Johnny Henson, Professor Pool There is a new 8–ball tournament format that is being played by both professional and amateur players. It is called the Ultimate Pool League. The match has a time limit of 30 minutes with a 30 second shot limit. At 10 minutes left in the match the shot clock goes to…
Tag: pool
July 2025, Sports
Play Your Best Pool: Things to Consider When Buying a New Cue Stick or Shaft
Johnny Henson, Professor Pool Over the years cue sticks have evolved a lot. In 1978 I was playing with house sticks in the local pool hall in Big Spring, Texas, when the owner encouraged me to order a cue from a friend of his in Colorado Springs, Colo. His name was Bill Stroud, the owner…
April 2025, Sports
Play Your Best Pool: You Can Learn a Lot by Watching Professional Matches from the Past
Johnny Henson, Professor Pool For the last few years most professional matches are played fast because of the use of the shot clock. At this increased speed it does not allow the watcher to really think out what they would do before the player shoots the next shot. Recently I have found that I learn…
March 2025, Sports
Play Your Best Pool: How Closing Your Eyes Can Really Improve Your Game
Johnny Henson, Professor Pool This article was written by my partner and fellow Professional Billiard Instruction Association (PBIA) and American Cue Sports (ACS) instructor Steve Farmer. Players are always looking for simple ways to improve their games, and we use this technique in class to help our students progress. If I told you that your…
January 2025, Sports
Play Your Best Pool: Playing with the Flow of the Game or Match
Johnny Henson, Professor Pool Most players would benefit from playing within the rhythm or flow of the game or match they are in. Millions of competitive billiard players wanting to improve their winning percentage should consider the flow of the game or match. Let us first talk about the flow of a game. When I…
October 2024, Sports
Pool Players of The Brooke Ladder Competition
Joseph F. Giammarino The Pool Players of The Brooke Billiards Club (PPB) held their first Ladder competition with 26 PPB members participating. Tony “The Snake” Cardillo implemented and administered the PPB Ladder competition. The main reason for this competition was to increase head-to-head competition within the PPB Billiards Club. A simple explanation of how this…
August 2024, Sports
Play Your Best Pool: Attitude Makes a Difference
Johnny Henson, Professor Pool Improving your mental attitude can greatly improve your game. I was inspired to write this article due to the fact that recently while competing I fell victim to a poor attitude in the middle of a match that negatively affected my play. Having a positive attitude can equal a positive outcome…
August 2024, Sports
Pool Players of The Brooke vs. Sun City Oro Valley
Joe Giammarino The Pool Players of The Brooke’s Billiards Club (PPB) had an informal singles competition against Sun City Oro Valley (SCOV), sponsored by Red Earth Tile & Stone, on July 16 at SCOV. The PPB would like to thank Sun City Oro Valley’s Billiards Club, Sean Park, and SCOV’s billiards team for their pool…
July 2024, Sports
Play Your Best Pool: Improving Your Stance Can Greatly Improve Your Game
Johnny Henson, Professor Pool Most players struggle to improve their billiard game. They overlook the importance of the stance. I would say that no two players stand the same way at the table. Their personal preference and also their unique physical characteristics can influence a player’s stance. Some goals that you should have when developing…
June 2024, Sports
Pool Players of the Brooke vs SaddleBrooke Ranch Billiards Club
Joe Giammarino The Pool Players of the Brooke (PPB) would like to thank SaddleBrooke Ranch Billiards Club (SBR), Jim Kauffman, and SBR’s billiards team for their pool table prowess, camaraderie, and friendly competition. Another big thank you goes out to Tony “The Snake” Cardillo, PPB Travel Team Captain, for organizing this event. On April 27,…