I wish to learn how to re-cloth a snooker table, specially turning the cloth on the cushion ends and the middle pockets. Appreciate all the help I can get.

A question about a respotted black in a doubles match.

I broke off originally, my partner potted blue pink and black to tie the scores. I won the toss, and doubled the black into the yellow baulk pocket to win the frame.

Our opponents claim that my partner should have made the shot because he was the last player on the table. Advise please.

I have in my posession a billiard cue which has an ivory plaque on the handle saying:

"T Reece World Record Break 499,135 Unfinished July 6th 1907" and "Break 773 March 6th 1913" followed by "Burroughes & Watts LTD London."

Could you inform me if you know of any further details pertaining to this cue?

My question is on potting balls off of others. For example I'm sure that a red can be hit against another colour and then go in the pocket and be a legal shot. However, after potting a red can a coloured ball be hit against another colour before going in the pocket? Likewise can the colour be hit against a red before going in?

Years ago, I learned that you can almost always hit a snookered ball with the cue ball if you do the following:

Assuming the cue ball and object ball are the same distance from one cushion, go to the spot at that cushion where the object ball is 90° to the cushion. Then hold the tip of your cue very close to the object ball and set your finger on the cue where the cue intersects with the inside edge of the cushion.
Now holding your finger at that spot on the cue, pull the cue back (keeping it at 90° to the cushion) until the tip is exactly at the inside edge of the cushion.

Now sight a line from the cue ball to the tip of your finger and make careful note of where that line would touch the inside edge of the cushion between the cue ball and your finger on the cue.

If you can hit that spot on the cushion with no english, you will hit the object ball. If the cue ball and object ball are not the same distance from the cushion, you have to adjust the spot to hit. More toward the cue ball side if the cue ball is closer to the cushion.

Have you experienced this and have I remembered it correctly?

Could you answer a problem that arose in a match. Player is in hand and placed the cue ball on the green spot. Is this a foul as more than half the ball is outside the "D" ? (as it is when placed on the yellow spot).

If a player is in a snooker and continously performs a foul and a miss, so basically cannot get out of the snooker what happens ? I heard something on the Masters the other day about being warned about the 3 Miss rule ?  Am I correct in hearing this and what does it mean ?

When the white is touching a red any attempt to steer the white towards the red is a push shot and a foul. I have always thought that any direction away from the red, no matter how close to the dividing line between the balls, was legitimate; provided that the red does not move away from the white there is no push. A friend challenged this. He claimed that I should have played DIRECTLY away from the red. I think he meant more or less at right angles to the line separating the balls. He was very convinced. Was he right ?

When a foul is committed by potting the cue ball, what are the rules as to the position of the cue ball and the direction of the shot ?

Hope you can solve a debate!! In the event I am aiming at a red and the white hits the red and another colour at exactly the same time (eg they were next to each other and I hit them both half ball), have I committed a foul or not ?

Several of my friends want to start playing English Billiards, because they want to have a change from Snooker. It is "new" to us. Our problem is that we have no clue about the rules. Is there a site on the internet which gives the complete rules ? Some stuff can be found on your site, kind of mixed to snooker. We don't get to see billiards on tv. I saw Davis and Sethi years ago on tv, but still don't know much about the rules. I would be very grateful for a detailed answer.

I've recently starting playing billiards (the English 3-ball variety, not pool!). Are there any standard opening shots, that either score, or leave the balls in relative safety?

Neither of the two options I've come up with seem that satisfactory - either putting bottom-spin on the white and leaving the white near the cushion and the red behind the baulk, which isn't particularly safe; or trying to run both balls back behind the baulk, which, if it goes wrong, leaves them very exposed.

I am looking for the rules to a game using 15 red balls & 1 black ball, 1 cue ball all snooker balls. We call it 101, because you have to total 101 points without going over or you have to start over again. Do you have access to them ?

I have read that the 'miss rule' started in 1995. But I'm sure it was available for referee's use well before this, but was not used often as it was saying the offending player was in fact 'cheating'. Am I correct ?

I have heard of the billards game of CRUD, do you have any info, rules... etc on this game. Thank you.

A little dispute to resolve: re-spotted black, cue ball in hand ! Can you play from the 'D' with the cue ball on either the yellow or green spot, i.e. giving you the best width to try to cut the black in off the spot ?  A bit of a 'party' trick.

I actually did it on a re-spotted black final frame of a cupmatch into the 'green' black bag off the yellow spot to win the match, and have emulated it several times since.

Up to now I have not been succesfull in locating a copy of a book by Joe Davis which I had read a long time ago. Would you be able to help me in locating a copy of "How I Play Snooker" by Joe Davis (I believe this is the title) that I may purchase ?

Has anyone ever scored 147 points in one frame but in two breaks ? i.e 10 reds and 10 blacks, missed a red then cleared up on his next turn ?  Its been bugging me for ages and would I love to know.

Is it OK after lining up the shot to just look at the white when striking the shot then flick your eyes to see the contact on the object ball (this is how I play). Or should I try and just look at the obect ball whilst striking the shot (as said in most books) ? I find I play way better looking at the white.

Whilst enjoying a frame with an associate an unusual thing happened which raised the question - foul or not a foul ?

The situation was that a player approached the table to play his shot, attempting to pot a red into the middle. Stretching to play the difficult cut, the player took aim, drew back the cue and completely missed the white, didn't touch anything on the table!! So the player decided to get the rest as he didn't want to make an @rse of himself again. Imagine his disbelief as he hears his opponent jumping with glee at the 'foul'. An argument ensued (it could have got nasty), the opponent claimed his 4 points and duly potted the red and went on to win the frame on the black.

What is your take on this - foul or not a foul ?