Hot Billiards & Pool How-Tos
How To: Use reverse English to stop cue ball motion in pool
This pool shooting tutorial demonstrates how to control the cue ball using reverse English, opposite to the one that seems obvious. This will help line the ball up where you want it, preventing it from going too far down the table and allowing you to win the match.
How To: Do the running rail pool shot
Need to get a ball down the rail in that pool game you're losing? Well, check out this cool billiards video tutorial to see how to do the running rail pool shot. This is a valuable trick to know, using a little English, so pay attention.
How To: Play a 9-ball billiards game of kick pool
Learn to play Kick Pool and add variety to your billiards game. Although difficult to play, this is a great skillbuilder game if you're trying to improve your kick shots. Kick pool, which is set up by racking the set like 9-ball, is a scoring game, and games are won by scoring five points. All shots taken must be kick shots, or a shots where the cue ball hits the rail first before making contact with another ball. Learn about the rules to Kick Pool, as well as how it improves your overall poo...
How To: Play the "On the Spot" billiard ball game
In this video guide, we learn how to play On the Spot, a variation of pool and billiards where the objective is to hit a ball directly onto a designated spot on your pool or billiard table. For all of the details, and to get started playing On the Spot yourself, take a look.
How To: Perform a nine ball break properly in pool
As a beginner in pool, learning basic breaks are key to increasing your skills! One of them is a nine ball break. Understanding this break is the beginning to other tactics! In this video you will get a full tutorial on how to approach a nine ball break properly!
How To: Play pool for beginners
Pool is a strategic, yet fun game. It's born on not only fun, but also lost profits. But regardless of that, it's a difficult game to play if you don't understand the basic fundamentals. In this video you will get a full tutorial on how to play pool with the basic fundamentals of the game!
How To: Push in pool
In this video, we learn how to push in pool. The push shot was designed to reduce the impact of the element of chance while playing pool. It's about creating a higher percentage shot or safety. The object is to turn a certain loss into a coin toss. Observe your opponent and be honest about yourself while you are playing. Practice playing a game by yourself with balls on the edge of the different sides of the pool table. As you shoot into the different pockets, avoid hitting the other balls th...
How to Play pool: Kiss Forward
In this video, we learn how to play pool by kissing forward. To set it up the nine ball will be in the corner pocket and the other four close to the rail. Kiss the cue ball off of the four using a maximum follow with a lot of speed. Follow is going to remain on the cue ball after it hits the seven full. Now the cue ball will spin back in the nine. This will suggest that over-spin on the cue ball does exist even after it kisses off the four. When finished, you will be able to kiss forward and ...
How To: Play Straight Rail & understanding crowding patterns
In this video, we learn how to play Straight Rail & understanding crowding patterns. All that is needed to score a point in straight rail is making contact with the other two balls in the same shot. If you can get all three balls close together in close position, the shooting player can score an indefinite number of points. First, strike the cue ball below center using right English and a moderate stroke. This will create a close crowding pattern with the two balls. You can also strike the ba...
How To: Improve your short game in pool with a practice drill
Making fancy pool shots that send balls careening around the table may be impressive, but more often than not it's making short, easy shots consistently that will win you the game. This video will teach you an easy drill that you can use to improve your short-range cue control, which you can then use to set up combos and make sure you don't miss easy shots.
How To: Do the "Inside Outside English Drill" in pool
In this video, we learn how to play pool with the inside outside English drill. During this, you will pocket the balls into rotational order. The balls should be set on diagonal sides of the rail from each other. Set the cue ball in front of the first ball, then shoot using an English shot. After this, shoot from across the table using outside English to curve the ball. These will help define the skills that you have as a pool player. It may take more than a few tries to get this move done, b...
How To: Do the Spot Drill when playing pool
In this video, we learn how to play pool doing the spot drill. You will run balls in rotational order without missing or touching another object balls. First, you will place the cute ball diagonally to the ball and then shoot the ball into the corner pocket diagonal to it. There are several ways to go through this pattern. You can also stand on the opposite side of the table and shoot into the corner pocket from farther away. Make sure the cue ball doesn't get stuck to the rail, which will ma...
How To: Make side pocket cut shots when playing pool
In this video, we learn how to play pool by making a side pocket cut shot. Thin cuts into the side pocket require the cue ball to travel 8 or more feet. The best way to do this is to pocket the 7 into the side pocket, then run the cue ball down to the short rail. After this, do a straight angle on the 8 and hit it into the right hand corner. This shot may look very easy, but controlling the cut ball is very difficult. Practice this skill to develop it and you will be able to do this shot with...
