THE

STRAND

MAGAZINE

An Illustrated Monthly

Vol. XLV.

JANUARY TO JUNE.

Xon&on:

GEORGE NEWNES, LTD., 3—13, SOUTHAMPTON STREET, AND EXETE^

STREET, STRAND

'913
MY BILLIARDS.

And tlie Strokes Tkat Made It.

By JOHN ROBERTS.

ILLUSTRATED BY AN ENTIRELY NEW METHOD,

[The photographs accompanying the texi constitute the unique feature of these articles. Each stroke was

set up on his own standard table by Mr. John Roberts personally, and the lines of white worsted illustrating

the run of the balls — of ivory, standard size and equal weight — were placed in position by him. The

spot on the cue-ball shows the exact place where that ball must be struck to make the stroke depicted,

and the line running from the cue-ball to the object-ball shows the line of aim for the stroke.]

PART I.

CONCERNING CUEMANSHIP AND PLAIN-BALL

STROKES.

EFORE proceeding to deal

with the strokes shown in the

remarkable photographs illus-

trating this article, I deem it

necessary to say something

about the general principles

of cuemanship. My views on

this subject are decidedly broad. I have no

sympathy with

those professors

who desire to cast

cuemen all in one

mould. The right

thing to do is for

each man to

adapt his own

physical attri-

butes to certain

general prin-

ciples. The legs

should be planted

firmly yet grace-

fully, with the

right leg straight

and the left leg

advanced just far

enough and the

left knee just

bent enough to

enable a player

to get down to

his game without

the least strain or

effort. I am no

believer in poses which make people look like

racing cyclists when shaping for a stroke at

billiards. It is decidedly a contentious matter

whether anything is gained in accuracy by a

crouching stance, and the loss of grace and

comfort is obvious and undeniable.

NO.

Next comes the all-important pfacing of the

left hand on the table. This must be done

properly, and the photograph (No. i) of my

bridge hand shows the right way to do it. The

" bridge " thus formed is firm, but there is

nothing of the tense rigidity about it advocated

by those who would fain make a billiard-

player claw at the cloth to keep the left hand

steady. To my mind, there is nothing stiff

about billiards, nothing laboured and heavy.

My ideal billiard-

player faces his

work with every

muscle elastic and

ready to respond

to his will. His

poise is full of
MY BILLIARDS.

201

fingers and the thumb, while some commend

making a sort of loop with all the fingers and

the thumb, and allowing the cue to rest at

will on the most convenient portion of this

loop, which will invariably be towards the

front of it. My advice is to decide on

whichever of these methods comes most

natural and easy ; but when a decision is

made, do not vary it. Chopping and changing

in matters of stance, making a bridge, and

holding a cue has spoilt more billiard-players

than enough. Men see a great player manipu-

late a cue in his own way, and try to copy him.

They always fail, because what they strive to

imitate is only some superficial and personal

trick of cuemanship peculiar to the master

they are copying. The general underlying

principle, the one thing that matters, is always

missed by the untrained observer. And as

regards holding a cue, that principle is summed

up in the one word " lightness "—I might

almost have written " daintiness." A man

who takes a billiard-cue in hand is holding

an implement capable of as much variety of

execution as a bow in the hands of a skilled

violinist, and anything hard and constrained

is utterly antagonistic to the artistic soul of

the thing. The cue should never be gripped

when shaping for a stroke or when it is swung

for a stroke. There are occasions when an

instantaneous gripping of the cue is necessary

at the right moment, and I will deal with

these occasions in their proper place.

A correct holding of the cue is inseparable

from that smooth and accurate cue delivery

which is the underlying and unvarying first

principle of all billiards. Every great billiard-

player, without exception, no matter 'what

his individual eccentricities of stance or action

may be, always delivers his cue with irre-

proachable freedom and accuracy. In other

words, at that infinitesimal fraction of time

when the cue-tip comes into contact with a

billiard-ball all great billiardists are absolutely

alike. Temperament, nerves, judgment, and

natural aptitude for the game account for

the differences between them. One and all

strike a billiard-ball perfectly, or they would

never play well enough for anyone to pay

sixpence to see them perform. Cue delivery

is to the billiard-player what timing a ball is

to a cricketer, timing a blow to a boxer, or

timing a kick to a footballer. Doing it

rightly or wrongly makes all the difference

between the waste and use of energy, between

a dull, lifeless result and an achievement

aglow with brilliance and vitality.

Hold the cue lightly, then, swing it straight

from the elbow, and let it run on with a

Vol. xlv.—22.

smooth, even, flowing action until, at the

instant it reaches its nearest approach to the

horizontal, the tip strikes the cue-ball on the

desired spot. Then let the cue go through

the ball, except for screw strokes—and even

for these it must get well hold of the sphere.

Do not hold the cue more or less as if it were

a broom-handle and push or poke it at the

202

THE STRAXD MAGAZ1XE.

trained to an extent which enabled him to

deliver his cue with mechanical precision, his

trick of playing a stroke for pure sport

without looking at the balls at the instant of

cue contact would have been a dead failure.

As it was, he seldom missed a stroke he chose

to play in this way, and his prowess in this

direction, although it may have erred on the

side of the whimsical, according to modern

ideas on the seriousness of sport, was never-

theless an indisputable exhibition of what can

be left with perfect safety to cue • delivery

of the highest order. The strenuous struggles

of so many " hundred-uppers " to make a

twenty break once in a way show what cannot

be done almost entirely on account of cue

delivery as full of faults as it very well can be.

It is a capital idea to practise cue delivery

by swinging the cue over a straight line on

the table without putting

up a ball to distract the

attention. Take pains

with this. Settle down

comfortably into the

stance you have decided

to adopt — it would be

well to have it criticized

by a good player, if pos-

sible. Then swing the cue

backwards and forwards

over the bridge hand,

and keep striking at a

ball which exists only in

fancy. The number of

little preliminary swings

made before delivering the cue is a matter

each player must decide for himself, but

the fewer the better, as the practice tends

to tire the hand and eye by a series of

movements which precede the actual

stroke. Some players, including myself,

can make strokes by simply drawing the cue

back and delivering it without more ado.

