Snooker Billiards Pool

BCE Snooker cues

2009-10-31T17:20:00.002+00:00

Bce claim to be the biggest supplier of games tables in Europe which includes Billiards tables and cues . They also sponsor all the top names in Snooker and these players endorse the

Bce snooker cues. Names like Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins as well as the “old” timers” like Steve Davies and Jimmy White. They also supply the tournament tables for the big competitions under their Riley brand. Bce acquired the Riley Brand in 2002 and negotiated with world snooker to supply the tables for all the big televised Snooker events. The combined Riley and Bce brands now dominate the game.

So Bce snooker cues have a good pedigree and they have a huge range of cues from the Ronnie O’Sullivan and Jimmy White range of cues to their top of the range Riley Burwatt Gold range cues made from kiln dried American Ash and real ebony splices for the butt and the famous blue diamond tip which they use on all of their cues.

Riley Burwatt cue

The Bce range starts off with their Jimmy and Ronnie cues, endorsed by 2 greats of the snooker game, a quality basic cue at a budget price. Next we have the famous heritage series , great looking cues at reasonable prices. At the top of the tree, the premium range of Bce snooker cues is the Grand Master series, top quality cues for the serious player. Top notch ash shafts with hand spliced ebony butts, a top snooker cue from BCE, they look the business and any professional player would be proud to use one.

BCE Grand master cue

Riley Snooker Cues are 100 years old

2009-10-24T23:10:00.002+01:00

Riley started as a sports shop in the 1890’s would you believe, and their big product at the time was cricket bats! They only started making billiards tables and of course the famous Riley cues as a sideline, but that grew and grew, until by the 1920’s they were one of the biggest billiards tables manufacturers in the world, producing full size tables and what they called convertible tables, which we now know as snooker dining tables. And by this time their biggest product was portable tables or folding leg tables as we know them now. They also expanded into snooker clubs in the 1930’s and were now a giant in the industry with a world wide reputation for producing quality tables and cues.

So Riley have been making snooker cues for 100 years, that’s a long time and I guess they know everything there is to know about making them by now. The current range of cues start with their 2 piece series endorsed by the great snooker stars so you get Riley quality at reasonable prices. The next step up is the signature series, which have the signatures of all the top snooker players like Steve Davis and John Higgins on the cues and they come with 2 smart extenders both 6 inch and 12 inch for those awkward shots.

At the top end of the range, their Burwatt range of cues are the premium brand of riley snooker cues, with AA grade American ash shafts and hand spliced ebony butts. And they have pearlised butt cutaways that make them look really special with the platinum models. Riley cues have been around for 100 years or so and their present cues does that tradition proud.

The popular pool table games

2009-10-15T18:29:00.002+01:00

The games played on pool tables depend on which country you are in. In the UK the biggest game is 8 ball which is actually played with 15 balls, usually 7 reds and 7 yellows and of course the black number 8 ball which is where the name of the game comes from. In 8 ball, the object of the game is to pocket the 8 ball after you have pocketed either the 7 reds or the 7 yellows. Which colour range you have to pocket is decided when the first ball goes into the pocket. This often happens at break off. If you break off and a yellow goes into a pocket, then from then on your colour balls is yellow and your opponent has to pocket the 7 reds. If after the choice of balls has been decided, if you hit a ball of your opponents colour that is deemed a foul and your opponent gets one extra shot on his turn.

Also it is a foul if you pocket the white ball or miss all the balls completely. Again your opponent has an extra shot for the foul, so he can just trickle a ball to just nudge an object ball for position and take another shot after that. If your opponent makes a foul with his first shot, he loses his extra shot and you get an extra shot on your turn. Your object for the game is to pocket all 7 reds or yellows whichever your nominated colour is and then to pocket the 8 ball.

Some local rules say that you must nominate the pocket you are going to pocket the 8 ball in, but the standard rules of the World 8 Ball Pool Federation says you can pocket the 8 ball in any pocket.

One of the other pool table games is 9 ball, This is played with 9 balls numbered 1 to 9 and the object of the game is to pocket the 9 ball. Now the balls do not have to be pocketed in any order, and if you get the chance to pocket the 9 ball on your first shot then you win the game. The rack for 9 ball is a diamond and the number 1 ball must be at the apex of the diamond and the number 9 ball has to be in the centre of the diamond. When breaking off, the first ball to be hit has to be the number 1 ball, which is the front ball of the diamond otherwise the break off is a foul.

There are some interesting differences to 8 ball especially when it comes to fouls. A foul is deemed to have been committed in the following circumstances. If you miss the balls completely, if you hit a ball and the object ball or cue ball does not hit the cushion or is pocketed, if you pocket the white or cue ball. In those circumstances the ball is passed to your opponent and he is said to have it in hand and can place the cue ball anywhere he likes on the table to play his next shot.

Pool tables an update

2009-05-29T16:55:00.003+01:00

Pool tables are getting even more popular with multi coloured cloths, anything goes these days.
And there are more contemporary table designs that are more pleasing to the eye and fit in better with your decor. A well crafted pool table is still a very nice object although a tad bulky, also allow for the cue whilst planning a games room or when you select a table. Allow for 10 foot on both dimensionsto allow for playing room when playing, so if you have a 6 foot pool table your room size should be 16 ft by 13 feet to give some room round the table to manipulate the cue. 17 ft x 14 ft if you buy a seven foot pool table.

Pool Tables vary in price considerably. Pool tables are priced from $50 for 4 footers or up to $10,000 for the more exotic versions and the reason is is the playing surface, either MDF or slate. The wooden topped tables are usually the toy versions although there are some very nice wood topped tables that can come in 7 ft sizes,of sufficient size for even dad to play on and less costly than the slate table top types.

Proper pool tables are slate bed tables, no wooden topped table is the same as a proper pool table with a slate top. Slate varies in thickness depending on the cost of the table. Of course being made of slate they are very heavy. Depending on the size of the table the slate is made from one or up to 3 separate parts, to save carrying weight when installing the table. The one piece slate table is easy to put together, the multi slate tables will always need an installer to do it for you.

The support work for tables also come in a variety of materials from the traditional types made of solid timber or MDF to the brick outhouse style of steel tables made to stand up to the hurley burley of pool club life. The table to go for really depends on the use it is put to, with the wood or MDF tables for domestic use and the steel and aluminium framed tables are made for the clubs. The aluminium and steel tables being metal, lend themselves to outlandish paint jobs which you can see in the arcades especially but tables made for home tend to be straightforward stained oak or mahogany.

The games played on pool tables vary depending where you live in the world from the French which play on Carom pool tables which don’t have any pockets to 9 ball played in the America, made famous in the Hustler. The French game of Carom or carombole to give it its full name, is a form of billiards played for points scored by hitting either or both of the other balls on the table. The rest of the world play on tables that do have pockets, and the most popular games are 8 ball and 9 ball, with 8 ball you have to pocket your 7 balls and then the number 8 ball, and with 9 ball you have to pocket the number 9 ball to win.

Pool tables have a long history Pool tables are part of the larger family of billiard tables which have been around for a few hundred years and include snooker, carom and pool tables, and I’m sure they will be around for a lot longer as the game can be played by anyone and if you’re good enough, become a full time pro. So get practicing and I’ll see you at the pool hall.

New Games Table arrived

2007-08-05T19:25:00.000+01:00

We have a new games table at Snooker Billiards Pool, the 7ft Scorpio 2-in-1 Pool/Air Hockey Reversible: Whats that you ask? Well it is a pool table and an air hockey table all rolled into one. And a 7 foot monster at that! On one side of the table is a blue cloth pool table with cues and pool balls and the other side is a Air hockey table. The really neat thing is you just swivel the table over and hey presto you have changed the game from one to the other. And you get a storage rail at the bottom of the table to keep all the air hockey and pool balls etc. You also get 2 full size pool cues and 2 1/4 American pool balls to gowith the 2 pushers and pucks for the air hockey.

