Any TBH Billiards Players?

[MadHatter]

Man you done gone and skeered me with all that pool info. I got me an ol 1980s Mucci poker to hit balls with. Bought me a custom OB Diablo with a rare #1plus shaft pro tapered to 13mm. Low deflection after shooting a high deflection 9.5mm shaft. Hated it. Played a Predator full carbon shaft. Hit great but just didnt have the feel of that limber old hoe handle . I'm back to th ge Mucci with a medium soft.

I'll never be all great. im too old and my back is bad. I will play you left handed though. 500 bucks race to ten if you give me 4 on the wire.

A red dot Meucci is one of the greatest cues in existence.
Ole Bob built a unique niche for himself in the pool community.
As did Royce Bunnell, the original owner of OB, prior to his untimely death.
He was a personal friend, and I busted a many OB-1 for him, when he was trying to figure out how to glue all that laminate together, and keep it from busting apart.
And you will have to try better than that!
I've seen plenty a old man, with a old worn out Meucci, shoot the nuts off balls, and leave with the cash .
Do you know what a good player looks like, cuz I dam sure don't

[MadHatter]

dumb question: why do guys put chalk on the cue after every shot? what does the chalk do?

Creates friction between the ball, and the tip.
If you don't have enough friction, the tip won't hold in that millisecond of contact, it will slip.
Only applys though when you hit off the center axis(english).
The game of pool can be played almost entirely without English.
If you hit center ball on every shot, chalk is not needed.
Most people never learn this, and their game develops around always spinning the ball in some fashion.
English is essential from the top to the bottom, but is not needed for 90% of all shots.

[GarGuy]

We just reclothed and new raiks on all our diamond pro/ams saturday. Come on over to Lufkin and we will hit a few. Deer season over and im out of practice

[bboswell]

At the moment you have no clue what you are looking for .
Just because it cost money, doesn't mean you will like it or if you will keep it.
All this depends almost entirely on how you good you plan on becoming, or how much time you want to put into it.
Pool takes immense amounts of dedication, of which only a very select few find time for.
It's the arrow not the Indian.
A cue will never make you play better, period.
The greatest that have ever roamed America were known for playing off the wall.
McCready(Color of Money Character), Hall, Varner, Strickland, and of course Reyes, of which there's no better example.
It didn't matter if the cue was crooked, the tip was good, or what it weighed.
A little chalk, between the leather and the ball, is all that is needed.
Many are famous for betting on their ability to play entire sets without ever chalking, so there's that.
All that to say, no cue will ever help you put more English on a ball, no matter what any one ever tells you.
Your stroke is what controls it all.
Nothing in the game matters except the stroke.
Find it, and the cuts, the straight in shots, the banks, they all follow suite naturally, as a result of rote memory.
You can labor for yrs in all that crap about aiming systems, and angles, and Yada Yada Yada, but it all bows to the stroke.
As mentioned Azbilliards is a great source, I've been on there since the beginning.
A wealth of information, and everything you ever thought of asking is there.
They also have a politics section, that is like ours,....aflame...
Much like this site, in many way, a little more free speech as far as cussing, be warned.
Pool can get serious .
Some really good people and good community.
They are pool in a sense.
But if you want to jump into cues, the latest rage is Carbon fiber. Wood has been thrown to the side, in favor of new technology and market hype.
Predator is at the top of their game, but like many companies(Arcteryx), you are going to also pay for the name.
Almost every one is playing with a carbon shaft, screwed to their favorite butt.
Pin size can be mixed and matched to any size anything.
If you want old school wood, but production and cheap, Lucassi is a favorite of mine.
Played for years with some of the older McDermott Masters series(wood to wood) and they were jam up.
Mezz is making nice production cues also.
Production is slowed across the board though and pool is taking a huge hit from covid.
I'm sure availability is scarce.
Players are not playing as the big tournaments have all had to cancel.
From there you can look into semi-custom cues, depending on how you class them.
Schon as always is holding the of the top spots if not the top spot.
Hard to go wrong there.
OB is making some new stuff, that is much better since Royce died.
2 buyouts, and a few greedy people later, they finally seem to be on the right track.
If you want custom it's hard to beat Huebler, Bloodworth or Olivier.
Some of my favorites and from right here in Texas.
Check out Samsara, amazing cue, old school design, and a pleasure to play with.
Taper if a very individual thing, you'll know it when you find it.
If you decide to go new school, it's like swapping parts on a AR.
Some guy's have 5 different playing shafts, 3 break shafts, 4 butts, 6 kinds of chalk, and 2 jump cues, rags, shapers, and scuffers, and to tote it around, requires something like a golf a bag.
For the entirety of pool, up until 20 yrs or so ago, 1 player had 1 cue, when he stepped up.
He brought skill, stamina, and a unbelievable amount of heart to the table.
Probably alot of whiskey as well
Nowadays there are million gimmicks that improve nothing.
If your end goal is to become better as mentioned, and your current cue isn't crooked, I wouldn't change it.
When you become proficient enough to play the ghost to a 5 or 6, then you can start thinking about a new cue.
Until then you are just guessing as far as feel, etc..
Over time(enough of it lol) your stroke improves, the feel changes, the hit changes, and you realize this cue sucks.
A cue can become a crutch real quick, don't fall into that wormhole, if skill is the end goal.
Sorry for the rant!
I love the game, it's been a mind consuming, 25 yr love affair.
There is nothing quite like it, when you become proficient enough to delve into the infinite possibilities it offers.

