bridge lengths for different shots. Try making your own bridge board or something similar. You’ll see how rarely you miss when you accurately align your bridge, even with a not-so-perfect delivery. Let me know how the trials go.

4/11/11 11:31:14 AM

+ TRICK SHOTS+ BY Andy Segal

PUSHIN’ THE CUSHION

Compress the rail to escape dangerous frozen-ball situations.

HEN THE cue ball bounces off the cushion, the rail compresses slightly. You may be thinking, “That’s obvious!” But something as simple as that can help you get out of some tough situations. Take a look at the shot in Diagram 1. The cue ball is frozen to the cushion at the second diamond. The 9 ball is frozen to the cue ball, straight out along the second diamond line. The 8 ball is frozen to the 9 ball, exactly one ball’s width from the cushion. Whether you are playing 8-ball or 9-ball, you will need to make a good hit on the 8 ball in order to avoid giving up ball in hand. The problem is that the current position of the cue ball prevents you from hitting the 8 ball directly. In fact, some players may think that the only way the cue ball can escape from behind the 9 ball is to shoot it parallel to the cushion. However, if you aim to hit the cue ball directly between the second and third diamonds (indicated by the red X in the diagram), and you hit it with a firm stroke in its center, you will find that the force of the cue ball will compress the cushion, leaving enough room for the cue ball to sneak out from behind the 9 ball, hit the 8 ball and make it in the side pocket. If you miss the 8 ball, adjusting is simple. If the 8 misses short (hitting the rail to the left of the pocket in the diagram), move your aim point to the left. If the 8 ball misses long, move your aim point to the right.

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sidespin. Others may try to play safe. A higher percentage shot would be to try to back-cut the 9 ball into the corner pocket using the technique explained earlier. This time, instead of trying to escape from behind the 9 ball, you want to only partially escape and actually hit the 9 as the cue ball comes off the cushion. The Diagram 1 exact aim point for the shot in Diagram 2 will be based on your particular stroke. I usually start by aiming at 2 1/3 diamonds (a little left of the X in Diagram 1). Once again, the adjustment is simple. If the 9 ball is being cut too much and hitting the short rail, aim farther to the left. If the 9 ball is hitting the long rail, aim to the right. Diagram 3 shows one Diagram 2 of my favorite trick shots when I am demonstrating an in-game situation. The 8 ball is hanging in the corner pocket and your opponent played a safety. The cue ball is frozen to the cushion at the first diamond, with another ball straight out. Two other balls prevent you from shooting up- or down-table. If you compress the rail by aiming between the first and secDiagram 3 ond diamond, the cue ball will have just enough room to escape. The prior two shots required a center ball hit. For this shot, however, you will need right English. After the cue ball escapes, this will turn into running English, helping the cue ball around the table to make the 8 ball.

A similar shot is seen in Diagram 2. This time the cue ball is frozen to the cushion and only the 9 ball is frozen to the cue ball (straight along the head string). Some players may attempt to bank the 9 ball into the side pocket, possibly throwing it with extreme X

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4/11/11 10:12:22 AM

SPECIAL

FEATURE Part 2

The Greatest Thing in the

WORLD

LAST MONTH, in Part I of BD’s special reprint of Norman Mailer’s short story, Al Groot accepted a ride from three characters, who then proposed a game of pool. The stakes were raised, until the young hitchhiker found himself in a $20 game — with only $12 in his pocket.

Norman Mailer I L LUST R AT E D B Y Brian Call

WR I T T E N B Y

ICKLES BROKE, making a very beautiful “safe,” leaving Al helpless. He bent over his stick to shoot. The balls wavered in front of him, and he could see the tip of the cue shaking up and down. He wiped his face and looked around to loosen his muscles. When he tried again, it was useless. He laid his cue on the table and walked to the back. “Where you going?” asked Pickles. “To the can. Want to come along?” He forced a laugh from the very bottom of his throat. He passed through a small littered room, where old soda boxes were stored. The bathroom was small and filthy; the ceiling higher than the distance from wall

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TH E G R E ATE ST TH I N G I N TH E WO R LD Pa r t 2

to wall. Once inside he bolted the door, and sank down on the floor, whimpering softly. After a while he quieted and looked around. The only other possible exit was a window, high up on the wall facing the door. He looked at it, not realizing its significance, until a chance sound from outside made him realize where he was and what was happening to him. He got up, and looked at the wall, examining its surface for some possible boost. He saw there was none, crouched down, and jumped. His hands just grasped the edge, clung for a fraction of a second, and then scraped off. He knelt again, as close to the wall as he could possibly get, flexed himself, and leaped up. This time his palms grasped hold. He pressed his finger tips against the stone surface and chinned up enough to work his elbows over. He rested a moment, and then squeezed his stomach in and hung there on the ledge against the window, his legs dangling behind. He inched the window open noiselessly and, forgetting he was in the cellar, looked down into blackness. For a moment he was panic-stricken, until he remembered he was in the cellar, and had to look up. He shifted his position, and raised his head. There was a grating at right angles to the window, fi xed above a dump heap, much like the one beneath a subway grille. It was very dark outside, but he could make out that it opened into an alley. Overjoyed, he took his money out, almost falling off in the act, kissed it, put it back, and tried to open the grating. He placed his hands under it and pushed up as hard as he could in his cramped position. The grille didn’t move. He stuck one foot through the open window, and straddled the ledge, one foot in, one foot out. Bracing himself, he pushed calmly against the grating, trying to dislodge it from the grime imbedded in it. Finding his efforts useless, he pushed harder and harder until his arms were almost pushed into his chest and his back and crotch felt as if they would crack. Breathing heavily, he stopped and stared up past the grating. Suddenly, with a cry of desperation, he flung himself up, beating against it with his hands and arms, until the blood ran down them. Half crazy, he gripped the bars and shook, with impassioned

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Suddenly, with a cry of desperation, he flung himself up, beating against the grating with his hands, until the blood ran down them. groans. His fingers slipped against a little obstruction on one of the end bars. His hand felt it, caressed it, hoping to find some lever point, and discovered it to be a rivet between the foundation and the grille. He sat there, huge sobs torn from him, his eyes gazing hungrily at the sky above. After a bit, he withdrew his leg, wormed his body in again, closed the window, and dropped heavily to the floor, lying in a heap, as he had fallen, his face to the wall. I’ll just wait till they come for me, he thought. He could hear someone coming toward the door. Pickles knocked. “Hey, kid,” he yelled from the other side of the partition, “hurry up.” Al stood up, a mad flare of hope running through him as he thought of the money he still had. He held his hand to his throat and struggled to control

his voice. “Be right out,” he said, managing to hold it through the end. He heard Pickles walk away, and felt a little stronger. He started to wash himself, to get the blood off. His hands were still bleeding dully, the blood oozing out thickly and sluggishly, but he was able to stop the flow somewhat. He backed away, glanced out the window once more, and took his money out. He held it in his hand, and let the bills slip through his fingers. Gathering them up, he kissed them feverishly, rubbing the paper against his face and arms. He folded them tenderly, let down his pants and slipped the cash into a little secret pocket, just under the crotch. He flattened out the bump it made, and unlocked the door to go out. His heart was still pounding, but he felt calmer, and more determined.

May 2011

4/11/11 4:06:10 PM

Spring Is In The Air...

$750.000 35th BCAPL National 8-Ball Championships May 11-22, 2011 Riviera Hotel & Casino Las Vegas Baby! May 12-15, 2011 $10,000 Added

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BCAPL National 9-Ball Championships 9-Ball Challenge May 11-12 9-Ball Open Singles May 12 9-Ball Teams May 21-22

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FOR INFORMATION ON ALL EVENTS VISIT:

Produced by

More From the

EXPO

> Souquet bags Players 10-Ball title

PG. 40

> Pros rally around Ginky San Souci

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> Three-cushion, trick shots recaps

PG. 55

> Josey chosen Cuemaker of the Year PG. 15 er for pool fans and the billiard industry all along the East Coast, its consistency is reason No. 1 why, year after year, everyone comes back — with some bringing friends. “Right now we’re on the calendars,” Hopkins said. “This show is something that people plan every year. And it’s our job to make sure they get the most out of their visit.” May 2011

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BILLIARDS DIGEST

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2 011 D I A M O N D O P E N 10 - B A L L P R O P L AY E R S C H A M P I O N S H I P

THE KAISER’S BACK

While admittedly not 100-percent healthy, Ralf Souquet overcomes a nagging injury — and a host of American challengers, led by Robb Saez — to claim the Players Championship’s $20,000 top prize. Story by Nicholas Leider

Photos by Joe Ratke

T’S BEEN five months since Ralf Souquet woke with numbness in his left leg and hand. As a result of problems with a disk in his lower back, it’s been nearly a half-year since the 42-year-old could honestly say he’s felt completely healthy. “I actually just happened over night,” he said. “I got all kinds of treatments but things didn’t really get much better. When I was in Japan, all of a sudden I couldn’t lift my right arm anymore. “Since a few weeks after that, I felt better but I’m still not 100 percent.” But a balky back that’s spelled problems in his arms and legs didn’t slow Souquet down a bit. He has continued his grueling travel schedule, hopping from continent to continent in relentless pursuit of more and more titles. Trying to managing the pain with physical therapy, Souquet arrived at the Diamond Open 10-Ball Pro Players Championship on a bit of an upswing. After struggling at the tail end of 2010, he conquered the EuroTour French Open in February and finishing second at the previous week’s Masters 10-Ball event (see story, pg. 43). While admittedly not playing his best pool in King of Prussia, Pa., Souquet braved challenges from a host of Americans in the 72-player event. He strung together wins over Dennis Hatch, Stevie Moore and Johnny Archer, before twice edging Florida’s Robb Saez, including a 13-8 slog in the final, for the $20,000 title. But before the final weekend of the Players Championship, Earl Strickland, in direct contrast to Souquet and his ultra-stoic approach, was the early story on the one-loss side of the bracket —

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Souquet had no problems lifting the heavy hardware after an unbeaten run.

though not because of his recent form, which had been strong before his trip to suburban Philadelphia. In a secondround match against Alex Pagulayan, Strickland grew more and more vocal about his opponent’s racking, claiming the Filipino was tilting the rack to gain an advantage on the break. The tournament director, Frank Del Pizzo repeat-

edly admonished Strickland, who lost the set to Pagulayan. While then preparing for his left-side match against Steve Hancock, Strickland continued to toss barbs toward the tournament director, at which point Del Pizzo ejected Strickland from the tournament and awarded the match to Hancock. While the latest bit of turmoil for