Need a new Snooker cue case?

2007-06-06T03:25:00.000+01:00

Hi, we have some new snooker cue cases you may be interested in , goto our page and see the new cases with room for your smart extender. They come in silver and black, see picture left. They are on special this month, check them out.

icWales - Snooker: Cue much embarrassment!

2006-11-22T00:17:00.000+00:00

icWales - Snooker: Cue much embarrassment!: "Snooker: Cue much embarrassment!Nov 18 2006

Darren Witcoop, South Wales Echo

'come down to Rileys at 7pm and we'll have a game of pool.'
That was the challenge thrown down to me by none other than Jimmy White.
So I did, and as I entered the recently refurbished American Pool and Snooker Club, I realised I would be playing the man known as The Whirlwind.
Just what exactly was I putting myself through?
To be invited to play against the green baize legend that is Jimmy White is one thing."
But to face him in a frame alongside 200 watching spectators is another.
Granted, it may not be the Crucible, but any sizeable crowd is enough to unnerve a young rookie in any game.
So once the six-time World Championship finalist had done with the dignitaries, I was first up on the list to face Jimmy at Cardiff's City Road complex.
I was introduced by the compere and amid a small group of hecklers was about to face one of the most nerve-wrecking experiences of my life.
A few thoughts went through my head. Don't tense up and don't show your nerves.
But it was the blunt message of a friend of mine, who I have had many battles with over pub pool tables down the years, that kept flashing in front of my eyes.
He said: 'Whatever you do, don't miss the balls.' It seemed simple - or so I'd thought.
The cool persona which I try to present had clearly deserted me as my clammy bridge hand touched the table.
And there it was, a fluid pull back of the pool cue - and the white ball bounced, bounced, and bounced off the side of the table and on to the floor.
Cue howls of laughter.
A clearly red-faced journalist told Jimmy and the crowd it was a practice trick shot, it was all show for the cameras.
I think they all knew better.
Fortunately the second break-off attempt, by which time I was reaching record levels of perspiration, went according to plan.
By that, I mean I hit the ball and with ironic cheers that greeted it, I was off and running. After potting two red balls in succession, my confidence soared. Could I really beat the godfather of the current snooker generation?
The 44-year-old is regarded as the best ever player not to lift the world crown.
So could he fail again?
Well, actually no.
After a natural miss by yours truly, White came along and finished me off before I could get back to the table.
Two minutes later and after a handshake and a wry smile, it was all over.
'I wouldn't worry about the break,' said White, referring to my embarrassing first shot error as he tried to cheer me up afterwards.
'In fact, I've seen a lot worse on the circuit over the years.'
Somehow, I think he was being a little kind.
We are offering 10 readers the chance to win a free 12-month membership with Rileys American Pool and Snooker Club on City Road.
Just answer this simple question: What is Jimmy White's nickname?
The closing date is on Friday, November 24. Usual terms and conditions apply. Send your answers via e-mail to darren.witcoop@wme.co.uk or alternatively by post to: Darren Witcoop, South Wales Echo, Sports Desk, Thomson House, Havelock Street, Cardiff CF10 1XR

Pool Table News

2006-10-24T01:51:00.000+01:00

British snooker vet wins U.S. Open 9-ball : Pro-Sports : Albuquerque Tribune: "A few hundred folks showed up to watch a billiards championship, and a chess match broke out.
And Allison Fisher proved she is still the grand master.
The world's No. 1 player came back from a 4-1 deficit Sunday night at Sandia Resort & Casino to beat Kim Shaw 7-5 and win her second straight U.S. Open 9-ball Championship.
The match between two British snooker veterans, playing on a table with tight pockets, featured plenty of defense and safety shots. Shaw seemed to have the upper hand early, winning two straight battles for the 1-ball. Her first win featured 11 shots at the 1-ball.
But Shaw, playing in her first tour final, gambled on a jump shot in the sixth game and gave Fisher an opening. Fisher regained the lead, twice running the table off her break.
'That's just her,' Shaw said of her opponent and the game's dominant force the past 10 years. 'She does that. It doesn't matter how far behind she is, she can win seven games like that.'
The billiards tournament moved this year from the bingo hall at Sandia Casino to the roomier convention center. And for the first time, the quarterfinal matches were taped for broadcast by ESPN. That meant exposure for more players.
'It gets more faces on TV; we go deeper into the field,' said Peg Ledman, the Women's Professional Billiards Association's director of operations. 'There are a lot of talented players here the viewing audience never gets to see.
'A lot of players here are on the fence, and it gets them some time on TV.'
'It's a good tournament this year,' said Albuquerque's Ramona Biddle, who went out in the early rounds. 'It's nice to get somebody new in the finals.'
While the rest of the field played quarterfinal matches on Saturday, Shaw played her quarterfinal and semifinal on Sunday. That meant she played three matches Sunday under the bright TV lights.
"I was probably fortunate to have three matches," Shaw said. "I was warmed up (for the semis)."
Fisher had her own challenges last week. On Monday in Charlotte, N.C., she had a two-hour cancer surgery on the skin around her right eye. "I had eight injections in my eye," she said.
The eye looked battered Sunday night.
"I still have a stitch in the corner of my eye," she said.
On Wednesday, Fisher still had a protective patch over the eye. On Thursday, she was in Albuquerque and won her first match of the tournament.
On Sunday, she was feeling the heat, down 4-1.
"I was sitting in my seat thinking `She's playing really well,' and I was thinking that I needed to start taking my time on my shots," Fisher said.
Fisher used a strong break to come back. And that's where Shaw fell short.
"My break let me down," Shaw said.
But she was upbeat after the match, saying she felt more relaxed in Albuquerque, even if she "never felt 100 percent comfortable" in the tournament.
Shaw was able to capitalize on her opponents' mistakes, and she knocked off top players Jeanette Lee and Karen Corr.
"I was more fearless," she said."

Snooker table news from New Straits Times - Malaysia News Online

2006-10-10T02:26:00.000+01:00

New Straits Times - Malaysia News Online: "MOH Keen Hoe was introduced to snooker at the age of eight when he was barely as tall as a snooker table.

But that did not deter him and as he grew so did his thirst for the game, and was given his first lesson by his dad Loon Hong, who himself was a national billiards and snooker player.

Loon Hoong is best remembered as a double Sea Games gold medallist in billiards in the 1991 Manila and 1995 Chiangmai Games.

Being a son of a former national player, it was difficult for Keen Hoe to come to terms with the legacy of his father as many people were comparing him with his dad.

However, Keen Hoe looked at it as a challenge and has been successful so far in creating his own identity in the sport. His most memorable win thus far was winning the Asian Junior crown in Bangkok last year and potting the doubles silver medal in the 2003 Vietnam Sea Games.

Keen Hoe teamed up with his father for the billiards doubles in the Vietnam Games but lost in the first round.

Now he wants to go one better — to win a medal in the Asian Games.

Keen Hoe, 20, is one of the three snooker players who will be making their Asian Games debut in Doha. The others are Lai Chee Wei and Thor Chuan Leong.

He will be playing in the singles, doubles with Chee Wei, and the team event.

Keen Hoe, who has bagged one title this year — Asian snooker circuit in Thailand in May — however, knows it will not be easy. 'It will all depend on the draw. The clear favourites in Doha will be China, Hong Kong and Thailand,' said Keen Hoe, who was drafted into the national squad in 2002 when he was just 16.

