How To Play Snooker

By Stanley Newman

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Read Books Ltd.
• Release date: Nov 11, 2011
• ISBN: 9781447492405

Stanley Newman

Acclaimed puzzle creator, editor, and publisher Stanley Newman is crossword editor for Newsday, with puzzles syndicated worldwide. He holds the world record for the fastest completion of a New York Times crossword.

Book preview

HOW TO PLAY

SNOOKER

CHAPTER I

STARTING RIGHT

Choice of cue—Holding it—Stance—Aiming—Striking.

CHOOSE a cue to suit you and stick to it. No one can reach his best form by using a different cue each time he plays.

Without being too dogmatic, the following hints on choosing a cue will remove one obstacle to good play.

The weight of the cue should be between 16 and 17 1/2 ounces. The tip should be medium. A small tip, like a very light cue, is bad for snooker.

A nice straight piece of ash that feels rigid and firm is wanted, and you can test the balance easily. A well-balanced cue will hang balanced on the edge of the table if the point of contact with the table is close to the top of the butt. A good snooker cue may have slightly more weight above the butt than a well-balanced billiards cue, but it is nothing to worry over if the weight is right and the cue is balanced. I have by much experience settled for myself what is the perfect snooker cue, and I will gladly give free advice to any reader who cares to write to me at my publishers’ address.

The question of the length of the cue sometimes worries amateurs more than it need. It is a curious fact that most professionals play with a cue two inches or so shorter than the standard make. But all the leading professionals at present are men of somewhat stocky build, either below or at least not above the average height.

Your cue is long enough if it reaches to the height of your shoulder or slightly above it.

Holding the Cue

If right-handed, hold the butt firmly in the right hand without gripping hard enough to make the wrist stiff, using all the fingers or at least all but the little finger, which may be loose.

The cue should rest on a firm bridge made by the thumb against the forefinger of the left hand. The left arm should be extended, not bent, the wrist and forearm in alignment and the elbow straight behind the cue to thrust the cue exactly forward.

The cue should be almost horizontal when aiming, but slightly pointed downwards as a rule. It must never slant upwards on a stroke. Never, never, never!

In the event of the cue-ball being too near to the cushion for the bridge hand to go on the bed of the table, you must make a cushion bridge, as I am doing in the photograph (Plate I). The hand is placed firmly on the top of the cushion, the thumb gripping the side of the wood rail, and the cue slides over the cushion under the forefinger, and steadied against the middle finger. For this you should also stand well back, to have the left arm extended as usual.

PLATE I

THE CUSHION BRIDGE (see p. 2)

When the cue-ball is tight against the cushion, this hold is impracticable. You must therefore make the ordinary bridge by placing the hand down firmly on the cushion and wood and play with the cue pointing downwards slightly more than usual.

There are other awkward positions which may arise where the left hand instead of making a bridge may steady the cue by curling the forefinger lightly over it, the tip of the forefinger touching the thumb. The cue slides over the thumb and under the forefinger. Some players often use this hold instead of the bridge for powerful strokes, even when there is room to get the hand on the table, but I advise the use of the ordinary bridge wherever it is convenient.

If you are holding the cue properly to aim, with the right stance, and using both eyes, the eyes will look straight down the middle of the cue to the target.

Before I discuss stance, here is an important point about striking the ball.

For the majority of shots the ball should be struck dead centre.

This makes for accuracy. It is easier to control direction and strength by central striking.

But a little observation will show you that the centre of the cue-ball is rather lower than most amateur players suppose. If I were to strike the white ball dead centre while being watched, I expect two out of three spectators would believe I had hit the ball a little low. The reason for this illusion is quite simple. One is looking at the ball from above, and the tip of the cue looks to be a little lower against the ball than it really is. Next time you intend to strike the cue-ball centrally, allow for this error of vision. Strike a point that looks a little lower than centre.

Other important matters concerning the way to hit a ball I shall deal with later, especially when talking about particular shots.

Stance

A good stance is important, but do not fret too much about which stance is correct and which is not. More than one good stance is possible. And when an amateur has been playing for some time and has got into some way which allows him to feel comfortable, it is a dangerous policy to start altering his position at the table.

There is no general rule, except that the player must be able to take a correct