How To: Do the "Down the Rail" drill while playing pool
In this video, we learn how to play pool with the down the rail drill. First, set up the balls in numerical order along the rail. Begin to run the balls using a drawing combination with right English. Do this each time for all of the balls and be careful not to scratch in the side pocket. You can also do this drill by doing follow and left English. This is a reduced version of different drills, to do the full drill set up all the balls along the entire rail. Run them in numerical order, then ...
How To: Do an 8-ball position play in pool
In this video, we learn how to play pool with a lesson in 8-ball position play. If you are playing a game of 8-all and you are the stripes, it's good if you end up in a position in the middle of the balls. You want to increase the margin of error by playing for an area of the table that supplies options. When possible, you want to play for more than one ball. Choose a ball that will give you the best chance of getting a ball or two in and placing the cue ball in a spot to where you will be ab...
How To: Evaluate and recognize problems in the rack in an 8-ball pool game
80-ball is one of the many great games that you can play of your pocket-pool table, and involves all the layers of strategy of it's more mainstream pool game brethren. This video for 8-ball beginners will give you tips for evaluating and recognizing problems in different kinds of racks, equipping you to make the shots and decisions that will win you games.
How To: Set up the L drill in pool
In this tutorial, we learn how to set up the L drill in pool. To do this, you will place all of your balls in an "l" shape on the pool table starting from the middle of one side of the table. Place the balls about two inches apart, then star to make the horizontal line for the balls. Place these two inches apart as well. After this, you can place your shooting ball next to the balls and hit each of them into the same corner pocket as the last one. This is a great way to practice hitting balls...
How To: Play the Carom pool billiard game
Pool is an amazingly challenging game that one can spend a lifetime mastering. If you're bored with it, however, and want to try a new game on your pool table that uses the same skills, this video will show you one. It explains the rules to a game called Carom Pool, which is a hybrid between pocket pool and more traditionally carom billiard games. Even if you don't' enjoy the game, the spread-out nature of the table makes it great for working on your long shots and banks, so rack 'em up!
How To: Master the basics of the billiard game 3 Cushion
Most US bargoers think of Pool as the only billiard game of any note. There are zounds of these games though, and many of them are just as fun. This video will teach you the basics of playing one such game called 3 Cushion. It looks really fun, and if you've got your own billiards table why not try it out? You do need a billiards table, no holes in this game.
How To: Improve your shot-making accuracy when playing pool
In this tutorial, we learn how to increase accuracy while playing pool. First, place the Q-ball on the head spot of the table, then you freeze an object on the opposite and shoot the Q-ball into the object ball and make the ball come back in the same path. You will want to ball to shoot directly back at you. This drill will help you develop accuracy and a better stroke. If you don't have a perfect shot it won't come back in the right path. Keep practicing this and in no time you will have inc...
How To: Execute a succesful cueball draw in a game of pool
Cue ball draw refers to the way a cue ball strikes a rack of balls. In particular, if the cue ball is hit low on the ball, when it strikes a rack of balls, for the break, it will have enough backspin to wind its way back to the shooter.
How To: Use a squirt and swerve sidespin while playing pool
In this tutorial, we learn how to use a squirt and swerve side spin in pool. When you use swerve, the Q-ball will go straight, then curve, then go straight again at an angle away from the straight line. This depends upon if the cue is level, if it's completely level you won't get any swerve at all. This is the biggest problem when using side spin, so avoid when trying to use this technique. The squirt depends upon if you change sticks. The tip rotates on the ball and pushes the ball into a di...
How To: Do an inside English drill for pool playing
English, or putting spin on the ball, is what separates really skilled pool players from the casual bar player. Inside English is the kind of English where the ball bounces off of the wallward-side of the cueball. This video details a drill for improving your inside English, allowing you to play many more pool positions effectively and win more games.
How To: Adjust and maintain an indoor shuffleboard table
In this video, Todd McClure will teach you how to maintain and keep up your indoor shuffleboard table. In the video, learn how to use silicone, wax and how to adjust the climate adjusters on a shuffleboard table.
How To: Play the game of pool (billiards)
Don't ever even think about walking into a pool hall without knowing the basics of the game... You might end up paired up with a pool shark and not even know! In this short video, get an introduction to the fundamentals of pool, sometimes known as pocket billiards.
