269 booths have been booked (the data is deadline on Dec.7th  ,2009). It is a great possability that all 500 booths may be filled by the start of the exhibition.  The organising committe is striving to make sure that as many people as possible attend.

So far 15 international associations have supported and cooperated with GBE, including World Pool-Billard Association (WPA) and 14 other international associations.

Looking forward to seeing you there.

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Looking forward to speaking with you.

The website owner states that it will be available by October 2009 and not the date stated on the website (typo)

Take a look here:

http://www.snookerlessons.com/

This is a limited time offer.

Thanks

The Management

Make a definite plan of how you will take on the game.  Think several shots ahead.  Most pro’s will tell you the whole game
has already been played out in their mind before the play a shot.

Start off by thinking two shots ahead then three and so on.  This way you can change to this new way of playing without going the whole
distance in one go.

Some of the benefits of this way of thinking are:
* Greater awareness of the table
* Thinking of a correct order in which the balls should be potted
* It help you think of a game plan which you will play against your opponent e.g. more defensive game etc

I never ran a rack until I played the game this way.  I remember the first time I made a complete clearance of all 8 balls in competition, Wow!

Make them play the game your way.

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The standard length of a cue is around fifty-eight inches and the recommended weight should be not more than seventeen ounces. Snooker cue tip vary in sizes but 10 millimeters is taken to be the standard size. Although experts use 9mm and 11mm tip sizes, it is best to learn the game in a 10mm tip size. At the end of the cue a ferrule remains attached so that it can prevent the tip from splitting.

Most of the Snooker cue tips nowadays are made from various types of leather, the process manufacturing of which is still a very well kept secret.

Various pieces of equipment are available for cue tip fitting.  There are various vice grips, sanding pads, tip glue etc.  It’s best to experiment to find a system that works for you.

Hard tips are really good to use but it ’s a players personal preference which tips are best.

Here are some very popular cue tips,

-Elk Master is a fine tip made by Tweeten and it is regarded as the most popular soft cue tip across the globe.  This is one of the most popular tips for snooker.

-LePro is one of the most popular cue tip used across the world. This is a medium hard tip.

-Moori is a type of a layered cue tip. This cue tip manufactured from pigskin. This is the choice of the professionals. It is available in all types such as hard, medium, and soft.  Layered tips give a different feel and consistency of shot.

The billiard drills can teach you how to get into the mind of your opponent. The constant practice will hone up your skills as an accurate billiard player. These billiard drills are actually a plan about playing a series of successful shots in order to have the larger share of the score. The plan is to hit the balls in such as way that the cue ball is well placed for your next shot. In professional billiards this is regarded as the single most element of success. Being a beginner you can learn to play billiards like a professional, if you can spend sometime everyday on the practicing the billiards drills.

The billiard drills can provide with the special tips, help you to be patient and relax while you are in a shot. But the last word is always the practice. The more you practice, more you improvise on your skill. Once you are sure about your techniques, practice them and you can see yourself succeeding in this skill.

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Photo © Duncan Noakes - Fotolia.com

If you are one of those who have a knack for hitting the bulls eye every time, you can take a shot at artistic or fantasy billiards. Accuracy and precision rule the roost in the game. There are a total of 500 points up for grabs. Depending upon the difficulty level of hitting each shot, points are assigned to each of the shots. For a comparatively easier shot, a maximum of four points can be scored. If you manage to take a clean strike at the most difficult shot, you gather 11 points in your kitty.

Your cue is your tool to success. A player can use a maximum of twenty different kinds of cues, each of them designed to hit from a particular position. With a whole range of improvised shotmaking techniques in your armor, you can emerge as a successful player.

Apart from playing the game earnestly, you also need to take care of certain finer points. For example, joining a club of professional billiards players or interacting with state level players would give you an insight on how the game is played on professional level. Participating in tournaments that attract maximum viewer attention and are extensively covered by international channels like World 8-Ball Championship, 9-Ball Challenge and U.S Open One Pocket Championship and is the perfect way to enter the realm of professional billiards.

Professional billiards players look up to a win in any of these tournaments. You also tend to earn respect amongst the followers of the game. Following the career of these players would give you an idea about how to chalk out your career plan and go about it. Finally but most importantly there is no other alternative to continuous practice and it is the key to becoming a professional billiards player.

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Lets take, for example, the ball sets used for snooker games. The standard snooker balls measure 52.5 mm in diameter, however some balls also measure 52.4 mm. They have no standard weights, however, they usually weigh around 3 g. On the other hand, for a game of three-cushion, straight or balkline, you need balls that are 61.5 mm in diameter.

