Pool Tips You Must Know (From A World Champion)

Gareth Potts is back with some absolutely essential pool tips to get you playing like a pro against your mates. He's detailing how to view pool patterns and see the order in which to take the balls on, as well as a deep dive into the perfect pool break. Watching this video is guaranteed to improve your pool game so let us know in the comments what you think!
Also subscribe to Gareth's brilliant KZbin channel if you haven't already - @gareth_potts_official
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#cuetips #snooker #pool

[@brokenmusician1]

The cross-discipline vids are really interesting and entertaining. Perhaps some billiards, bar billiards, 9 ball, anything cue sports. Love the compare/contrast.

[@ralfwk163]

Agreed! And you can tell Gareth loves talking about his sport to someone he admires himself probably. Amazing and unique content this.

[@juchetony1910]

next up: Stephen does darts.

[@alexpaic2984]

Yes I agree and there is no better people to make this comparison than the king of snooker and the king of English pool. Great video

[@TheJayLordx]

My brother won't know what's hit him next time we go to the boozer

[@inthedarknxss969]

😂

[@thesheetposter9277]

but how do you know if he ain't watching too?

[@DarrenPrice333]

He won’t stop laughing when you say boozer😂

[@Padrat1]

Battle cruiser

[@ryanmichael7795]

Brilliant 🤣🤣

[@dannynorris8181]

Gareth is a really great coach and seems like a decent bloke! Will definitely be using these tips from now on!!

[@Padrat1]

Gareth “try your best to snap the cue on the break” Potts

[@craigm3018]

can’t believe how much that cue bends in the slow mo!

[@suddeninflux]

Stephen would love it if you could do an interview with Efren "the magician" Reyes. Like you he took his sport to new levels. Always a pleasure to watch his matches.

[@matm4331]

I'm a middle-aged American hooked on snooker now...thankfully Stephen has this channel so I can learn something!

[@marksmith2298]

Do u get many snooker tables in the states or are they few and far between?

[@matm4331]

@@marksmith2298 I think I saw one once at a holiday resort. I am looking for reasonable plans for making one so I can totally frustrate myself with the game😉

[@chuckjones1358]

@@marksmith2298 I live in the Detroit area. There are a few tables around the area that I know of. Guaranteed to be at least one in the major cities.

[@FunkMonk-zy5jq]

Steven's face when he said "in snooker you try to land straight." 😂

[@dazuk1969]

Really great advice from Gareth. There is this feeling amongst snooker players (I'm one) that because I play on a 12ft table, pot long balls, and hold position I should be able to clear up on that little pool table. But nah, whenever I have played a really good pool player I am 4 down in 10 minutes thinking "what the f**k happened there". Nice one Mr Hendry.

[@johnanderson8085]

Really good tips from Gareth! 👍

[@infinitecrayons]

The big thing to remember with Snooker vs Pool with the cannon is that a snooker player typically doesn't have to clear that awkward red if they can get enough reds to win the frame without it... The Pool player HAS to pot it at some point, so it flips the logic entirely.

[@AshleyBailey]

I'm playing in a club tournament on Monday and will definitely be trying these tips. Great vid!

[@ahmetgrcn2663]

This channel is a gift that keeps giving. Thanks Stephen!

[@paulc8821]

Great video with lots of information. Thank you both

[@swedishpsychopath8795]

Stephen's face of shock and disdain at 10:54. You could see what he was thinking "You wanker! You flapped your lips for almost 11 minutes and couldn't land a single ball off the break."

[@harryharrison8133]

Best comment I've read in ages 😂😂

[@louisparratt]

😂

[@jama211]

Oh come on...

[@TicTac2]

not sure if he's joking at the end or didn't realise the break was dry

[@catbhoy]

Another fantastic video, great info passed on there 👏

[@Spaff2001]

Would love to see an interview with a top 9-ball player, someone like Shaw or Melling

[@johnmackay3136]

@Spaff2001 C'mon man! Has to be Earl THE PEARL Strickland or SVB!