May 2011

4/12/11 4:33:36 PM

three games for a grinding 10-7 win. the controversial Strickland cost him a “Johnny is way more experienced chance at making a left-side run, event than Robb, but both players are playpromoter Allen Hopkins sees no lining very well,” Souquet said. “At this gering effects from the ejection. point, any player is capable of running “Frank [Del Pizzo] did what he had out, so I just have to stay as sharp as to do, and I completely support that,” possible.” Hopkins said. “If Earl wants to come Taking a trip to the left-side final, back, he’s always welcome, but he Saez again faced Van Boening, who knows he’ll have to act like a pro at the edged Darren Appleton, 10-8, before Players Championship.” bombing an under-the-weather Dennis As chatter surrounding the StrickHatch, 10-3. The second set between land episode faded into the backthe two Americans was just as ground, Robb Saez played his way into close as the first, but it didn’t the spotlight. Married just a week bestart that way. Saez threatened fore the tournament, the 37-year-old to run away with the match enjoyed every bit of his honeymoon. by taking five of the He worked his way first six games. But into the winnersVan Boening battled side final four with back to meet Saez on wins over Shawn the hill, 9-9. Putnam and Jason Van Boening apKlatt. peared in control of The Bridgeport, the case game, but Conn., native who’s misplayed position called Florida home on the 3 ball then for the past five turned into a jarred years then faced 4 ball. Saez then burShane Van Boenied a gutsy bank on ing for a spot in the the 4 on his way out hot-seat match. Van for a spot in perhaps Boening, a two-time the biggest match of Players Champ (in his career. ’08 and ’10), couldn’t In the final, an overcome Saez, who extended race to 13, held a small lead both players again through the match Saez was sharp en route to the struggled to settle before closing it out final, but he sat a set short. into their surroundin the case game, ings. Abbreviated 10-9. runs where peppered with safety exA regular on the Seminole Pro Tour changes as Souquet established small since he moved the Sunshine State, Saez leads at 4-2 and 6-4. has a number of top finishes in major Saez managed to inch within one American tournaments — including a game at 8-7, but was unable to even the fifth-place at the U.S. Open and third score. Souquet responded by extendin the Derby City Classic’s 9-ball diviing his lead to 10-7. From there, the sion. But he is still searching for that German took three of the next four for first true major, that one win that will the 13-8 victory — a win that may not move him up from the fringe of Amerhave been pretty, but netted Souquet ica’s top players into the conversation the $20,000 first prize nonetheless. for the nation’s 10 or 15 best. “Both players made untypical misHis path to the hot-seat in Valley takes throughout the match,” Souquet Forge, though, went through Souquet, said, “so the early lead definitely made who had routed frequent foe Johnny things easier for me.” Archer, 10-5, in the other right-side Battling the lingering pain in his semifinal. In the winners-side final, lower back, the German legend proved Saez ceded the first four racks to Souonce again he’s capable of winning quet before claiming the next five for when not playing — or feeling — his his only lead of the match at 5-4. Tied best. at 7-7, Souquet then collected the next

Amateur Results MEN’S OPEN 1. Bucky Souvanthong $5,000 2. Tony Long $2,000 3. Gary Lutman, Ben Zimmer $1,500 5. Brett Stottlemeyer, Chris Mitchell, Alex Olinger, Danny Mastermaker $1,200 9. Houston Rodriguez, Mike Wishwaick, Steve Mack, Jorge Rodriguez, Greg Antonakos, Shayne Morrow, Toshiki Kiuchi, Phil Wines $950

WOMEN’S OPEN 1. Li Jia $1,500 2. Stacie Bourbeau $1,000 3. Gail Glazebrook, Liz Lovely $700 5. Amy Therialt, Grace Nakamura, Diana Rojas, Lonnie Fox $450

PRO-AM 1. Charlie Williams $1,500 2. Justin Hall $1,000 3. M. Mochizuki, Bill Dunsmore $700 5. Shane Clayton, Marc Vidal, Tommy Tokoph, Michael Delawder $500

SENIOR’S OPEN 1. Sy Brown $3,000 2. Horace Godwin $1,500 3. Ike Runnels, Ed Matushoneck $1,000 5. Gary Nolan, Horace Aughtry, Ray MacNamara, Marc Pantovic $725

SUPER SENIOR’S OPEN 1. Ed Latimer $1,500 2. Cary Dunn $900 3. Joe Villapando, Dick Magaro $500

JUNIOR’S DIVISION 12 & Under 1. Shane Wolford 2. Michael Evans 3. Ricky Evans, Brady Paanaiven

JUNIOR’S DIVISION 12 & Under 1. Kevin Sun 2. Billy Thorpe 3. John Grassia Jr., Nick Evans

VALLEY FORGE 14.1 CHALLENGE 1. Darren Appleton $1,500 2. John Schmidt $900 3 Dave Daya, Mika Immonen $40

May 2011

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2 010 M A S T E R S 10 - B A L L T O U R N A M E N T

HOME AWAY FROM HOME

Immonen takes yet another title in Chesapeake, but will wait for Masters 10-Ball payday. Story by BD Staff

MIKE HOWERTON-AZBILLIARDS.COM

Dechaine. After Immonen HE FIRST time Mika Imtrounced Davis, 8-2, for a monen found redemption spot in the final, Souquet then at the Chesapeake (Va.) topped the big American, 9-7 Conference Center, he (by virtue of the win-by-two had to wait seven long years rule instituted at last year’s — seven years of replaying his U.S. Open). 11-0 loss to Corey Deuel in the In the race-to-10 final, Im2001 U.S. Open final — until monen sprinted to an early 3-0 he finally quieted the demons lead in the alternate-breaks by winning the 2008 title that format. Souquet got on the kick-started one of the most board with a break-and-run dominant runs in recent hisin the fourth game, but Imtory. monen was too strong. WhenThis time around, Immonen, ever Souquet looked to be who was fresh off an abrupt inching back into the match, exit at February’s World 8-Ball Immonen erased the GerChampionship, wouldn’t have man’s momentum by clearing to wait nearly as long to wash from his break. With a breakhimself of past disappointand-run to get on the hill, 9-4, ment. “I felt like it ended Immonen then had the chamabruptly,” Immonen posted on pionship in front of him after his blog, about the disappointa Souquet scratch. He cleared ing World 8-Ball event. “I had Immonen rose to the occasion in the late rounds. for his third win in Chesamore to prove. I wanted a title peake in three-plus years. badly, so I just had to brush With a slew of major titles from players, Immonen then faced Earl the defeat off and stick to my guns.” around the world in recent years, ImStrickland, who has had a resurgent Luckily for the Finn, the Masters monen has put plenty of time into his six months in major tournaments. 10-Ball Tournament — the March 1-5 game, something noticed by the MasAgain one of the more dangerous event promoted and organized by U.S. ters runner-up. American players, Strickland pushed Open founder Barry Behrman and his “You have to earn your luck by his opponent to the limit in a hilldaughter, Shannon Behrman Paschall working hard and making the right hill set, but Immonen escaped with — was up next on the docket. “There decisions,” Souquet said. “That’s exan 8-7 victory. He then bombed Ralf is something magical about the Chesactly what has been happening to Souquet, 8-3, for a spot in the hotapeake Conference Center for me,” Mika in the last two to three years.” seat match. Immonen said. While 2010 had its share of top finOpposite the Europeans, Mike DeSo while the Masters 10-Ball Tourishes for Immonen, he has sights set chaine and Mike Davis prevailed in nament made plenty of news for on knocking off major international an all-American bracket with wins delays in payment to the top finishevents at the same breakneck pace of over Shane Winters and Shawn Puters (see BD News, pg. 10), Immonen 2008-2009. nam, respectively. Davis then outshot again benefited from a week spent in “It’s been a while since I felt this Dechaine, 8-6, for a spot opposite familiar territory. In a 57-player field, good,” Immonen said. “It’s definitely Immonen in the right-side final. he opened up with a pair of dominant a nice beginning for the year, and On the left side, Souquet bounced wins over Jesse Engle, 8-2, and Chris good to be in form because there are back from his earlier loss with a Loar, 8-3. so many majors coming up.” pair of 8-2 wins over Putnam and Among the final eight unbeaten May 2011

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LESSON PLANS F For BD’s coaching special on bank shots, the best instructional columnists in the business take you back to the drawing board. Run through the fundamentals o of pocketing a ball off a rail, so you’ll be well prepared for the next time your tested at the table.

ENTRY POINTS ENTR NO MATTER wh what game you’re playing, anything a from one-pocke one-pocket to 9-ball, it’s just a matter of time beyourself starfore you find yo shot. Whether ing at a bank sh your opponent played a object ball has safety or an obje path to a no other clear p able to bank a pocket, being ab ball is an impor important skill. To begin the discussion d on banks, let’s run r through a few things to keep in mind:

BY NICK VARNER

difficulty is so high that you must aim to send the object ball to an exact spot, rather than somewhere within a 4.25-inch pocket.

44 4

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drill shown in Diagram 1. With five balls lined up between the side pockets, take ball in hand and try to make

CENTER IS BEST: While you can’t always avoid using English, it’s best to minimize your off-center hit on the cue ball. Adding sidespin into the equation introduces concepts (covered on the next page) that can complicate matters.

AIMING PRECISION: It’s easy to take aiming for 1 GET TO WORK: For granted. When a ball is close players looking to im3 to a pocket, you can still prove their banking, try the make the shot without hitting the object ball exactly where you wanted to. But with banks, the degree of

Diagram 1

the 1 ball in the top left corner. Again with ball in hand, make the 2 in the same pocket. When you’ve made all five shots, repeat the drill in the bottom left corner pocket. Count how many attempts it takes to make all 10 shots, so you have a goal to beat next time.

A MENTAL EDGE: Mentally, a great bank 4 can be a back-breaker for your opponent, because when you’re faced with a bank, it gives your opponent hope of getting to the table. If you make it, though, your opponent will definitely be a little discouraged.

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SPEED & SPIN IF YOU want to understand the intricacies of bank shots, speed and spin are two necessary starting points.

consistency of speedy banks to this downside. It’s also important to know that playing conditions, such as the cleanliness of the balls or the wear on the cloth, can have a large impact on how the balls react to one another and the table.

Fir

it m H

ft Fig. 3A

Diagram 3

enough to send it into the corner pocket. To maximize throw, use a soft stroke and hit the cue ball on its horizontal axis.

Conditions will change, so if you want try the shot yourself, experiment with speed and/or the amount of English.

