I had practiced the week before and knew I was still playing well, but I still had to ‘show up.’ The player’s meeting was really long because we had so much to say and announce. Of course we will not get it perfect the first day because the body has to get used to stretch, but ideally will feel stretched a little more each day, that do not force too much and hurt us. Some pool tables are constructed so you can reach inside any of the pockets and feel past the edge of the cloth on the playing surface. Pool, or at least in straight pool, players score points by shooting the balls into the table’s pockets. There could be many reasons why you found your cue ball bigger or smaller than other balls. There are no pros of playing with a smaller ball but only cons. Metropolis Mall is a popular tournament venue; the likes of Earl Strickland, Johnny Archer, Francisco Bustamante, have all participated in tournaments there. Slate tables have sturdy, ornate construction and are built to last.

Slate bed pool tables, on the other hand, have been known to last for 25 years or more when cared for properly. If it seems very heavy, it’s probably a slate bed table. If you talk to anyone who has been playing pool for a while, what is billiards they’ll tell you that they can feel the difference between a slate and an MDF table when they play on it. Although not a hard and fast rule, how many features the table has can be a sign. Features undoing, setting up, replaying and saving of shots. Carom shots require precise control of the cue ball’s speed and direction, making them a great way to showcase your mastery of cue ball manipulation. Although virtually no English is spoken here, it was a great place for me to start playing real pool again after the Laos lull. To execute a successful bank shot, start by visualizing the path that you want your target ball to take after bouncing off the cushion. Each ball will have a number adorned on it as well. This keyway is common in commercial and residential locks in the US, and is close in shape and size to a number of other common keyways, including that used by Kwikset, a very popular (and easily defeated) line of US residential locks.

You can turn them into a ping pong table, or change them out for any number of other games. However, though various elements in the game of billiards have changed over the years, one thing remains the same - players need plenty of light if they’re going to make the most out of their experience. Finding out if the table is portable or not will give you a clue to its construction. You will never see a slate bed table that is portable. This is because a slate table must be constructed to support the weight of the heavy slate bed. MDF bed pool tables often have foldable legs and are easy to move since they don’t weigh a ton. If you don’t feel like getting down on all fours to check the table, you may be able to feel inside a pocket. I think it was in 2005 that my good friend, Arvin Arceo, invited the officers and pool players of the Makati Square Billiards Association (MSBA) to Stiradors' First 9-Ball Pocket Billiards tournament at Efren's Magic, Pasong Tamo Extension, Makati City. And Roberto Gomez fails to sink the 9-ball!

Gomez misses on the 4-ball on a rail shot! The amount of power you put into a shot on a slate table seems to make the ball go further than the same amount on a wood table. The basic principles of operation are essentially the same as those of the standard pin tumbler lock, except that the tumblers are exposed at the front of the cylinder and a round ("tubular") key is used. A less technical rule of thumb is to hang your lighting so that it’s hovering at about the same level as your player’s nose. Due to their flat and hard surface, they maintain a level playing field for a longer time. The wood board of the playing surface is nowhere near as heavy as that of a slate table. I made it a point to hit some balls in the morning - usually I don't have time, but Julie (other board member and travel partner for this event) and I traded practice times while we signed people up in the morning. Billiards, in its very beginning-during the 15th century- was a lawn game that was similar to croquet, and it was played in Northern Europe, mainly by royalty and other nobles, but since then, it has now evolved to the point that billiards have more game styles.