9ballpool.com Blog

World Cup Of Pool Victory For USA

2008-11-02T15:28:00.000-08:00

On 12 October the USA claimed its first ever victory at the World Cup of Pool Title.

Team USA's victorious World Cup of Pool pair Rodney Morris and Shane van Boening were clearly proud at becoming the first American players to win the prestigious team trophy. Morris and van Boening defeated Daryl Peach and Mark Gray from the English team (score 11-7) in a thrilling final at the Outland nightclub in Rotterdam, Holland.

"This is a major tournament, a world event, a world title, so to win this is just awesome," said Morris."We didn't perform at our best in the beginning of the tournament but that's why we were seeded and we felt good and gelled nicely. Shane is a good partner because he never misses. I think we peaked at the right time and got a nice rhythm. Shane got me playing a little smarter and tighter and got me concentrating. It's more special for me to see Shane win and I was trying hard not to let him down. I'm just happy we made it and it's a relief. I didn't want to let my team down and that keeps me tight."

This was the first time that Shane van Boening had represented the USA in this tournament and he strongly felt that he and Morris had made their own bit of history.

"Winning this means we are the first American team to win it and that really means something," said van Boening. "We didn't know each other very well at the start but we got along well and had a good time. We're looking forward to coming back next year and defending our title".

A Tribute To Paul Newman & "Fast Eddie Felsen"

2008-10-24T14:48:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest movie stars ever to grace the screen, Paul Newman passed away at his home on 27th September 2008 aged 83. He will be sorely missed by movie fans the world over.

Paul Newman will always have a place in the hearts of pool fans too - his portrayal of "Fast Eddie Felsen" in not just one but two fantastic movies ("The Hustler" and "The Color of Money") is unquestionably the best and most powerful of its kind ever carried off by an actor. The highs and lows of the life of a hustling pool player will never be better portrayed. There's no doubt too that Paul Newman had to have a soft spot for pool himself in order to play the part.

Most pool fans know "The Hustler" particularly well because no less than the legendary Willie Mosconi acted as Newman's advisor on the set in order to get him into the part. Willie also had a small cameo in the movie - again most pool players and pool fans already know that. It's one of the things you await eagerly as the movie progresses.

His company Newmans Own is perhaps the best 'yardstick' by which to judge Paul Newman - for he was not just a man, not just a movie star but an incredibly compassionate human being who wanted to help those less fortunate than himself. Through that company he managed to generate no less than $250 million in proceeds that have since gone to benefit thousands of charities all over the world. Watch this wonderful, heart-warming video in memory of Paul Newman's charitable work.

On flickr.com there is a special "RIP Paul Newman" gallery - view the photos here

Watch Willie Mosconi on youtube performing trick shots in 1987

Alex Pagulayan beats Mika Immonen to win the 2008 PartyPoker.net World 9 Ball Pool Masters

2008-10-13T00:16:00.000-07:00

As we begin to approach the end of the year, many people start to reflect on interesting and important events and in 9 ball pool, it was perhaps the 2008 PartyPoker.net World Pool Masters that provided one of the year's highlights for pool fans. In a tense thriller match, Alex Pagulayan came from behind to beat Mika Immonen 8-6 in front of a full crowd at the Riviera Hotel, Las Vegas.

Pagalayan was 6-3 down at one stage in the match and looked to be in real trouble but things turned in his favour after Immonen made an illegal break pocketing a ball but failing to carry two other balls past the headstring.

From this point onwards, Pagulayan cleared to table to gain the necessary momentum and gained in confidence during the closing stages to take victory.

"This was like winning the World Championship for me. I’ve always wanted it but I’ve finally broken the ice, " said Pagulayan.

"This is 9 ball and I couldn’t get too upset because I didn’t get a chance. I thought if he runs the set, then he runs the set but I knew that if I got a chance I would need to focus and concentrate and do the best I can. I really didn’t think I’d won it until the last 9 ball dropped but there were lots of people who like me watching me and that was good for me to have that support," he added.

Pool Cues

2008-09-12T13:58:00.001-07:00

Pool cues to pool players are like tennis racquets to tennis players. They have to feel right in size, weight, grip and smoothness of action. Professional pool players, including 9 ball players, will often as not have a pool cue custom made to suit their style. If you only play pool for fun of course you don't have to go to such lengths but even so there are lots of top quality pool cues to choose from.

Pool cues can be made of different types of wood, finished in different veneers, carry different weights and have different types and size of cue tip. The range is enormous. So where do you begin to look to buy a pool cue? Well, an obvious choice is to look at pool cues online. Apart from being able to take your time browsing the choices there are often guidelines on such websites to help you understand the choices available. For example there's a great wood and veneer gallery on the Annie O Pro Shop site.

If you take your game of 9 ball seriously you might like to buy a cue that you've seen a professional 9 ball player use such as Efren Reyes or Daryl Peach For example, you can search the Internet and read about how Efren Reyes bought a custom AO pool cue after trying one owned by Edgar Acaba. You can even click to see a close up of the beautiful inlays on the cue.

For keen amateurs and those who don't necessarily have the budget for a custom cue, don't worry there's lots of choice out there - such as the pool cues on this Amazon associate store. They range from just $10.95 to $239.20. If you want to keep your old cue with you when trying out a new cue in a match, you might find a cue case that carries 2 cues handy.