May 2011

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Diagram 2

SPIN “Throw” is any change in the OB’s direction due to sideways forces between the CB and OB during impact. As an example, right English on the CB creates a sliding friction force that pushes the OB to the left. This force is what creates a “throw angle.” At the same time, the CB will also impart spin on the OB, referred to as “spin transfer.” Because the throwing force of the CB is pushing on the edge of the OB, it causes the OB to rotate in the opposite direction. So after contact with a CB with right English, the OB will be spinning to the left. Diagram 3 shows an example shot where throw and spin transfer are critical. Without these effects, the shot wouldn’t be possible as shown. The goal here is to bank the 1 ball crosscorner. The problem is the 2. It prevents you from hitting the left side of the 1 at a normal cut angle to make the shot. However, by applying left English with a slow to medium speed, the shot can be made. The left English on the cue ball will throw the 1 ball to the right (from the shooter’s perspective). The throwing force imparts right English on the 1 ball, which will lengthen its rebound angle

SPEED The major consideration with regard to speed is the rebound angle of the object ball (OB). Take a look at the bank shot in Diagram 2. If you squarely hit the 1 ball with medium speed toward the second diamond, you should make this shot. But what happens when you add or subtract speed? In general, more speed shortens the rebound angle. With a firm stroke, you will bank the 1 ball short of the pocket (where it will hit the long rail). Conversely, with a soft stroke, the rebound angle will be much wider, so the 1 ball will bank long and hit the short rail. If you watch professionals play bank pool, you will notice that they tend to use a lot of speed. It’s not just because drilling a bank at warp speed looks cool — it does. Rather, shooting a bank at a high speed reduces certain variables. When an OB is struck by the cue ball (CB), it will begin rolling forward due to the friction between the OB and the cloth. This roll can curve the OB’s path after hitting the rail. A firmly struck OB, however, will pick up less roll, which will minimize its influence on the OB after it contacts the rail. It is also important to know that increasing speed reduces the effective size of the pocket, because the faster a ball is traveling, the more likely it is to rattle in the pocket’s jaws. But experienced bankers prefer the

BY DAVE ALCIATORE

BILLIARDS DIGEST

4/12/11 4:34:05 PM

Bankshot Instructional

SSEE, THINK, BANK Diagram 4

BY LARRY SCHWARTZ

C 13

Diagram 5

C 4

T THERE WILL be times when iit is not obvious whether banking, cutting the ball or b playing a safety is the best p way to go. If you are going w tto bank or cut the ball, you need to begin by asking n the t following questions: Which option will allow for W tthe most cue ball control, sso you can leave it in an optimal position? If you o

miss the shot, what kind of position do you leave for your opponent? Usually cutting the ball is the easier shot, but one where the cue ball generally travels a lot farther than it would on a bank, where you’re fully hitting the object ball. Many times, neither question can be answered to your satisfaction, so playing

a safety will be the best choice. In Diagram 4, I have shown a situation where you need to determine the best strategy for shooting the 3 ball. In this case, cutting the 3 would be the worst choice because of how the cue ball will react. As you can see, it will be hard to avoid your opponent’s balls after you cut it in, allowing for some uncertainty in position. But let’s examine the possibility of banking the 3 cross-corner. If you make it, and stop the cue ball in place, you will have a perfect shot on the 5 ball. On the other hand, if you miss the bank shot, you won’t leave your opponent in a favorable position. As far as playing safe, it’s unnecessary to consider this because banking the ball has a built-in safety. You may encounter situations where you have a ball in jail, with your opponent’s balls blocking any straight path to a pocket. If this is the case, you’ll often have to choose between playing offensively by banking or attempting a safety. In Diagram 5, the 6 ball is in

CUSHION CREATIVITY C

jail, and going for the crossside bank may just open up the rest of the table for you to run out. I like going for the shot early, because if you miss the bank, you still have the rest of your balls as obstacles for your opponent. I also recommend the bank over playing a safety, because a defensive shot is merely a stall tactic, prolonging the agony of having that 6 in jail. Additionally, in some organizations and leagues, when you don’t have to call the ball, you might be able to shoot a two-way bank shot. By this, I mean you may have the opportunity to bank one of your balls and, in doing so, pocket an additional ball sitting close to the hole. It might even be an opponent’s ball blocking that pocket. Finally, when choosing a bank shot over other options, it’s important to remember to shoot all of these banks with pocket speed whenever possible. This means that if you do miss, your speed should leave the ball very close to the pocket in which you had intended to shoot it.

BY ANDY SEGAL

SHOT NO. 1 10

S Shot No. 1 N

Shot No. 2

9 8

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This bank may look difficult, but it isn’t that bad once you get the hang of it. Start with the object ball on the center spot. The cue ball is also on the center line, exactly one diamond away. The object is to bank the 10 ball three rails into the top side pocket. Hit the cue ball with center ball and cut the object ball to just miss the side pocket. You need to hit this hard (think a 7 or 8 on a scale of 1-10), so the friction between the cue ball and object ball will transfer some sidespin to 10. When the object ball hits the second cushion (at the top of the diagram), this spin will kick in and push the object ball back along the path in which it came. It will reverse its angle

April 2011

4/12/11 4:34:13 PM

RAIL IT HOME

Here’s a very basic bank drill from Hall of Famer Babe Cranfield. 1

Do this one until you don’t have to think about the angles.

to the bottom cushion and then into the side pocket. The most commonly seen mistakes are either hitting this too softly or cutting the ball too much — remember that you are trying to miss the bottom side pocket by just a little bit.

SHOT NO. 2 This bank is much more difficult than the first one. Start with the 8 ball exactly two balls to the left of the center line, and exactly a diamond from the cushion. The ghost balls are in shown by the dotted black lines. The cue ball is directly below the 8 ball, exactly one ball’s width away. There is a blocking ball (the 10 ball) preventing you from shooting the 8 into that pocket. There is another blocking ball (the 9) preventing you from shooting a simple bank shot. The idea here is to bank the 8 ball straight across the table, while drawing the cue ball

This first drill is a proposition from Hall of Famer Eddie Taylor, picked up at a BCA Trade Show. Bank the 1 ball from the position shown (frozen at the head string) to each of the six pockets, taking ball in hand for each attempt. For the nearest corner pockets, you could also go two or three rails.

BY BOB JEWETT

C C

Here’s a proposition from yours truly. The object ball goes on the spot, a blocker ball goes near the diamond on the end rail (the shooter may choose the exact position) and the cue ball is in hand. Bank the 1 ball to the corner passing on each side of blocker ball. This is a good way to demonstrate transferred English. If you’re really good at this, you can do it with two obstacle balls side-by-side on the end cushion.

backward. Once the 8 passed below the blocking 9 ball, it will hit the cue ball again, which will deflect the 8 into the bottom side pocket. You need to hit this shot with a lot of draw, and very, very softly. This may be difficult at first, because most players think that in order to get more draw, you need to shoot harder. But if you shoot softer and lower your cue tip’s position on the cue ball, you can get a lot of draw without a lot of speed. Shooting this shot with too much power will cause the 8 ball to come back too quickly, without giving the cue ball enough time to draw back past the 9 ball. Aim the cue ball straight into the 8, but with a very slight cut to the right (about a millimeter). If you are having trouble getting the cue ball to draw back quickly, try moving both the cue ball and 8 ball away from the cushion (closer to the center point between both side pockets). May 2011

May11 Banks.indd 47

Here’s much tougherC drill because you have to play position. A twist or two is usually required. Also, this is very difficult with tight pockets.

BILLIARDS DIGEST

4/12/11 4:34:33 PM

CHRONICLES

50 YEARS OF POOL MOVIES “THE HUSTLER” LIVES ON, BUT POOL IS HAVING A TOUGH TIME.

By Mike Shamos

IMAGES COURTESY OF THE BILLIARD ARCHIVE.

HE MOVIE “The Hustler” was released 50 years ago, in 1961. It had an electrifying effect on pool in the United States, and its influence is still felt. I usually write about historical events that occurred before I was born, but not this time. I was a teenager when “The Hustler” came out, so this column is based on personal experience. If you haven’t seen the film, this article won’t mean much to you, but then again, if you haven’t seen the film, you probably don’t read Billiards Digest either. It’s easy to sum up where pool was in the U.S. in 1961 — low. World title straight-pool competition ended in 1956 when Willie Mosconi “retired” at age 42 after going undefeated in the world tournament in Kinston, N.C. He won all 14 games in a double roundrobin, was the only player to sink more than 2,000 balls and ran out a 150point game in one inning to blank Jimmy Moore, 150-0. For this peerless performance he received a grand total of $1,520: $1,400 for first place; $50 for the high run of the tournament, $50 for the best game and $20 for the day’s high run of 96 on April 4. (Thanks to Charlie Ursitti for making this data available on his website.) After Mosconi retired, no one rose to take his place. Irving Crane, the logical successor, was too busy as an auto salesman, and no one was willing to sponsor world competition. In 1960, the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, which had maintained firm control of pool by sponsoring players

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Figs. 1 & 2: Mosconi (top left) taught Paul Newman how to shoot pool for “The Hustler,” directed by Robert Rossen (far left) in 1961.

and influencing the Billiard Congress of America, reorganized into a larger conglomerate, reducing the relative importance of its billiard business. Poolrooms, even the most respectable of which had long suffered from seedy reputations, were closing at a rapid pace. The 1960s began exuberantly (Vietnam would change that), with sports and social activities on the minds of the country’s youth. Boys didn’t want to hang out where girls wouldn’t go, and the average age of room patrons

increased as their numbers decreased. Things looked bleak. In 1955, author Walter Tevis had published a short story called “The Big Hustle” in Collier’s Weekly. In 1957, Playboy published another one of his pool stories. In 1959, Tevis turned his pool recollections into his first novel, “The Hustler.” The book is short and straightforward at a shade over 200 pages. You can read it (and probably would) at one sitting. It instantly received favorable reviews. Writing in The

