The Game Room Expert Kelly: Break Away!

Recently I have added many new cues to the website. Everything from an inexpensive decal cue, to the more expensive inlayed cues. One question I’m frequently asked in my showroom is if we carry breaking cues. This is often a source of confusion among novice players. Yes, there are specific cues that are considered “breaking cues”. Often they break down into three pieces, to include a jump cue.

That being said, I will usually tell someone that a breaking cue can be almost any cue. Most often players will put a harder tip on a break cue because the tip is taking so much abuse when a person breaks. But in actual fact, the average player could just use a less expensive cue to break with. That way, they aren’t running the risk of damaging the playing cue that they just paid quite a bit of money for. The break is the hardest shot (generally speaking), so you don’t want to damage the shaft of your playing cue by using it to break. Most often, players will choose a graphite or fibreglass cue because it offers a firmer hit and is less likely to be damaged. If you choose a wooden cue to break with, there is always the possibility that breaking could cause a hairline crack within the shaft that won’t be visible at first, but could lead to a larger crack later on. When choosing a wooden break cue, you would be better off to choose one that doesn’t have as much of a taper on the shaft so that the hit will be firmer.

Remember that breaking cues take a lot of abuse. I remember once, back in the day when I was playing pool at a local college. We were playing on coin-op tables where the cue balls comes out a hole at the end of the table where you break from. A friend was playing and had a big wind up before the cue tip hit the cue ball. On the last stroke, the cue slipped off the rail and the player jammed it into the cue ball return hole. The entire cue shattered! Luckily it was just a house cue, but you definitely don’t want something like this to happen to your playing cue! So once you get to the point in your game where you are using a hard snap to break up an 8 ball or 9 ball rack, it’s time to invest in a break cue. You will find that it will break more consistently than a house cue and you don’t have to worry so much about your playing cue! Now all you have to do is make sure you have a case big enough to hold all your cues 🙂

The Game Room Expert Kelly: The Gift of Time

Father’s Day is soon approaching! What better time to spend some time with dad that to shoot a game of pool or darts? When I was in my late teens and early 20’s, playing pool was my passion. I played everyday, every chance I got. When Father’s Day came around, I never knew what to get my dad. He had enough shirts/ties/socks etc. had everything he needed to play a round of golf, doesn’t wear any jewelry or cologne and he already had a good size collection of glasses I had given him with a bottle of wine or rum! What to do? Well I decided the best gift I could give, would be to spend some time with his daughter! So we took my car, went out for dinner, then went to whichever pool hall was my favourite at the time. I shudder to think about some of the places I took him over the years, but he always seemed happy just to be out with me.

These days, everyone has everything they could ever ask for – at least that’s the way it seems. This Father’s Day, instead of buying dad something that will just sit in his closet or drawer, why not give him something he can’t ever have enough of – time with his son or daughter! If you have a pool table at home, even youngsters can challenge dad to a game of pool. It doesn’t have to be a proper game of 8 ball – why not try our new Poker Pool cards which includes games like Go Fish or Texas Hold’em, to be played right on the table!  You never know – dad just might be a pool shark! This is all about spending time with your dad and getting to know him as well as letting him get to know you too. What better way than over a game of pool!

If you have a dartboard, we have something similar with Dart Cards. If outdoor games are more your style, we have a variety of things from horseshoes to badminton. Whatever your interests are, I’m sure your dad will be more than willing to play! You will remember playing these games with him for the rest of your life, just like I remember playing pool with my dad! He’ll remember it too – if he’s anything like my dad, he’ll bring it up with everybody first chance he gets!

Now I must admit, that although I played quite a bit of pool and was getting quite good, my dad usually won. Not that I was keeping score or anything 🙂 I would love to hear your stories about what you did with your dad this Father’s Day!