A Few Cue Tips
- A good practice stroke for accuracy of striking is to place
the cue ball midway between two of the spots on the baulk
line and aim over the centre spot at varying strengths. The
ball should enter the baulk corner pocket.
- Another good stroke for accuracy, and one in which even
professionals break down, is to place the cue ball on a baulk
end spot and the red ball midway between that spot and
the middle pocket on the same side and in a line with the
upper shoulder. The idea is to pot the red and leave the
cue ball a little above the pocket for the loser into a top
pocket off the red when placed on the spot.
- The course that the object ball, when on the billiard, pyramid,
or centre spot, should take, in playing the cross losing
hazard or the pyramid losing hazard and long losing hazard
from baulk, may be mapped out as under-noted, the red
ball bring left for middle pocket play in each case.
- Place the red ball midway between the spot and a point
on the top cushion the same distance from the centre of the
corner pocket as the baulk corner spot is from the side
cushion. Now place the cue transversely over this point and
send the red ball with slow strength across the billiard
spot on to the top side cushion.
- In the case of the two other shots, the red ball is placed
in a line with the pyramid or centre spot and the end of
the baulk line, and the ball is struck with the cue held transversely
across the cushion at the end of the baulk line and
sent over the pyramid or centre spot with normal and free
strength respectively.
- To find the "Gray" spot, lay a cue pointing to the
middle pocket, with the butt end three ball diameters above
the end of the baulk line. The cue should touch the red
ball when placed in the exact longitudinal centre of the table.
- This is the "Gray" spot, from which half-ball losers may
be made into either middle pocket from an end spot of
baulk and the red ball kept to the longitudinal centre of the
table.
- From the "Gray" spot to within fifteen inches of the
centre pocket, moving the red step by step, the half-ball loser
is equally on and the red ball still runs parallel with the
nearest side cushion.
- When the cue ball is similarly advanced in a line from
the upper shoulder of a side pocket towards the billiard spot
instead of along the baulk line, the half-ball shot is on into
a top corner pocket and the red ball is brought in each case
down the exact centre of the table. The reason for this is
that the angle for the "Gray" centre-table stroke and for
the billiard spot centre-table stroke are exactly parallel with
each other, as may be seen by placing two pairs of cues
along the course that the cue ball takes and comparing them.
- Another interesting measurement is to lay a cue from the
side pocket to the billiard pocket and place the red ball
against it at the same distance from the side cushion as
the end baulk spot is. This is a half-ball shot from such
end baulk spot into the nearest top pocket, which is in turn
the same distance from the red ball as the "Gray" spot is
from the side pockets. This position of the red also marks
the limit at which the object ball can be safely played upon
with a strength which would otherwise send it into baulk.