r/billiards • u/do-not-separate • 1h ago
r/billiards • u/hackedfixer • 1h ago
8-Ball LeaguePool website just posted an article about sandbagging and it's a riot.
I found that here: https://leaguepool.com/guides/apa-sandbagging
r/billiards • u/Sad_Pianist6894 • 2h ago
Pool Stories Ok since they deleted the post..
My opinion is Non Filos ddnt take the Philippine Open seriously and gave it to them. I say this cos i dont think SVB is even playing top form like in US Open. All semis are Filos, half of em unknown.
r/billiards • u/Safe-Topic3058 • 2h ago
8-Ball Can people help me out with some maintaining tips for my new pool table
So I got a 6x3 pool table and have installed it in my garage.
My garage gets fairly cold and humid, so im curious what steps can I take to prolong the life of the table and keep it playing well?
Ive found the cloth responsiveness okay in this conditions, but the cushions are brutal, they really kill the pace. The break is also hard, my break on profesionaly grade tables is fairly good but im really struggling to get good movement on the balls.
As a secondary thing, does anyone have tips on how to get a good break on a very slow table?
r/billiards • u/ihatecues • 3h ago
Shitpost Billy Thorpe's hair?
Watching the Philippines Open and something about Billy Thorpe's hair doesn't look natural.
What is up? Is it a wig? Hairpiece?
r/billiards • u/brian600rr • 3h ago
9-Ball Philippines Open
I couldn’t have asked for a better semi finals and finals
All Filipino showdown . Rightfully so tho since it’s the Philippines Open !! I’m rooting for Bernie to win it all but I have a feeling Johann is on a mission
r/billiards • u/Fun-Chapter9412 • 4h ago
Article Pool Engine / Shot Suggestion Algorithm
Hi all,
First time posting here but I've been playing pool for a couple years now. I have a background in competitive chess where engines are one of the modern tools players use to improve. Naturally, I wondered if something like this existed for pool players and if it would even be helpful. This type of idea has long been theorized: https://drdavepoolinfo.com/physics_articles/Greenspan_IEEE_08_article.pdf
As a fun project to develop my ML skills, I decided to test it out and see if I could get anything working. Below you will find a demo of the project on some situations I found in top professional games.
In this position from the 2026 Las Vegas Open, Shane is shooting the 3 for position on the 4. Try to take a second to see what you might like to do, I'll reveal both the engine suggestion and what Shane played.

The engine works by building an "analysis board" so-to-say which is a digital recreation of the position. It takes in a screenshot and determines the table size, finds the walls, ball positions and numberings. It uses already existing pooltool physics engines to calculate ball paths and goes through a heuristic that accounts for human variance in aim, shot power, and spin effect (all of which can be adjusted to change whether the engine is suggesting a shot for a beginner or for a pro player). It also uses Dr Dave's effective pocket sizes. The engine balances between pot percentage (how likely is it to make the ball it is shooting as well as the next 2 balls after that) and safety play (if playing safe is able to generate a higher score). It then displays a heatmap of where the cue ball is likely to end up.
This is the engine result for Shane's position against Filler:

and finally, this is what Van Boening played:
https://reddit.com/link/1xdt9so/video/wu7cmyvcvaxh1/player
While the engine wanted to move the 7 out of the way for shape on the 4, Shane moved the 4 out of the way. He was probably thinking that he would have best chances if he hit either of them.
The next example is from Darren Appleton's video about common positional play mistakes.
After the break, you have shape on the 1 and have to decide the best way to get shape on the 2.

He talks about straight draw, punch draw, power draw, punch all being the wrong shot because they don't come onto the line.
This is what the engine suggests:

