So it’s Friday night, and you’re out on the town with your mates. You’re well dressed and you’ve had a few drinks. Isn’t life grand? You puff away on your cigarette, sipping a pint, and round the pool table considering your next shot. You are keenly aware of the gorgeous woman sitting at the bar, watching your every move. Follow these pool rules, and show her that you are as slick as your slicked-back hair!
Now you may be wondering who gets to break? The traditional way of determining who gets to break is a method called “lagging". Both players line up their ball at the head string (the line on the table). Shoot your ball to the far rail, and bank it straight back towards yourself without touching the rail you are standing closest to. Have your opponent do the same. Whoever has the ball closest to the rail, without touching it, gets to break. Hitting a side rail is an immediate disqualification.
When you are racking the balls, they should be frozen or touching slightly. The lead ball must be on the foot spot (the dot on the felt). The “8" ball must be in the center of the racked balls. The white or “cue" ball must be located behind the head string. When breaking, you want to use enough power to split the balls. Ideally you want to sink a couple balls, preferably one of either “solids" or “stripes". This way you have the option of shooting for any ball on the table during your next shot. If you “scratch", or sink the white ball off the break, it automatically becomes your opponents turn.
The object of the game is to sink all of your balls before your opponent, and then sink the “8" ball in the pocket you have indicated. Take your time and line up your shots properly. Try not to use too much power when shooting. Yeah…..it looks cool to hit them hard, but it’s not exactly cool to miss your shot. Try to take your easiest shots first, and try not to leave your opponent with clear shots. Try to use a proper stance when shooting, and bow your head to be in line with the cue. Your best bet is to simply practice on your own, before you go out and play competitively. Be careful playing in bars too, as you might get hustled. Now be a good sport, go introduce yourself to that babe at the bar!
Nathaniel Jacobson lives and works in NYC. When he is not playing pool in a smoky bar trying to impress women, he does freelance writing for a number of websites including http://www.pooltablesandbilliardgames.com – a site dedicated to billiards, with information about on pool balls, pool cues, lighting for pool tables and more.
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Article added to SearchWarp.com on Wednesday, October 05, 2005 View other articles written by Nathaniel Jacobson(101)
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