Regent Snooker Lounge

Just like the best poker tables will add that great touch to your downstairs or rec room, so too will a snooker table. Snooker is played on a billiard table that is slightly larger than a normal one. There are also many more rules involved in the game than in a game like 8 Ball and so you have to pay more attention to how the game works. Here is a quick rundown of some of the rules and how to go about playing the game.

For equipment, you are going to need a whole new set of balls. You are going to need a set of 15 solid red balls and six other balls numbered 2 through 7. You will also need to have a “D” drawn on your table directly on the head line. This serves as the place where you hit the cue ball from.

Setting up the table requires a little bit of know how and is completely different from regular 8 Ball. First, place the solid red balls in the rack as they would normally be. Then, place the 2, 4, and 3 balls on the bottom line of the “D”, in that order. The 5 needs to be directly between the two middle pockets, while the 6 is placed directly on top of the racked red balls and the 7 goes about 2 inches behind the middle of them.

The break shot is also a little different. The object is to hit the red balls only, while avoiding the numbered ones. Once that has been accomplished, you can go about the game.

The object is to pocket a red ball and then try and pocket a numbered ball. By doing this, you will score points. The object of the game is to try and outscore your opponent. Once a red ball has been pocketed, it is one point and the numbered balls count as the numbers they are. Pocketing a red ball will take it out of play, while pocketing a numbered ball will give you that for a score, but you must replace that ball on the table after it has been pocketed. As long as you continue to make a red ball and a numbered ball, your turn will continue. If you fail to pocket a red ball or a numbered ball after a red one, your turn is up and the other player gets a turn.

This process will continue until all of the red balls have been cleared from the table. After this has taken place, you can then start to shoot for the numbered balls in numerical order. Start by shooting at the 2 ball and move up to the 3, 4 and so on, until the 7 has been pocketed. At the end of the game, tally up the score and whoever has the most points is the winner.

There are, of course, more rules than this, but these are the basics that you need to know to be able to at least play a competent game with someone else.

In snooker or pool, the grip is where every stroke starts, get this wrong and you will find that more and more of your shots are being missed.

The first thing that players tend to do (especially those new to the game) is grip the cue too tight. Why is this a problem? This causes a problem as the muscles in the arm will tighten through the shot, this can cause a lot of unwanted sidespin or cause us to miss the right spot on the cue ball entirely.

To be a successful player your grip needs to be relaxed and maintain a constant pressure throughout every shot, whether it be a delicate cut or a powerful draw stroke. Every time, where possible, the grip pressure has to be constant.

If the grip is too loose then the opposite can happen, the cue can be dropped whilst attempting a pot or literally get thrown out of the hand.

As with most things there is never a definitive right or wrong answer and it is about finding a position on the cue that is comfortable for you. Here are some helpful hints:

Find the balance point of your cue by balancing it on your index finger until it stops wobbling

1. Learn about splicing.

The butt timber is spliced (joined) onto the ash shaft, this is done in one of two ways, by machine or by hand. The two methods produce snooker cues of very different appearance.Machine splicing is less expensive than hand splicing but is a very effective way of adding the butt timber to the shaft. The butt timber (usually ebony) is cut to provide four points, which are glued into four slots machined into the shaft timber. The finished cue has a distinctive four point pattern where the butt meets the shaft.Hand splicing is the traditional method developed by Peradon for splicing the butt timber to the shaft. The shaft has two flats planed on opposite sides of the butt end. The hardwood butt timber is glued to these flats. The cue is then rotated through 90 degrees and two further flats are planed and two more pieces of butt timber glued into place. The cue is then shaped to produce the distinctive four rounded point pattern where the butt meets the shaft.

The appearance of both machine and hand spliced cues can be enhanced with additional exotic wood splices or coloured veneers.

(This section has been adapted from the Peradon sales brochure)2. Look for Matching grain.

You can always tell the quality of a snooker cue based on whether the grain of the wood matches across the joint.

Having a cue with matching grain affords the user a more consistent and fluid feel to every stroke. A cue that is constructed in this manner will also have a more even balance and the weight will be distributed more evenly.3. Looks don’t equal feel.

This is such an obvious statement but it is very true. The most expensive cue in a range is generally expensive because of the materials that have been used. Another factor is the actual man hours that it takes to produce each individual cue. By purchasing the top of the range snooker cue you are not getting a higher performance model but just a cue that is more aesthetically pleasing. You can get the same performance out of a cheaper more plain looking cue.

It is important that you only take this as advice, you might personally find the top of the range cue suits you best. You can always come in to Billiards Boutique and handle a few cues before you purchase.