'I hope to get a good draw, meaning a clear path in the early rounds. If it’s favourable, I sshould be able to reach the quarter-finals and from then on the real battle, I suppose, will begin."Although, it will be Keen Hoe’s first Asian Games, he is not feeling the pressure. "I have been playing on a regular basis on the Asian circuit and also in Europe for the past several years. The Asian Games is just another competition for me," added Keen Hoe, who is the current Malaysian No 1."I am not afraid of anyone. I will give my best and, hopefully, land a medal." "

Snooker table news Snooker in the USA

2006-08-19T00:21:00.000+01:00

Day One at the 2006 IBSF World Snooker Tournament - Billiard, Billiards, Pool, Magazines: "Day One at the 2006 IBSF World Snooker Tournament
Pool, Billiards, and Snooker report
Snooker fever has hit San Jose, CA and it's wonderful because it's very cold in the Gateway Ballroom at the Doubletree Hotel.
All over the hotel, smartly dressed men , some as young as 21, some over 40 for the Seniors tournament carry long, thin, aluminum cases filled with their snooker cues, sporting vests, bow ties and dress trousers. They have little clips with metallic chalk ready to use for each shot in their pockets. They come from England, Japan, the Isle of Man, India, almost every ex-English colony. Some speak English, some don't, but it doesn't matter. They're all proper gentlemen, and they're all sweet as all get-out. They communicate through the sport, and they communicate well. And of course there are 3 US teams and 1 Canadian team, to keep our North American presence known, lest you think snooker is NOT an American sport.
For indeed it is, and it's growing every year. Thanks to the work of Executive Director Alan Morris of the US Snooker Association, who aims to bring notice to the sport in the US. More on him another day.
Indeed, as I watched matches today (there were 3 going on at one time; tomorrow and then on there will be, at certain times, 4), I saw some amazing shots, some amazing snookers, and some heartbreaking misses and failures to get out of snookers. Which, if the opponent chooses, makes the player stuck in the same situation again and again. Two subsequent misses and the player automatically loses. Talk about ruthless!
Of course not ever match is ruthless. One frame had an American player and a Scot battling it out until the final ball, when all of a sudden the game was tied, and a black ball ending had to occur. This means that the black ball is respotted on its opening spot and the cue placed in the opening circle.
The referee flips a coin, and whoever wins gets the first shot on the black ball. Of course it’s nigh impossible to get it in from there, so he almost always just has to set up a safety. Which he did. But it
was not safe enough. The Scotsman got the black ball in and won the match. Talk about exhilarating! I was holding my breath the whole time.
A few stragglers came in from the outside world, checking out the sport. They stick out, they do. Looking lost, as though in another world. As though completely bewildered. Maybe they’d heard that it was a sport like pool or 9-ball, and didn’t expect the whopping 12’x6’ table. Maybe they didn’t expect the showmanship and gentlemanly nature (believe me, a woman’s tourney is just as regal), unusual in most American sports. One guy was reading the rules of the game – so maybe he was really trying to learn. Whatever it was, it was enough to keep the sparse audience here, and I expect that as the days roll along, more and more people will come. And I’ll keep you posted.
ABOUT 2006 1BSF WORLD SNOOKER TEAM CUP CHAMPIONSHIPS:The DoubleTree Hotel in San Jose hosts to this international snooker competition, whose competition began today. Matches run at 10 am, 2 pm and 6 pm; admission is $5 for the regular matches, $8 for the semi-finals on the 25th and $10 for the finals on the 26th. For more information or to make reservations for the matches, please call Diana Slampyak, Press Officer, at 650.773.9633 or email her at dslampyak@comcast.net. "

Snooker table news, Wattana on his way back

2006-08-15T23:57:00.000+01:00

Wattana off to a good start: "[SNOOKER] Thailand's James Wattana, who lost his top 16 ranking seven years ago, made a positive start to reclaiming his place with a 5-4 victory over Jimmy Michie in the first round of the Northern Ireland Trophy at Belfast's Waterfront Hall on Monday.

Wattana, the world No 25, is up to 19th on the provisional rankings and his win over Yorkshireman Michie is certain to elevate him even higher.
"I played well to force the deciding frame after Jimmy, from 3-1 down, went on to lead 4-3. It was a tough contest and it was a relief to get over the winning line," said Wattana, whose highest breaks were a 64, 61 and 59 compared with Michie's 103 in frame two.
In a contest which lasted more than three hours, Wattana was heading for defeat as Michie, the conqueror of whirlwind Jimmy White in the final qualifying round, led 4-3 and 30-0 in the eighth frame.
But he missed a none too difficult red, leaving Wattana to compile a break of 64 and lead by 34 points on the yellow. He potted that on his next visit to the table and Michie conceded.
Michie started first in the ninth frame, but broke down on 12 and from then on Wattana held the initiative with victory assured on the blue.
The Thai, who is now based in Sheffield close to world snooker's new Academy which is being officially opened by British royalty on September 13, tonight faces former world and Thailand Masters champion Ken Doherty for a place in the last 16.
China's UK champion, Ding Junhui, and Main Tour debutante Tian Pengfei completed a sparkling treble for players from the Far East.
Ding won the last three frames to wrap up a 5-4 victory over Welshman Paul Davies, compiling a break of 92 to force a tense 49-minute deciding frame which he won on the pink after trailing by 21 points with only a red remaining.
Tian, who celebrates his 19th birthday today, defeated former world championship semi-finalist Andy Hicks 5-3, registering breaks of 50, 62 and 115.
Tonight he faces the 2005 world champion, Shaun Murphy, for a place in the third round, with Ding up against Anthony Hamilton.
"I played badly and I was nervous," said Ding, who won the match on a final frame blue and pink.
"There's pressure on me now because I'm in the top 32.
"I got very few chances in the last frame, so I just had to concentrate. I'm very relieved to have won. I must play better in my next match."
And Hicks was in no doubt that China could become a significant force in snooker. "There's quite a few good players coming out of China," said the world No 31.
John Dee
The Nation
Belfast

Snooker table news, Ronnie raring to go

2006-08-14T01:27:00.000+01:00

Sunday Life: "Snooker: Ronnie's 'Rocket' to rivals..

Frank Brownlow talks to Ronnie O'Sullivan
13 August 2006
Ronnie O'Sullivan last night fired a warning blast at his rivals ahead of the Northern Ireland Trophy - 'If I'm on form no-one can touch me!'
The tournament gets under way today at the Waterfront Hall and its elevation to a ranking event cranks up the pressure on the players.
And 'The Rocket' didn't sit on the fence when asked who would win the prestigious opening event to the new snooker season.
In an exclusive interview with Sunday Life, O'Sullivan rapped: 'When I'm on form I'm very, very good and there are only three other players in the world who can possibly live with me.
'Everyone knows the quality of John Higgins, Stephen Hendry and Mark Williams. When those three and myself are on top of our game we are better than everybody else.
'I need to be more consistent and that's the key to it really. When I'm good I'm very, very good but when I'm poor I'm just an average player.'
O'Sullivan is a real enigma and has in the past threatened to quit the game and many people - including the man himself - feel he should have more than his two World titles to show for his prodigious talent.
He candidly admits: 'I should have won more World titles by now. I could probably have doubled what I have achieved in the game but I've had my ups and downs.
'I need to get my consistency back and when it comes back I can win more World Championships,' says the 30-year-old Essex boy.
And O'Sullivan knows a good run in the Northern Ireland Trophy can lay the foundations for a good season and another tilt at the World crown.
'It's now a world ranking event so all the top players will be going out all guns blazing to win it. Everybody will be keen to do really well.
"We've had a long break and I've got a new cue so it's a bit difficult at the moment but I've been working hard in practice and things are going okay," he says.
O'Sullivan will face either Alan McManus or Stuart Pettman in his opening match.
But he reveals: "I don't really look at the draws because they're all tough matches these days. I just turn up and hope to find a bit of form. You get used to playing all the players so you know what to expect."
O'Sullivan has been playing in pool tournaments over the summer to maintain his sharpness.
"I like to play a bit of pool in between snooker tournaments. If there's a gap I'll play in a few pool events. I don't treat pool as a job - it's just a bit of fun," he says.
Snooker has struggled in recent years to emulate its 1980s golden era and O'Sullivan feels the game would be boosted by greater competition for the top prizes.
"When John Higgins, Stephen Hendry, Mark Williams and myself are not on top of our game there are maybe another five or six players who are very capable of winning tournaments.
"Then there are maybe another four players behind them who have an outside chance of winning tournaments.
"Plenty of players are capable of winning tournaments but they don't all do so.
"A lot of players say they can win tournaments and some of them have never won anything.
"A lot of talking gets done but it's the results that matter.
"The fact is that there are only four people who regularly win ranking events. We are just that little bit better than everyone else.
"Some people have won four or five events but that's nothing to write home about.
"Hendry has won 36 or 37, I've managed to win about 18 or 19 and so have Higgins and Williams. That says it all really," he says.
And O'Sullivan warns that, in snooker, talk is cheap.
"A lot of players say that they are making 147s in practice. But it's one thing doing it in practice - it's when you get on the match table that it matters. You have to do it where it matters.
"The only one of the up and coming players who seems to do it where it matters is Ding Junhui. He's won the UK Championship which is a massive tournament and he's also won the China Open. So he has actually won things and is a force to be reckoned with.
"Other players have won maybe one tournament and got to semi-finals and quarter-finals. So that means Ding Junhui stands out from the others because he has proven himself.
"I've been watching the European Championship athletics this week and some of the British athletes are talking about doing better next year and the year after that - but in my view there's no time like the present. You should just get on with winning things," he stresses.
And for how long can Ronnie O'Sullivan go on winning things?
After much deliberation, he says: "I would see myself staying in the game another six or seven years because hopefully I'll still be playing top quality snooker by then.
"As long as I'm playing well and enjoying it, I'll carry on playing."
'The Rocket' is still aiming for the stars."