If you specialize in the game of Russian pyramid, you need to use a different set of billiards balls (with 68 or 72 mm diameter) from those used in Bumper pool (balls with 52.5 mm diameter). The blackball (British-style pool) uses 4.76 cm cue balls and 5.08 cm object balls, while the American-style pool uses balls with 5.715 cm in diameter.

Do you know how the balls where initially manufactured? They were fashioned out of ivory from elephant tusks. However, today phenolic resin is the most common material used for manufacturing these balls.

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The popular billiard drill practices are:
When the ball is thrown on the table, in any order, you should run 100 balls consecutively.
You need to run 100 balls without making a miss without allowing the cue ball in touching a rail.
Running three successive sets of 13-ball exercise without a single miss
Running three successive sets of 12 ball exercise without any miss
Running one set of the 14-ball exercise without making a miss
Scoring a 16 or higher in the 8-ball mid term exam
Scoring a 16 or higher count in 9-ball-mid –term exam
Shooting 100 stop shots, keeping apart 3-4 diamonds into pocket of the corner without making any miss
Delivering 20 successful stun shots without making any miss
Delivering15 uninterrupted 2-7-2’s, connecting the diamonds, and stopping the cue ball within a CD diameter of the center of the table
Shooting all lessons from the Lesson in order with maximum five misses
Shooting 25 sets of the 4-ball exercise without making any mistake in the session

These practice drills will ensure a consistence in performance and ideal technique for the beginners as well as for the average players. We cannot count the masters for their practice skill because they are genius and genius designs his own way to practice.

For more info please take a look at www.themonk.com/

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What are your difficult balls, where are they at and what will it take to sort these situations out.

On your opening shot after the break take a good look arond the table.  Are there any balls stuck to a rail,
blocked by other balls or locked in a cluster.  How can you make these situations good. Can you cannon these balls
after a pot.  Will they free up with a small nudge or will it take a larger impact to make the shot.
Will the opponent do this for you.  If they need to free their own balls from your then why not let them do it.  Makes sense.

On the practice table try pocketing one ball and making an impact with another.  It takes practice at first but then you start
to get a feel for the shot.

Remove the difficult balls then you have a real chance at the run out.  Balance the game, don’t let the opponent take the initiative.

Make them play the game your way

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Russian Pyramid billiards is played with 16 balls, of them 15 ivory-white in color and 1 red that serves as the cue ball with which the game starts. The balls are of 68 mm or 71 mm diameter. The standard size of the table used for this game is 12 ft, however, you can also play it on 7 ft, 8 ft or 9 ft table.

You need to choose an opponent if you are interested in trying out Russian Pyramid, or if you have a group of friends, divide them into two teams and start playing. The pockets on the table are only 2-4 mm larger than the balls. So be careful when hitting a ball, a foul could cost you a loss of a hard-earned win.

You can win a game of Russian Pyramid billiards after you have pocketed 8 balls.

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First billiard cues saw the sunlight in 17th century. When players hit the ball with the plain wood, they felt the need of control. Then the tips were introduced in 19th century by Francoise Mingaud. In 1845, Brunswick made the first cue of billiard for itself. These cues were carved out of maple, ebony and rosewood. European antique cues are very popular and preferred. France and Germany set their standard in making cues by using exotic woods and stylish makes.

There are certain key features that boast of their being antique. First of all, their handles. There would be intricate work. Many high-profile and sophisticated cues come with expensive inlays made of gold, silver or mother of pearl. Their packaging and presentation is impressive as well. They come wrapped in silk like material.

These beautiful billiard props are good collectibles. The antique pool cues enhance your social value when collectors put them in their billiard room for display.

In carom billiards, balls are not numbered and 61.5 mm in diameter. Here four/three balls are played with two red object balls and one white/yellow cue ball for each player. American style pool balls are larger than British pool balls and are widely used worldwide. These are 2.25cm in diameter with 0.005cm tolerance, colored and numbered. Typically there are nine-ball or eight-ball games played by fifteen balls in pocket billiards. In a British style blackball game 5.08 cm object balls and 4.76 cm cue balls are used but without any numbering. Twenty two colored balls of same weight and of 52.5 mm diameter (tolerance 0.05mm) are played in snooker.

In Russian Pyramid and Finnish Kaisa games, all-white numbered object balls are played by yellow/red cue balls. These balls are 68 mm or 72 mm in diameter. Bumper pool requires eight object balls and two special balls of approximately 52.5mm diameter. Also there are some special training balls for beginners and novelty balls like Blacklight, Boble ball, Tag ball etc.