But there are others, especially beginners,

who will find a few preliminary swings helpful,

;>s they enable the stroke to be rehearsed,

so to speak, before the cue is brought into

contact with the ball. When practice gives

confidence, these little cue movements should

be discarded as far as possible. They con-

stitute something a billiard-player has first

to learn and then forget as his game advances.

Keep the body perfectly still when practising

these cue exercises. Only the right arm should

move ; the right hand should be kept as close

to the side of the body as possible, and the

cue should be delivered over and over again

on a line directly beneath the centre of the

chin of the cueman. The player can see for

NO. 2. A FAMILIAK HALF-BALL LOSING

HAZARD.

himself whether the cue is kept straight over

the line, and it is a good plan to have a candid

friend standing by his side to note the least

jerkiness or lack of freedom, and also to find

fault if the cue is not as level as it can be

when the tip is supposed to come in contact

with that imaginary ball.

MY BILLIARDS.

303

an ordinary amateur may be reasonably

expected to handle in every respect as well as

a professional; and as, with slight variations,

it is constantly occurring in actual play, it is

most decidedly a stroke which should he

practised assiduously from

each side of the table until

both the hazard and cor-

rect after - position are

thoroughly mastered.

Our next illustration (No. 4)

is of exceptional interest, as it

depicts the permissible mar-

gin of error in the half-ball

stroke. A close inspection

will prove that the inside

edge of the white ball is at

the moment of contact the

merest shade beyond the

centre of the red. and it there-

fore follows that the centre of

the cue-ball must have been directed just that

indescribably minute fraction of space away

from the absolute outside edge of the red and

towards the centre of that ball. This much,

and no more, may be done at normal pace

without affecting the natural angle to any

appreciable extent in actual billiards, although

1 dare say it is not without its effect in pure

theory. But in the other direction there is

no margin of error allowable. If, in general

billiard parlance, the contact is in the least

" finer " than a half-

ball, the natural angle

cannot result, and

many amateurs fail

to make long losers

from hand simply on

account of this fault.

When a true half-ball

is presented into a

pocket fairly close to

the cue-ball, then,

provided the pocket

is an open one, a

slightly finer contact

than "half - ball will

score, incidentally,

with a bad stroke.

But the " long ones "

supply the real test.

Those beautiful free

strokes which bring

the object-ball round

off three cushions when played from hand

off a ball on the centre spot, or very near it,

cannot be made if a cue-ball without side

strikes the object too thin; but. I repeat,

there is a slight margin offered in the other

NO. 3. THE BAI.I.-TO-HAU. CON-

TACT fOR THK HAI.F-11ALL I.OSKR.

direction. Therefore, when playing half-ball

strokes, always make sure you bring about

a thick enough contact, whatever you do.

While I am on the subject of permissible

errors in the half-ball stroke. I propose to

deal with another connected,

not with ball contact, but

204

THE STRAND MAGAZINE.

The same general argument holds good as

regards every stroke on a billiard-table.

Ignoring flukes, there are always three dis-

tinct possibilities inseparable from every

stroke. It may be missed, it may be made

perfectly, or it may be made in spite of a

margin of imperfection which varies enor-

mously in different strokes. The first two

are fixed quantities, but the third differs

with every separate grouping of the balls.

But it always has its distinct and absolute

limitations, which are usually small, and often

so minute as to be a negligible quantity in

practice. The good player takes no liberties

with the permissible margin of imperfection

in stroke play ; the bad player leans on- it so

heavily that he would throw up billiards in

disgust but for its existence. Obviously the

right thing to do is to play every stroke in

such a way that the possibility of error

becomes eliminated by the application of

known rules, the first and greatest of which

governs plain-ball striking and the half-ball

contact which gives us the natural angle

depicted in our photographs.

This angle is not always easily recognized

at first sight, as the two following photo-

graphs prove. The first (No. 5) shows a typical

half-ball losing hazard into a corner pocket,

and the man who has yet to learn his billiards

—which may easily be true of many who have

played for years—would hardly credit that it

is exactly the same shot as that presented by

our first score off the. spotted red. Yet such

is the fact, aad it is harder still to realize in

the case of the half-ball stroke into a " blind "

middle pocket shown in the next photograph

(No. 6). To obtain the best effect of this

stroke the page should be held level with

the eyes, and adjusted in such a manner that

the line of vision is directly over the centre

of the cue - ball, a plan

which is well worth follow-

ing in all the pictures, for

that matter. And in con-

nection with this stroke

it should be borne in mind

that the white ball is some

two feet away from the

red. Even then the angle

appears deceptive, much

" wider," as they say in

billiard-rooms, than it really

is. This stroke should be

set up and played with special care, as the

angle of entry into the pocket is such that

the least mistake throws the ball out.

The player cannot see the fraction of an inch

of pocket opening at the fall of the slate

NO. 5 A HALF-BALI. LOSER INTO A CORNER

POCKET.

over which his ball must pass to effect a score ;

the pocket is therefore " blind," and the

stroke cannot be handled with too much

nicety. But, all the same, it is a plain-ball

effort, although I dare say that if twenty

ordinary cuemen saw me make it during a

break they would feel positive that I had

MY BILLIARDS.

205

NO. /. A RUN - IIIKOUC.H

CAMNON PLAYED WITH-

OUT SIDE.

three; so. therefore.

why complicate matters

needlessly, especially as.

in addition to making

the score, there is the

essential after-position to

manipulate ? This stroke,

played as -described,

affords a splendid test of

cuemanship. The cue

must be swung well and

truly to make this stroke.

