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Does anybody here play?

Postby SnookerFan

I tend to travel a lot to tournaments, as people know, and people I meet at these things tend to ask me if I play. I don't, never have. And they are always surprised. I don't find it that surprising. If you see somebody watching football, you don't assume they play particularly.

How many people play? Not necessarily at competitive level, I mean just playing the game with your mates. The closest I've ever come ins playing pool badly when I'm in the pub, which I wouldn't go out of my way to do, or playing on a half size table with my godson. Who just turned seven.

I've literally never even attempted a shot on a full size table, and I find that as a fan who watches a lot of snooker, this surprises people. So I wondered what other people's experience on here was of playing. Am I the only one who doesn't play at all, but enjoys watching?

Re: Does anybody here play?

Postby Witz78

Playing beats watching for sure. Once u get in the zone u feel as if u become a pro player, albeit at a far lower level. Cant believe youve never played.
From about the age of 3 snookers been part of my life, pretty sure it was playing on the 6x3 table my dad had in the garage that then got me into watching snooker on the tv.

Re: Does anybody here play?

Postby SnookerFan

Witz78 wrote:Playing beats watching for sure. Once u get in the zone u feel as if u become a pro player, albeit at a far lower level. Cant believe youve never played.
From about the age of 3 snookers been part of my life, pretty sure it was playing on the 6x3 table my dad had in the garage that then got me into watching snooker on the tv.


Really? I can't imagine anything beats the buzz of being at a live venue. I think I had a little toy table when I was a kid. And I have technically played on a half-table, like I said. But that's against a kid who still doesn't understand the rules properly, and we just take it in turns trying to pot random balls. And mainly missing.

On a full size table, never even attempted a shot.

Re: Does anybody here play?

Postby gallantrabbit

Snnokerfan - if you do start playing make sure you have time on your hands cos snooker will take you over. It started with me when I was 11. Still going at the wrong side of 40 ;)

Re: Does anybody here play?

Postby randam05

I play. And if I didnt play myself I dont think I would appreciate the amount of skill the players have to play the proffessional game at that standard.

So personally I think you have to have played before to see how hard the sport is and appreciate the proffessionals..

Re: Does anybody here play?

Postby SnookerFan

I see that, in any sport, having played it would give a different perspective on watching the game, to those who haven't.

I've always found it odd though that people find it strange that I like the game, but don't play. You don't necessarily assume because somebody is an ardant Manchester United fan, that they play football. But then, if they are like me, sat there with a big beer belly, you wouldn't assume it.

Maybe it's just an obvious opening question to a snooker fan, as snooker is seen as an accessible game. And one you don't have to be particularly sporty game to play. It wouldn't have occured to me personally that somebody that watched darts played either, and that's more accessible then snooker nowadays. I don't know one pub that has a snooker table (as oppose to a pool table), but they all have dart boards. I think I've probably only played darts less then ten times my whole life. I played a game earlier this year, and struggled to remember the last time I played. It must've been at least five years.

Point is, it's always struck me as an odd question. I've never asked anybody if they've played a certain game, just based on them being a spectator sport. But, I myself, am not the most naturally competitive person. If I'm no good at a game I either give up trying, or just accept that I am useless becaue I like playing. Even if that means me losing more times then winning.

Re: Does anybody here play?

Postby Wildey

Playing if you can remotely recreate what you seen on TV is a Buzz However if you cant then its Frustrating Like nothing else.

Re: Does anybody here play?

Postby Rocket_ron

wildLOVESWAGNER wrote:Playing if you can remotely recreate what you seen on TV is a Buzz However if you cant then its Frustrating Like nothing else.

agreed. theres nothing worse than watching someone like ronnie and hendry/murphy then go down the club and play absolute pants...in the past i have often cried

Ultimate_snooker :)

Re: Does anybody here play?

Postby SnookerFan

wildLOVESWAGNER wrote:Playing if you can remotely recreate what you seen on TV is a Buzz However if you cant then its Frustrating Like nothing else.


When it comes to games, I don't have the patience to self improve. When I play pool, I'm told the reason I miss most of the shots is I play it too fast, and don't bother lining them up properly. I just shrug and say it's my Hurricane Higgins approach. Which causes none snooker fans to look at me blankly, and not know what I'm talking about. Pool to me is nothing more then what you do in a pub, when the conversation is waning. And thusly, I don't have the patience to try and get better. Even if I really dedicated myself to it for a few days, and played every night, I'd get bored in a week or so.