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New York Times, Rex Lardner (nephew of author Ring Lardner) wrote: “Walter Tevis’s novel is a tense, jolting trip to the tough, dusty, smoky, ball-clackety, money-filled world of the pool shark (that master actor), night-peopled with gamblers, suckers, steerers, B-picture sharpies, hoods, compulsive losers, the placid rich, the desperate broke. … The author of ‘The Hustler’ writes like a streak, making straight pool as exciting as a Stanley Ketchell fight.” I can see how someone would see that from the movie, but the fact that Tevis was able to paint that image with just words on a page is really impressive. (Explanatory note: Stanley Ketchell was a Polish-American middleweight champion known as the Michigan Assassin. Before a fight, he would fantasize that his opponent had insulted his mother, and would unleash a flurry of blows with lightning speed.) The novel was first optioned for the screen by Frank Sinatra, but no suitable adaptation was forthcoming and the option lapsed. Eventually it came to the attention of Robert Rossen, a screenwriter and director who grew up in New York and was something of a pool hustler himself (Fig. 1). He had also tried to write a pool-oriented play called “Corner Pocket,” so he was familiar with issues involved in dramatizing a pool story. In 1950 he directed the Oscar-winning best picture “All the King’s Men,” but his career derailed because of his testimony naming fellow communists before the House UnAmerican Activities Committee. He was looking for a comeback. Shot in only six weeks on location in New York with Willie Mosconi as technical advisor (Fig. 2), “The Hustler” was a stunner. Its original title was “The Hustler,” but the double meaning of that term caused the studio, Twentieth Century-Fox, to change it to “Sin of Angels,” which was much less meaningful (Fig. 3). It kept that title during filming, but it was changed back to “The Hustler” before the film was released. The studio didn’t really know how to market the film. In its original release, none of the advertising material even hinted that the subject matter was

Fig. 3 (left): During production, Twentieth CenturyFox retitled the film as “Sin of Angels.” Fig. 4 (above): Pool was not mentioned in the film’s advertising.

pool (Fig. 4). It garnered great reviews, though, won two Academy Awards (B&W set decoration and B&W cinematography) and was a financial success. In 2001, on the film’s 40th anniversary, I wrote a Chronicles piece focusing on the movie itself, its cast, where they came from and what they did afterward. There’s no point in repeating all that, and I would rather deal with the film’s impact. The vocabulary of pool changed overnight. Games and bets that people had never heard of (“two on the five;

five on the nine,” “hundred-dollar freeze-out — 10 games, 10 bucks a game”) were adopted as if they were old friends. Cloths and cues got damaged by players trying the movie’s various trick shots, the lure of which persists to this day. I’m the faculty advisor to the pool team at Carnegie Mellon University. Some of the students rented the film, and at our next practice session wanted me to show them how to make the film’s opening hustle shot (Fig. 5), which is easy if you know how and very frustrating if you don’t. May 2011

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CHRONICLES

Fig. 5: The film opens with a great trick shot hustle, one that’s not so difficult once you know the secret to sinking it.

It caused an instant resurgence in pool. Even though the film is dark and gritty, the feel of the pool scenes made people want to play. Old big guys wanted to be like Fats — well-pampered and perfectionists at the table. Players who hadn’t picked up a cue in years suddenly wanted to start running balls again. Young guys wanted to be like Fast Eddie — cool risk-takers with untapped reserves of skill. Girls wanted to be around players like that. The looming possibility that gambling would occur during games only added to the appeal. Yet everyone was stymied. Poolrooms had been closing for years, and only a small number were left. The ones that were quickly filled up with hustlers, real ones and pretenders, after the movie. Women wanted to play, but there were few respectable places they could go. There were hardly any money tournaments, and most were purely invitational. Most people couldn’t name a

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professional player other than Mosconi, and he was retired. So many people wanted to play pool that the industry rebounded to serve them. Rooms began to open once again, reversing more than a decade of decline. This happened even though the film’s focus on gambling and violence frightened many a parent, minister and politician. The solution was to enact highly restrictive ordinances regulating rooms, specifying minimum ages of patrons, forbidding alcohol and gambling, and allowing the police to enter at any time, with or without any reason. A particular delight to three-cushion players is the extended scene in the Louisville, Ky., home of the effete millionaire James Findlay, played by Murray Hamilton (Fig. 6). Bert Gordon (George C. Scott) has brought Fast Eddie to Louisville (Lexington in the novel) to hustle Findlay. When they get to his house, they find that he only has

a carom table. Findlay says, “My house, my game. You don’t have to play if you don’t want to.” They play, and although Eddie is new to the game, he improbably comes out a winner. The rules of three-cushion are never explained, but it’s obvious from the scene that it’s beautiful to watch. For a game to thrive, it needs professional competition, and there hadn’t been a world pool tournament since 1956 (or a world three-cushion tournament since 1954, after Willie Hoppe retired). A group of New York roomowners formed the Billiard Room Proprietors’ Association of America (BRPAA), but a better name for it would have been the Room Owners’ Organization of Manhattan (ROOM), since it didn’t really represent America. The group was able to obtain recognition from the Billiard Congress of America, which up to that time had never run a professional tournament of its own, and a world straight-pool event was in-

May 2011

4/13/11 10:40:49 AM

Fig. 6: Murray Hamilton (center) as Findlay plays three-cushion with Fast Eddie.

stituted that ran annually from 19631968, always in a Manhattan hotel, although challenge matches were occasionally held elsewhere. In 1966, in response to both the BRPAA and the nation’s demand for pool, the BCA began running a U.S. Open straight-pool tournament that was held annually until 1977, after which it occurred only irregularly. The big tournament names in the 1960s were Luther Lassiter, Irving Crane and Joe Balsis. They were fantastic players, and all are in the Hall of Fame, but they weren’t outgoing personalities. Their quiet demeanor kept them from becoming popular heroes, and it was clear that pool stardom had eclipsed with Mosconi’s retirement. Nevertheless, the film’s effect on the industry was profound. According to Mosconi, during the 1920s about 22 million people in the U.S. played some form of billiards each year. After his retirement, the number dropped to about 3 million. One year after “The Hustler” was released, it was back up to 17 million. Mosconi suggested to Brunswick that the classic green cloth reminded people of old-time poolrooms, but pas-

During the 1920s about 22 million people in the U.S. played billiards each year. After Mosconi’s retirement, the number dropped to about 3 million. One year after “The Hustler” was released, it was back up to 17 million. tel colors might brighten the game’s image. They took his advice, and by 1962 there was a six-month backlog of orders for pool tables. A few months after the film’s debut, Mosconi was able to tell The New York Times that “hundreds of tables are being sold every week.” It

was an underestimate. In 1963, the Cue Club, one of the new rooms, opened in Rego Park, Long Island, in a former bowling alley. It sported 40 Brunswick tables in Mosconi’s pastel colors, on “heavy-piled, wall-to-wall red carpet.” Players who were used to banging cue butts on the floor to applaud a shot were stymied, but young people flocked to the place and had to stand in line for a table after 6 p.m. Luther Lassiter came for a visit and declared, “In all my life I’ve never seen anything so fine as this.” That year home table sales in the U.S. reached a historical high of 200,000, quadrupling in a single year. The newspapers credited “The Hustler” with rekindling interest in the game. One reporter wrote in 1964 that the movie, “although emphasizing the disreputable side of pool, showed the hypnotic power of the game.” He also noted that changing the game’s image had been crucial: “To overcome female reluctance toward pool, most concerns operating pocket billiard parlors are wooing women. Pool halls often have signs reading ‘Ladies Invited’ or ‘Women Admitted Free.’” One establishment that did not benefit from the film was Ames Billiards, a second-story walkup at Seventh Avenue and 44th Street, where most of the pool scenes were shot. It was completely remodeled for filming. The walls were made to look cracked, spittoons were installed and cigarette butts were spread on the floor. The result was atmospheric, but it nevertheless fell victim on July 22, 1966, to Mayor John Lindsay’s cleanup of the Times Square area. Abe Ames, the owner, said that its afternoon crowd had been a blend of businessmen, lawyers and sharpies (though I’m not sure how you could tell one of them from another), but “the place later became a hangout for those just kicked out of the movie houses at 4 in the morning.” Ames continued, “Things are different from the old days around the poolrooms now. All the crummy hustlers play in big-money tournaments. There was a time, if you could shoot a good game of pool, you didn’t have to work.” Ames had a curious idea of what “big-money” meant. May 2011

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4/13/11 10:40:59 AM

CHRONICLES

The previous year, Joe Balsis took home $3,500 for winning the world tournament, and he needed a week to do it. The legacy of “The Hustler” remains alive today. Players still quote its lines, and quite a few of the actors who appeared in it are still alive. The only surviving major lead, Piper Laurie, is still acting at age 79. The oldest living performer from the film is boxer Jake LaMotta, who played the bartender at the Port Authority Bus Terminal. He’s 90. Some of the other veterans are Michael Constantine (whose Big John character advises Eddie not to play Minnesota Fats, Fig. 7), Stefan Gierasch (Preacher, who is not a preacher), Cliff Pellow (“There’s your money, boy

“The Color of Money” gave pool another boost, but one whose embers have now practically burnt out. … we always pay what we lose,” Fig. 8) and Carl York (the hustler whose loss to Felson leads to broken thumbs). The rebirth of pool was, alas, shortlived. By the end of the 1960s, the popularity of straight pool had waned. The first “world” invitational 9-ball tournament was staged in Pittsburgh in 1969, won by Lassiter. It was the first crack in the dominance of straight pool. Women deserted the poolrooms, despite free play and colored cloth. Crime and hustling returned. In a 1968 article, entitled “As the Pool Season Begins, Hustlers Serve Lemonade,” The New York Times related that a young man walked into the Cushion & Cue on 50th Street in Manhattan, threw a thick wad of bills on a table and declared, “You guys think you’re going to rob me, but I’m going to rob you.” He pulled a gun and fired three shots into the ceiling, then lined 40 patrons up against the wall and divested them of their cash. A traumatic event? Hardly. It seems to have been par for the course. The story continued, “Less than a half-hour later, with

BILLIARDS DIGEST

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Fig. 7 (left): Michael Constantine’s Big John warns Eddie about Minnesota Fats. Fig. 8: Turk Baker (played by Cliff Pellow, top right) pays Eddie before breaking his thumbs.

the smell of gunpowder still evident, the poolroom was back to normal. … The conversation, as usual, centered on money, gambling, sports and ‘the greatest hustles of all time.’ When the holdup was mentioned it was treated casually and kiddingly. ‘At least he didn’t cut the cloth,’ said a jumpy regular all-night player known as Brooklyn Bucky.” You can imagine the effect that incident had on budding new players and their parents. By the end of the 1970s, things were worse than they had been in the late

’50s. The next revival would have to await the release of “The Color of Money” in 1986, with Paul Newman reprising his role as Eddie Felson. Fans will remember that it doesn’t have a single shot of straight pool or three-cushion. “The Color of Money” gave pool another boost, but one whose embers have now practically burnt out. After 50 years of pool movies, we’re now back to where things were in the 1950s. Mike Shamos is curator of The Billiard Archive, a non-profit foundation set up to preserve billiard history.