We now pass to a plain-ball stroke which

offers the greatest possible contrast to the

follow-through shot just dealt with. The

photograph (No. 9), I should like to explain,

shows the finest effective contact it is possible

to make intentionally with a billiard-ball,

and when a stroke of the

type has to be played at

a range of a foot or so, for

intricate positional purposes.

at the head of the table, it

is about as difficult a. stroke

as the game offers outside

purely exhibition efforts. In

the stroke before us, how- N0.

ever, the cue-ball is quite

close to the object, and the picture shows the

way to make the stroke so well that detailed

explanation is needless. But there is one

point connected with this stroke which may

well be enlarged upon—namely, the necessity

for getting directly behind the cue-ball when

making the stroke. Many beginners would

want to play the shot with the body almost

in line with the cushion. This is wrong.

The thing to do is to bring the body into such

a pose that the spot on the cue-ball is fairly

between the eyes of the player at the moment

of cue contact.

Another plain-ball stroke is the pretty kiss

cannon depicted in our concluding photograph

(No. 10). This is a tricky little stroke which

is sure to work out all wrong if the direct

follow is attempted, although it is apparently

" on." Try it and see, and the balls will kiss

and spoil the score every time. Yet the very

cause of the trouble provides the remedy if

the kiss is handled as it should be. Make

a contact about three-quarters thick on the

red ball and strike the cue-ball in the middle,

thus causing it to run through the red over the

line shown to the right of

the illustration. The

object-ball will then run

on to the side cushion,

rebound, and strike the

second object white full

from behind, and drive

it on to the oncoming

cue-ball, thus making the

cannon at the termina-

tion of the line to the

right of the red. The

MY BILLIARDS.

And tlie Strokes Tkat Made It.

By JOHN ROBERTS.

ILLUSTRATED BY AN ENTIRELY NEW METHOD.

[The photographs accompanying the text constitute the unique feature of these articles. Each stroke was

set up on his own standard table by Mr. John Roberts personally, and the lines of white worsted illustrating

the run of the balls — of ivory, standard size and equal weight — were placed in position by him. The

spot on the cue-ball shows the exact place where that ball must be struck to make the stroke depicted,

and the line running from the cue-ball to the object-ball shows the line of aim for the stroke.]

Part II.—-Some Screw and Side Strokes.

S a general rule the average

tyro at billiards regards screw

strokes with a certain amount

of nervous awe. There are

disagreeable traditions of

cutting a cloth associated

with these shots, and there

is likewise a traditional guinea to pay for the

damage. But this is all a

hilliard myth. It is impos-

sible to cut a billiard cloth

by playing any stroke. Even

such an exhibition effort as

making a ball jump over the

rest and score a cannon by

returning after the leap does

not contain the smallest

element of danger to the

cloth. But this is always

provided the cuemanship is

above reproach, that the cue

is swung, not pushed or poked

along. It is both safe and

easy to impart screw to a

billiard-ball when once the

fact is realized that a good

cue delivery is a great deal

more than half the battle.

Aim should be taken at a

point well below the centre of

the cue-ball. The cue should be swung and

held exactly as usual, but as soon as the tip

has fairly got hold of the cue-ball the butt

should be grasped firmly, thus stopping the

quick forward movement of the cue.

Nothing else is required to impart screw

to a billiard-ball, and the distance a ball can

be brought back is largely a matter of prac-

tice, but its limit doubtless depends on the

NO. I. A " TEST " SCREW SHOT.

inherent cue power of individuals. In actual

play, however, there is seldom or never any

demand for the maximum of screw effect

obtainable in billiards. I can make a ball

screw back literally for yards, and do so in

exhibition billiards. But there is nothing

gained by the amateur striving to try to copy

something which is probably largely a natural

gift. He can train himself

to make all the screw strokes

he will ever require in the

course of a game, so he need

not worry because astonishing

effects exploited by professors

to entertain an audience are

beyond him. Our first

photograph shows a useful

screw stroke for the amateur

to practise. The red is on

the centre spot of the table,

346

THE STRAND MAGAZINE.

this considerable

risk of a miss-cue

for nothing ? And

even if the ball is

struck below the

points indicated by

the dots, there is

always the chance

of the ball jumping

more or less and

thereby spoiling

everything.

Plain screw, use-

ful as it often is,

has a much wider

range of utility

when employed in

conjunction with

side. The next

three photographs

show this, and also

demonstrate a

point in connection

with screw which

demands careful

study.

The photographs

referred to are

alike, yet different,

and this paradox is

what I am about to

explain. The first

picture,No. 2,shows

the cue-ball quite

THREE PHOTOGRAPHS OF "SCREW AND SIDE" STROKES WHICH ARE ALIKE, clOSB tO tllC object

VET DIFFERENT. IN EACH CASE THE ANGLE IS THE SAME, AND THE CUE-BALL n j j. ^ g I0sjng

IS STRUCK ON THE SAME SPOT. BUT THE INCREASING DISTANCE BETWEEN THE , , . . °

hazard into the

corner baulk pocket

is made by striking

command of " twist," as screw used to be the cue-ball low and to the right as

termed in my young days. If practice shown. The cue action must be very

enables him to bring the cue-ball back fairly good for this to be done, as the balls are

often with sufficient velocity to enter the quite close enough together for the least

pocket with an appreciable amount of pace bungling to produce anything except the

to spare, he may then rest content with the desired result. A neat-handed, crisp cue

knowledge that he has acquired mastery contact is most essential. The ball-to-ball

• enough of screw to take him as far as contact is almost a half-ball, and is made

most men have time and inclination to go in quite clear by the white line on the right

BALLS NECESSITATES A CHANGE IN THE BALL-TO-BALL CONTACT — A MOST

IMPORTANT POINT IN STROKES OF THIS KIND.

amateur billiards.

showing the angle of departure of the object-

It will be noticed that the point of cue ball. Get the body position right for this

contact marked by a dot in all the screw-

strokes shown in this article is not so low

on the sphere as is generally supposed to

stroke. Remember that the cue-ball is, so

to speak, steered round a corner into the

pocket, and unless the cue is aligned perfectly

be necessary to pull a ball back, which brings through the spot on the cue-ball to the point

us to what I term the reliable strikable of ball contact on the object-ball, the stroke

surface of the cue-ball. I grant that the will fail, usually because much too thick

cue could be directed slightly lower than the a contact is made considering the close

spots indicate, and screw strokes accom- proximity of the balls,

plished. But what need is there to take Our second photograph, No. 3, in this
MY BILLIARDS.