[@DrPool147]

Shaw started off playing 8ball

[@Spaff2001]

@@johnmackay3136 also great options of course! I was coming at it from a British perspective as it seems he mostly interviews fellow Brits

[@Spaff2001]

@@DrPool147 so did most of the British 9-ball players. Chris Melling is the first person ever to be a professional English 8-ball, 9-ball, and snooker player at the same time. Would love to hear his take on the differences between the different cue sports!

[@johnmackay3136]

​@Spaff2001 Well, if we're talking from a British perspective I think Dynamite Darren Appleton and/or Karl Boyes would also be great.

[@oscarface7875]

If you are a beginner and can't run so many balls, sometimes it is better to keep them problem balls together. For example if opponent has just a solo ball left over and you have one tied to it and one free, maybe you can get a ball and hand off a nifty defense shot then run the final 2-3 balls

[@gordoncockfield]

Fascinating! Also shows how good Selby is as he's top level at pool as well.

[@carlsmythe9838]

Great tips from Gareth! I forget about the break, and just how important it is to get it right. That window on the cushion to get the white back into is really interesting, one to try!

[@seanscanlon9067]

If the idea though is to put as much distance between the cue ball and the pack and to also leave it tight to the cushion and make it a difficult first shot for your opponent after a dry break, it is you who will have that shot though if you pot something.

[@iicraxfty6574]

@@seanscanlon9067that’s not what he said, The aim is to pot. You should never played safety on the break. When he was talking about the white ball window, he meant anywhere up n down in that area, not right where he was pointing on the cushion

[@seanscanlon9067]

@@iicraxfty6574 Not trying to be a dick here, but it is exactly what he said and even demonstrated with his hands how most players are trying to get the cue ball within a four to five inch window, tight to the back rail. Yes of course players are trying to pot a ball from the break, but there is no guarantee of that and you are obviously hitting the cue ball prior to knowing if you pot a ball. So my point is, if you screw the cue ball back to that four to five inch window, tight to the back rail and you do pot a ball, then you are the one left playing the next shot. He uses the word "back" when referring to the window, so he is not trying to leave the cue ball in the middle of the table within that four to five inch window, and even talks about the mistake of screwing back into the corner pockets. Then when he actually breaks off he mentions the screw back to the four to five inch window, but how it does not go straight back due to not hitting the head ball in the pack full on.

[@timothybrackstone8776]

Great content, thanks.

[@Host4l]

Great lads Gareth & Stephen

[@Minimalsmith]

Always class these

[@user-oq6mp3kt5t]

I've played a lot of English 8-ball, 9-ball, and snooker at a high level for 15+ years. Believe it or not, it always bugged me over the years when Hendry often said (in commentary or in the studio) that he preferred snooker because of the tactics. He used to talk about snooker being like chess and pool like draughts (half joking I think). Nevertheless, ofcourse snooker is the hardest to play technically, and potting on a snooker table is the most impressive to watch by a long way. But in my opinion English 8-ball is by far the richer game. The depth of the tactics that often arise in frames of 8-ball is so much more complex than in snooker. Also, in snooker, you almost always are thinking 3 or 4 shots ahead. Whereas 8-ball you are constantly thinking about the entire table from right after the break (not just your set and your pattern to the black ball, but also your opponents entire set as well). It's really great to see Hendry diving into the nuances of 8-ball pool now, and giving it the respect it deserves! :)

[@juchetony1910]

my innovation, which will never catch on, is each player gets his own white ball. Now *that* would make it tactical. It's called "2 whites snooker".

[@tomhorgantom5524]

This will really help with my local pub pool league games I have each week

[@1cebergslim]

The technicality for snooker & pool is impressive

[@alexandersimpson3638]

I've notice a lot of good breakers, raise up, push through massively extending the cue rear hand through the white to the point where their back hand pushes through well beyond their bridge hand. Almost Alex Higgins like on power shots, although when in the groove, he held his cue so short it was essentially half length.