How To: Do a t drill in pool
In this how to video, you will learn how to do a T drill in Pool. This is called a T drill because the balls are arranged in a T shape on the table. The point is to take the cue ball and try to run the balls in numerical order without allowing the balls to touch another. You also must be able to make the shots with each ball. Try moving the cue ball so that it lands far away from the balls. The hardest part is shooting 3, 4, 5, and 6 into the pockets. Try shooting 3 and 4 in the same corner. ...
How To: Train using the wagon wheel cue ball control method
In this video tutorial you are told how to use the Wagon Wheel Cue Ball Control training method. This is called Wagon Wheel because each target ball is aligned to RESEMBEL the spokes of a wagon wheel. Set your cue ball and your object ball in the same position each time. The objective is getting the cue ball to one balls width of the target ball. Using THE FOLLOWING cue ball, direction and speed. By using a piece of chalk the instructor helps line up the balls. By using either a quarter stick...
How to Play pool: The Double Drifter
Use this tutorial for a simple and shot accuracy improving technique in pool! The steps for this tutorial are simple, yet effective in improving shot accuracy in pool. Align pool balls in a triangular formation at the far side of the table. Note that this is not the standard triangular formation for pool. Two lines are to be made diagonally from the center back of the table outward. Similar to this formation: \/ where the point would be directed to the back of the table. Leave space in betwee...
How To: Shoot over a ball
Are you a pool shark? Then you have to watch this amazing video. You will learn how to do an advanced and difficult shot. Start by making sure you hit the ball exactly in the center. Aiming your shot is probably the most difficult part of this shot and you will learn tips and techniques to accomplish this. Establish a goo, stable bridge hand, then shorten your regular stroking technique. Actually, you will need to shorten everything you do. Last, you will see a perfect shoot over the ball tha...
How To: Shoot around the angles in pool
This video is about a particular pool or snooker game shot technique called "Shooting or Going around the Angles." The presenter, with a alias name of 'Forcefollow', first describes a particular 9-ball pool game situation that would require this technique, using a computer generated picture image to show an overhead view of the pool table, with the pool balls in question placed at certain locations within the table and showing the various angle trajectories paths of the desired ball to be str...
How To: Shoot pool
Hello all of you fellow pool shooters. This video tutorial is designed to help you look like a real pool shooter. There are no pool tricks here, but great and informative basic information on playing pool. This will help you become the accomplished billiards man you've always wanted.
How to Play pool: Break Shot Drill
Forcefollow will explain how to make practicing a break more efficient. To practice the break, place one ball on the rear center of the table and strike it as hard as you can to make the cue ball stop dead.
How To: Rack straight pool (or 14.1) with Borana Andoni
Ever hear of 14.1? Well, you may know this as straight pool, the pocket billiards game. This was the common sport of championship in the old days, and was immortalized in the film The Hustler. But playing a good game of 14.1 continuous means starting off good, which means a well-prepared rack.
How To: Rack eight-ball pool with Borana Andoni
8-ball, or eight-ball is a challenging game, and it all starts with the rack. If you don't have the perfect eight-ball rack, your billiards game is going down the drain (not the pockets). But you can help yourself by learning how. Watch this video to learn how to rack eight-ball pool with professional pool player Borana Andoni, using the Delta-13 aerospace engineered pool rack.
How To: Sink a pool ball into a pocket
Learn how to sink a pool ball into a pocket. What do pool sharks know that you don’t about sinking a ball? Lots.
How To: Break a rack in pool
Getting a good break in life is always nice. But when you're playing pool, it's essential. You Will Need
How To: Sink off the break in pool or billiards
Esquire's "Ask A Beautiful Woman" segment shows you how to sink off the break in pool. World-renowned pool champion Jennifer Barretta shows Annabella how to sink the nine ball off the break. This is a great skill and trick to pull if you're cruising the bar looking to impress any would-be pool sharks in the corners. Sink off the break in pool or billiards.
How To: Play pool (for beginners)
You'll never be able to hustle people at pool if you don't actually know how to play. Watch this video for a beginner's tutorial on playing pool.
How To: Play a simple game of 8-ball
New to billiards? Well, that probably means you're new to eight-ball, too. In this video tutorial, you will learn the rules and regulations to the 8-ball game, along with some of the basic frameworks to get you, the player, started playing pool.
How To: Break in pool with help from Ralf Souquet
World 9 Ball Champion Ralf Souquet explains how to break with his X Breaker Cue. Power is meaningless without precision. Cue ball control and accuracy is the foremost priority. The X-Breaker is engineered to provide Xtreme accuracy in breaking and jumping. This video tutorial shows you just what it can do, this video shows you how to break in pool with help from Ralf Souquet.