347

group shows the object-ball in precisely

the same position, but the cue-ball

has been drawn back a few inches along

a line making exactly the same angle

with the line to the pocket as in the

first stroke. But at this distance a slightly

thicker contact between the balls is necessary

to make the hazard, and again the contact

is proved by the angle of departure of the

object-ball shown to the right. These two

strokes are most instructive. They show, as

nothing else has ever done before pictorially,

how the distance between the balls affects

contact in screw strokes. The nearer the

balls are together, the finer the contact.

That is the golden rule, which, if neglected,

as it so often is, results in overdoing the

stroke.

When the amateur falls into this error he

wrongly concludes that he has put on an

excess of screw and side, instead of which

he has struck the object too full, considering

the range of the stroke, and, very possibly,

too hard into the bargain. Roth the strokes

now under discussion can fairly be included

in the lengthy catalogue of " slow screws,"

as they must be handled to bring the object-

hull out of baulk, but only far enough across

the table to leave an easy losing hazard into

the middle pocket.

Again we move the cue-ball back along the

same line until it is a full two feet from the

object, No. 4, and again we strike it in the same

place. But this time the ball-to-ball contact

is thicker still, on account of the increased

distance, and, in addition, an altogether

fresh factor enters into the case. We have

passed the normal effective range of " slow

screw," and this stroke must be played with

a. fair amount of freedom, hard enough to

bring the object-ball into position off the

side cushion behind the balls. Note once

more the difference in the angle of departure

made by the object white. This is now very

important, as it is so much more nearly

straight across the table that it enables the

second cushion to be utilized for position,

something out of the game with either of the

preceding strokes, which must, as already

explained, be played gently enough to attain

the desired position off one cushion only.

Why is this increase of force required for

the third stroke ? Simply because a billiard-

ball carrying screw is under the simultaneous

influence of two distinct things, and a third

is added when side comes in. The momentum

of the stroke sends the ball forward, the low

contact and characteristic snap in the cue

delivery impart a backward rotation, and if

side is also used the ball spins laterally.

Sundry elaborate attempts have been made

to explain the theory of this, but to my

mind it appears simple enough. I do not

for a moment pose as an authority on the

scientific laws expounded by the learned to

account for the action of bodies in motion,

but my idea is that screw causes a billiard-ball

to revolve on its horizontal axis, side sets it

THE STRAND MAGAZINE.

NO. 5. A LOSING HAZARD WITH -SCREW AND SIDE.

NO. 6 THE BALL-TO-BALL CONTACT FOR THE ABOVE.

after-position. The first—a losing hazard,

with screw and side, into a right-hand corner

pocket—comes out so beautifully in the photo-

graph, No. 5, that I need write but little about

it after what I have already laid down

regarding the theory and application of

screw and side. But the second illustration,

No. 6, depicting the ball contact, should not be

passed over casually, as I think many inex-

perienced players would have elected to strike

the red more fully, which would bring the

cue-ball back somewhere between the two

lines, unless a different—and wrong—cue

the ball enters the pocket opening to a nicety

it will not drop. So why make the stroke

more difficult than it really is ? Why throw

aside every assistance a full knowledge of the

game can give ?

The next stroke, No. 7, is very similar, but is

.played on the opposite side of the table, and

I have purposely varied the angle a.

trifle to renderasomewhat thicker ball

contact essential. I have not had the

camera brought to bear on this fresh

contact, as it will do my readers good

to work it out for themselves. There

remains but one other point, which

is that in both strokes the cue con-

tact is exactly the same ; the differ-

ence is confined to ball contact. This

rule holds good with all screw strokes

from the direct pull-back to the right-

angle screw. All these strokes should

be made with the same amount of screw on

the cue-ball so far as the point of cue contact

goes; the various effects -are produced

by dividing the object-ball to admit of the

required variations in ball contact. Again

this demonstrates that simplification of

essentials which is the art, and so largely the

concealed art, of billiards. If I made a dozen

or more screw strokes all different from balls

in the same position, how many ordinary

players would even guess that the cue-ball

was struck in the same place for each stroke ?

Yet such is the fact, and as my cuemanship

contact happened to be made. This brings makes the hitting of the same spot on the

us to a very interesting problem. By varying

the contact with the red ball and the pace of

the stroke it would be quite possible to make

the hazard from the. position shown, either

with plain screw or even with screw and

cue-ball a mechanical matter, it follows that

I can concentrate my observation on the

necessary ball contact and after-position.

Variations in cue contact come into play

when screw assists in the making of strokes

NO. 7. ANOTHER SCKKW LOSER PLAYED WITH SIDE.

left-hand side. But in spite of the score

such strokes would be radically bad. The

side as shown helps the cue-ball into the

pocket; the other side does just the reverse,-,

and, of course, no side means that unless

beyond the right angle; for anything between

the right angle and the player the amount

of screw need not be changed to make any

angle, but ball contact and force will be

MY BILLIARDS.

349

NO. 8. A GATHERING CANNON.

We now pass to a couple of strokes the first

of which, No. 8, illustrates a characteristic of

screw which renders that property of peculiar

value in positional billiards. The balls are

at the spot end, and a screw cannon can and

should be played with the proportion of

right-hand side indicated by the spot on the

cue-ball and enough strength to bring the

object white back to the top of the table

after impact with three cushions. Yet the

pace of the cue-ball will not be more than is

necessary to complete the cannon off the

top cushion and extricate the red ball from

its unfavourable position. This is because

still at the top end of the table, but so awk-

wardly placed that a really good stroke must

be played to make the cannon and at the same

time " gather " the balls when the stroke is

completed. A cannon off the red via the

side and top cushions is the shot, and the

camera has made it so verv clear that I need

not dilate on playing details. But the white

line beyond the red demands more than a

passing thought, as it shows the path that

ball must take if the correct contact is made.