May 2011

4/13/11 10:41:11 AM

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4/11/11 10:58:13 AM

TOURNAMENTS

GA YOUNG’S OPENING ACT

Kim pockets major title in Taiwan; Segal shows his magic at Artistic Worlds.

PHOTO COURTESY APBU

Amway Cup TaiMall Shopping Center March 6-13; Taoyuan City, Taiwan

FRESH OFF her 2010 Player of the Year campaign, Korea’s Ga Young Kim has already turned her attention to repeating such successes this season. Her No. 1 goal, not unlike her competitors among the elite women in the world, was to win at least one major championship. The Women’s World 10-Ball Championship, where she finished second to Jasmin Ouschan last year, would be nice, as would the China Open, another big-money title that has eluded her. Though she’d have to wait to chase unfamiliar hardware, Kim didn’t take much time returning to the winner’s circle at a major international event. She went unbeaten through a 48-player field stacked with the world’s best at the 2011 Amway Cup — held March 6-13 at the TaiMall Shopping Center in Taoyuan City, Taiwan, just outside of Taipei. Her victory at this year’s event was the second of her career, after claiming the 2006 Amway Cup. Play began with the field divided into eight groups of six for a round-robin stage, with the top three performers from each flight (based first on overall record, then games won) advancing to a single-elimination bracket. Allison Fisher, the last non-Asian woman to take the Amway Cup (in 2005), took the overall top seed with a stunning 5-0 record by a combined score of 35-9. Last year’s China Open champ Chen Siming was next in line with total tally of 35-12. Both Kim and Ouschan dropped single sets in the round-robin stage, but rallied to post 4-1 records to advance. But the upset bug didn’t lay dormant in all eight groups. Most notably, Karen Corr failed to survive the opening stage, stumbling to a 2-3 record with loses to Kim and Taiwan’s Lai Hui-Shan

BILLIARDS DIGEST

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Reigning Player of the Year Kim didn’t wait long to celebrate another major title.

and Wei Tzu Chien. Monica Webb and former World 10-Ball winner Rubilen Amit also crashed out with 2-3 records. In the 24-player knockout stage, with each group’s winner receiving a bye, Kim coasted through the first

two rounds with wins over Zhou Dou Dou, 7-5, and Wei Tzu Chien, 7-3. In the quarterfinal, she then faced Yu Ram Cha, who ousted Kim in last year’s Amway final by an 11-5 score. Kim, though, took her revenge in a thrilling set that saw Cha open up the

May 2011

4/11/11 3:02:36 PM

WPBA RANKINGS

TOTAL POINTS

WPBA TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

WPBA ATLANTA CLASSIC

WPBA U.S. OPEN

SAN DIEGO CLASSIC

WPBA TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP

MOUNT PLEASANT, MICH. Jan. 2011 $50,000

NIAGARA, N.Y. Dec. 2010 $73,500

DULUTH, GA. Oct. 2010 $75,720

NORMAN, OKLA. Aug. 2010 $89,100

ALPINE, CALIF. March 2010 $89,100

HOLLYWOOD, FLA. Nov. 2009 $98,000

WPBA MASTERS

TOTAL MONEY 2011

Jasmin Ouschan

82000

1 (19000)

17 (5000)

1 (20000)

5 (10000)

9 (8000)

1 (20000)

$7,500

Karen Corr

77000

2 (15000)

5 (10000)

2 (15000)

3 (12000)

5 (10000)

$4,500

Ga Young Kim

68500

5 (10500)

3 (12000)

5 (10000)

1 (20000)

5 (9000)

9 (7000)

$2,000

Xiaoting Pan

63000

1 (20000)

9 (8000)

3 (12000)

2 (15000)

Gerda Hofstatter

59000

- (10000)

9 (7000)

5 (10000)

1 (20000)

17 (5000)

Kelly Fisher

58000

3 (12000)

17 (5000)

3 (11000)

9 (8000)

5 (10000)

3 (12000)

$2,750

Allison Fisher

54500

9 (8500)

5 (10000)

9 (8000)

5 (10000)

$1,500

Jeanette Lee

53833

5 (9500)

9 (7000)

- (8666)

- (8667)

5 (9000)

3 (11000)

$2,000

Monica Webb

53000

3 (11000)

9 (8000)

2 (15000)

9 (7000)

17 (5000)

$2,750

Vivian Villarreal

44000

25 (5000)

9 (7000)

17 (5000)

3 (12000)

17 (5000)

5 (10000)

$750

Julie Kelly

39500

9 (8500)

5 (10000)

17 (5000)

3 (11000)

33 (2000)

25 (3000)

$1,500

Line Kjorsvik

39500

13 (7500)

17 (5000)

5 (9000)

25 (3000)

9 (8000)

9 (7000)

$1,250

Kyoko Sone

37000

17 (5000)

9 (8000)

5 (9000)

9 (7000)

9 (8000)

Melissa Little

34500

33 (500)

9 (8000)

17 (5000)

9 (7000)

Tamara Rademakers

33500

3 (10500)

33 (2000)

9 (7000)

17 (5000)

33 (2000)

9 (7000)

$2,750

Helena Thornfeldt

30500

13 (7500)

9 (7000)

33 (2000)

17 (5000)

33 (2000)

$1,250

Liz Ford

30000

17 (6000)

33 (2000)

9 (7000)

25 (3000)

9 (7000)

17 (5000)

$1,000

Ewa Laurence

29500

9 (9500)

33 (2000)

9 (7000)

17 (5000)

25 (3000)

$1,500

Kim Shaw

29000

3 (12000)

5 (9000)

25 (3000)

17 (5000)

Brittany Bryant

28000

25 (5000)

3 (11000)

33 (2000)

25 (3000)

17 (5000)

33 (2000)

$750

WPBA RANKINGS REFLECT A CONTINUOUS SIX-TOURNAMENT CYCLE.

race to 9 by winning the first four games. Kim responded by taking the next four to tie. While Cha nudged ahead, 6-4, Kim then climbed on the hill, 8-6, before closing out the victory, 9-7. Meanwhile, in another powerhouse match, Allison Fisher ran away from Ouschan by taking seven of the first eight racks en route to a strong 9-2 victory. Unfortunately for Fisher, who hasn’t won a major international title since 2009, she received equally harsh treatment from Kim in the semifinal, where the Korean star was in complete control during her 9-4 win. The other semifinal matched two young talents from China — 17-yearold Chen Siming and the reigning World 9-Ball Champion, Fu Xiao-Fang, herself just 24 years old. Fu erased an early 3-0 deficit to inch ahead, 5-4. But Chen proved too much, as she roared back to win her spot in the final, 9-6. In the race-to-11 final, Kim showed her experience on the biggest of stag-

es. Falling behind early, she took six straight racks and eight of 10 to sieze complete control of the match, 10-5. Chen responded to close within two games, but Kim dropped the final 9 ball for her first major title of the year.

SEGAL’S MAGIC WORTHY OF ARTISTIC WORLD TITLE WPA World Artistic Pool Championship Valley Forge Convention Center March 10-13; King of Prussia, Pa.

ANDY “THE Magic Man” Segal entered the WPA World Artistic Pool Championship — held March 10-13 alongside the Super Billiards Expo in King of Prussia, Pa. — and was the odds-on favorite. From the start, though, the World Pool-Billiard Association’s No. 1 artistic player in the world tried to convince himself that he wasn’t the man to beat. “I felt like the favorite, but I was try-

ing my best to get that thought out of my mind,” Segal said. “The hardest kind of pressure to deal with is when you are expected to win. I tried to just go into the tournament expecting to play my best.” In the preliminary round, which consisted of 40 shots in eight different disciplines (such as massé, jump and prop shots), Segal did exactly that. With 12 players advancing to a singleelimination bracket, he finished first in overall points, which were awarded for successful attempts. Behind Segal, who netted 268 points, Jamey Gray (250), Tim Chin (229) and Romania’s Gabriel Visiou (225) rounded out the top four, who all received byes into the quarterfinal round. In the first knockout round, Florian Kohler, Abram Diaz and Nick Nikolaidis advanced to the round of eight, while longtime trick shooter Tom “Dr. Cue” Rossman was upset by Jamie Moody. But that’s where the upsets ended. May 2011

Tourneys0511.indd 55

BILLIARDS DIGEST

4/11/11 3:02:43 PM

U.S. OPEN 9-BALL

PREDATOR INT’L 10-BALL

GALVESTON WORLD 10-BALL

MAY 2009 TOURNAMENT FACTOR: 1.10 PLACE (POINTS)

SEPTEMBER 2009 TOURNAMENT FACTOR: 1.01 PLACE (POINTS)

WORLD 10-BALL CHAMPS. OCTOBER 2009 TOURNAMENT FACTOR: 1.2 PLACE (POINTS)

Mika Immonen

971

1 (160)

17 (36)

1 (141)

1 (157)

Dennis Orcollo

637

1 (154)

25 (30)

9 (54)

Lee Vann Corteza

630

7 (68)

33 (28)

25 (30)

4 (90)

2 (144) 17 (39)

1 (168)

Ralf Souquet

590

17 (40)

2 (132)

2 (134)

Warren Kiamco

547

3 (103)

3 (99)

2 (121)

5 (78)

Johnny Archer

545

4 (91)

5 (72)

5 (71)

9 (56)

33 (27)

Darren Appleton

532

25 (34)

17 (36)

25 (34)

5 (78)

Franc. Bustamante

507

9 (51)

4 (80)

Shane Van Boening

490

17 (40)

33 (28)

5 (71)

9 (56)

97 (0)

Rodney Morris

480

5 (74)

9 (50)

25 (30)

5 (78)

Corey Deuel

473

5 (74)

9 (50)

9 (51)

17 (39)

33 (27)

Ronnie Alcano

445

2 (137)

13 (40)

65 (17)

33 (27)

Charlie Williams

413

25 (34)

5 (72)

33 (25)

13 (45)

33 (27)

David Alcaide

407

9 (50)

3 (108)

Thorsten Hohmann

353

7 (68)

17 (36)

49 (22)

17 (39)

Karl Boyes

298

5 (72)

7 (67)

33 (27)

Niels Feijen

292

65 (17)

49 (22)

25 (34)

33 (27)

Daryl Peach

287

9 (51)

17 (36)

65 (17)

9 (54)

Antonion Lining

283

3 (108)

Roberto Gomez

273

17 (36)

25 (34)

65 (15)

Imran Majid

266

25 (34)

5 (72)

9 (56)

17 (39)

Thomas Engert

261

Mike Dechaine

259

25 (34)

3 (101)

13 (45)

Raj Hundal

256

17 (40)

49 (22)

13 (40)

129 (0)

The top four seeds all advanced to the semifinals. There, Gray outlasted Tim Chin and Segal topped Visiou to set up a championship match between the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds. While Gray and Segal are good friends away from the table, the two have beBILLIARDS DIGEST

Tourneys0511.indd 56

OCTOBER 2009 TOURNAMENT FACTOR: 1.12 PLACE (POINTS)

Segal (center) edged Gray (left) to take the world title — and the heavy hardware.

