The Legends Of Pool - An All Time Top Ten

The word "pool" is believed to have been derived from poolrooms, gambling halls for betting on horse races. The bets were "pooled" together to establish the odds. Pocket billiards tables kept the punters amused between races and the name caught on. The game of pool has thrown up a number of "legends" over the years:

Ralph Greenleaf won a total of 20 World Pocket Billiards Championship titles from 1919 to 1937 and amazed audiences with his exhibition trick shots. A combination of alcohol and wild living led this pool legend to an early grave at the age of 50.

Willie Mosconi, known as "Mr. Pocket Billiards," held 15 world titles during his era, setting a single game record of 127 balls in 1945, along with potting 546 balls consecutively in 1954.

Luther Lassiter, nicknamed "Wimpy," was a famous player from Elizabeth City, North Carolina. The winner of multiple world Championships and numerous other titles, Lassiter is most renowned for his mastery of the game of 9-ball at which he is widely considered one of the greatest players in history.

Efren Reyes, nicknamed "Bata" and "the Magician," is a dual world champion Filipino pool player, regarded as one of the all-time greats at 9-ball and one-pocket pool. He became the first ever non-American to win the US Open 9-Ball Championship when defeating Nick Varner in 1994. Reyes has won World Championships at both 8-ball and 9-ball pool, collecting the WPA Men's World 9-ball Championship in 1999, along with the inaugural WPA Men's World 8-ball Championship in 2004.

Eddie Taylor, the "Knoxville Bear," defeated Luther Lassiter in 1964 in Johnston City and is a dual world all-around tournament champion, although losing to Lassiter in the 1967 Johnston all-around finals. He is widely held to be one of the greats in one-pocket and bank pool.

John Layton is regarded as the most scientific pool player in billiards. A 12-times World 3-Cushion Champion, "The Diamond King" became famous for his "diamond system," using table marks to determine angles.

Steve Mizerak, a world champion pool player reigned during the 1970s and early 1980s in the game of 14.1 continuous. He won the US Open 14.1 pocket Billiards Championship in four consecutive years, from 1970 to 1973 inclusive, defeating Luther Lassiter (see above) in 1970 and 1973, Joe Balsis in 1971 and Danny DeLiberto in 1972. He was also successful in the PPPA World Pocket Billiard Championship (14.1) events of 1982 and 1983.

Left-hander, Mike "Captain Hook" Sigel is one of the best 9-ball players ever, illustrated by the most tournament wins in the 1980s and 1990s. Renowned for his defensive play, as with other top 9-ball players, he is also a "straight" pool champion with a high "run" of 346.

Earl Strickland is also believed to be one of the best all-time 9-ball players with numerous championship titles over 25 years, including the WPA Men's World 9-ball Championship in 1990, 1991 (the only player to successfully defend the title) and 2000 and the US Open 9-Ball championship in 1984, 1987 and 1997. He is also one of the most controversial characters with outspoken views and sometimes volatile behaviour at tournaments.

Ray Martin is one of the only 7 players to win at least three 14.1 titles, collecting "straight" pool world titles in 1971, 1974 and 1978. His "Cool Cat" nickname originates from the 1971 event, which he won during an earthquake. Martin has also won many 9-ball tournaments.

Article by GameTables4U a UK supplier of pool tables and other games tables.

All Star Pool Challenge Winners Announced

Stuart Wilson is the ‘fastest pool player’ in the UK.

Stuart, 30, of Crewe, won the Rileys All Star Pool Challenge with a clearance time of 30.33 secs.

The Rileys All Star Pool Challenge – staged with talkSPORT radio – was a nationwide competition to find the fastest player to clear an English pool table ending on the black ball.

Stuart said: “I’m in complete shock! I knew my time was fast but I never thought it would be enough for me to win the Challenge.”

As the winner of the Challenge, Stuart has landed himself an all expenses paid trip for two to the Formula 1 European Grand Prix in Valencia in June 2010.

And Stuart can hold his head up high – his time is quicker than snooker legend and Rileys Ambassador Ronnie O’Sullivan – who only managed 1 min 06secs!

Stuart, who plays snooker for Rileys Crewe, was presented with his Rileys All Stars Pool Challenge trophy on December 14 by manager Louise Rennison.

Louise, said: “Stuart’s clearance time is a fantastic achievement. We’re very proud of him.
“Rileys has uncovered some amazing talent all over the country with the All Star Pool Challenge. Stuart is right up there with the best of them.”

Rileys Chief Executive Maurice Kelly said: “We are delighted with the success of the second Rileys All Star Pool Challenge. Congratulations Stuart, and very well done.

“Over 4,500 people took part – 2,000 more than in the previous challenge! The continued success of the Challenge means we will be launching a new one in January.”