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However, if a vacuum cleaner is not readily available then you can definitely opt for a pool table brush which will serve the purpose temporarily. A brush must be available in a game room since it is capable of getting rid of the dust left behind by the chalks and the talcum on the pool table. If you want the table to be absolutely free from dirt then it is recommended that you use both the soft bristle brush and the vacuum consecutively. Moreover, to get the maximum output you must brush it near the pockets and from one end to another.

It is always safe to use the brush that came with your table while purchasing the product. You need to vacuum the cloth and iron it properly to get the maximum performance out of it. Finally to avoid such circumstances covering of the pool table with a cover is highly recommended.

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First of all, billiard practice techniques are categorized into two parts-pool specific and game specific. Let’s start with pool specific methods. Here you have to keep your head down when you are shooting the pool. Your eye should aim direct over the shooting pool cue so that you can take the right sight down the stick’s shaft. It will help you to see right down the shot path and then aim.

Remember to follow through your own shots when you are playing. Take strokes that are long and smooth and allow the cue tip to follow through the cue ball. Avoid small choppy strokes. It will help to make your own shoots much straighter. You require to chalk the cup tip before each shot as it offers better grip and stops miscues. Concentrate and avoid all types of distractions to give your best.

The game specific tips says to avoid the bank shots as they are difficult than cut shots, plan your shots as 8 ball game is more of positioning your shots. Opt for hard break shots that provide you advantage to shoot balls on break. You can try to hit the cue ball from the side of the game table. Try to place cue ball in a better spot that helps you to make the next shot easily. Moreover, observing experienced players will help you to select particular shots.

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For practice drills you can improve certain shots namely cue ball concentration, cross table speed, short area draw, short position draw, long and straight, aiming, follow shots, squirt and masse shot.   Most skill shots require a lot of practice.

In practice drill sessions you will get a fair opportunity to practice the shots and understand the technicalities involved in the game. For instance if you wish to perfect your skill then you can aim for killing the perfect cue ball. You can aim the first ball in the string and hit the cue ball through a straight shot.

All the above mentioned shots have their special and particular techniques which you have to master before you can become a great billiard player. The short position draw is another shot in which you need to hit the shorter ball in the string. Once you become an expert then you will be able to execute the drill without hitting the cue ball on the bottom cushion.

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Following are the essential tips for becoming a professional billiards player –

Tip # 1 Practice. The first tip definitely is your dedication, sincerity and hard work. World champions like Francisco Bustamante and Efren Reyes are known to practice for long hours, sometimes stretching even 10 to 12 hours.

Tip # 2 Not only practicing, you need to study the other professionals as well. Make yourself acquainted with the world champions, with their playing style, their special talent, their game plan, their career plan and their lifestyle. Make yourself one such a holistic plan.

Tip # 3 Now you are enough prepared to make your appearance. Join pool league. Develop a network. Test yourself at regional and local levels.

Tip # 4 At the next level, take part in high profile matches. Contests like World 8 Ball Championship or ESPN’s Ultimate 9 Ball Challenge will definitely build your image as a professional. If you win, then you definitely are.

Tip # 5 Last but not the least, be an opinion leader. Master your game and reflect your wisdom in your lifestyle and living.

This tests how well you can handle difficult shots with 76 pre-set shots. The perfect execution of the most difficult shot has 11 point, where 4 point is given to the perfect execution of the least difficult shots. Thus total of 500 points you can score in 76 shots.

The shot-making techniques of this game require you to have high skill, patience, analysis, logic, and artistic talent. There are definite postures exclusively for artistic billiards, not found in other types. Few of the most used game techniques are masse, force draws, jumps, force follows, kicking etc.

There are around 20 cues available. You can choose one from them depending upon the shot you require. For a tip, try masse with short and light cue that has a flat, hard and wide cue tip. Each shot is given three chances to perform.

So if you want to test how special you are, and how well you understand this game, go for artistic billiards. It would be the ultimate assessment of your talent and skill

How hard do you hit the object balls into the pockets?

Sure, it looks good to hammer them home into the pocket but what if you miss?
the balls have the tendency to go everywhere, making it a real possibility for the opponent to take control.

There are 3 main reason to use just the right amount of speed on a cueball:

1) To stay in control of the game.  Scattering every ball just aint being in control
2) Should you miss, you park the balls over a pocket and then you will also block that pocket for your opponent
3) These ‘locked pocket’ balls offer a ‘get out of jail’ shot should you run out of position.