Get your own Snooker table

Snooker table news, Steve changes horses

2006-08-09T02:16:00.000+01:00

Interview with Steve Davis at the World Series of Poker (Part 2) Poker News: "Welcome to Part 2 of our intriguing and amusing interview with Steve Davis, formerly one of the greatest snooker players in the world with multiple world championships behind him.

Now a keen poker player in his own right, and having made it this year through the first two days of the WSOP Main Event, Steve talks about his hapless introduction to poker thanks to his long-time mentor, Barry Hearn, and considers the poker-playing skills of his fellow snooker professionals.

UKPN: Just stepping back a bit, tell us about your first experience of poker?

SD: I came out to Vegas on a trip with Barry Hearn who had just started to get interested in poker; televising poker but as a player as well. He said, you've got to come over for a couple of days; I've got a few meetings, and we'll play a bit of poker. I said I don't even know the rules. He said it doesn't matter, I've got a book. You can read it on the plane. So we came over, stayed at the MGM, and played at the Bellagio, for a couple of days. Anyway, we got to the airport in the UK and got on the plane. I said where's the book?Oh he said, it's in my luggage. He said don't worry, when we get off, we can get it out and you can read it on the way to the hotel. You can buy the books, there are loads of them on how to play poker.

We got to the airport at the other end, straight to the hotel. Let me read the book. He said Look, we haven't got time for that, let's get down to the Bellagio and play. We got to the Bellagio. I've walked into the Bellagio room in his wake; he can't wait to play, he's like a kid in a sweet shop. He walked up to the Maitre D, who was controlling the tables, and said “I want a table at the 30-60 limit game.” It’s a big game, right, but I don’t know what he is talking about, “30-60 limit”! The guy says, yes sir, we have a seat there on the 30-60 over on the corner table. And off he goes with “Oh, and a seat for my friend”. The guy says there is a seat in the 15-30 game. Barry said “that’ll do him” and went “Bye!” So now I’ve gone to my table. The first ever game of my life, and it’s with the sharks! Bellagio, 15-30 limit. I was so nervous, my hands were shaking and I was checking through nerves! I’m slowly losing my money and Barry came back from losing all of his money, tapped me on the shoulder and said “come on, let’s go and have something to eat now”. At that moment, I had A9 of spades and the flop came down three spades, queen, jack, whatever. I’m not raising, I don’t know what I’m doing but I know I’ve got the best hand, but I don’t know what to do with it, so I’m just calling and people were raising; I was just calling the raises. A Chinaman next to me had been raising me and I was just calling, not re-raising; just calling, out of nerves, right? Other people are calling as well. It’s come round to me and we turn the hands over. The Chinaman just looked at me and then spat at me! He obviously didn’t understand what I was just calling him with. I got all my money back, $500 I had and I got it all back in one go! Barry says, “come on, son, we’re going” and we cashed it all in. I could see them going “no, no, come back!” So that was my first experience. The next day I went on the 1-2 table. The Maitre D’ said do you want to play on the 15-30 table and I said no, I want to learn the game, what’s the lowest table? He said the 1-2 table but I don’t deal with that, you’ll have to go over to the desk over there. The 1-2 table was the one in the corner with all the local grinders. I proceeded to lose $200 playing 1-2 limit, which is a feat in itself! It’s a lot of money to lose at 1-2 limit, isn’t it! I had about $20 left and I heard one of the locals whispering to another one “we’ve nearly got him!” I thought “you bastard” – I’m only here to try to learn and I’m, like, their lunch. Great! UKPN: As one of many top snooker players who play poker to a reasonably high standard, do you see a correlation in the two pursuits that make snooker players natural poker players? SD: I think in a game like snooker, which is a static ball game, a dead ball game, you have a decision to make before you operate so there are therefore decisions on a snooker table that have a likeness to the decisions you may have to make in poker. Whether to choose to go for the shot; whether to turn it down and wait for a better opportunity; what type of positional shot to play – one could be more aggressive than the other in how it all unfolds. Some players would choose the negative option while some would choose the positive. The attacking, or the reckless or the conservative or the percentage; there are different ways of looking at it. However, having said that, one is a mind game while the other is an operating, mechanical, using the body, so the difference is there. But I do find that, probably, if you like to play snooker, you like to play games, so you’ve got a games mentality and may be suited to play any type of game, like tactics and rules, like the opportunity to try and win and compete, so that may be why the snooker players have taken to poker quite nicely. We were in quite early as celebrities. I started to play online at the (snooker) tournaments in the press room on my days off between matches in the build-up to my first ever Poker Million. Players would be walking past saying “what are you doing?” This was back about five years ago. We were in early before the poker boom, it was still fairly low-key. At the risk of incurring the wrath of your fellow snooker players, which of those players would you say is the stand-out player at poker? SD: I don’t really think I know enough about the game of poker to be able to judge someone. If you were to go on success, Jimmy White won the Poker Million the year I got to the final, but obviously people saw his cards and say he got lucky. Matthew Stevens however has won quite a big amount of money playing at big TV events and I think he is probably considered to be a pretty decent player, he’s got a bit of game in him. I like Mark Williams’ play because he’s got a good attitude and I always find it hard when we play our games behind the scenes at tournaments. He’s very difficult to read, and has a good way of covering his bluffs. Stephen Hendry is like some kind of wounded tiger when he plays. If he takes a bad beat, he lashes out! But we are all learning; as long as we don’t think we are any good at the game, that’s probably the best philosophy. UKPN: How would you say, in your mind, poker stands in relation to your snooker and nine-ball pool activities? SD: In my mind, I am a snooker player; I am not a pool player and I am not a poker player. I am a poker enthusiast and I dabble in pool because of a few things on the television such as the Mosconi Cup and things like that. The poker thing must remain an enthusiast’s, fan-based thing for me. You know, I walk around the trade shows, picking up magazines and being a punter. If someone says, “here’s the latest dealer button out in the market”, I say, “yeah, I’ll have one!” I’ll buy all the books. I’ve got so many books; I’ve bought 15 since I’ve been here. They’ll all go on the shelf and look lovely but whether I’ll read them all….! I’m effectively a poker slut or groupie! Like the rest of us, I’m walking around with my eyes wide open. “Wanna free T-shirt?” “Yeah, I’ll have one!”. To be quite honest, I want it stay like that, really. I’d hate really to be regarded as a poker player because a little bit of me would say that’s not right. If I had a major success at poker and all of a sudden I’m a poker player, it would be wrong because I haven’t had the experience. Perhaps I could do well in a tournament one day but I know full well I haven’t paid my dues. As a snooker player you have to pay your dues, you can’t take the short route; you’ve got to have the skill obviously but I’d like to think that anyone who won this big event would be an experienced player who no-one could say, well he got lucky. If I won it, you’d have to say I got lucky! How could a snooker player with five years’ experience win? It’s not right. So, I want to be an enthusiast. UKPN: In your experience of playing competitive poker, who has impressed you most out of the pros in the field that you have seen play? SD: Well, I haven’t really been in close proximity all that much to know who, as I’ve only played with a few pros. It’s always nice to see somebody who feels comfortable at the table and I’ve played with people round the table during this event who I thought, “yeah, you like you’ve been here before; I don’t know your name, I don’t know where you come from but you look better than me! I’ve played with the Devilfish, Roy Brindley and Bruno Fitoussi. Who else have I played with? I’ve sat next to the Irish guy who won the World Series, Noel Furlong. I don’t think I’m qualified really to know. It’s nice to see somebody at ease around the table. I’ve commentated on a lot, I’ve done plenty of commentary recently for some of the events that are produced by Matchroom Sport and watching all the players play is just fantastic. I don’t really think there is just one person. I’ve never seen Tony G play though, except for when he really ripped into Surinder Sunar! I like Tony so obviously he has this brat image, but he’s actually a nice guy. It’s interesting how your personality can change when you go on stage, which is effectively the poker table. So, for that reason, so long as somebody is not rude, and there’s a sense of humour involved as well, it’s fine.