Other prize-winners include:

• Fastest Female – Michelle Sothern, 26, of Preston: 1 min 05.32 secs
• Fastest Over-50 – Ray Beamer, 51, of Manchester: 46.36 secs
• Fastest Under-18 – Adam Miller, 17, of Bournemouth: 44.72 secs
• Fastest Student – Darren Murphy, 19,  of Ipswich: 40.27 secs

See Rileys Website for bookings and offers: http://rileys.co.uk

American Pool Tables Vs English Pool Tables

There are two main types of pool table, upon which are played two quite different versions of the game.

Table Size

English pool tables range in size from 6ft to 8ft, though the official tournament size is 7ft. These sizes refer to the overall length of the table from 'rail to rail'. The playing surface of the competition size table is 6ft by 3ft.
American pool tables are usually 8ft or 9ft, with the official competition size being the 9ft table. Again the size refers to the total length of the table, and the playing surface on the 9ft competition table is 8ft x 4.5ft. In bars and clubs you do sometimes find 7ft American pool tables, referred to as 'bar boxes' because of their small size.

Pool Balls & Pocket Size

The ball sets used on English pool tables comprise 7 red, 7 yellow and 1 black balls. On modern tables the reds and yellows are solid colour, with the black having an '8' in a white circle upon it. The standard size for a 6ft, 7ft or 8ft English pool table is 2", with pockets usually being around an inch larger to accommodate the balls.

The ball sets used on American pool tables are numbered 1-15, which are split into 'solids' and 'stripes. Numbers 1-7 make up the solids, 8 is the black ball, and 9-15 the stripes. The set as standard is:

1. Yellow
2. Blue
3. Red
4. Purple (pink in some ball sets)
5. Orange
6. Green
7. Brown or burgundy (tan in some ball sets)
8. Black
9. Yellow and white
10. Blue and white
11. Red and white
12. Purple and white (pink and white in some ball sets)
13. Orange and white
14. Green and white
15. Brown (or burgundy) and white (tan and white in some ball sets)

The standard size for American pool balls is 2" ¼ with the pockets finished to a larger size than those on an English pool table.

Both English and American pool ball sets have a white cue ball as standard, which can feature red 'target' spots (though these are more typically seen on practice cue balls). In both English and American pool balls, Aramith (a Belgian manufacturer) are recognised as the industry leader in pool balls.

Cloth

English pool tables all have napped cloth, and the current official choice is Strachan West of England wool. The cloth is available in various weights which affect the speed of play and ball behaviour.
American pool tables feature 'speedball' worsted cloth, which has not nap. This makes the cloth much faster, and combined with the larger, heavier balls changes the character of the game significantly from English pool.

Play

The difference in table and ball size means that play on an American pool table is much faster, and potentially more technical than English pool. The larger balls mean the use of masse (high speed spin/side shots normally used in Carom billiards) is more prevalent, and in recent years it has become much more popular than the English version.

The popularity of '9 Ball' has contributed here, which is a faster version of pool played with just the balls numbered 1-9. The balls are racked in a diamond in ascending order from baulk to the bottom of the table. The aim of the game is to pot the 9, but the balls must be potted in ascending numerical order. Cannons and trick shots are allowed however, and you could get lucky and have a 'golden break'. This quick version of pool has become extremely popular in bars and club.

The author is associated with Top of The cue, supplier of pool tables. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Arvindp_Sharma

The Pub Pool Table Has Finally Come of Age

Pub pool tables are the smaller version of the American pool table. Basically the English don't have the room available in the pubs and bars for the big American table. The compromise was the smaller 7 ft pool table found in most pubs and games areas around the UK. They nearly all have coin operated mechanisms in them and are there to generate extra income for the pub and to draw in more people. But what began as a purely commercial decision has led to a whole new division of the game of pool.

The English game has now got to such a level that tv companies are televising the tournaments now, like Eurosport and Sky. And the small table version has also spread into Europe and the commonwealth countries so there is a cosmopolitan feel to the small table tournaments now and the prize money on offer has crept up as well with the bigger tournaments now offering many thousands to the winner.

So what we know as English pool tables are more commonly known as pub pool tables because that was their genesis. The official tournament size of an English table is 7 ft by 4 ft and that is their external dimensions, the actual playing area is 6 ft by 3 ft. The game most often and almost exclusively played on English tables is 8 ball pool. The game has 7 red balls and 7 yellow balls and a black number 8 ball, after which the game is called. The object is to simply pocket all 7 of one of the colours either reds or yellows and then pocket the number 8 ball, after which you have won the game.

Pretty simple eh! But that is the beauty of the game, it is very simple to play but hard to get really good at and there are lots of people playing the game now, it is really competitive in those tournaments around the country. So from dodgy beginnings the pub pool table is here to stay and has finally come of age.

Author: George Pennwood, click this link for some examples of the pub pool table

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=George_Pennwood