Interesting to see progression in cues, I still have my old McDermott and my old Sneaky Pete.

That Pete took many a dollar on bar room tables in the day.

Definitely had to switch rules/tactics between tournament and bar play though

[GarGuy]

Interesting to see progression in cues, I still have my old McDermott and my old Sneaky Pete.

That Pete took many a dollar on bar room tables in the day.

Definitely had to switch rules/tactics between tournament and bar play though

I shot a McDermot for many years. Still a bunch of Sneaky Petes around too. Look like an old house cue.

[MadHatter]

We just reclothed and new raiks on all our diamond pro/ams saturday. Come on over to Lufkin and we will hit a few. Deer season over and im out of practice

We definitely gotta do it .
Make it a live hunt
And I have cobb webbs growing on my cues, so don't tell me how rusty YOU are .
My 2 favorite places have closed permanently since the chynaaa virus hit.

[GarGuy]

We definitely gotta do it .
Make it a live hunt
And I have cobb webbs growing on my cues, so don't tell me how rusty YOU are .
My 2 favorite places have closed permanently since the chynaaa virus hit.

Well I have a private spot.... its closed to the public but I have a key.
These are not sloppy pocket bar tables. Be warned. Let's set a date .

[tmurray]

"Indian not the arrow" ^^^^^
That was bad one to screw up..

I knew what you meant

Thanks for all the info. I'm still probably gonna buy a stick just cause I want to

I like the idea of keeping my stick aside so no kids grab it and jack it up, a stick that I can shape the tip my own way and just have some consistency with. I know you said it's not worth it right now as I should be off the wall, and I believe you, but I'm probably still gonna buy one lol.

[SRK14]

Well I have a private spot.... its closed to the public but I have a key.
These are not sloppy pocket bar tables. Be warned. Let's set a date .

Ole garguy may be a sleeper! Better come prepared MadHatter.[emoji57]

[MadHatter]

I knew what you meant

Thanks for all the info. I'm still probably gonna buy a stick just cause I want to

I like the idea of keeping my stick aside so no kids grab it and jack it up, a stick that I can shape the tip my own way and just have some consistency with. I know you said it's not worth it right now as I should be off the wall, and I believe you, but I'm probably still gonna buy one lol.

No worries, everyone does .
Now what tip are you going to put on it?
That's as bad as what broadhead to shoot

[MadHatter]

Well I have a private spot.... its closed to the public but I have a key.
These are not sloppy pocket bar tables. Be warned. Let's set a date .

I understand Diamonds very well .
Never seen a sloppy one.
Let's shoot for the end of Feb, that should give me long enough to plan something.
I don't play pool in a mask for any amount of money .
Not sure how ya'll run things down there

[MadHatter]

Ole garguy may be a sleeper! Better come prepared MadHatter.[emoji57]

I'm banking on it!!
Anyone you've never seen play, should be of great concern .
Underestimate no one in this game, because it does not require the same prerequisites as most other sports.
It does not require you to be in good shape, young or old, short or tall, male or female.

[SRK14]

I'm banking on it!!
Anyone you've never seen play, should be of great concern .
Underestimate no one in this game, because it does not require the same prerequisites as most other sports.
It does not require you to be in good shape, young or old, short or tall, male or female.

Is their any good places to play around Texarkana? Other than the usual dives such as shooters?

[GarGuy]

Ole garguy may be a sleeper! Better come prepared MadHatter.[emoji57]

I'm not a sleeper. Really I'm a beginner now. I played baby years ago but due to ruined discs in my back and neck, it's impossible to turn right. Im learning to shoot left handed.

Im a solid "a" player. Not a monster but I really enjoy trying to improve my lefty game.

[MadHatter]

Is their any good places to play around Texarkana? Other than the usual dives such as shooters?

Nah man, that's a dead place, for the most part.
Remember the Branch Office days
The Moose lodge has a tournament on Wed, the Elks have tables, as well as the VFW.
There was a place out Summerhill that 2 diamonds bar boxes but haven't been there in 3 yrs or so.
Do you know Yang(yangsta the gangsta)?
Really cool Asian guy, frequents shooters, and probably the best player you will see around there.
He's good as gold, and if you like pool, he's in the center of everything pool related around those parts.
He won't be hard to find, and can point you to private rooms and tables.
Last time I was in shooters, they had the simonis on that 9ft pulled so tight, it was like playing on glass!!