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Snooker table news

2006-07-27T01:23:00.000+01:00

Sport - Lancaster Today: News, Sport, Jobs, Property, Cars, Entertainments & More: "James starts well but Leo triumphs
JAMES Silverwood continued his snooker education with a recent match against Cumbria's Irish professional Leo Fernandez who is world ranked 77.
The venue was again James' home base, Squires Snooker Centre, which is shortly to be refurbished.
The first frame began with Fernandez making an early 20 break with James responding with a 27. Both players made further small contributions before James potted a good blue to win 66-47.
The next frame was James's best. The Torrisholme teenager made an early 22 and, after a safety battle, scored 49 prompting Fernandez, who is recovering from illness, to concede at 71-0.
In frame three, James was in first with a 27. Fernandez responded with 19 and eight and the frame remained level until, with four reds remaining, Fernandez made 14.
James took the last two reds with colours yellow and green and, needing only brown and blue, failed to pot the brown. Fernandez cleared the remaining colours to register his first frame of the match 58-45.
Frame four was another closely-fought frame. After two similar breaks from both players, James potted brown and blue and played safe on the pink.
From Fernandez's poor safety shot, James dispatched the pink for the frame 60-42 to lead 3-1.
But this was his last success as his opponent took control having mastered the speed of the table.
In the fifth frame, a 50 was enough for Fernandez to take the frame 61-9.
He was in first in the next frame with a 44. Again, the remaining reds in the pack did not split well forcing a safety shot. Two further small breaks by Fernandez followed and James conceded with the score 78-1.
Again in the next frame, Leo was in first and on 14 opened the pack. Once more, there was no red available, limiting the big breaks.After 25 from Fernandez, James made 36 and was in chargem only needing the brown.But a tricky snooker laid by Fernandez brought him back into the frame with James missing three times as referee Paul Semple applied the miss rule.From the last of these misses, Fernandez duly cleared to the black to win.James was now trailing 4-3 in this best of nine match and things did not get any better in the next frame.The Cumbrian's first scoring visit produced the highest break of the match, a 62. James did claw his way back into the frame and, with the colours remaining, the score stood at 68-42 to Fernandez who then took his chance on the yellow to clean up.So, James, after a fine start, had lost the last four frames and the match 5-3.n After the match, James received some professional analysis from Preston pro Steve Rowlings.
20 July 2006"

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2006-07-17T23:36:00.000+01:00

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Snooker Table news

2006-07-13T01:48:00.000+01:00

Guardian Unlimited Sport Snooker John Spencer: "Clive Everton
Thursday July 13, 2006
The Guardian

The snooker player John Spencer, who won the world title at his first attempt in 1969 - then took it again 18 months later, and repeated the feat in 1977, the first year the championship was staged at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre - has died of stomach cancer aged 70.
Born in Radcliffe, Lancashire, he attended Stand grammar school. When he was 14, his father, who had lost an arm in the first world war and used a clothes brush as a makeshift bridge for his cue, introduced his son to a full-sized table. Previously he had played only on an upturned 4ft x 2ft bagatelle table, with pairs of nails defining the pockets and tightly drawn tape for cushions. Spencer made his first century break when he was 15, but remained a strictly local hero as the game was in the doldrums. Called up for national service at 18, he did not hit a ball for 11 years until an old friend recruited him for a �5-a-head challenge match for Longsight billiard hall against that in Salford."
Having anchored Longsight to victory, it struck Spencer that if these were the best amateurs in Lancashire, he had been underrating himself. He reached the final of the English amateur championship at his first attempt in 1964, losing to Ray Reardon, who later won six world titles. Having taken the English amateur champion title in 1966, Spencer returned to Lancashire as runner-up from the world amateur championship in Karachi that year on the point of retirement after a row over expenses.
In those days there was no tournament circuit, and he had no thought of a professional career. Players survived through charity exhibitions in clubs and, out of the blue, the National Spastic Society offered him £14 an engagement, plus a small commission on what he could raise through auctions and raffles. Pontin's, Blackpool, offered him £20 a week for a summer season - and his professional career was born.
When John Player decided to sponsor a revived world championship, Spencer borrowed £100 from his bank manager and won the first prize of £1,780, then a fortune in snooker terms. Beaten by Reardon in the April 1970 semi-final, he recaptured the title in Sydney that November, making three centuries in four frames in the final. Although hot favourite to retain the title, he lost the 1972 final to Alex Higgins, whose emergence was to be an important factor in the game's commercial success.
Three times Spencer won Pot Black, the BBC2 one-frame tournament that exploited the advent of colour television to bring the game to a substantial new public. At a time when snooker, after a long spell of obscurity, needed new heroes, he was at the forefront of that small cast. Although he won the inaugural Benson and Hedges Masters in 1975, his form deteriorated as the 1970s wore on. His cue was an unprepossessing 15oz Excalibur, held together by a nail in its butt and bought for eight shillings from the Radcliffe billiard hall, the Grott. It was broken into four pieces when he crashed after falling asleep at the wheel of his car in 1974, an incident in which he was lucky not to have died.
Incredibly, the cue was pinned together by a cue doctor, but it never felt quite the same. Eventually, two months before the 1977 championship, Spencer changed to a Canadian two-piece, and regained the title, not in his old, assertive style, but with a percentage game underpinned by concentration, tenacity, tactical acumen and experience. In 1979, in the Holsten International at Slough, he became the first player ever to make a 147 maximum in competition, albeit an event denied television exposure because Thames TV, anxious to avoid overtime payments, had awarded the crew a meal break.
Spencer's career and life were shattered on May 9 1985 when he woke up with double vision, quickly diagnosed as myasthenia gravis, the disease which, in his case, had caused a deterioration of his eye muscles. Steroids fought the problem with intermittent success but the long-term side effects were hellish.
He worked as a BBC Television summariser and was, from 1990 to 1996, chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association. His tenure, he was to admit, included several periods in which his condition and medication produced deep depressions, ungovernable spasms of aggression, an obsession with suicide and, finally, inoperable stomach cancer. It was all a dreadful contrast to his sunny, good-natured younger self, a great lover of practical jokes, golf and gambling on horses.
A year ago, Spencer declined further treatment: "Even if I only have another 12 months left to live, at least I'll die happy. I realised that I could have another 10 years, but be miserable with the treatment, or take my chances without it. I'm determined to stay around a bit longer, but I've had a good innings. I've been round the world too many times to remember and met some fabulous people."
He remained, as he had been for 20 years, a dedicated fundraiser for the Myasthenia Gravis Association, even undertaking a sponsored parachute jump last year, and completed his autobiography, Out of the Blue, Into the Black. He is survived by his wife Margot, with whom he remained on the friendliest of terms after their separation, and Jean Shepherd, his partner of 15 years.
· John Spencer, snooker player, born September 18 1935; died July 11 2006

