Who does not love a game of pool? Billiard is such an elegant game that anyone who watches this game just one time becomes an instant fan. But what is any sport without its accessories? Surely, we all who have played billiard know the importance of its accessories.
For instance, without an extra tip, sometimes games are turned away from us, or if the cues are not properly cleaned, cues might have a warped in them. Even the felt cleaning is a process that must be done before and after every game.
There is a long list related to the topic of accessories of billiard. Let’s look at all of those accessories without which the billiard seems incomplete.
Chalk is used on the tip of the cue. It is used by the players to increase the friction between the balls and the cue. When the cue hits the balls, the impact can be increased and decreased by the quality of the chalk that is used on the cue.
It has the same effect on the game that is, it can increase the efficiency of the game or decreased it. It is a good thing to chalk your cue before every shot is taken.
With regular hits, the tip of the cue is bound to get a little out of shape, or if not properly care, it can break or chip. With tip shaper, the tips of the cue always remain in shape, at least for a long period.
You must remain conscious while you are shaping the tip. You don’t want to go in the game with the extra sharped tip because that will not hit the ball according to your choice or if the tip is not properly shaped then the hit will have a different result.
There are different types of shapers available in the market, but the player usually keeps two or three pieces with them.
It is always better to have extra tips in your bag. You surely know that the tip on your cue will not last forever. It will eventually break or chip or wear out with extensive usage.
So, with some extra proper tips at your hand, you will not have to worry about that hassle which can happen once the tip wears out. I would recommend you get the tip off the same model which you are currently using.
Because first of all, you are familiar with that tip and its working. You know very well how to use them accordingly to the situations, and secondly, the difference will be pretty less. It will match your cue stick perfectly.
This is an option which has been introduced and adopted by the different brands and companies to help the billiard players. As the name depicts, retractable chalk holder is something in which you can attach your chalk and then attach this whole piece to nay part of your clothing.
Where ever you go around the pool table, your chalk will go with you. It is easy as it has become portable. Sometimes, when you have placed your chalk at any one end and you are at another end then this retractable chalk holder come handy.
Cue can be useful for a long period but only with proper care and placement. You don’t want to lose your favorite cue just because you did not take proper care measurements.
You can get the special cue cleaning kit form your cue retailer if the cue is custom made. But if your cue is like any other regular cue, make sure of the material used in the cue and get that material friendly cleaning spray to get proper cleanliness and shine of your cue.
It can also be cleaned by using a clean, soft cloth piece of even top-quality towel. You must remember that the cue also gets all kind of chalk residue and dust on it and you would not like if the cue is not moving smoothly in between your fingers.
Imagine you are playing in a room, or any pool bar where the temperature is either humid or too cool for you and the movement of the cue stick is restricted because the friction or sweat between the fingers of your hand is preventing from the cue to move smoothly. Here comes the glove to the rescue.
Many people avoid gloves because they don’t feel comfortable with them on while playing but those who play at a professional level knows the importance of glove. Big brands have their own gloves collection. An extra pair of gloves always helps in such messy conditions.
We are all aware that in certain tense situations we get sweaty hands. So, we go and clean our hands with a nice piece of soft towel. We have seen many professional players have a routine of cleaning their hands after every shot.
It is like a routine where the players not only clean their hands or shafts which may have talc powder residue on them but also to compose themselves back together and concentrate on their shots and on the opponent’s shot as well.
It is a good way to stay alert and set new strategies in your mind related to your game.
A bag of talc powder must always be in your bag of pool accessories. Now it may seem a little odd to have powder with you, but it is beneficial for the sweaty hands.
But it can get a little messy if it is not properly stored or placed in the bag. It can spill and damage other things which are necessarily required for playing a billiard game.
That is why it is usually recommended to place the talc powder in a simple bag instead of any fancy box, irrespective of big or small.
The felt is the top surface of the pool table, usually green in color. The felt cleaning is like one of the most important factors related to the billiard game. If the felt is not cleaned properly, the game will get disturbed big time. If the felt is not clean before or after every game, the felt life will get reduced than expected, and it will wear off quickly.
Felt must be protected from all kind of dust and debris like powder residue or chalk residue. To bring the cleanliness, a special brush is made, and it comes with a pool table bought brand new.
That brush is usually of soft bristles, and they are designed in such fashion as to avoid any wearing off of the felt otherwise the hard bristle would damage the soft top surface of the felt and table would need refelting which can be expensive.
If the felt is not cleaned properly, then the game will not happen smoothly, and the balls will have an unexpected play.
Sometimes the balls are in such positions that they are impossible to reach. Even if you are tall, you are unable to play an ideal shot. For such situations, extensions are requested or bridges. Now you must know that there is a big difference in bridge and extension.