Make them play the game your way

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There are different variations of Russian pyramid played. However, the most common of them are Free Pyramid or American Pyramid, Combined Pyramid or Moscow Pyramid and Dynamic or Petersburg Pyramid. All three games are played with white balls which are racked on the table in the shape of pyramid. The opening player hits this pyramid with the cue ball.

Thumb rule for all three games is that all eight balls must be pocketed in order to win the game. But in case of American pyramid, the players can use any ball as the cue one. However, in Moscow and Petersburg pyramid only one ball can be used as cue. After scoring when the player pockets the ball, he or she must remove one white ball from the table. In Moscow Pyramid, the cue ball is placed in baulk and player needs to pocket the balls only in far corner and side. And in Petersburg pyramid, the cue ball can be placed at any part of pool table by the player, but cue ball may not be pocketed.

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Billiards lighting is available in a vast array of designs, materials and styles.  Billiards light shades are available in chrome, brass, glass, fiberglass and different other materials.  You also will have the choice of different shapes and sizes available.

There are quite a few companies out there which provide their customers with the option of having customized billiard lights. The lights are available in both traditional and contemporary styles to suit every ones requirement. Some of the well-known and popular types of billiard lightings include classic Tiffany style, Stained glass fixtures, Hand crafted designs, hand painted designs, single light pendants, hood type lights, bar type lights, hanging lights and many more.

Billiards lighting can be artistically used to create a dramatic effect on the billiard game room. Whether you want a traditional or a contemporary look, billiard lights can be used experimentally and creatively to make the perfect ambiance.

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]]> http://www.billiardclick.com/?feed=rss2&p=223 http://www.billiardclick.com/?p=216 http://www.billiardclick.com/?p=216#comments Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:05:29 +0000 tabletalker http://www.billiardclick.com/?p=216 Everyone would love to run an 8ball rack every game.  Although its unlikely to happen every single game we can at least increase our chances, increasing our winning margin in the process.

Strategy no.1 - Not leaving an open shot for your opponent

Every shot you play in a game has two purposes.  The first purpose being pot a ball and the second to make sure that you have not left an opportunity for the opponent should you miss.  Its a sort of yin/wang of the pool world.

When you fully commit to a shot without at least an idea of safety then you are leaving the gate open for your opponent to win.  I’m not saying that we can manage to play every shot with safety but the greater the amount of shots played that way then the greater our chances of winning.  You’ll see the safety shot a lot more toward end-game when players are trying to give it their all not to lose, but why not play these shots from the start.  It will always force the opponent to think, taking them out of their confident zone.

Make them play the game your way.

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Cue Tips
When you’re busy playing a game there’s no more that a little thought that goes towards the humble pool cue tip.  The poor tip is relegated to the back of your mind as you waltz around the table, yet remain so reliant on its performance.

Take a look at the image.  This is an image looking down onto a tip from above, scanned at x32 on an electron microscope.  Its amazing to see such detail.  Notice all the tiny cracks on the fibrous surface.  This is the bare surface of which the chalk will adhere to.  The chalk acts to keep these fibers from being impacted, thus keeping friction between cuetip and ball.  If you’re a greatly visual person like me then this post will help you to think why chalking needs to take place.  Next time spare a thought for the humble tip.

Image courtesy of www.8ballsecrets.com

Joining a Pool Team
A brilliant way of improving your skills is to join a team.  When doing this consider what stage you are at and what you wish to gain.  In the beginning it may be an idea to find a team that likes to win but does not take it too seriously.  You can have a lot of fun while improving your game.  If you want something more competitive in the future you can alway look around for another team to join and with your new skills they will all be queing up to take you on!

Have fun!

photo © Vitaly Maksimchuk - Fotolia.com

Pool Tips for Absolute Beginners - Article 1

Pool Cues
This is a matter of preference and a very individual thing.  I would advise that you begin by using a ‘house cue’ until you get a feel for the game.  Once you feel you are progressing visit a sports store and try out their cues.  If you are playing with friends have a go of their cues to find out what you like.  You can also visit websites and check out what they have to offer. If you find a cue you like it always pays to shop around to get the best deal.

Chalk
You should also make sure you have a supply of chalk to put on your cue tip.  The rule of thumb with this is to chalk up after every shot.  This will reduce the likelihood of bad contacts and increase your accuracy in the shots you make.  Be consistent now, it will pay off in the long run.

Invest in a Good Instructional book
This kind of book should be dipped into when you want to improve a certain area of your game.  Invaluable knowledge can be gained from a little reading now and then.

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