Snooker table news

2006-06-26T00:40:00.000+01:00

icWales - Snooker: Victorious Williams is still short of motivation: "Snooker: Victorious Williams is still short of motivationJun 24 2006

South Wales Echo

Mark Williams put in a fine display at the TCC pro am championships in Newport but admitted practising for the new season, which starts in August, does not motivate him anymore.
Double world champion Williams was guilty of losing his way in the earlier parts of last season through lack of tournament preparation table time and, at one stage, was in danger of dropping out of the elite top 16 on the world list.
And with youngsters snapping at his heels on the main professional tour, the Cardiff-based 31-year-old needed all his experience to pull himself out of the rut he was in last season and, after going down 13-11 to Ronnie O'Sullivan in the 888 world championships quarter-finals in April, he eventually finished in eighth position on the list.
Other players, like Stephen Hendry and O'Sullivan, are taking a break this summer.
But Williams stepped up to the table and progressed to an intriguing meeting with new Welsh amateur champion Jamie Jones, from Neath, in the TCC quarters next month."
He beat Newport amateur Richard Price 4-0, with breaks of 50, 51, 96 and 72 and in that final frame, he was on the way to a 147 maximum before missing the 10th red.
Williams, though, has no intention of over exerting himself for the opening event of the season, the Northern Ireland trophy in Belfast, this August.
He said: 'I'm not practising at all. I'm not going to play much before the Northern Ireland Trophy.
'I can't be bothered - I'm still on summer break.'
As for 18-year-old Jones, who joins the professional tour later in the year, he showed just how he is going to unleash himself on the public by destroying local player Michael Griffiths 3-0 in his opening match, which included a 110 break.
Then he hammered Bristol 17-year-old Judd Trump, the youngest professional in big time snooker, 4-1, a performance which included breaks of 102 and 111.

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Snooker table prodigy

2006-06-24T15:12:00.000+01:00

Pocketsized Rocket (from This Is Wiltshire): "POCKET-SIZED ROCKET
By John Ballard

Westbury snooker prodigy Thyas Evans (31978/4)

A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD snooker prodigy from Westbury is already dreaming of playing his idol Ronnie The Rocket' O'Sullivan in the World Championship.
Despite only just being tall enough to see over the table, Thyas Evans displays a talent for the game far beyond his age. This year, in his first full season of competitive snooker, the Year 2 pupil from Bitham Brook Primary School played against, and beat, other youngsters in under 12s tournaments across the south west to finish in third place overall for this age group.
He has even triumphed against people more than twice his age, with victories against under 15s and even under 21s in a final end-of-the-season event. His father Paul Evans, who is also a snooker fanatic, said: 'We bought him a two-foot table when he was two or three years old and then after about six months we had to exchange it for a four-foot one, because the smaller table was no longer challenging enough.
'He just picked up the game very quickly and has such a passion for it.' Thyas started going to Trowbridge Snooker Club, joined the Cuestars snooker scheme and immediately took to playing on full size tables.
continued...
Cuestars is based around a universal handicap system and provides snooker players with the opportunity to play in competitions, which Thyas has been doing very successfully. On the back of this success, the Westbury youngster has been selected to go to an assessment day in Swindon this summer, where Ronnie O'Sullivan's coach Frank Adamson will cast his eye over some of the region's most promising young snooker players.
Mr Evans said: 'If Thyas continues to develop the way he has been doing, I would say that 10 year down the line he should be close to being on television, and I reckon in about four years he will be banging in centuries. "We'll probably give him another season playing at this level, and then we'll have to look at him going into national competitions."
Players Bar in Westbury provides Thyas with unlimited use of the full size tables, so he can get in the many hours of practice needed to enable him to compete at a high standard.
Players are also helping the seven-year-old star with tournament travel costs, and general manager Ken Bowman is encouraging other young snooker fans and their parents to take the opportunity to play the game at the bar on the West Wilts Trading Estate.
In addition to enjoying playing on the green baize, Thyas is an avid follower of snooker, and likes to watch the best players in the world in action. While Trowbridge's Stephen Lee is the local star, Thyas has always supported Ronnie O'Sullivan. He said: "I need to practice as much as I can because the more I play the better I get.
"I hope I get to play against Ronnie O'Sullivan one day, and I'd like to beat him so then he can ask me for my autograph.""

Snooker Table news POTS OF CASH FOR TITLE TABLE

2006-06-20T00:15:00.000+01:00

The Daily Record - NEWS - POTS OF CASH FOR TITLE TABLE: "A HOUSE is up for sale at �450,000 - with the snooker table on which Stephen Hendry won his first world title thrown in.
Owners Ian and Betty Robson hope the home, in Walkerburn, Peebleshire, will go to a true snooker fan.
Ian, a former miner and personnel manager, built the 5000 square-foot house three years ago - and installed the table from Stephen's 1990 win.
He said: 'I used to play a lot of competitive snooker and there was a time when I considered going professional but knew I didn't have the magic to make it in the big time.
'I used to play against Stephen Hendry when he was working his way up the ranks so having the table he won the world championship on is fantastic.
'It's time for us to move on now and if someone would like to buy the table with the house, they are welcome to it.'
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Estate agent Harry Lukas said: 'This is an unique property and I expect the table will raise a fair amount of interest.' "

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Pool table news "The Hustler remembered"

2006-06-18T12:11:00.000+01:00

SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Don Freeman -- Not too late to rectify oversight and retroactively honor Gleason: "Not too late to rectify oversight and retroactively honor Gleason "