There is another matter connected with both

the strokes now under review, which is that

in each case the cannon is completed by

NO. 9. A GOOD POSITIONAL CANNON.

the low cue contact has deadened the nan of

the cue-ball, and thus achieved the positional

salvation of the red in spite of strength great

enough to send the object-ball best part of

thirty feet before that is also brought round

into favourable position.

Our next photograph, No. 9, shows the balls

the cue-ball striking the cushion a little in

front of the second object-ball, and each time

with what amounts to a mere shade of running

side the instant the cue-ball touches the last

cushion.

This enlarges the target presented by the

second object-ball to a tremendous extent,

THE STRAND MAGAZINE.

and should never be neglected when the

second object-ball lies near a cushion, and the

niceties of positional play do not demand a

direct contact on that ball.

Mention of positional play reminds me that

the two cannons we have just been dis-

cussing are typical specimens of the " gather-

ing " strokes I have exploited so much

during my playing career. The central idea

is always the same—namely, to bring the

first object-ball round after a journey into

baulk, and to cannon slowly enough on to

the second object to keep both that and the

cue-ball at the spot end. More than this

cannot be done. It is sheer nonsense to

write about controlling these " gathering "

strokes to an inch, or even six. When I play

such strokes I know that if the fates are kind,

it is very wrong to allow amateurs to think

that a professor can control such strokes

" to an inch," and to set them the heart-

breaking task of striving after such unattain-

able perfection.

Our final stroke, No. 10, is by way of being

a favourite trial horse with amateurs who

have made considerable progress beyond the

rudiments of the game. It is a losing hazard

into a baulk pocket played with strong screw'

and side. The object-ball is just out of

baulk and a little away from the cushion,

and the cue-ball is placed on the corner

spot of the " D " nearest the object. The

contact must not be too thick, or a kiss will

result, and it must not be too thin, or the

awkward angle necessary after ball contact

in this stroke is not to be made.

NO. 10. A KAVOUKUE "TRIAL HORSE."

even to me, I shall have an ideal top of the

table position left, but I also know that the

chance of a feasible score off either ball will

be much greater—so much greater that it

will be distinctly ba0 luck if the balls run

virtually safe. But I may have a losing

hazard presented, or a red winner which

cannot be made without losing command of

the balls at " the top." The whole point is

that when playing these " gatherers " I have

a rough but eminently reliable notion of the

approximate position of the three balls when

the score is completed, and it satisfies me if

anything reasonably easy is left. I have

emphasized this point because, to my mind,

Altogether, the amateur who can make this

stroke with reasonable certainty on a standard

table is entitled to credit himself with cue

power of no mean order. But those who find

the stroke altogether beyond them need not

worry unduly. If their percentage of failures

in plain-ball strokes is less than another man's

they are sure to beat him, no matter if every

now and again he brings off something

impressive in the way of a " big " stroke

which is outside the game of the steady but

sure plain-ball hazard striker. Mastering

hard strokes does not make a billiard-player.

The man who succeeds never misses the easy

ones.

Air. John Roberts has 'written two further articles to complete tlie series, and these will be

published at the commencement of the next billiard season.

THE

STRAND

MAGAZINE

An Illustrated Monthly

Vol. XLVil

JANUARY TO JUNE.

Xon&ou:

GEORGE NEWNES, LTD., 8—n, SOUTHAMPTON STREET, AND EXETER

STREET, STRAND

191*
MY

.LIARDS =

And tke Strokes Tliat Made It.

ILLUSTRATED BY AN ENTIRELY NEW METHOD.

By JOHN ROBERTS.

[The photographs accompanying the text constitute the unique feature of these articles. Each stroke was set up

on the table by Mr. John Roberts personally, and the white lines illustrating the run of the balls were placed in

position by him. The spot on the cue-ball shows the exact place where that ball must be struck to make the

stroke depicted, and the line running from the cue-ball to the object-ball shows the line of aim for the stroke.]

CONCERNING THE TOP-OF-THE-TABLE GAME.

WILL begin the present

article with a stroke which

enables the balls to be brought

from unfavourable positions

into the lucrative scoring

area at the spot end. The two

object-balls are tight against

the top cushion, and the angle of the stroke

is shown to perfection in the photograph

(No. i). Now, I admit it is in the game

to score a fine kiss cannon by making an

exquisitely - accurate contact with the first

object, but such a stroke is not the game,

because its execution is so difficult—especially

from a positional standpoint—that it would

often prove too much for even a first-class

billiardist. It is quite bad enough to be

compelled to go out for something exception-

ally difficult when the lie of the balls offers

nothing better, but when, as now, there is

" another method," as they say in the cookery

books, then the man who knows the game

plays for what is comparatively simple and

safe. This is the run-through cannon illus-

trated, a stroke played with the trifling

divergence from central cue contact shown,

and with quite a full contact on the white.

The cue-ball will then run steadily along the

cushion and drop full on the red just hard

enough to move it an inch or two towards the

pocket, while the object-ball will take the

course round the table shown by the lines on

the right of the picture, and finally come to

rest almost exactly where the red ball was

originally. A pretty stroke, and one well

worth practising, as it shows what can be

done by accurate ball-striking, good cueman-

ship, and a knowledge of strength and angles.

But why, it may well be asked, do I take

so much pains to bring all three balls to the

head of the table, no matter how awkwardly

they lie ? The answer is simple—because it

gives me command of the balls at the spot

NO. I.—A USEFUL POSITIONAL RUN-THROUGH CANNON.