Snooker would be worse, I guess, being that it's 100 times more difficult. I'd be up for trying it, as I watch so much of it, but I'd probably be bored before the frame ended, I'd take so long to pot anything.

Re: Does anybody here play?

Postby Witz78

Yeh i agree it would be depressing if i watched Hendry play then went down the club and only played as bad as him haha

Re: Does anybody here play?

Postby Sickpotter

You have to play, even if it's just to get an idea of how good pros are.

If you love snooker now and appreciate the skill involved your enjoyment will increase enormously actually knowing how hard the game is. ;)

Re: Does anybody here play?

Postby SnookerFan

sickpotter wrote:You have to play, even if it's just to get an idea of how good pros are.

If you love snooker now and appreciate the skill involved your enjoyment will increase enormously actually knowing how hard the game is. ;)


If that's even remotely true, I'd better not, as my love for snooker would make me explode after playing. I'm already bad enough, that if Cameron Diaz turned up naked at my flat, I'd tell her to snake hiss off if she was interrupting the snooker.

Re: Does anybody here play?

Postby Smart

Ultimate_snooker wrote:
wildLOVESWAGNER wrote:Playing if you can remotely recreate what you seen on TV is a Buzz However if you cant then its Frustrating Like nothing else.

agreed. theres nothing worse than watching someone like ronnie and hendry/murphy then go down the club and play absolute pants...in the past i have often cried

Ultimate_snooker :)


<laugh> rofl :idea: rofl <laugh>

I love watching a helluva lot, and having worked out that playing on a full size is not gonna work for me, thus I am happy feeding my desire on my excellent and cherished pub pool table out back. <cool>

StalinESQ :)

Re: Does anybody here play?

Postby Rocket_ron

StalinESQ wrote:
Ultimate_snooker wrote:
wildLOVESWAGNER wrote:Playing if you can remotely recreate what you seen on TV is a Buzz However if you cant then its Frustrating Like nothing else.

agreed. theres nothing worse than watching someone like ronnie and hendry/murphy then go down the club and play absolute pants...in the past i have often cried

Ultimate_snooker :)


<laugh> rofl :idea: rofl <laugh>

I love watching a helluva lot, and having worked out that playing on a full size is not gonna work for me, thus I am happy feeding my desire on my excellent and cherished pub pool table out back. <cool>

StalinESQ :)

yes i would tend to agree, if you cant make snooker work play pool on a english 6x3 or american 8x4 tables...personally if i had room and money i would have a 8x4 american pool table and play 9-ball and occasionall 8-ball

Ultimate_snooker :) TM
Last edited by Rocket_ron on 08 Nov 2010, edited 1 time in total.

Re: Does anybody here play?

Postby Witz78

SnookerFan wrote:
wildLOVESWAGNER wrote:Playing if you can remotely recreate what you seen on TV is a Buzz However if you cant then its Frustrating Like nothing else.


When it comes to games, I don't have the patience to self improve. When I play pool, I'm told the reason I miss most of the shots is I play it too fast, and don't bother lining them up properly. I just shrug and say it's my Hurricane Higgins approach. Which causes none snooker fans to look at me blankly, and not know what I'm talking about. Pool to me is nothing more then what you do in a pub, when the conversation is waning. And thusly, I don't have the patience to try and get better. Even if I really dedicated myself to it for a few days, and played every night, I'd get bored in a week or so.

Snooker would be worse, I guess, being that it's 100 times more difficult. I'd be up for trying it, as I watch so much of it, but I'd probably be bored before the frame ended, I'd take so long to pot anything.


i tend to play pretty fast normally but sometimes i just take the snake hiss and play intentially rapid without even getting down on the shot and rattling them, it works for a few shots usually and draws gasps then the inevitable kamikaze shot happens and i just shrug my shoulders or open my arms in disbelief and arrogantly walk away Higgins style.

Re: Does anybody here play?

Postby Tubberlad

I still have a 7x3.5 foot table in my garage... a lot of great memories :)

Re: Does anybody here play?

Postby randam05

sickpotter wrote:You have to play, even if it's just to get an idea of how good pros are.

If you love snooker now and appreciate the skill involved your enjoyment will increase enormously actually knowing how hard the game is. ;)



Agreed, thats what I was trying to say. I have so many friend who say snookers easy, its just like pool, purely because they have not played the game of snooker, so they think its easy.. :grrr: :wild2:

Re: Does anybody here play?