U.S. OPEN 9-BALL

NYCGRIND.COM

BD POWER INDEX

TOTAL POINTS

OCTOBER 2008 TOURNAMENT FACTOR: 1.14 PLACE (POINTS)

come frequent rivals in recent events. They have met a number of times on the Ultimate Trick Shot Tour, and Segal outdid Gray for the 2010 Trick Shot Magic title. “Jamey and I have very similar strengths,” Segal said. “I try to surprise

him by picking lower-percentage shots that I happen to make a little more regularly than the rest of the field.” In the final, each player attempted 20 shots, 10 of his choosing and 10 from his opponent. Segal jumped out to a one-shot lead early in the match, but couldn’t pull away from the 2008 World Champ. Gray remained within striking distance, but as the number of remaining shots dwindled, Segal knew he was inching closer to victory. “When there were four shots remaining, I knew all I needed to do was make my last two selections,” he said. “The artistic pool shot program has a lot of difficult shots, but there are a few easier ones. [That’s when] I knew the match was over.” Sure enough, Segal proved successful with his final attempts to take the WPA World Artistic Pool Championship, his second world title after a win in 2007. Along with $3,500 in prize money, he padded his lead in the rankings as the world No. 1 artistic pool player. So no matter what he’d like to think, Segal will be the man to beat for the foreseeable future.

May 2011

4/13/11 10:42:11 AM

WORLD POOL MASTERS MAY 2010 TOURNAMENT FACTOR: 1.05 PLACE (POINTS)

U.S. OPEN 10-BALL MAY 2010 TOURNAMENT FACTOR: 1.1 PLACE (POINTS)

WORLD 9-BALL CHMPS. JULY 2010 TOURNAMENT FACTOR: 1.25 PLACE (POINTS)

OCTOBER 2010 TOURNAMENT FACTOR: 1.2 PLACE (POINTS)

WORLD 8-BALL CHAMPS. FEBRUARY 2011 TOURNAMENT FACTOR: 1.16 PLACE (POINTS)

TOP

Finishers

33 (26)

5 (77)

33 (28)

3 (120)

9 (58)

1 (147)

13 (44)

33 (28)

65 (18)

1 (162)

33 (26)

1 (140)

33 (28)

49 (24)

17 (38)

5 (68)

17 (39)

33 (28)

7 (72)

17 (38)

17 (39)

4 (96)

17 (34)

25 (33)

3 (113)

13 (48)

17 (34)

9 (55)

97 (0)

1 (168)

4 (93)

33 (26)

4 (88)

1 (175)

9 (60)

57 (20)

33 (26)

3 (110)

17 (41)

9 (60)

9 (58)

PLAYERS 10-BALL

9 (47)

7 (66)

65 (19)

7 (72)

17 (38)

49 (21)

49 (22)

65 (19)

2 (144)

57 (20)

49 (21)

33 (28)

5 (81)

25 (36)

9 (58)

5 (68)

7 (66)

33 (28)

13 (48)

49 (21)

97 (0)

33 (28)

5 (84)

3 (116)

King of Prussia, Pa. + March 9-13 1. Ralf Souquet $20,000 2. Robb Saez $7,000 3. Shane Van Boening $4,000 4. Dennis Hatch $3,000 5. (tie) Johnny Archer, Darren Appleton $2,100 7. (tie) Alex Pagulayan, Gabe Owen $1,800 9. (tie) Mika Immonen, Jason Klatt, Dee Adkins, Stevie Moore $1,500 (Results from the Super Billiards Expo’s amateur divisions are listed on pg. 39)

9 (47)

25 (33)

65 (19)

9 (60)

33 (29)

17 (34)

65 (17)

65 (19)

49 (24)

17 (38)

17 (34)

65 (19)

2 (139)

9 (47)

65 (17)

97 (0)

33 (30)

33 (29)

3 (113)

49 (24)

17 (38)

3 (90)

9 (55)

97 (0)

17 (38)

33 (26)

33 (28)

97 (0)

5 (68)

17 (39)

5 (81)

9 (55)

49 (24)

9 (47)

17 (39)

33 (30)

17 (38)

ALL GOOD: PEDRABUENA TRIUMPHS IN VALLEY FORGE USBA Challenge of Champions Valley Forge Convention Center March 10-13; King of Prussia, Pa. PROFESSOR Q BALL

U.S. OPEN 9-BALL

ALONGSIDE 10-BALL, 9-ball and just about every other discipline that involves six pockets, threePiedrabuena (right) cushion biltopped 6 of 7 foes. liards joined the all-are-welcome party at Allen Hopkins’ Super Billiards Expo. The Champion of Champions competition, organized by ProfessorQ-Ball Promotions, gathered eight of the nation’s best billiard players for a full round-robin tournament inside the Valley Forge Convention Center. From the start, three-time United States Billiard Association champ Pedro Piedrabuena established himself as the man to beat in a field where every player had won a national championship (seven USBA winners and

women’s national champ Mercedes Gonzales). Piedrabuena dominated the first five rounds of play, going undefeated through three days with an untouchable average of 2.105. To put his performance in perspective, Jae Hyung Cho, who entered the event’s final day in second with a 4-1 record, would average a little more than half of Piedrabuena’s pace at 1.118. Despite his strong performance, Piedrabuena had a little work left to do on Sunday. With Cho just one game back, he needed one win to clinch, considering his average was well above the rest of the field. While he lost to Cho, 40-33, Piedrabuena snuck past Miguel Torres, 40-37, to finish with a 6-1 record. Cho then lost to Huge Patino, 40-19. With the late victory, Patino jumped past Cho and into second. Both had 5-2 records, with Patino finishing with a 1.172 average to Cho’s 1.106. With a 1.717 average, Piedrabuena took the Champion of Champions title and the $5,000 first-place prize. He also won the awards for the highest run (14) and best single game (2.105).

MASTERS 10-BALL Chesapeake, Va. + March 1-5 1. Mika Immonen $15,000 2. Ralf Souquet $7,000 3. Mike Davis $5,000 4. Mike Dechaine $4,000 5. (tie) Earl Strickland, Shawn Putnam $3,000 7. (tie) Johnny Archer, Rodney Morris $2,000 9. (tie) Dennis Hatch, Warren Kiamco, Shane Winters, Alex Pagulayan $1,500

AMWAY CUP Taipei, Taiwan + March 10-13 1. Ga Young Kim 20,000 2. Chen Siming $10,000 3. (tie) Fu Xiao-Fang, Allison Fisher $5,000 5. (tie) Yu Ram Cha, Jasmin Ouschan, Xiaoting Pan, Lai Hui-Shan $2,500 9. (tie) Wei Tzu-Chien, Lin Yuan-Chun, Liu Sha-Sha, Kyoko Sone, Kelly Fisher, Line Kjorsvik, Chou Cheih-Yu, Lin Hsiao-Chi $1,000

WORLD ARTISTIC POOL King of Prussia, Pa. + March 10-13 1. Andy Segal $3,500 2. Jamey Gray $2,500 3. Tim Chin $1,800 4. Gabriel Visiou $1,300 5. Nick Nikolaidis $1,000

USBA OPEN King of Prussia, Pa. + March 10-13 1. Pedro Piedrabuena $5,200 2. Hugo Patino $2,000 3. Jae Hyung Cho $1,500 4. Mazin Shooni $1,000

May 2011

Tourneys0511.indd 57

BILLIARDS DIGEST

4/13/11 10:42:19 AM

BD’S MONTHLY WRAP OF REGIONAL TOUR ACTION

Cha Books Return Trip to Classic Tour in Houston old Korean sensation had to take her talents to the WPBA Regional Tour Championship if she hoped Cha had no to return to the women’s circuit. difficulties taking Held March 24-27 at Bogies the RTC crown. Billiards in Houston, this year’s event gathered 63 players into a double-elimination bracket. In addition to more than $13,000 in prize money, the Regional Tour Championship provided tour cards to the top eight finishers, so a tied-for-seventh finish or better meant invites to at least six WPBA Classic Tour events (should less than that be held in 2012). From the start, Cha established herself as the women to beat. She dominated her first five opponents, allowing only Briana Miller to get to four games in the race-to-9 sets. She then took her place in the hot-seat with another HAVING MISSED the last five tourna9-4 win over tour veteran Joanne Ashton. ments on the Women’s Professional BilBut with competitors chasing one of the liard Association’s Classic Tour, Yu Ram top eight spots, the action on the left side Cha finished 2010 as the 62nd-ranked drew plenty of attention. Veronique Meplayer on the women’s tour point list (which nard and Kim Benson did just enough to features a six-event cycle). So, despite besecure passes to the 2012 Classic Tour ing ranked 14th in the world, the 23-yearby finishing seventh. Sharon O’Hanlon

WPBA Reg. Tour Champ. Bogies Billiards March 24-27 + Houston, Texas 1st: Yu Ram Cha $3,250 2nd: Susan Williams $1,930 3rd: Joanne Ashton $1,320 4th: Briana Miller $1,056 5th: Sharon O’Hanlon, Janet Atwell $792 7th: Veronique Menard, Kim Benson $660

and tour vet Janet Atwell also took tour cards with fifth-place performances. Pennsylvania’s Briana Miller, just 15 years old, bounced back from her earlier loss to Cha with three wins on the oneloss side before dropping a 7-4 decision to Arizona’s Susan Williams in the leftside semifinal. Willams then went on to oust Ashton in third in a hill-hill decision. Having to top Cha twice in the final, Williams took one of the first two racks. But the Korean star collected the next three to establish control of the set, 4-1. She then took another four in a row to get on the hill, before eventually closing out the set, 9-4. Along with a return to the Classic Tour, Cha took home $3,250 for the victory.

ASHI FACHLER

Van Boening oe g Sprints Past Dominguez to Vegas Victory

Van Boening (center) topped Dominguez in back-to-back sets.