MY BILLIARDS: AND THE STROKES THAT MADE IT. 115

of the table. Move the cue-ball an

inch to the left, and to retain posi-

tion at the head of the table the

winning hazard has to be made with

enough screw on the cue-ball to

NO. 2.—THE ASTONISHING DIFFERENCE EVEN A

SINGLE INCH MAKES IN TOl'-OF-THB-TABI.E PI.AY.

end, that " top-of-the-table game " which I

invented, and which, in the hands of a first-

class professional, is the quickest and most

profitable scoring method known. But, like

everything else devised to produce compara-

tively rapid returns, the top-of-the-table

game carries with it considerable risk except

in the hands of the few who thoroughly

understand it. It is, and the analogy is very

close, the " get rich quickly " idea introduced

into billiards, and the average amateur—aye,

and even the capable amateur—would be well

advised to drop " top-of-the-table " billiards

as soon as ever he can arrange for a losing

hazard and a return to the baulk end with all

the space in the " D " at his disposal in which

to arrange the cue-ball for his succeeding

stroke.

The overwhelming force of my argument

becomes manifest in our next two illustrations

(Nos. 2 and 3), which prove the astonishing

difference even a single inch makes in top-of-

the-table play. In each case the red is on

the billiard-spot, and the position of the white

object-ball remains unchanged, simply be-

cause a cannon would ruin position at " the

top," although it

would be the stroke

beginners would dash

at without a moment's

hesitation. But the

game is a red winning

hazard into the corner

pocket in each case.

The first stroke is

played with enough

pace and run on. the

cue - ball to carry it

through the red and

into position for a

simple cannon played

from the opposite side NO. 4.—AN IDEAL TOP

NO. 3.—SEE NO. 2.

bring it back, as shown by the white line on the

left of the photo. Top-of-the-table billiards

is full of similar positions where an inch, or

even less, makes all the difference in the

billiard world between one stroke and another

as regards execution. It follows, therefore,

that such a phase of the game is for those

who cannot hope to master its constantly

varying problems—who can only hope to

dabble in it—a dangerous and expensive

habit. Even in the best class amateur

billiards top-of-the-table play has lost many

more games than it has ever won, simply

because failure to score so often leaves the

red ball on the brink of a corner pocket, and

gives the steady, all - round hazard striker

an opening after his own heart.

But provided it is

not carried to excess,

lió

THE STRAND MAGAZINE.

he makes the cannon and

sends the red ball over the

pocket as indicated by the

white line. If he happens

to handle the stroke a little

badly, so that the cue-ball

makes a finish contact on

the far side of the white

and is left very close to the

cushion, while the red stops

just where a fine, clipping

NO. 5.—A COUPLE CF CANNONS PLAYED

TO GAIN COMMAND OF THE TOP OF THE

TABLE.

game which my readers must make

the backbone of their billiards. Here

let me define what top-of-the-table

billiards really means. It is, of course,

a series of alternating red winning

hazards and cannons, but the under-

lying principle is that the cue-ball must

always be kept above the other two, as

shown in the photograph (No. 4) of an ideal

NO. 6.—SEE NO. 5.

stroke is needed to pocket it, then, if the

average cueman is wise, he plays the dead

easy losing hazard which is sure to be offered,

top-of-the-table opening. As a matter of fact, and quits the top-of-the-table game.

this position is handled by playing what is

known to professors as " the postman's

knock," the cannon being played in such a

way that a full contact is made with the

white, which results in a double kiss between

that ball and the cue-ball. This leaves the

white practically in the same position, brings

the cue-ball away just far

enough to enable the red

winner into the corner

pocket to be played quite

easily, to bring the cue-

ball into practically the

same position on the other

side of the table. In the

hands of a first - class

expert this sequence may

sometimes be exploited to

the extent of making five

or six consecutive cannons

and hazards without mov-

ing the object white to an

appreciable extent, but

there is no need for even

the best to worry about

such an extreme of posi-

tional exactitude.

The ordinary player has

done quite well enough if

NO. 7.—A PRETTY AND EASY KISS

CANNON.

By way of contrast there are many strokes

which enable top-of-the-table position to be

obtained, and a couple of such scoring and

positional efforts are now before us. The

first (No. 5) is the easier of the two. It is a

cannon made by clipping the edge of the red

ball very fine, with a considerable amount of

right side on the cue-ball.

A five shot might happen

MY BILLIARDS: AND THE STROKES THAT MADE IT. 117

NO. 8.—THE BALL CONTACT FOR THE KISS CANNON.

the cannon. The least mis-

take in ball-to-ball contact

must be avoided, as balls in

this position are very liable

to kiss.

Kiss strokes are often

played in connection with

top - of - the - table billiards,

and very pretty some of

them are. The example now

two cushions as shown, and make the cannon

on the red ball, which is almost stationary at

the instant of scoring. I have had the ball

contact for this stroke illustrated (No. 8), as

this is quite the most important part of the

whole thing. A kiss cannon of a very different

type is next depicted (No. 9), as the cue-ball

lies quite cLse to the red, which is tight

against the side cushion. Score by striking

the cue-ball sharp and below its centre, and

making a nearly full contact with the red.

This will cause the white to rebound and •

make the cannon, at the same time driving

NO. IO.—A DIFFICULT SLOW SCREW CANNON.

A USEFUL KISS CANNON.

the red ball along the side cushion in

the direction of the top pocket. A

good stroke, and one of a type

which is often " on," but passes un-

recognized by the inexperienced.

Something very difficult indeed

now enters into my remarks on top-

of-the-table billiards. I allude to the

slow screw cannon depicted in our

next photograph (No. 10). The angle

of the balls is shown to perfection,

and the idea is to make a gentle screw

cannon which brings the object white

before us (No. 7)

is a typical

specimen. A fine

ball-to-ball can-

non is almost im-

possible, and the

proper stroke is

a kiss cannon.

It is quite simple,

and easy enough

for the beginner.

Just a shade of

right side on the

cue-ball to help

it to get off the

cushions in time,

and a shade less

than half-ball contact with the white. Play

slowly, and the cue-ball will come round off the

II.—A GOOD ГКАСТ1СЕ STROKb AT "THE TOI'."

round off two cushions, and sends the cue-

ball on to the red just hard enough to move

n8

THE STRAND MAGAZINE.

