It is quite true, as a recent writer on billiards says, that "the spectator inevitably puts himself in the place of the player, and the thought that flashes through his mind is, 'I should play a loser there' or some such kindred example of this, and then he spends the next few moments wondering why the striker played a winner," but that is not learning much, unless the mind effort be carried farther and the reason why the winner has been played instead of the loser has been fully grasped.
In our judgment the really educative side of professional billiard play has little to do with the actual scoring or stroke results, but is to be discovered in the manner in which the player poses for the stroke, addresses the ball, and swings or otherwise manipulates the cue: and if the course of the cue ball be immediately followed by the eye for the purpose of ascertaining whether the desired cannon or hazard is made, most of the educative possibilities of the stroke will be lost. It requires, indeed, some effort of will to watch the player closely right up to the completion of his stroke, and to this may be added the reflection that a spectator who takes his eve from the player the moment the cue ball is struck is equally likely to pay little attention to what he does prior to striking the ball.
Let us now endeavour to indicate a few of the educative possibilities of professional exhibition and match billiards to those followers of the game who are not too fixed in their own particular methods to learn or too proud of their admittedly advanced play to accept hints. Although what we have to suggest is more particularly addressed to players in the student stage, it may well be possible that not all that will be indicated has occurred as a possible added asset to the repertoire of some really good players. To begin with there is the question as to which part of a billiard hall is the best at which to sit in order to obtain the most comprehensive and satisfactory survey of the play, and our advice on this point would be to get as nearly as possible opposite the centre of the top end of the table, from which vantage point the player's body interferes the least with the view, whilst the true angle in hazard and cannon play and the intricacies in the mixed top-of-the-table manipulation can best be seen. It is also possible to get a frequent dead-straight view down the player's cue to the vertically swinging forearm and past the face set broad-side (instead of sideways as with so many amateurs—and therefore out of focus) to the cue. From this point also the various.
contacts and compensations employed in baulk-line play can be accurately noted and the student, observing that sometimes the contact is fuller or finer than half-ball—although the half-ball stroke is also on—or that the stroke is played half or double strength, or that side, or drag, or top, is used, finds himself insensibly watching for altered effects as arising from these differences of treatment, and is not long in arriving at a solution. He sees that the half-ball contact was rejected in order to avoid losing the object ball; that top was used to prevent undue throw-off; that double strength left less liability to faulty position than half strength; that side with drag, whilst preserving the halfball aim, allowed for fuller or finer than half-ball contact: that widening the half-ball angle and using force kept the ball near to the centre of the table; and many other things.
Then, to the observant onlooker another and very valuable class of billiard science would be opened up from this conning tower of the end seats or gallery, for, equally important with the things that are done in billiards (and elsewhere in the world for that matter) are the things that are left alone. Often and often have we seen a look of perplexed inquiry going round a billiard saloon when a professional has seemed to be an inordinate time—although really only a few seconds—in making up his mind whether or not to attempt a given stroke. "Why, I could do that on my head!" we have heard whispered. Just so. But the professional wishes to do it and to remain on his feet, and that is precisely what he is doubtful about. The run-through into the top pocket could be made, but what about the possible kiss, or shoulder-contact, or disappearance in a middle pocket of the object white? The stun cannon bringing the white back to the top of the table is clearly on. Then why is it not taken? Simply because there are gaping pockets too near its necessary course if it is to be guided just where the player would have it be.
Of course all this is very elementary, but who shall say that close observation of the class indicated is not needed by thousands of the spectators who attend billiard expositions and who are subsequently to be found playing on club or hotel tables. Let one broad fact alone be noted. In two hours' professional play it is the exception to see a ball lost behind the baulk line or in a pocket or kissed away, or catching a shoulder, or left in a difficult position. When either of these things happens an audible expression of concern or surprise is heard from some part of the hall. Contrast this with the average amateur two hours. Instead of the game being maintained as a series of easy sequences, on account of the various foreseen pitfalls and hindrances being removed from it beforehand, it is transformed into an exercise of surpassing difficulty. The jenny into the top pockets or the problematical wide cushion cannon by way of the top cushion, or the difficult oblique winner into a middle pocket, are found to be cropping up with painful regularity and the 250 up, which should rarely require more than a hour for its completion, stretches over two hours and sometimes even more.
If asked what, in our opinion, are the prime qualifications of the billiardist we should say: Knowledge, fortified by practice, and matured by experience. But the "knowledge" must include the capacity to take infinite—although not visible—pains with every stroke, however simple, and the power to retain, and bring to the front whenever needed, the results and the warnings of the successes and the failures of the past.