Byrne's New Standard Book of Pool and Billiards
by Robert Byrne
from Harvest Books
In the world of cue sticks and side pockets, this is the gospel, the 1998 revised, standard version of the 1978 bible. A champion player, indefatigable writer, and inexhaustible promoter of his sport, Byrne racks his book into two halves, the first a primer on pool, the second on three-cushion billiards. Beginning with the fundamentals, he goes on to run the table with lots of readable advice and detailed diagrams for how to play individual shots, including trick shots, strategies for eight- and nine-ball, and rules for the major pool games. Then it's on to billiards, where he banks from the fundamentals to the art of shot making and tactics for play at every level, touching on every conceivable cushion along the way. --Jeff Silverman
Byrne's Complete Book of Pool Shots: 350 Moves Every Player Should Know
by Robert Byrne
from Harvest Books
For twenty-five years, Byrne's New Standard Book has been
"the definitive work on pool and billiards" (National Billiard Review). This new shot-by-shot reference will enable players to reach an even higher level. They'll have to read it before their opponents do.
The 99 Critical Shots in Pool: Everything You Need to Know to Learn and Master the Game (Other)
by Ray Martin
from Random House Puzzles & Games
Thirtieth anniversary edition out in 2007!
World Champion Pool Player Ray "Cool Cat" Martin shares his secrets for playing winner's pool in this classic book, now with a new introduction by the author. Written with co-author Rosser Reeves three decades ago, The 99 Critical Shots in Pool remains one of the most authoritative guides to the game ever written. Over 200 illustrations show the proper form, technique, and approach to shots such as:
• The Center Ball Cheat-the-Pocket
• The Hook Shot
• The Seven Ball Stop Shot
• The Jump Shot
• The Frozen Kiss Shot
• The Nudge Shot
• The Side Pocket By-Pass Shot
Ray Martin, a Billiards Congress of America Hall of Fame inductee, is one of only seven players in the twentieth century to win three or more world 14.1 titles. He co-wrote this book with Rosser Reeves in 1976.
Play Your Best Pool
by Philip B. Capelle
from Billiards Press
Phil Capelle's Play Your Best Pool is by far the most comprehensive book ever published on playing pool. The book's 442 pages reveal hundreds of secrets and strategies that can help improve your game regardless of whether you are new to the game or are on the verge of going pro.
A complete course on the fundamentals includes over 40 photos that demonstrate the correct stance, bridge, grip and stroke. A series of checklists shows you how to practice and evaluate your game. The next two chapters cover everything you need to know about aiming and shotmaking. Ninety diagrams demonstrate gamewinning shots including banks, cuts, combinations, billiards and caroms.
The pros make pool look so easy because they've mastered the art of position play. Play Your Best Pool shows you how to use english and then provides you with over 130 diagrams on all facets of position play so you can also learn expert cue ball control. Phil Capelle's 21 Principles of Position Play alone are worth far more than the price of the book. Speed control, natural position, how to plan for three balls at a time and down the line position are just a few of the principles covered in this section.
Your success at 8-ball and 9-ball, America's two most popular pool games, largely depends on how much you know about the strategy of each game. In two big chapters you'll learn all about offensive and defensive strategies that can help you gain control of the table and keep your opponent in his chair. You'll find solid advice on kick shots, safeties, pattern play, break shots and much more. These two chapters alone contain over 170 illustrations.
Developing a topflight pool game requires that you spend many hours at the practice table. Play Your Best Pool provides you with over 20 diagrams of practice drills and many other useful suggestions for making your practice sessions as fun and productive as possible.
To round out your complete course in pool you'll find chapters on the mental game, competition and how to improve that will tell you how to think like a winner and compete successfully in tournaments, leagues and money games.
The Illustrated Principles of Pool and Billiards
by David G. Alciatore
from Sterling
Running the Table: The Legend of Kid Delicious, the Last Great American Pool Hustler
by L. Jon Wertheim
from Houghton Mifflin
From a popular senior writer for Sports Illustrated comes this high-stakes, boys-on-the-road story about the most unlikely of phenoms--a heavyset, bipolar, and endlessly charming pool hustler named Kid Delicious
In most sports the pinnacle is Wheaties-box notoriety. But in the world of pool, notoriety is the last thing a hustler desires. Such is the dilemma that faces one Danny Basavich, an affable, generously proportioned Jewish kid from Jersey, who flounders through high school until he discovers the one thing he excels at--the felt--and hits the road.
Running the Table spins the outrageous tale of Kid Delicious and his studly--if less talented--set-up man, Bristol Bob. Never was there a more entertaining or mismatched pair of sidekicks, as together they go underground into the flavorfully seamy world of pool to learn the art of the hustle and experience the highs and lows of life on the road. Their four-year odyssey takes them from Podunk pool halls to slick urban billiard rooms across America, as they manage one night to take down as much as $30,000, only to lose so much the next night that they lack gas money to get home. With every stop, the action gets hotter, the calls get closer, and Delicious's prowess with a cue stick becomes known more and more widely. Ultimately, Delicious sheds his cover once and for all and becomes professional pool's biggest sensation since Minnesota Fats.
In a book sure to appeal to fans of Bringing Down the House and Positively Fifth Street, Wertheim evokes a subculture full of nefarious but loveable characters and illuminates America's fascination with games and gambling. He also paints a lasting portrait of an insanely talented and magnetic hustler, who is literally larger than life.
Byrne's Advanced Technique in Pool and Billiards
by Robert Byrne
from Harvest Books
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Pool and Billiards, 2nd Edition (The Complete Idiot's Guide)
by Ewa Matay Laurence
from Alpha
When it comes to billiards, we control the table.
Billiard games are some of the most popular pastimes in America, and The Complete IdiotÂ’s Guide to Pool and Billiards is the most comprehensive, easy-to-use guide to the subject on the market today. This updated edition includes:
• New sections on eight-ball and nine-ball—two of the most popular games
• An all-new section of show-stopping trick shots anyone can do
• Dozens of new photos and a completely updated resource section
• Updated Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame
• A new overview on the multi-million-dollar market for TV tournaments
Precision Pool, 2nd Edition
by Gerry Kanov
from Human Kinetics Publishers
Sharpen your strategy and shot-making skills! Whether it's eight ball, nine ball, straight pool, or one pocket, Precision Pool will reveal the secrets the pros know.
Authors Gerry "The Ghost" Kanov and Shari "The Shark" Stauch leave nothing to chance, sharing the wealth of experience they gained from coaching or competing against virtually every top professional player. The result--Precision Pool--is simply the most comprehensive and useful book ever written on pool.
This updated second edition includes the following:
- Grips
- Vision and aim
- Power breaks
- Bank shots
- Combinations
- English
- Safeties
- Practice plans
- Match strategies
- 200 full-color diagrams of critical shots, common patterns, and trick shots
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Pool & Billiards
by Ewa Matay Laurence
from Alpha
You're no idiot, of course. You know that "English" isn't just the name of a language, it's also the type of spin you use to control the cue ball in pool. But when it comes to racking them up, making a break shot, and sinking balls in the corner pocket, you feel like "English" is your second language. Don't hang up your cue stick yet! In her comprehensive book, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Pool & Billiards, Ewa Mataya Laurance--one of the world,s most accomplished and mesmerizing players--gives you:
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