NO. 12. —A FINE CANNON' WITH

S Г DE.

it but two or three inches, thus

bringing all three balls together

and setting up a position from

which they may be coaxed

back again to the " top " pure

and simple. I repeat my

warning regarding the diffi-

culty of this stroke, but

advanced amateurs can prac-

tise it to their hearts' content,

as it provides an admirable

exercise in controlling com-

bined screw and side with well-

judged strength and accuracy

of ball contact.

Another stroke at the top of

the table which looks very like

two or three we have already examined, but which is

really quite different, is set up in our next photo-

graph (No. n). Here the cannon presented off the

spotted red ball is a little too " wide" to be played

gently enough to place the red over the corner

pocket facing the player. So the cue-ball is struck

a trifle below its centre, not nearly low enough to

create a distinct screw effect, however, and hard

enough to bring the red into position over the

opposite corner pocket. This class of stroke should

be mastered by all amateurs, as it is of the free

description which does not demand ultra-delicate

cuemanship, and is always occurring in actual play.

Again the class of stroke undergoes a complete

change—variety is endless at the top of the table—

and we are faced by a cannon (No. 12) which

demands a maximum of rnnning side for its successful

manipulation. The object is struck finer than half

ball, with as much left side on the cue-ball as the

player can impart, and the cannon off the top cushion

(To be concluded.)

then becomes a certainty. The object white will travel over

to the left of the red, and a position will accrue which

gives a possibility of manoeuvring the spheres over towards

the vicinity of the spot in a few strokes. Even if this is

not the case, the amateur has not the least cause to feel

disappointed. A simple cannon is sure to be left, with the

balls so close together that he can manage to leave another

easy shot. Nothing better can be desired, as there is no

greater billiard pitfall for the amateur than attempting too

much to obtain or retain ideal top-of-the-table position.

Sooner or later there comes a time when the best of us are

obliged to suspend operations at the spot end, and only

those who have made a life study of the game can hope

to prolong their stay at the " top " when the matter is

at all difficult and complicated.

It follows, therefore, that certain strokes are frequently

in request to give scoring effect to the losing hazard which

takes the cueman to the other end of the table. These

hazards are of all types. Many of them are plain ball, others

of the screw variety, and a fair sprinkling of follow-through

strokes will also have to be

played when getting away from

the " top." One of these, a

follow - through loser, played

with top and side, will serve

to conclude this article. The

photograph (No. 13) illus-

trating position and the spot

MY

ЛЛ ARD S

And tke Strokes TW Made It.

ILLUSTRATED BY AN ENTIRELY NEW METHOD.

By JOHN ROBERTS.

[The photographs accompanying the text constitute the unique feature of these articles. Each stroke was set up

on the table by Mr. John Roberts personally, and the white lines illustrating the run of the balls were placed in

position by him. The spot on the cue-ball shows the exact place where that ball must be struck to make the

stroke depicted, and the line running from the cue-ball to the object-ball shows the line of aim for the stroke.]

CONCERNING A VARIETY OF

STROKES.

AM by no means

averse to safety

play in billiards.

It has its uses,

and even its

beauties. But its

great drawback is

the ease with which it is carried

to excess, even by front-rank

cuemen who could be named.

Among amateurs as a body, the

gentle art of potting the white

and running a double baulk is

usually reserved for match or

handicap games, when its intro-

duction often upsets the normal

NO. I. —SAVING THK

WHITE BALL.

I may as well inform my readers

that it is well down the table in

first-class position for a losing

hazard from hand, but offers no

feasible score as the balls lie.

The temptation to pot the white

is very great, and as the four-

stroke can be made easily

enough it would be the game to

do so if only a small break was

wanted to finish a close match,

and the probability of collecting

the required points by playing

from hand at the red was by no

means remote. But in ordinary

circumstances there is not the

slightest reason why that white

ball should be pocketed. Put a

good deal of left side on the cue-

game of those who adopt it for

the occasion. Speaking broadly, just as ball, aim carefully at the exact spot on the

attack is the best kind of defence, so it is top cushion indicated in the photograph,

always better to score if you can rather than and the cue-ball will glide in off the white

put the white down,

give a miss, or in-

dulge in any other

variety of safety

stroke. Very often

when it appears as if

there is nothing else

to do except make

the white winning

hazard, that ball may

be saved and the

break continued by

the exercise of a little

ingenuity.

Take our first

photograph, for ex-

ample. The object-

white is decidedly
M Y BILLIARDS: AND THE STROKES THAT MADE IT. 235

NO. 4.—A USKFUL

TYPE OF SHOT.

KO. 3.—A CANNON WORTH

KNOWING.

beautiful phase of the

game is not nearly so

much practised in Eng-

lish billiards as it

deserves to be. In

support of my argu-

ment I have arranged

a couple of neat little

cannons, neither of

which would appeal to

the ordinary amateur

as a stroke he ought

never to miss. Yet

such is the fact, as a

trial stroke or two will

quickly prove. Our first

cannon is set up at the side of the table.

The red is tight against the cushion, and

the position of the other two balls is

shown very plainly in the illustration

(No. 2). A cannon can be made by playing

fine direct on the left of the red, but the

stroke is not nearly so safe as the one I

advocate, which is made by striking the

cushion just in front of the red with the cue

contact shown by the dot on the player's ball.

Ihis will drive the red towards the middle

pocket, and is sure to leave a nice chance of a

good break. The other cannon is most useful

because the position is such that a direct

follow-through is impossible, and the stroke

off the side cushion, which requires no

explanation beyond what is shown in the

photograph (No. 3), offers an easy and certain

score.

Our next stroke is another of the " cushion

first " variety, as the tyro would say, but

this time a hazard into a middle pocket is

scored. This stroke looks as if a fine hazard

direct into the pocket is presented, but this

15 because I have brought the object-ball

rather a long way out for the class of stroke

in order to show quite plainly the angle the

cue-ball makes from the cushion to the object

and then on into the pocket. Make a cue

contact as shown (No. 4) by the spot on the

cue-ball, and then try the stroke at the angle

shown, and a working knowledge of a very

useful type of shot will soon be gained.