BILLIARDS DIGEST

T-Spotting0511.indd 58

IN A full field of 64 players at the annual Rumrunner Barbox Open, Shane Van Boening showed no difficulty adjusting to the smaller confines of the 7-foot tables off the Vegas Strip. But Van Boening didn’t cruise to the $6,000 title unchallenged. After breezing through his first five matches, he faced former Mosconi Cup teammate Oscar Dominguez for the hot-seat. The young Californian skipped past Van Boening, 6-2, for a spot in the final. On the left side, Van Boening then had to deal with Ernesto Dominguez, Oscar’s father, who rallied after dropping a 6-1 set to Van Boening earlier in the event. But once again, the elder Dominguez had no answer for Van Boening, who took the left-side final by a count of 6-3

Rumrunner Barbox Open The Rumrunner March 25-27 + Las Vegas, Nev. 1st: Shane Van Boening $6,000 2nd: Oscar Dominguez $3,000 3rd: Ernesto Dominguez $1,700 4th: Walter Glass $1,000

to get another shot at Oscar. In the true double-elimination final, Van Boening opened play by stringing together four racks from the opening break. He closed out the set, 6-1, to force a second set. Again, Dominguez didn’t get much of a chance as Van Boening collected the first six racks for an emphatic whitewash to take the title.

May 2011

4/13/11 10:43:56 AM

PRESENTED BY

Lombardo Hopes for Strong Stretch Run in 2011 SEMINOLE PRO TOUR

IN THOROUGHBRED racing, but watching them was what sealed they’re known as “closers” — the the deal for me. I wanted to do that, horses that lay back when the gates learn how to do things like spin the open, allowing other horses to set cue ball.” the pace, and then, from back in And now, as Lombardo continues the field, they start to pass horses his steady and committed progresin front of them, one by one, unsion toward the upper ranks of the til they’ve eclipsed them all and pool world, he’s invested, as well, in crossed the finish line first. giving back to the sport. He suppleIn the world of professional pool, ments tour winnings and any ancillary Hunter Lombardo is shaping up to income by teaching others. be something of a closer. He’s been “This game has given me so much,” at it for about 17 years, and until rehe said. “I get higher giving someone cently, has been laying back in the a lesson than I do [with any other asenormous field of players, relatively pect of the sport]. I get a thrill out of unnoticed. But he’s on the move, watching someone struggle to ‘get it’ running in the No. 20 spot on the and then, actually get it.” 2011 Billiards Congress of AmerLombardo says that his recent imica’s points list, and he’s chewing provement has been the result of a up ground. change in attitude. Though aware that “He’s a very strong player,” said he possessed skills, he lacked a deTony Crosby, who’s seen him play gree of confidence that he belonged on his Poison 9-Ball Tour and the among the ranks of the better players Seminole Pro Tour over the years. in the nation. “He’s been a little undercover, not “I finally just surrendered to it,” he really that well-known, but in the said. “I got sick and tired of being last six months, I’ve seen his game Lombardo aims to be among America’s top trio. sick and tired.” really improve. Not realizing himself, how well he “It’s like he’s learned how to win,” won out because something about the played, he came to the realization that Crosby added. game captivated the borderline perfeche did, in fact, “have what it takes.” It’s not, at this point, about individual tionist in him. “I may have had the skills, but I didn’t victories for Lombardo, it’s about the “It is one thing for something to catch have the proper direction,” he said, acplayers he’s passing to finish. my attention,” he said. “It’s quite anothknowledging that for a while, teaching “He beat me at the [Super Billiards] er to keep it.” the game had kept him from improving Expo,” said Tommy Kennedy, who’s From the very beginning, stepping into his own skills. “I was neglecting my own known Lombardo since he first stepped the doors of Wellington, Fla.’s Break progress.” to the tables in the mid-’90s, “and had Shot Billiards at the age of 15, the game Back on track, he’s set himself the Johnny (Archer) double-hill in the next held his attention. He read pretty much goal of being selected for the American match.” everything about the sport he could get Mosconi Cup team, which means finishBorn in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in 1979, his hands on, and then he started to ing in the top three on the BCA points Lombardo toyed briefly with the idea travel and watch the professionals. list. of going into business, attending Palm “Before [watching pro players], I re“Anything that’s a points event, I’m goBeach Community College in pursuit of ally didn’t have a yardstick,” he said. ing to be at.” he said. — Skip Maloney an associate’s degree. Pool, though, “I had nothing to compare my game to,

T-Spotting0511.indd 59

4/13/11 10:43:24 AM

TOUR RANKINGS (AS OF 4/8/10) Bay Area Amateur Tour AREA: Tampa Bay, Fla. TOUR DIRECTOR:

Stephanie Mitchell WEB: www.baattour.com 1. Kelly Cavanaugh 365 2. Sabra MacArthur Beahn 365 3. Chris Fields 320 4. Leslee Davis Blaikie 280 5. Alice Parnell 250 6. Stephanie Mitchell 230 7. Tracey Mullen 205 8. Jamie Toennies 175 9. Jessica Barnes 170 10. Valerie Dukick 140

Desert Classic Tour AREA: Ariz. DIRECTOR: Dennis Orender WEB: www.desertclassic

tour.com 1. Mitch Ellerman 200 2. Ken Gouso 160 3. Pete Lhotka 125 4. Ben Sutherland 100 5. Nick Deleon 80 6. George Teyechea 80 7. Brett Huth 65 8. Mike Sandoval 65 9. Todd Rowitz 50 10. Dennis Orender 50

EuroTour AREA: Europe TOUR DIRECTOR: Gre Leenders WEB: www.eurotouronline.eu

1. Nick van den Berg 2,580 2. Karl Boyes 2,445 3. Chris Melling 2,390 4. Daryl Peach 2,220 5. Ralf Souquet 2,120 6. Sascha Tege 2,045 7. Darren Appleton 2,040 8. David Alcaide 2,005 9. Stephan Cohen 1,985 10. Mark Gray 1,980

Flamingo Billiards Tour AREA: Fla. DIRECTOR: Mimi McAndrews WEB: www.flamingobilliards

GB 9-Ball Tour AREA: United Kingdom DIRECTOR: Lee Rigby WEB: www.gb9balltour.com

1. 2. 3. 4.

Mark Gray 61 Daryl Peach 56 Karl Boyes 52 Chris Melling 52

BILLIARDS DIGEST

TSRanks0511.indd 60

Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour AREA: Maine, N.Y., R.I. TOUR DIRECTOR: Mike Zuglan WEB: www.joss9balltour.com

1. Bucky Souvanthong 865 2. Dennis Hatch 820 3. Mike Zuglan 540 4. Dave Grau 450 5. Ron Casanzio 420 6. Dave Fernandez 370 7. Spencer Auigbelle 365 8. Tom D’Alfonso 335 9. Mika Immonen 335 10. Danny Hewitt 325

Lone Star Tour AREA: Texas DIRECTOR: Kim White WEB: www.lonestar

billiardstour.com MEN’S DIVISION

1. Marco Tschudi 250 2. Rick Castillo 200 3. Brian Hickman 150 4. Brent Thomas 125 5. Barry Strickland 100 6. Lann Herrin 100 7. Brian Rosenbaum 75 8. Danny Roland 75 9. Andy Jethwa 50 10. T.J. Davis WOMEN’S DIVISION

1. Ming Ng 500 2. Belinda Lee 325 3. Courtney Peters 200 4. Teresa Garland 200 5. Loretta Lindgren 175 6. Darci Whatley 150 7. Kim Pierce 125 8. Robyn Petrosino 100 9. Amber Stone 100 10. Marie Chuan 100

3. Jana Montour 125 4. Andrea Saenz-Maes 100 5. Mary Hopkin 80 6. Shari Ross 80 7. Kimberly Kirk 65 8. Mona Remedios 65 9. Deby Welfringer 50 10. Sue Orr 50

OB Cues Ladies 9-Ball AREA: Texas, Okla. TOUR DIRECTOR: Julie Stephenson WEB: www.obcuestour.com

1. Lisa Marr 200 2. Amanda Lampert 160 3. Belinda Lee 125 4. Jennifer Kraber 100 5. Ashley Nandrasy 80 6. Orietta Strickland 80 7. Tara Williams 65 8. Corina Campbell 65 9. Julie Stephenson 50 10. Lisa Henderson-Major 50

1. Jacqui Herrera 17,500 2. Samantha Patton 16,250 3. Becky Todd 12,750 4. Teresa Gifford 12,500 5. Chelsea Hardwick 12,250 6. Shannon Crosthwaite 10,750 7. Allison Hardwick 8,000 8. Shanna Lewis 6,750 9. Stephanie Goens 6,500 10. Tonya Wiser 5,750

A CLASS

1. Mark Pantovic 320 2. Lionel Rivera 180 3. Dinko Busanick 80 4. Daniel Dagabot 80 5. Tony Liang 80 6. Stewart Warnock 60 7. Steve Wright 60 8. Ariel Rivera 50 9. Greg McAndrews 40 10. Bart Rivezzi 30

Tri-State Tour AREA: N.Y., N.J., Conn. TOUR DIRECTOR: John Leyman WEB: www.thetristatetour.com A DIVISION

AREA: Fla. TOUR DIRECTOR: Natalie Crosby WEB: www.uspoisontour.com

1. Daniel Cintron 585 2. Daniel Dagotbot 380 3. Scott Simonetti 255 4. Justin Muller 5. Geoffrey Bauer 185 6. Mark Pantovic 175 7. Mike Gasper 145 8. David Deserio 130 9. Mike Panzarella 125 10. Wilson Cruz 120

AMATEUR DIVISION

WOMEN’S DIVISION

1. Mike Delawder 575 2. George Saunders 505 3. Bill Stoll 480 4. Eddie Wheat 460 5. Wesley White 430 6. Jimmy Sandaler 400 7. Chip Dickerson 385 8. Dan Dennis 385 9. Louis Altes 385 10. Lincoln Seiffert 355

1. Yomaylin Feliz 375 2. Sandie Patarino 270 3. Rhio Anne Flores 190 4. Tran Tran 180 5. Gail Glazebrook 85 6. Michelle Li 70 7. Neslihan Gurel 65 8. Debra Prichett 60 9. Cyndi Haefner 60 10. Borana Andoni 35

Poison Pool Tour

OPEN DIVISION

1. Tony Crosby 870 2. Mike Davis 720 3. Tommy Kennedy 700 4. Justin Hall 570 5. Louis Altes 470 6. Mike Delawder 440 7. Julio Aquino 355 8. Wesley White 340 9. Han Berber 330 10. Dave Ross 320

MissCues 9-Ball Tour AREA: Ky., Tenn., Ohio TOUR DIRECTOR: Becky Todd WEB: www.wix.com/misscuestour

WEB: www.predator9balltour.com

Predator 9-Ball Tour AREA: N.Y., N.J., Pa. DIRECTOR: Tony Robles

Melling looks to improve his solid standing in Europe.

