differences between cues

[sahbeewah]

Hi.

I've been playing with a mastercue and I'm improving slowly but surely...

I was wondering if buying a more expensive cue such as a MW would help speed up my improvement or if it really doesn't matter

i average a high break of about 30 (almost always between 20 and 50) in a game if that makes a difference

also, on an unrelated note, does the direction the flat part of the butt of the cue matter when striking the cue ball? somebody told me
that the flat side of the cue was either the strongest or weakest side of the cue (can't remember) and thus you should face it (toward or away, can't remember) the centre of the cue to be more consistent when using side. does anybody know if this is correct?


cheers

[RGCirencester]

Hi.

I've been playing with a mastercue and I'm improving slowly but surely...

I was wondering if buying a more expensive cue such as a MW would help speed up my improvement or if it really doesn't matter

IMO no, as long as the cue is the right spec for you and not some horrible varnished thing then it should not hurt your game. Too many people think buying expensive cues will magically double their highest break.

i average a high break of about 30 (almost always between 20 and 50) in a game if that makes a difference

also, on an unrelated note, does the direction the flat part of the butt of the cue matter when striking the cue ball? somebody told me
that the flat side of the cue was either the strongest or weakest side of the cue (can't remember) and thus you should face it (toward or away, can't remember) the centre of the cue to be more consistent when using side. does anybody know if this is correct?

Doesn't really matter, there is certainly no truth to the flat indicating the strongest side of the cue. Holding it the same way for every shot might help your consistency using side etc. so it is probably best to hold it the same way every time but it doesn't actually matter whether you hold the flat up, down or to the side. Most people will probably find the cue sits most comfortably in the hand with the flat pointing upwards. These days I think the flat is just a convenient place for a cuemaker to put a badge


cheers

Cues are not the be all and end all of snooker. Try not to fall into the trap of putting too much importance on the cue. Find one you like and stick with it.

[brendan147]

sahbeewah,

mastercue is a good cue and if you are already comfortable with it, that will be the best for you.

However, if you are looking for a top notch cuemaker, why not go for Peter Hanley from your contry? That will save your cost a lot. It will be around AUD1100 including mini and tele.

Hope this helps.

[SebastianZ]

Hi.

I've been playing with a mastercue and I'm improving slowly but surely...

I was wondering if buying a more expensive cue such as a MW would help speed up my improvement or if it really doesn't matter

i average a high break of about 30 (almost always between 20 and 50) in a game if that makes a difference

also, on an unrelated note, does the direction the flat part of the butt of the cue matter when striking the cue ball? somebody told me
that the flat side of the cue was either the strongest or weakest side of the cue (can't remember) and thus you should face it (toward or away, can't remember) the centre of the cue to be more consistent when using side. does anybody know if this is correct?


cheers

Top players can make centuries with a bloom stick with a tip on it!

however you should try out other cues to find one that best suits you. some good cues CAN make some shots a lot easier

I'll tell you my experience, I had 2 barracuda gold medal cues when I first started playing, I thought they were the best cues in the world until I got my JP ultimate, believe it or not I felt instantly that I could make a lot more shots than before after a few shots, and my old cues are no way near it.

not to make a point that expensive cues are better, but sometimes you do get what you paid for

[snookerfan91]

Cues are not the be all and end all of snooker. Try not to fall into the trap of putting too much importance on the cue. Find one you like and stick with it.

That's what I always was told, get a cue and stick with it because you could put a pro with a terrible cue or not so good and you with an excellent one and you still know who would win. :snooker:

[whufcarl]

personally i think that the most important part of your snooker equipment is your tip.
u could have a JP Ultimate or a £12 Argos special, if you have a bad tip then you wont be able to play your best with either of them.
Its certainly a lot cheaper to experiment with tip brands and sizes before you start changing your cue.
Try some Mike Wooldridge Supertips, or if your feeling flush, try the Talisman Pro Soft. Find the right tip that suits you, the way you play and how you like the feel of the ball, and then you can start assessing whether you need a new cue.
But hey, thats just my opinion, I think everybody who ever picked up a cue thinks that some part of the equipment can be tweaked, when realistically we just dont wanna blame our own techniques! lol

[lfostersbrother]

That's what I always was told, get a cue and stick with it because you could put a pro with a terrible cue or not so good and you with an excellent one and you still know who would win. :snooker:

its true, before mark selby was famous and as good as he is - he used to come and practice in altrincham rileys in manchester uk, 3 of us went to play we found out he is on the table we normally practice on....anyway we set up next to him - there were 3 of us so obviously one of us stepped out - i was happy to just to watch him play i seen him knock in 2 147s a 146 (which he knocked in whlst on his mobile, holing it against his shoulder) and a 140, which he missed a long black, anyway about 2 hours of our stay i was just watching and he said would you like to play, so without saying much i agreed, i broke off and that was it, i remember asking him that i bet he thinks its an easy game and he just smiled and said yes, he was a nice guy and he offered to use my cue (as i was telling him that i think its my cue giving me the reason for my bad play) (now this doesn't mean i used his, i just used a club cue, anyway, it didn't change his game one bit still knocked in a century, i still only had 1 shot and i was still amazed at how easy it was for him......anyway one peice of advice he gave is, when you are practicing with a partner and it becomes competative, you put pressure on yourself, the best way to handle this is play your shot with confidence, (as as you should know, more or less every time you go to play snooker, when you arrive you can pot but negatives arrive which makes it difficult later in the day) so he was basically saying its all in your mind, know you can pot the ball so just get down and pot it, forget what has happened before and you will see an improvement, my highest break is only 79 in the league i play in, but on a line up, or playing alone i can knock in a century no problem - because there is no pressure whatsoever, so come on guys stay positive, enjoy it and you will reap the rewards.........

and i know that some of you guys may be scepticle about this story, ( and i don't really care if you believe it or not) but trust me it made me a better player, so stay positive and play the game you came to play....

[mchpddl1]

Thank you very much its a great advice from Mark and you.