Willie Mosconi's Winning Pocket Billiards for Beginners and Advanced Players, with a Section on Trick Shots


Book Description

Focusing on the execution of the necessary shots that both beginners and advanced players need to win games, this guide also shares the secrets behind seemingly impossible trick shots. By following the instructions illustrated in more than 100 photos and diagrams, players of any level can learn the skills needed to be serious contenders.




Willie Mosconi on Pocket Billiards


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Popular Mechanics


Book Description

Popular Mechanics inspires, instructs and influences readers to help them master the modern world. Whether it’s practical DIY home-improvement tips, gadgets and digital technology, information on the newest cars or the latest breakthroughs in science -- PM is the ultimate guide to our high-tech lifestyle.




The 99 Critical Shots in Pool


Book Description

World Champion Pool Player Ray "Cool Cat" Martin shares his secrets for playing winner's pool in this classic book, which includes an introduction by the author. Written with co-author Rosser Reeves, The 99 Critical Shots in Pool remains one of the most authoritative guides to the game ever written. Over 200 illustrations show the proper form, technique, and approach to shots such as: • The Center Ball Cheat-the-Pocket • The Hook Shot • The Seven Ball Stop Shot • The Jump Shot • The Frozen Kiss Shot • The Nudge Shot • The Side Pocket By-Pass Shot Ray Martin, a Billiards Congress of America Hall of Fame inductee, is one of only seven players in the twentieth century to win three or more world 14.1 titles. He co-wrote this book with Rosser Reeves in 1976.




Hustler & The Champ


Book Description

In the tradition of Pulitzer Prize nominated, Positively Fifth Street, here is a riveting account of a high stakes shoot-out between pool’s two most famous personalities. It was Valentine’s Day, 1978, and Howard Cosell was hosting the long-awaited show-down between the best-ever tournament player, Willie Mosconi, and the game’s most famous hustler, Minnesota Fats. This was The Great Pool Shoot-Out, one of the most highly rated televised sporting events of the year, exceeding even World Series games and basketball championships. R.A. Dyer, author of the best-selling Hustler Days, which recounts the rise of pool during the 1960s, writes of the acrid, but mutually beneficial rivalry between Fats and Mosconi, and how the televised shoot-outs came to embody that rivalry, which was nothing less than a bitter rift within the soul of American pocket billiards. Fats and Mosconi were born the same year, but were vastly different characters: one stood for artistry, the other for show business; one brought dignity to pool, the other made it fun. They are without a doubt the two most important players ever to hold a cue. This is the ultimate tale of American sportsmanship. R.A. Dyer is a columnist for Billiards Digest, and lives in Austin, Texas.




Running the Table


Book Description

From a popular senior writer for Sports Illustrated comes this high-stakes, boys-on-the-road story about the most unlikely of phenoms--a heavyset, bipolar, and endlessly charming pool hustler named Kid Delicious In most sports the pinnacle is Wheaties-box notoriety. But in the world of pool, notoriety is the last thing a hustler desires. Such is the dilemma that faces one Danny Basavich, an affable, generously proportioned Jewish kid from Jersey, who flounders through high school until he discovers the one thing he excels at--the felt--and hits the road. Running the Table spins the outrageous tale of Kid Delicious and his studly--if less talented--set-up man, Bristol Bob. Never was there a more entertaining or mismatched pair of sidekicks, as together they go underground into the flavorfully seamy world of pool to learn the art of the hustle and experience the highs and lows of life on the road. Their four-year odyssey takes them from Podunk pool halls to slick urban billiard rooms across America, as they manage one night to take down as much as $30,000, only to lose so much the next night that they lack gas money to get home. With every stop, the action gets hotter, the calls get closer, and Delicious's prowess with a cue stick becomes known more and more widely. Ultimately, Delicious sheds his cover once and for all and becomes professional pool's biggest sensation since Minnesota Fats. In a book sure to appeal to fans of Bringing Down the House and Positively Fifth Street, Wertheim evokes a subculture full of nefarious but loveable characters and illuminates America's fascination with games and gambling. He also paints a lasting portrait of an insanely talented and magnetic hustler, who is literally larger than life.







Pool and Billiards For Dummies


Book Description

Practical, step-by-step tips for players of all levels From Snooker to Carom to good-old-fashioned 8- or 9-Ball, Pool & Billiards For Dummies reveals the tips, tricks, and rules of play, covering the variety of the ever-popular games that make up pool and billiards. This hands-on guide discusses everything from the rules and strategies of the games to how to set up a pool room to choosing the right equipment, and is accompanied by dozens of photos and line drawings. See how hard to hit the cue ball and where to hit it, the angle to hold the cue stick and how much chalk to use, how to use a bridge, and how to put spin on the ball Includes advanced pool techniques and trick shots for the seasoned pool sharp With Pool & Billiards For Dummies, even a novice can play like a champion!




Minnesota Fats on Pool


Book Description

The movie The Hustler was without doubt the greatest movie ever made about the game of pool and was one of the greatest movies ever made about any subject. It was nominated for multiple Academy Awards. Although Fast Eddie Felson was an entirely fictional person, Minnesota Fats was a real man and was a real pool hustler but was largely unknown outside of the world of pool until the movie came out. His real name was Rudolf Walter Wanderone. His family had come from Switzerland. He never won a major championship but often won money from the best players in the world. He was definitely a money player, winning money when the stakes were high. On these pages "Fats" gives you instructions on the Fundamentals of Pool with photographs showing the proper stance, bridge, stroke and follow through. Fully illustrated instructions for making bank shots, rail shots, straight-ins, and more plus "English" and its use. All game rules including bank pool, one pocket, Kelly, nine ball, bumper pool, and others with referee instructions. Interesting facts on cues, their maintenance and repair plus detailed instructions on re-covering your pool table.




Art and Visual Perception


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