Trick Shots or Running the Table?

We had a little gathering Friday night with two other couples, after dinner the men and I went down to the man cave, each of us grabbed a pool cue off the wall and started to play some nine-ball. Now, having been a life-long 8-ball and 14 to 1 billiard player, I find nine ball to be faster paced and more involved in thinking ahead to the next shot. I derive a certain amount of pleasure from running the table off the break, or at least getting a nice string of 3-5 pocketed balls.

However, this weekend, because I have picked up nine-ball, it has made me think about the next shot and how I can make that happen. I have resorted to jump shots and my version of a masse. My masse is actually pretty week and looks more like a little league curve ball. This shot has saved me a couple of times and left me with a decent follow-up.

The debate now is what do I prefer, both actually, I can run a table fairly decently and I have a couple of cool shots that I can do. But, I was watching an artistic pool exhibition with Tim Chin a while ago, and I have watched Mike Massey and Steve Mizerak when I was younger on a number of occasions do trick shots as well, and I have to say I am rather impressed.

I also like watching Minnesota Fats and Willie Mosconi just ruin somebody's day by running the table in straight pool. Nobody likes being dismantled off the break by a guy in a bar with a house pool cue more than I do, but it happens. Sometime, I use a house pool cue on the "local pro" and when I win two out of three he is stumped.

I have found myself in a position where I like both now, and find myself incorporating just as many artistic shots into my game for a better second or third shot that I have in the past and if it gives me a decent run of 3-5 balls that makes even happier. There is no one pool cue that has made a difference in the way my artistic abilities have been trying to improve, I know, I have gone through the wall of pool cues I have to try. There is one pool cue on the wall that I find myself grabbing more now than any, it is my jump pool cue. It is considerably shorter than my standard pool cues, but the sole purpose of this pool cue is to make jump shots.

At Titan Cue and Table I do have a selection of jump cues and jump-break pool cues in my inventory. I know that this pool cue has been a valuable addition to my man cave, but the jump pool cue has vastly improved my artistic pool playing ability. I have even taken the jump pool cue to the pool hall with me to get in the practice of using it to improve the quality of my runs and to work on my artistic shots.