Wherever you go for your pool cue and whatever you decide to buy, remember the real value of the game of pool is in how much you enjoy it. If you don't enjoy the game then no matter how good your pool cue is, it won't help!

Pool Tables - Choosing The Right Pool Table

2008-08-18T01:57:00.000-07:00

If you ever think of buying a pool table for use at home you will need to consider many things. These include:

pool table style
pool table cloth type
pool table cloth colour
pool table size

Perhaps the most important thing, however, is to consider the size of room you have available and accordingly what size pool table will actually fit comfortably into it. In a sense you have to work backwards - you should make a plan of the room, ignoring measurements into recesses, windows or doorways and generally speaking you should not consider putting the pool table at a diagonal in the room as it brings the pockets uncomfortably close to the walls. Once you have a clear idea of the room's relevant measurements you can look seriously at pool table sizes. These vary from 6ft x 3ft with variations up to 9ft x 4ft 6ins.

On 9ballpool.com there is a pool room sizes page which gives a few guidelines and examples of what size room you need for each size of pool table. A very important first step before making that all important pool table purchase.

Once you have calculated the right size of pool table you can then go on to thinking about cloth colour. There's a lot of choice here too. Maybe you want to consider the colour scheme of the room you have in mind to put the pool table in or perhaps you have a life-long favourite colour. Whether it's pro green, wine, camel or pro blue (to name just a few), take your time and be sure it's right for you and the room. We have a basic colour chart that gives some examples of pool table cloth colours which you're welcome to read as a guideline.

Many famous people have been pool fans from Abraham Lincoln who was reportedly quick an accomplished pool player and had his own pool table, to George Washington, Mark Twain and more recently, Fred Astaire, Marlon Brando, Paul Newman, Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. Here are photos of some of them in 'pool playing' pose.

9 Ball Rules: Racking The Balls, Break Shots To Bad Hits

2008-05-18T14:42:00.000-07:00

9 ball is a great game to watch but, like any sport, it's easy to take for granted all the rules that the players (and referee) have to abide by.

Generally speaking, most professional games of 9 ball are played by the "World Standardized Rules". The object of the game is the first, important thing to understand about 9 ball; after that, the racking of the balls and the break shot, the latter of which is easy to do wrong. Practising the break off shot is something all players spend a lot of time on - not just to get a good start on the rack but to ensure they don't make an illegal break shot. Continuing play, understanding what makes a foul shot, making jump shots and of course how to win the game are some of the other key points in the rules of 9 ball.

More 9 ball rules information (also a separate link to view the rules of 'straight pool' or 14.1 Continuous as some people call it).

In every sport there seems to be a range of terms unique to that sport - and the game of 9 ball is no different. Here are a few examples:

head string
break shot
push out
ball in hand
no rail
jump shot
massé
hooked
foul shot

There's lots more too which all goes towards making 9 ball pool so characterful!

Welcome To Our 9 Ball Pool Blog

2008-05-06T12:30:00.000-07:00

9 Ball Pool - The Fastest Growing Sport in the World!

More or less until the 1980s, the most commonly played game of pool was called 14-1. However many people felt that although it was an extremely skilful game, it could be pretty dull mainly because the result of the match was often predictable with the best player always tending to win. Without a doubt, one of the greatest exponents of this form of pool was the legendary Willie Mosconi after whom the Mosconi cup tournament between the USA and Europe is named. Mosconi really popularised the game of pool in the USA and quite incredibly won no less than 526 matches in a row on one occasion in exhibition play!

In spite of the remarkably skilful displays of a few players like Mosconi, it was eventually agreed that a new version of the game should be created in which the main emphasis would be potting the 9 ball. Thus, the game we know today as 9 ball pool was born. 9 ball pool history

The rules of 9 Ball Pool not really that complicated. Balls are numbered 1 through 9 and with each shot of the cueball, the first ball contacted must be the ball on the table with the lowest number. However, not all of the balls have to be pocketed in order - they can be pocketed by the lowest numbered ball on the table colliding with them or 'cannoning' into them as it may be called. When a player is able to pocket any ball on a legal shot, he may stay at the table until he either misses, commits a foul or wins the game by pocketing the 9 ball.

After a player misses, the opposing player must shoot from the exact position left by the other player, but, after any foul the incoming player may start with the cue ball anywhere on the table and this is known as "ball in hand". The end of a match comes when one of the players has won the specified number of games or when the 9 ball is pocketed. 9 ball rules in more detail.

One of the most flamboyant facets of 9 ball pool today is the performance by the most gifted players of 9 ball pool trick shots Frequently, competitions held around the world and a remarkably high level of skill is demonstrated at these events. Not all the trick shots are unattainable by the average 9 ball pool player however and one which springs to mind is 'The Cue Is Quicker than the Eye' which was featured in the movie "The Hustler". You can view a video of this impressive 9 ball pool trick shot by clicking on the above link and incidentally, learn how to perform the trick shot yourself.

On the 11th November 2007, the world of 9 ball pool which has a long time been dominated by either American or Philipino champions was rocked when the World 9 ball Pool Championships held in Manila was won by Daryl Peach from the UK who was pretty much a rank outsider. On the way to becoming world champion, Daryl played magnificently and kept his nerve to win the final 17 to 15 defeating Roberto Gomez in the process. Daryl Peach biography