Learning the difference is one thing, but to learn different bridge techniques is another. So, practice to make bridges and move one more step towards success.
This is the type of racks which are used in the game of pool. There is either the diamond rack or the triangle rack. You must invest in those wood made racks which have a long-lasting promise.
Joint protectors are for the cue’s long life. These protectors or caps are made to protect the pin from any kind of damage and also protects the joint from dust and other littering problems.
Different brands are offering different types of caps made out of wood and other materials. But I would recommend that you go with the one which suits well for your cue.
It is usually recommended to have a special cue for the Break shot. A break shot is the first shot that is taken at the beginning of the game, which fashionably scatters the balls all over the pool table.
Why is it recommended you may ask? The answer is simple. The first shot is hit in such a manner that the balls should be scattered over the table as per your choice and the hit requires extra power and control.
If you use a break cue and then use another cue for the rest of the play, that would be very handy for your game.
When you are playing certain pool games where you can mark your pockets, then these pocket markers come in use. What are these? These are markers made out of plastic or original balls cut in halves and insides are felted.
They are placed as a reminder for the player that the pocket has been marked by the opponent player. This saves you from shouting out loud. It provides a much-sophisticated way. It is the reason why it is preferred in the competitions and professional plays.
It is of utmost importance that the cues must be placed safely. They are usually put in such a way that they should not touch the ground, or they might damage the tip or butt part. But mostly, the cues are put together in a cue stand where individual holes are present, and the cues are hung in there.
In this way, cue does not fall on the ground and remain elevated and does not hit with other cues as well. When you are trolleying, it is better to have a cue sleeve if not the cue bag. Cue sleeve protects the cue from all kind of harm.
It is a type of bridge which can be retractable. What this means is that the bridge when place on the pool table has a long stick behind it, and with the retractable facility, the stick can be folded and restored to a smaller size which is easy to store.
This is another example of how the different companies are working their strength in providing a more comfortable environment to the players. Before this, the bridges used to have a long stick attached to them. Well, they are still in use, and many players prefer that style.
When you are using the table for either the pool game or any other game of billiards such as eight-ball or nine-ball, you would like to mark the lines and spots. This is where the Spots come.
Tefco spots are a brand product which has the function of sticking to the pool table as pointers or marks. When we play shots, the balls collide with each other, and they produce heat which often makes their sticky spots to get unglued and once unglued, they become useless.
So, this product is beneficial in this sense that it has a long-lasting effect of stickiness and will provide useful insight when playing different games on the same table.
This is a product which has been invented and introduced by CUETEC. It is called CUETEC BOWTIE 3IN1. As its name states, it consists of 3 different parts;
This is an excellent tool for tip maintenance. It has all three things needed for proper cue tip maintenance. But like always, please make sure that you use this product after reading all about it and after getting full awareness related with such shortcut maintenance kit.
It is that one complete package which has nearly all the necessary items required for the maintenance of the pool table. It contains the following things;
It is a very affordable kit, and everyone must have it in their homes. If any mishap happens related with the tip or the felt, this has all solutions possible in a short period.
If you want to avoid having different accessories purchasing and have a complete set of recovery items, then this is the best kit out there for you. It has all the possible recovery items there are, and you will not have the problem of going to the market again and again for the purchasing. This kit includes:
This is that one complete unit that you must have to counter any mishap which can happen during the game.
It is most important to protect your table from all kind of harsh environments. When the table is not in use, it is best to keep it covered.
Keep the covers on saves the table from all kind of dust and extra light, which can affect the felt or the wood. The pool table is made out of wood, so the sensitive element is there regarding the weather. Whether the pool is outdoor or indoor, in a room with or without windows or in any pool bar, covers are a must.
They also protect from occasional liquid spills or domestic pets’ random scratches or pulls. Different types of covers are available in the market of various price ranges.
Here is a list of best pool table covers picked by us.
There are pool tables in common places such as pool bars where the coin-operated pool tables are installed. They are solely for the purpose to increase the revenue of that place.
Also, to encourage people to pay for play. You can always install such type of pool table at your home to enjoy some extra betting and cash with your friends. Such table has a specific place in them for coins. You can store up to $10 in quarters and easily fit them in your case pocket.
No matter where our preferences lie regarding the playing place or the pool table, the proper care and maintenance is the most important part.
If these extra things which make any game complete are not present, we can have a lot of difficulties. Surely, you will agree that the gloves for playing are just as important as the cleaning brush of the felt.
I am confident that if you follow the accessories mentioned in the above list and must include them in your budget list while purchasing a pool table, you will save yourself a lot of hassle in the future and of course, money as well.