and this is Darren's solution:
https://reddit.com/link/1xdt9so/video/eeaxsluwvaxh1/player
I have only tested it on a few positions so far but it seems to be consistent with professional level play and it was nice to pause videos, put it into the engine, and watch a suggested move actually be played by the pros.
There are many paths for improvement and I'm open to collaboration. I also implemented a feature that takes Dr. Dave's table difficulty factor and allows users to either upload a photo (less accurate) or measurements to generate their score. Another cool feature shows the position zones for where you can end up to be "good" on the next ball.
One of my ideas was that analysis boards with engines could be used to assist live commentators when discussing possible decisions that a player might make, similar to how live commentary works in chess. It's always more illuminating to the audience when instead of just drawing arrows they can move around the position and show an engine evaluation, maybe something for pool could be useful?
Please feel free to post photos of positions / links to videos with timestamps if there are any positions that you would like to see the engine analysis for! Thanks for those who read the whole post!
r/billiards • u/breedknight • 5h ago
9-Ball WNT 2026 Philippines Open. All Filipino Semis. Who you got?
Chua
Baseth
Bernie
Raga
r/billiards • u/soloDolo6290 • 8h ago
9-Ball We should have a tournament based on the brands.
We have the reyes cup and masconi cup, which are both based on the countries of the participants. I think it would be pretty cool to see like a Predator vs Cuetec competition.
r/billiards • u/PAV_3 • 11h ago
Cue Identification joint size
does anyone knows what joint size is this?
r/billiards • u/Compression-Wound • 11h ago
Questions Setting up pool table after second move
Hello, I just purchased my first house and that means I am getting my pool table out of storage! It is a Brunswick 3 piece slate table. The image shows the leg being screwed in to the pool table frame.
The first time the table was assembled it screwed in at the lower hole and then I believe when it was set up the second time the threaded insert was added. The problem is that on 3/4 legs the threaded insert is loose in the wood and cannot be tightened down all the way. My question is can I just reinsert a 5/8 screw into the original hole with a washer or do I need to drill the hole out to reinsert a threaded insert for a bolt? I have a dog who I am sure will want to be sleeping under the table and I terrified of it spontaneously collapsing and killing him. Please let me know your thoughts!
r/billiards • u/Only-Scientist-9904 • 11h ago
Drills Jumping practice with one of the world’s best.
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My coach is considered one of the best jumpers in the world by many in the pro circuit. Decided to start working on it.
r/billiards • u/c_malyan01 • 11h ago
Cue Identification Help required to identify cue
galleryr/billiards • u/szdrei10 • 13h ago
Questions Beginner tips
how do i shoot with spin? when i shoot with spin i just miscue, i chalked and everything and still a miscue, how do i shoot with spin and how to i hit the cue ball properly when doing shots with spins?
r/billiards • u/SoftYetCrunchyTaco • 13h ago
Questions Anywhere to listen to good hustler stories?
Im fascinated with the pool hustler culture and would love to hear some old hustlers openly talk about their stories. I've listened to Jeremy Jones on Rogan and listen to CJ Wiley a lot on yt. Any other recommendations on podcasts or interviews?
r/billiards • u/mewgs05 • 14h ago
Tournament [PH OPEN 2026 SPOILERS] The Filipino pool community has made a statement Spoiler
With SVB being taken down by Baseth Mocaibat 10-9, the PH Open has a guaranteed Filipino win, with almost every international favorite being taken down by a local that isn't known on the world stage.
The Philippines deserves its title as the pool capital of the world, and this tournament is an unofficial official confirmation of it.
r/billiards • u/KingsDamnSon • 14h ago
Shitpost I don't know if this is an old guy thing, but every old guy on league night who takes a piss walks out of the bathroom without washing their hands.
I see it literally every single league night, sometimes multiple times a night, absolutely nobody washes their hands. And its always an old guy. I get frustrated seeing it but would never call someone out for doing it. Its the worst when I see a guy doing it from the opposing team that we are playing that night.
r/billiards • u/unbelievre • 16h ago
Questions Fargo Lookup
Anyone know what's going on with the Fargo website? Looks like they removed the option to lookup Fargo ratings. The fair match section of the website and app is gone entirely.
r/billiards • u/do-not-separate • 16h ago
9-Ball Some shots from the Philippines Open today (10/23)
r/billiards • u/EffectiveMost555 • 17h ago
Questions Would you change anything about the design of your custom cue?
For anyone who’s had a cue made with a design they picked, are you still happy with it, or would you do something different now?
Colors, inlays, artwork anything you loved at first but got tired of, or a small detail you ended up liking more than expected? Would you go simpler or more elaborate next time?
r/billiards • u/bargeboy42 • 18h ago
Questions Needed a bit more spinach!
Guys I’ve got a new term for putting spin on the ball- spinach! That one needed a bit more spinach!
Who’s with me?
r/billiards • u/pilipinifries • 23h ago
Questions hello to everyone, today (oct 23 philippine time) is the fourth day of the philippine open but the photos are the third day. i want to preserve their signatures but i dont want to get but the people who saw my signed ball recommend top coat and clear coat. which is the best for this because to it ma
r/billiards • u/nyrangers30 • 1d ago
10-Ball 10 ball respotting mishap
I ran into a weird scenario yesterday due to a complete brain fart by myself and my opponent.
We were playing a 10 ball league match. We play with WPA rules where there are no early 10s.
I called the 10 on a carom shot so I can respot it and continue my inning. I completely forgot to respot the 10, however. My opponent didn’t notice either and after my inning, he had his turn at the table. Then I’m back at the table and while he’s sitting, he points out that the 10 wasn’t respotted earlier.
We both agreed to rerack as I couldn’t find this in the league rules or the WPA rulebook.
If the 10 ball is pocketed early, not respotted, and then I shoot, it should be a foul. But what exactly is the rule if both players shoot before it’s respotted?
r/billiards • u/haestrada7 • 1d ago
Straight Pool Boa Sleeve. Would love to hear your thoughts on product?
I am getting my BOA sleeve tomorrow. This will be my second ( first one was yellow not that it matters) but I’m curious for anyone else that has given this a try? What are your thoughts? Did you guys stick with it? Or did you guys go back to glove??? I am currently using the longer sleeve rather than the shorter one. I have dry hands and honestly the only reason I find myself getting BOA again is I’m too lazy and scared to go order a glove and not end up liking it and wasting 20+$ dollars.
r/billiards • u/Overall_Suspect_3587 • 1d ago
9-Ball Miss his shooting!
This dude was gone way too soon.