A Few Cue Tips

• In placing in-offs from hand spot a trifle wider than for centre of pocket as this enlarges your target.
• Kissing is often avoided by playing with the reverse from the usual side and this applies both to pocket and cannon play.
• Take your half-ball pocket shots a shade full as a rule rather than a shade fine, especially with any stroke of a forcing nature.
• In gauging a cushion cannon angle take it from the part of the cannon ball that you want to strike back to the edge of the object ball instead of vice-versa.
• In playing those little gentle run throughs with side into corner pockets remember that across the nap, with the nap, and against the nap require different treatment.
• When something else is reasonably and soundly on don't disturb a ball off which an easy loser, drop cannon, or anything leading to ball control might be effected next shot.
• In miscues the fault is not always with the tip. It is sometimes to be found at the other end of the cue. This, however, must never be suggested to professionals.
• When there is a half-ball ordinary loser into either top pocket choose the pocket that is nearer to the object ball as this brings the object ball towards the centre of the table.
• To understand what happens when the cue is raised run a skewer through an orange and elevate the skewer. You will then see that what looks like a central stroke beneath the skewer is really a strong screw.
• Keep the balls and table clean. When a professional is seen to polish a ball or remove a speck from the cloth it is not affectation. It is ordinary common-sense. The tiniest speck of dirt may deflect a slowly-moving ball half-an-inch from its intended goal.
• When in playing for the top pocket cross in-off the cue ball is anything below the lower shoulder play with running, instead of check, side, aiming finer and striking a little more smartly than with the half-ball running side contact from the top cushion. The side helps the in-off in this way and the middle pocket after-position is still maintained
• When the balls are in baulk near the centre of the bottom cushion, remember that a stroke aimed from the corner spot to a few inches below the further top corner pocket will disturb them. When they are near a corner baulk pocket aim 15 inches above the farther middle pocket or from halfway between the baulk spots over the middle spot.
• Looking two or three strokes ahead is often better than looking one. For instance, the white ball is against the cushion behind the billiard spot, the red a little below the spot to the right, and the cue ball in hand. The stroke might be played slowly and finely, leaving both balls well placed over corner pockets, with cue ball between, but the gentle half-ball bringing red down rather more is better, with an in-off from the white and gathering drop cannon to follow.