USBA Tour AREA: U.S. TOUR DIRECTOR: Jim Shovak WEB: www.usba.net

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Jae Hyung Cho 417 Pedro Piedrabuena 382 Hugo Patino 244 Sonny Cho 244 Miguel Torres 206 Mazin Shooni 196 Luis Avila 179 Luis Aveiga 169 9. Michael Kang 160 10. Jim Shovak 156 ASHI FACHLER

tour.com 1. JoAnn Mason Parker 200 2. Chris Ann Fields 140 3. Helene Caukin 120 4. Vanessa Seaver 120 5. Christie Cloke 100 6. Jeannie Seaver 100 7. Jessica Barnes 90 8. Robin Boggs 90 9. Amy Poulter 80 10. Kelly Cavanaugh 80

5. Imran Majid 50 6. Darren Appleton 50 7. James Kay 49 8. Craig Osbourne 48 9. Jayson Shaw 45 10. Phil Buford 42

NW Women’s Pool Assn. AREA: Ore., Wash. TOUR DIRECTOR: Tamré Rogers WEB: nwpatour.wordpress.com

1. Liz Cole 200 2. Kim Jones 160 May 2011

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F ELT F ORUM 1

KEEP IT SMOOTH

Based in Germany, Klingspor makes one of the highest quality sandpapers in the world. Tiger Products has teamed up with them to distribute a fine product for the pool and billiard industry. Most grid types and roll sizes are available. Tiger has purchased a large stock to qualify for the maximum discount, so the savings will trickle down to the customers.

www.tigerproducts.com

TATTOO YOUR CUE

The Cue Tattoo from Castillo Leather Goods is a handcrafted leather cue wrap featuring a wide variety of artful designs. Each pattern is burned into the leather wrap by hand. Wraps generally measure 13.5 by 4.5 inches, but custom-sized items are available to fit your cue.

www.castilloleathergoods.com

BIG IS BEAUTIFUL The ELITE HEAVY, one of PoolDawgâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best-selling break cues, brings a new dimension to your opening salvo. Players are always looking to get a stronger break. If you can handle it, the answer for you may just be Eliteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new Heavy Break Cue. This new product generates power through its hefty weight. Rather than weighing just 20 or 21 ounces, the Heavy tips the scales at approximately 27 ounces. But weight is only part of the story. The cue also features a phenolic tip and ferrule, giving it more thump than your standard playing cue. But buyer beware that this cue is not for everyone. Some leagues have banned this break cue for exceeding weight restrictions.

MAKE IT YOUR OWN

For purchase information: www.pooldawg.com

Want to add a personalized touch to your table? Championship can embroider your rail cloth with any customized message. So if you want to forever remember a special moment or give tribute to a cherished player in your life, contact Championship today.

www.champbilliards.com May 2011

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WHEREVER YOU GO, YOU'LL FIND BILLIARDS DIGEST... Next to the finest in billiards play & products.

ALASKA

DELAWARE

MICHIGAN

SHOOTERS BILLIARD PARLOR 749 W. PARKS HWY. WASILLA, AK

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ALL STATE DARTS & BILLIARDS 14349 TELEGRAPH RD. REDFORD, MI

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FLORIDA

SHARPS BILLIARDS 11888-2 KENAI SPUR HWY. KENAI, AK

ARIZONA VALENTINE SPAS 4490 N. STOCKTON HILL RD. KINGMAN, AZ

ARKANSAS JONES BROS. POOL TABLES 309 W. BROADWAY ST. NORTH LITTLE ROCK, AR

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DORAL BILLIARDS 7800 NW 25TH ST. MIAMI, FL STARCADE BILLIARDS, INC. 34 EGLIN PKWY. FORT WALTON BEACH, FL

DOC’S BOHEMIAN CUE, INC. 8465 PLAZA BLVD. SPRING LAKE PARK, MN

NEVADA

KUE & KAROM BILLIARD SALES 1860 NORTHGATE BLVD. SARASOTA, FL

BILLIARD FACTORY OF NEVADA 7250 W. WASHINGTON #180 LAS VEGAS, NV

ILLINOIS

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CHRIS’S BILLIARDS 4637 N. MILWAUKEE AVE. CHICAGO, IL

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CITY POOL HALL 640 W. HUBBARD ST. CHICAGO, IL

OLHAUSEN GAME ROOMS INC. 5620-B KEARNY MESA RD. SAN DIEGO, CA

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NEW YORK GOTHAM CITY BILLIARD CLUB 93 AVENUE U BROOKLYN, NY AMSTERDAM BILLIARD CLUB 110 E. 11TH ST. NEW YORK, NY

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CUE TIME 532 THREE SPRINGS RD. BOWLING GREEN, KY

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BAY RIDGE BILLIARDS 505 COVINGTON AVE. BROOKLYN, NY

DOT’S CUE CLUB 2460 N. RALEIGH ST. ROCKY MOUNT, NC

MARYLAND

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CHARLIE’S PRO SHOP 2401-G NORTH POINT BLVD. BALTIMORE, MD

ONE BILLIARDS 1022 E. LANSING AVE. BROKEN ARROW, OK

Q-SPOT BILLIARDS 6149 E. 31ST ST. TULSA, OK

OREGON RACK ’EM BILLIARDS 40 N. RIVERSIDE AVE. MEDFORD, OR

PENNSYLVANIA TACONY PRO SHOP 6201 KEYSTONE ST. PHILADELPHIA, PA ROYAL BILLIARDS 2622 BETHLEHEM PIKE HATFIELD, PA

SOUTH CAROLINA CHARLESTON BILLIARDS AND CUE CO. 7685 NORTHWOODS BLVD. CHARLESTON, SC

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May 2011

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Tips & Shafts

George Fels

SAVE THE LAST TRANCE FOR ME N MAKING my dazzling cover debut last fall, my “30 + 1” playing-tips section included this mention: Try chalking your cue with the hand you don’t normally use. It was just one of several suggestions for attaining short-term improvement through reasonable change (such as playing rhythm, length of bridge, speed of stroke, etc.). But the next thing I knew, there was a five-page thread in one of the cue games’ best-known online forums as people debated my innocent tip and what was behind it. “How do I get the last two hours of my life back?” queried one poster. Another suggested I had fallen prey to the dreaded “analysis paralysis.” But the only reason I reprised that suggestion — I first offered it in 1981 — was, again, that it’s a fairly simple way of tapping into both sides of the brain. Which, in turn, is something that has to happen if you hope to achieve the fabled “dead stroke.” The five-part series I wrote on the subject back then (don’t worry; I won’t get nostalgic on you. All I remember is that The Police were very big, and I didn’t have much hair then either) was, to my knowledge, the first writing ever to propose how you might go about achieving the hyper-elusive state. But that series (begun in our July/ August ’81 issue, if you want specifics; the magazine was published semi-monthly then) didn’t make me the first author to tackle that subject. Here’s what the great John Grissim had to say, roughly two years before me, in his brilliant book “Billiards: Hustlers & Heroes, Legends & Liars, and The Search for Higher Truth on the Green Felt”: “I moved on to the next shot, feeling my concentration gather effortlessly into focus. My field of vision seemed to encompass the entire table. For the next few minutes I not only did not miss a ball but never gave the possibility a thought. I ran a 23, my highest ever run for money. I felt exhilaration and a kind of muscular certitude that my participation in the act of pocketing balls was as immutable as the laws governing spheres in motion. I lost track of time, of my presence of mind, of the loud rock music blaring over the room’s PA speakers. Here was the innermost limit of pure fun. I was lost in the land of dead stroke. “…The trance sensations players describe are identical: bullet-proof concentration, total absorption in the game, self-forgetfulness, a fantastic good feeling and no sense of the passage of time. Sounds like what Eastern mystics have known for years… Trance states, of course, may be achieved through any focused activity, especially those in which concentration and physical self-mastery are elements… One or two articulate players claim there are rare moments when the play of the game explodes into a transcendent reality with a limitless horizon, rather like having one’s skull fall away, leaving free an all-seeing eye. Short of that, one may still have the more commonly

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experienced sensation of simply being really ON.” As informed as that view is, there’s little point in considering who was first to write, or write instructionally, on that subject, between John and me. The fact is, we were both scooped, and by close to 20 years, by the late and immortal Walter Tevis, whose value to our entire industry has long since ceased to be calculable. This is from his peerless “The Hustler,” describing the first encounter between Eddie and Fats: “Then Eddie started winning. He felt it start in the middle of a game, began to feel the sense he sometimes had of being a part of the table and of the balls and of the cue stick. The stroke of his arm seemed to travel on oiled bearings; and each muscle of his body was alert, sensitive to the game and the movement of the balls, sharply aware of how every ball would roll, of how, exactly, every shot must be made… someone turned off all the lights except those over the table that they were playing on and the background of Bennington’s vanished, leaving only the faces of the crowd around the table, the green of the cloth of the table, and the now sharply etched, clean, blackshadowed balls, brilliant against the green. The balls had sharp, jeweled edges; the cue ball itself was a milk-white jewel and it was a magnificent thing to watch the balls roll and to know beforehand where they were going to roll. Nothing could be so clear or so simple or so excellent to do. And there was no limit to the shots that could be made. Fats’ game … was brilliant, fantastically good, but Eddie was beating him now, playing an incredible game, a game that he felt he had known all of his life, that he would play when the right time came. There was no better time than this.” Some players, including Hall of Famer Lou Butera, have tried hypnotherapy (Google my old buddy Ryan Elliott if you’re interested in that; he specializes in pool players). Others, who shall remain nameless, have turned to chemical warfare of all sorts. And yet picking up mercury with a butter knife is easier than slipping into that damned trance. If the above has you salivating to get to the table, the least I can do after teasing you so is to offer two more possible techniques that might help you enter the magic kingdom: 1) Include a few (say, five to 10) opposite-handed shots in your practice routine. Vary when you shoot them (first, last, interspersed, etc.), and keep them easy. 2) Set a row of three (more if you like) balls in the exact center of the table, the long way. Using draw, pocket them in sequence in the same side pocket. I make no guarantees, naturally; I shall indemnify no losses. But a fortunate segment of you will soon wonder, “Now how did that old coot know that?”

May 2011

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