Once again we are faced by a stroke

which has a deceptive appearance. The

direct ball-to-ball cannon which appears

so simple in the photograph (No. 5) is not

so in reality, as the balls are a good deal

farther apart than they appear. A correct

idea of the distance can be gained by noting

the position of the red and cue-ball against

the side cushion, which is within a few inches

of six feet in length. When the angle is

lengthened according to this hint, and it is

remembered that the cue-ball is much nearer

to the white than that ball is to the red, then

the real state of affairs

becomes obvious enough.

The fine cannon is play-

236

THE STRAND MAGAZINE.

NO. 7.—A SIMPLE "KISS

HAZARD.

billiard dictum which tells

a cueman to keep two

object-balls in front of the

cue-ball. This positional

ideal can be reached and

the score made quite

easily by the stroke indi-

cated in the photograph.

This is a. follow - through

with running side. The

ball contact is nearly full,

but a shade to the left of

the object. From this con-

tact the cue-ball will strike

the cushion as shown by

the line on the extreme left,

while the object-ball will

travel practically straight

ahead, take the cushion at a point which en-

ables it to clear the red, and come to rest a foot

or so beyond that ball. Meanwhile the cue-ball

will complete the cannon off the cushion and

finish its run behind the red, thus leaving all

three balls before the striker, well under con-

trol, and close enough together to offer the

easiest ot scoring facilities. A direct run-

through, if attempted, will send the object

white off the side cushion in such a way

that it will inevitably kiss the red out of the

path of the oncoming cue-ball. Altogether a

most instructive stroke, and one which will

richly repay careful study by those who have

advanced beyond the rudiments of the game.

Our next shot is much easier, and comes out

so well in the photograph (No. 6), that I need

write but little concerning it. The cue-ball

is in hand, and the uninformed tyro would

assuredly place it somewhere well towards

the right-hand spot of the " D," and bang

away merrily at the easy

ball-to-ball cannon thus

presented. But the correct

stroke is made by placing

the cue-ball on the left-

hand spot of the " D,"

enlisting the assistance of

a little right side, and

making a fine contact to

the left of the red, which

sends that ball over the

middle pocket and com-

pletes the cannon as shown.

Still keeping the red ball

tight against a cushion, we

will pass on to discuss some

useful kiss strokes. The

first (No.7) is quite a simple

one, and the photograph describes it far better

than anything in writing could do. The contact

is approximately three-quarter ball, and the

strength should not be more than is required

to carry the cue-ball into the pocket.

We now come to an advanced example of

positional stroke (No. 8). The lie of the balls

is depicted very well indeed, and the second

photograph (No. 9), shows the ball contact to

MY BILLIARDS: A\D THE STROKES THAT MADE IT:

237

NO. 9.—THE BALL CONTACT FOR NO. 8.

stroke only to be confronted by another,

possibly even more difficult, at the next shot.

Sometimes, but rarely, this really is a risk

which must be faced. There are strokes which

make such a call on execution that nothing

but the score can enter into the calculations

of the player, and

after-position must be

left on the knees of

the gods. But strokes

of this type do not

crop up anything like

so frequently as is

often supposed, and

before accepting a

difficult leave as hope-

less positional!)' un-

less the fates are kind,

it is always best to

strive to work out

a solution which leaves but little to chance.

NO. IO.—A TEST OF CUK-I'OWKR.

An inexperienced player is easily deceived

by the appearance of many strokes. At

a hasty glance, for example, the stroke

shown in our next illustration (No. 10)

looks almost identical with our last. But it is

not. A second and close

inspection will show that

the angle from cue-ball to

red is different. As a

matter of fact, the stroke

is not a kiss at all. It is

made with the cue contact

shown, and a little fuller

than half-ball contact with

the red. Then the cue-ball

impinges on the cushion at

the spot indicated by a

gap in the white line, and

runs on to make the can-

non. Not an easy one,

this, but worth mastering

as.a test of cue-power. NO. 11.—A SIMPLE CANNON.

Reverting to strokes made by first bringing

the cue-ball into contact with a cushion, I will

commence by setting up a simple cannon

which really requires no explanation beyond

that afforded by the photograph (No. u).

I may remark, however, that the score is

best made in this way

for many reasons.

Quite a different pro-

position is supplied

by our next stroke,

which combines screw,

side, and a primary

contact with the

cushion. The red ball

is in baulk, and the

stroke is made by

placing the cue-ball on

the baulk line and

strikingit very lowand

to the right. Careful aim should be taken at

the spot indicated in the photograph (No. 12),

and attention must be given to the fact that

23»

THE STRAND MAGAZINE.

NO. 12.—A GRAND STROKE.

make the fresh angle of reflexion which

directs the cue-ball over to the baulk cushion

just in front of the red, and so close to that

ball that the cannon is sure to result. This

NO. 13.—A TUST OF

I'LAIN BALL STRIKING.

grand stroke may

leave a feasible shot

off the red, and takes

the white well out of

that " danger zone " so

detrimental when play-

that bold, accurate, plain-ball striking allied

to perfect cue delivery which is the foundation

of billiards. The stroke I have selected to

illustrate my meaning shows the white ball

tight against the baulk cushion, with the cue-

ball more than a yard away and at such an

angle that the losing hazard appears to be

quite a fearful and wonderful business (No. 13).

Strike the cue-ball a little high and a shade

to the left, nothing in the least decided either

way, and make the full ball-to-ball contact

shown in our final photograph (No. 14), and it

will at once be evident that the difficulties of

the stroke are much more apparent than real.

But not unless the cue swing and delivery is

free from fault, as the cue-ball must have

IHK BALL CONTACT FOR NO. 13.

ing from hand—as no plain hazard can be plenty of life in it to add a couple of well-

j i i—n. -a _ L-ii ...:,.i_:_ *u.. earned points to the striker's score by making

the losing hazard which at first sight seems

scarcely feasible to the untrained eye.

scored from baulk off a ball within the

"danger zone."

In conclusion, I will return yet again to