Postby SnookerFan

randam05 wrote:Agreed, thats what I was trying to say. I have so many friend who say snookers easy, its just like pool, purely because they have not played the game of snooker, so they think its easy.. :grrr: :wild2:


May I respectfully suggest that the people who think this are talking nonsense? And I know people myself who say "snooker is boring because Ronnie said so", and "every player is taking bribes because Higgins did."

Some people just have a negative reaction towards snooker, for some reason.

Re: Does anybody here play?

Postby Roland

These sorts of people are idiots but unfortunately they are everywhere.

Re: Does anybody here play?

Postby GrumpyMrDavros

Haven't played for years . Having lived on a small Scottish island in the 1980s/90s we only had one snooker table at the local leisure centre which you had to book

Still occasionally play pool if I'm ever in the pub but I leave the serious potting to the experts

Re: Does anybody here play?

Postby Roland

It's a real shame how many of you on here don't have easy access to a snooker table. I've always had it through a one or two table club in the village I lived in at the time to having several to choose from in towns I've lived in.... I've seen clubs close down and league teams move down from 2 to 1 teams or 3 to 2 but I understand the clubs are starting to pick up again which is a great sign. When I played the other Friday night in a club with 8 tables they were full and time was limited all night. When I went on Sunday afternoon though I had the place to myself. And the busiest times are always when snooker is on the tv which shows how important the BBC coverage is in the UK.

As for what you get out of playing - a definite appreciation of how good the professional players really are. It's so easy to criticise a top player for missing an "easy" pot because we expect so much from them but it's a bloody difficult game to play.

And the levels in the amateur game have a lot of tiers of ability before you get to professional level. You have to be a good player to ever win a frame from a snooker required or just enough points with more than about 4 or 5 reds against any opponent, but in the professional game a player suddenly becomes "favourite" if they are in position on the first red.

For those of you like SnookerFan who have followed the game for years but have never actually played I say give it a go. All you need is someone to make sure you have a cue action and with your knowledge of watching for so many years you'll all be capable of 30 and 40 breaks within a few months because you'll know the shots to go for from watching the professionals.

Re: Does anybody here play?

Postby Witz78

Just back in from beating arguably the best player in the league 2-1.

Buzzing. Spectating doesnt give you half the buzz playing well does.

Re: Does anybody here play?

Postby Rocket_ron

Witz78 wrote:Just back in from beating arguably the best player in the league 2-1.

Buzzing. Spectating doesnt give you half the buzz playing well does.

good man russel <ok>

Re: Does anybody here play?

Postby Tubberlad

My nearest snooker club is all of 45 minutes away, and it's infested with tinkers, which drives everyone away. Next nearest is Killarney which is also well over an hour away, much nicer set up there, but it's a pretty long drive just to play a few frames. I used to have a club five minutes away but it closed down :(

Re: Does anybody here play?

Postby Witz78

Ultimate_snooker wrote:
Witz78 wrote:Just back in from beating arguably the best player in the league 2-1.

Buzzing. Spectating doesnt give you half the buzz playing well does.

good man russel <ok>


cheers ya swine :D

Re: Does anybody here play?

Postby Rocket_ron

Witz78 wrote:
Ultimate_snooker wrote:
Witz78 wrote:Just back in from beating arguably the best player in the league 2-1.

Buzzing. Spectating doesnt give you half the buzz playing well does.

good man russel <ok>


cheers ya swine :D

:huh:

Re: Does anybody here play?

Postby GrumpyMrDavros

thetubberlad wrote:I still have a 7x3.5 foot table in my garage... a lot of great memories :)


Lucky you. My mate as a teenager had a 6 by 3 table and needless to say he was my best mate while he had that .

I did by a 6x3 " American type " pool table with blue baize but the cushions were entirely dead and it was very difficult to screw back . It cost me about £100 out of a catolugue in 1983 . Perhaps I should have invested another £40 for a snooker table ?

Re: Does anybody here play?

Postby SnookerFan

To be fair, I think I'd be pretty crap at snooker. I am utterly useless at pool, and have played that far too much to be as crap at it as I am. It's not modesty. If I pot one ball in a game, I think fair play I'm doing well. I tend to be playing at my absolute best if I post two balls a game. And that's probably make 4-6 fouls a game. I'm comically bad, and excel at missing the easiest shots possible. People think I'm doing it on purpose.

I hate to sound defeatist, but if I can't play pool on a small table, what am I going to be able to do on a real snooker table?