We had greatness in our midst. My reference is to Jackie Gleason, a superior actor and an unsurpassed comedian in the “Honeymooners” sketches he played with Audrey Meadows. I am reminded here of what Red Skelton once observed. “A comedian can be an actor,” Skelton said, “but an actor cannot necessarily be a comedian.”
Now Jackie, you must recall, never was honored with an Oscar for his work in the movies. And an Emmy was denied him for his accomplishments on television. This drastic oversight should by all means be put to rights.
How this is done I leave to those in that line of work. But what I am suggesting now is that matters be worked out so the memory of Jackie Gleason is honored with a retroactive Academy Award as well as an Emmy. (And don't forget Bob Hope, who rightly should also have been granted retroactive Oscars for his fine acting in “Seven Little Foys” and “Beau James.”)
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No honors by his peers for Jackie Gleason? Now that is truly outrageous. My thoughts turned to Jackie not long ago when I saw “The Hustler” once again on television. In my view, “The Hustler” rules as the greatest of all sports movies. You may ask if shooting pool is a sport. I think so. In “The Hustler,” shooting pool is beyond all doubt a sporting contest, and the game is played, of course, for coin of the realm.
One memorable scene in “The Hustler” has Paul Newman as Fast Eddie Felson, freshly arrived in New York from far-off Oakland, admiring the pool artistry of Minnesota Fats. The Fat Man is portrayed majestically by Jackie Gleason, and Fast Eddie is awed. You are put in mind here of a fellow artist of lesser gifts who has just encountered Michelangelo at work.
Fast Eddie, with an easy smile, issues this admiring observation: “They say old Fats just shoots the eyes right off of those balls.”
Minnesota Fats pauses. He smiles, too, for he can spot a hustler who has just walked into a pool hall with his cue in a leather case. “Do you like to gamble, Eddie? Gamble money on pool games?”
What a beautifully played scene that is. Snapping with tension, the scene tells you all about Fast Eddie and Minnesota Fats. Their lives, we know at once, are clearly fashioned under the pitiless gaze of the harsh light that hangs above the pool table.
What we inescapably feel in that scene is the rhythm of the city. No musical score accompanies the dialogue, but as you listen to your imagination, you hear a muted trumpet wailing out the blues of the big city.
And there was Jackie in “Requiem for a Heavyweight,” in an explosive scene in the dressing room of his fighter played by Anthony Quinn. Jackie, called Maishe in the film, says: “It didn't bother you that I had every last nickel I have in the world on the table saying that you wouldn't go five!”
“Maishe,” says the washed-up fighter so plaintively that you feel the tears well up, “Maishe, you bet against me?”
The expression on Jackie's face tells you everything you need to know about this character he is playing with such exquisite restraint and power. It is Jackie creating a fiercely believable character. It is the Jackie we remember. It is Jackie, in top form, revealing his art. It is the Jackie Gleason we remember.
Don Freeman can be reached by fax at (619) 260-5093; or at don.freeman@uniontrib.com; or at the Union-Tribune, P.O. Box 120191, San Diego, CA 92112-0191.

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Pool Tables in New York

2006-06-13T16:28:00.000+01:00

NY1: Search: "Manhattan Week: Pool Tables Custom Made At Blatt Billiards In Union Square

As NY1 kicks off Manhattan Week, borough reporter Rebecca Spitz takes a look at a family owned business that's been mixing the old and the new through three generations from its Union Square headquarters.

Walking into Blatt Billiards is like walking back in time.

The business, housed in a six-story building just south of Union Square, is family owned and run and everything is handmade.

'My father moved into this building in 1943 and we've been there since then,' says owner Ron Blatt.

Blatt is a third generation manufacturer of custom pool tables. Like his father and grandfather before him, Blatt loves billiards.

On each of the building's floors, you'll find a different facet of the production, from brand new models to fully restored antiques.

'We do everything in house. Everything is done here, start to finish,' says Blatt. 'We use the finest materials. We use exotic veneers, leathers, all kinds of stuff. It depends what the customer wants.'

That could be anything from elaborate inlay or detailed carvings. If you're feeling a little more fanciful, how about some unicorns instead of traditional pool table legs?

Blatt has 54 employees who make it all happen.

'We plane the lumber and smooth it to the specifications that we need,' he says. 'We cut it, we build the frame of the table then we fit the slates, the rails, the pockets, all that stuff. And after that's done, we concentrate on the cosmetics.'

It can take up to a year to finish a custom table. The cost? Blatt says depending on what the customer wants, anywhere from $1,800 to $180,000.

Working in this factory requires both skill and patience. Some of these projects take months to complete and each craftsman works almost entirely on his own." Darren Zubrycky, who came to Blatt nearly 10 years ago from a career in furniture making, says he's right at home in this workshop. "Every craftsman is an individual and we're all such great individuals. We really don't work collaboratively together in one sense, in a whole we do for the whole company, but we all appreciate having our own projects and that's what it's all about," he says. And around the corner, fellow artisan and former cabinet maker Fred Cohen, methodically works on carvings and turnings that will adorn a table. "You have to work steady but very controlled and very efficient. You can't rush this type of work," says Cohen. Attention to detail is behind the 83 orders for custom tables that are currently in the works and to the list of clients you might've heard of. "Bill Gates to Michael Douglas to Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mayor Bloomberg has 3 tables," says Blatt. His celebrity clients might add marquee value to the business, but turning out a quality product is really the bottom line. The inconveniences often associated with manufacturing in Manhattan don't bother Blatt. "I'm a born and bred New Yorker," he says. "I'm not going anywhere." - Rebecca Spitz

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Snooker Table blog

2006-06-12T23:52:00.000+01:00

Player Blogs: "DOM'S DIARY
Dominic Dale
16-Apr-2006

There are many and varied interesting characters in snooker, but none more colourful than Welshman Dominic Dale. But enough about his shirts. Sadly for the World No 34, he fell at the first hurdle in his attempt to walk out as a player at this year's 888.com World Snooker Championship, losing 6-10 to the gritty Liverpudlian Rod Lawer. But Dale is still involved in the tournament as a commentator for BBC Sport and Eurosport as well as worldsnooker.com's new diary columnist. 'I'm fine here,' said the former Grand Prix champion. 'I'm loving being part of the atmosphere. But when I sat listening to the live draw and my name wasn't in it, that hurt. 'It made me think I wasn't good enough to be in the event, but Rod played particularly well against me at Prestatyn and it was just one of those days.' The erudite Welshman was approached by the BBC a few years ago to try his hand at commentary and in his words 'took to it like a duck to water. 'I think they'd heard my interviews, knew I could talk, or maybe it's because I've got a loud personality! Anyway I really enjoy it. 'I find it easy to talk because I was trained in singing by a great operatic tenor from Neath, Allun Davies. I used to sing at school and in choirs. Yes I was a boy treble! 'I'm now a genuine baritone, a slighter deeper tone than a tenor. I can hit a Top 'A', whereas a tenor can reach 'C'. 'So I am comfortable with a microphone, I'm used to performing and being in front of cameras.' The Penarth Pavorotti shared the commentary box with Willie Thorne as he covered the John Parrott v Graeme Dott match. 'I managed to get a few words in!' he joked. Then he was paired off with Dennis Taylor, the first time they had worked together as a 'talk team'. 'We really gelled as a partnership and iit went very well. Dale enjoys keeping an ear out for 'Coleman Balls', slips of the tonuge or double-entendres named in honour of BBC's former sports commentator David Coleman. Probably the most famous snooker quote came from the doyen of commentators Ted Lowe, who once informed the audience: "Fred Davis, 64 years old, too old to get his leg over, prefers to use his left hand." The Crucible audience can follow the commentary using the exclusive 888.com earpieces. "I didn't know they had earpieces and I wondered why there was laughter", said Dale after Taylor had uttered the line "Steve Davis needs an extra nine inches." Dale has become an avid Davis fan but has a more selfish motivation than appreciating the Nugget's skills at the table. "I want him to keep winning, then he can't do so much BBC work and I get to do more commentary!" he said. As well as audiences earpieces, one helpful innovation at the Crucible this year is a play back machine for use by referees and markers which can be used to help them replace the balls after the foul and miss rule is applied. "I really like this new technology", said Dale. "The markers have dvd players at their desks and they can instantly rewind the play." He is also impressed with the Cue Zone outside the Crucible, which incorporates a wide range of snooker history, including a display of old equipment, scientific information and a cross-section showing how a table is constructed. We'll be catching up with Dominic throughout the Championship with his thoughts and observations. "

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Pool Table news for the Girls

2006-06-11T14:48:00.000+01:00

Ladies pool is right on cue - Sunday Times - Times Online: "Ladies pool is right on cue
Boozy, smoky and unfriendly, snooker halls used to be places where women feared to tread. Now they are getting the feminine touch, writes Claire Sawers

I have been an enthusiastic but inept player of pool for years. Divots in the green baize of tables the length and breadth of the country stand testimony to my abilities, or lack of them. I am the champion of the bouncing ball and the potted white. I know the pain of conceding two-shot penalties whether at the break of the game, or after cueing up that final and seemingly triumphant black only to scuff the white and miss the damn eight-ball entirely.
Maybe, I've pondered, this is a woman thing. I'm just not properly adapted for the game. But that can't be true. With women's pool leagues flourishing across Scotland, this is plainly a game that crosses the gender divide. So when I spotted a female-friendly pool hall in Glasgow offering coaching sessions, I decided it was time to join the band of cue-wielding women whose skills are beyond dispute.

For many women like me, snooker and pool halls have long seemed the preserve of beer-swilling, chain-smoking men, and were intimidating places at the best of times.
But it is now also becoming a women's world. Most of the evidence for the rise in women's pool is anecdotal, but it's obvious enough that the game's winning combination of a social life and a degree of competitiveness offers an alternative to the demure world of ladies' book groups.
Yvonne Ewing, the manager of the Scottish ladies pool team, is in favour of anything that encourages more women players. I love competition, so the more women on the circuit, the better, she says. There tends to be a lot more camaraderie and socialising among the female players. Often men focus on the competitive side and the prize money, whereas the women get into it as a chance for a get-together, a place to have a blether, a few drinks and a good time.”
Last month, Ewing and her team-mates appeared on Sky Sports in a televised tournament. “The commentator couldn’t get over how loud we were. Everyone else was taking it all quite seriously, but we were singing and laughing — and still playing some really good pool at the same time.”
Another of pool’s pull factors is the changing surroundings of the game, at least if the club I’ve come to on Pollockshaws Road in Glasgow is anything to go by. Since Reardon’s opened a year ago, it has seen a steady rise in the number of women coming to play, thanks in part to the pleasant surroundings, soft lighting and predominantly female staff.
I am greeted here by my personal coach for the day. As a former under-21s world champion and reigning Scottish No 1, David Riggins is better qualified than most to transform me from cack- handed amateur into another Fast Eddie. The champ starts me off with a knockabout game to assess my technique and quickly realises a simple truth. I don’t have one.
After pointing out my elementary mistakes — standing too close to the table and not lining my eyes up with the cue ball — he begins sharpening up my game.
Posture and stance are critical, he says, and once I remember to line up my right foot with the cue every time I take a shot, I notice more of my pots are making their way into the “bag”, as we pool aficionados call the pocket.
Riggins also gives me tips on basic shots — the forwards- and backwards-rolling “top spin” and “screw back”, both of which cut down the number of times I send the white ball racing into the pocket.
After 15 minutes of instruction, I chalk up my cue with renewed vigour and nail four out of five long shots in quick succession. I am triumphant. “Watch out — shark attack,” laughs Riggins. (Pool lingo, apparently. You’re taught that in the second lesson.) Since he started coaching women several months ago, Riggins is pleased to note an increase in the number of female players. Among them is Julie Forsyth, who first turned up with colleagues after a Christmas party and liked it so much she now plays about once a month.
“A common problem with girls is they don’t want to walk into a dark club full of drunk men standing about,” says the 23-year-old PR executive. “But this isn’t like any other pool club I’ve been in. My friends and I quite often head there for a few glasses of wine, have a few snacks and end up playing.”
And it’s not just in Glasgow where the women’s game is flourishing. Carole Foster, a 27-year-old nursery nurse from Trinity, admits she first stumbled into Diane’s Pool Hall in Edinburgh at the end of a long night out.
The players already gathered round the tables were almost exclusively male, but Foster ignored their sideways looks and racked up the balls.
“I hadn’t played for years, and would never have dreamt of making a plan with my friends to go and shoot some pool, but that night I had a go,” she says. “I had played a bit for fun when I was younger and it all started coming back to me. I’m actually not that bad as it turns out.”
Foster now plays regularly at the club and has encouraged her female friends to join her.
“I enjoy the fact it’s a bit different. It makes a change from sitting in the pub or going to the cinema and you can definitely see progress after a few visits.”
Mark Armstrong, who manages Diane’s Pool Hall, says that the number of women players is still small compared with men — he gets about 50 women a week and more than 300 men — but the balance is slowly shifting.
“There must still be a stigma about coming into a pool hall,” he says, “but if you ask any of the female regulars who come along here, they’d tell you there is nothing to feel intimidated about. Female players are always more than welcome.”
At the other end of the M8, Reardon’s is positively encouraging them. The pool hall has teamed up with the World Ladies Billiards and Snooker Association (WLBSA) to launch a programme of female-friendly coaching. It is a collaboration that delighted the association, since it has had to campaign for women’s access after the withdrawal of financial support by the governing body, the World Snooker Association, in 2003.
That might have been a killer blow for the women’s game. Instead, it’s reviving it. “It’s fantastic that Reardon’s is encouraging women,” says Mandy Fisher, the chairwoman of the WLBSA. “Snooker is enjoyable for everyone and we need more ladies to step up to the challenge.”
I’m ready if you fancy a game. Winners stay on. Losers buy the drinks.
Where to play
Where can I learn to play? Reardon’s Snooker and Ray’s American Pool Club, Pollokshaws Road, Glasgow, 0141 632 0007, offers ladies’ pool coaching every Sunday from noon. Sessions cost £3.50 and phone bookings must be made.
What if I just want to try it out for fun? Diane’s Pool Hall in Morrison Street, Edinburgh, 0131 467 7470, welcomes women, beginners and players looking to compete.

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Snooker Table news

2006-06-10T10:40:00.000+01:00

Mirror.co.uk - News - SNOOKER STARS ARE 'THICKEST': "SNOOKER STARS ARE 'THICKEST'
SNOOKER players are the 'least intelligent' sports people in the country, according to research.
Advertisement

A study found they have fewer qualifications than stars in 11 other sports.
But this is because top names such as Ronnie O'Sullivan left school before taking their GCSEs to develop their talents.
Most educated were cyclists, many of whom have degrees because their lower earning power calls for a back-up plan.
Education Maintenance Allowance, which awards grants to keep teenagers in education, hopes the study will show the value of having a fall-back.
The league table for brains: 1 Cycling, 2 Golf, 3 Rowing, 4 Athletics, 5 Cricket, 6 Tennis, 7 Rugby Union, 8 Rugby League, 9 Boxing, 10 Horseracing, 11 Football, 12 Snooker. "

Snooker Table news

2006-06-10T10:39:00.000+01:00

News - Sheffield Today: News, Sport, Jobs, Property, Cars, Entertainments & More: "Snooker star Shaun helping to tackle child poverty in Africa
SOUTH Yorkshire's former world snooker champ Shaun Murphy has travelled to Zimbabwe to raise money and provide help for poverty-stricken children.

The 2005 Crucible winner was accompanied by his wife, Clare, and spent two weeks in Harare, the capital of the Southern African state which has been racked by political and economic turmoil.
The couple, from Rotherham, stayed with friends who have lived in Zimbabwe for years, working with children in orphanages and schools, helping with feeding and teaching programmes, and raising money for the charity Child Evangelism Fellowship.
'We travelled with an extra suitcase full of spare clothes for the children, and we tried to help where we could in the time we were there,' said 23-year-old Murphy.
'At first it seemed very difficult to imagine we could make a difference to their lives. The trip was a real eye-opener and put a lot of things into perspective.
'We don't realise how lucky we are to live in Britain and have the freedom to travel where we want to. A lot of people don't have the same rights we take for granted.
'When you have a boy of four years old sitting on your knee who has HIV and not long to live, it brings it home to you.
'There are projections that the average life expectancy in Zimbabwe could drop as low as 15.
'No matter what happens on the snooker table, I'll always have a roof over my head and no worries about HIV.
'There's very little middle ground in society in Zimbabwe. The wealthy people live in big houses with swimming pools and tennis courts, electric fences and guards at the door. Then 20 metres down the road there are kids living on the street.'"