[@asadhussain5267]

Great video Stephen hendry. Would be a honour to meet you in person. I watched you play snooker when I was a young lad

[@random_acuity9203]

Most snooker players play with side as it’s hard to hit the centre of the cue ball consistently

[@pillwolak]

The flex in the cue is wild

[@Sharivari]

It's great that you're covering pool here. You should definitely consider a video covering Straight Pool, as it's the closest game to Snooker that we have on a pool table.

[@Twiggy88]

Gareth Potts is an absolute unit 💪🏻

[@DeathNTaxes304]

I think it’s the small/ medium clothes he wears. £100 says he wears a thong

[@holeefuk413]

Ok twiggy 😂

[@kurtkensson2059]

Nice information about some of the subtle differences between the different games.

[@edwardwilliams9185]

This guy is clearly amazing at pool but his take on physics is wild!

[@rowgli]

Gareth Potts.... Perfect name!

[@timcrook2231]

Blinding 🖖🔝🏆

[@anthonydenn4345]

Great job guys. I like to leave a ball over the middle pocket, if possible. As a get out ball if I run out of position 😄Would be interesting to see how Chinese 8 ball differs to English 8 ball, dunno if you have any interest in it at all. Never even seen it myself tbh. But heard it is more difficult than snooker! Don't know about that 🤣

[@oldbloke135]

Chinese eight ball is played on a nine foot table with round cut pockets like a snooker table. The white is the same size as the colored balls, 2 1/4 inch, like American pool, which is bigger than snooker or English pool balls.

[@anthonydenn4345]

I've since checked it out on youtube. Turns out these tables are the same type used in my local snooker/pool hall. I dunno, I was picturing something weird. I've been using the 7 foot type for years. Lovely tables. They have two 9 footers aswell, different level on those things. You know you have bad eyesight playing on them 😄@@oldbloke135

[@jackbuff_I]

Exactly what I couldn't do.. this is the magic of it.. watching stockports best in full flow was incredible to see

[@live4theleafs11]

Would have liked to see him play the last rack!

[@SenseiNatePlaysPool]

As an American pool player with a big break, and obsessive about how it actually works, please come ask us. We have plenty of experts on what’s really happening. I love this channel, but how the cue bends or behaves after contact, or trying to extend the duration of the hit with certain spins don’t really matter the way he’s explaining it. It’s simple. The cueball pops because when you hit it above center, the deflection drives it into the cloth. At this point it bounces off the slate and into the air. Depending on the speed and other factors it may bounce in front of the head ball and “pop” off the rack. The reasons we do it in American pool is so we get more action on the head ball (usually the 1), and so we don’t scratch (popping the cueball behind the side pockets).

[@juchetony1910]

I used to play the GIs in Itaewon, Seoul, in the 90s, in the Cadillac Club, for those who know it. Some of them were really good, but usually the teachers beat them. We had afternoons off due to our split shift work, so the only thing to do was hang around and practise pool. Some of the Texans *hated* being beaten by a Brit...

[@ABPerlov]

I am interested to know what Steve Davis thinks of Efren Reyes as he has played El Bata when he was still in prime form.

[@_cole_shugg9409]

Garth Potts and Mick Hill need to link up for a 5 hour training video I’d pay a lot to see that

[@kuix543]

Would love to Joshua Filler on the channel with perhaps 9ball/10ball/8ball tips!

[@exploreendurodiscover8775]

Win the frame? It was dry 😂

[@thisis008]

Coolest video

[@mmafan1007]

I started with pool then moved on to snooker and now I’m playing pool again. Pool players always look for a pattern and then play from there

[@AD-kv9kj]

4:41 - Ouch! Nobody wants to get a tight ball. 😣

[@Stu-The-Cue]

Stephen should go into Ultimate Pool, if he could channel his methodical aggression to the pool blueprint he would have huge success, bring star power to the game and have a renaissance with a 2nd defining career

[@RAVS_73]

Nominative determinism in action

[@LeWacoKid]

Hendry is a top bloke.

[@sbmorris2k6]

Whats the cue tips size differences between english pool and snooker ?

[@azc261]

Thanks for the tips, my nan won’t know what hit her

[@jayvinandre2908]

6:52 is what Gareth thinks about snooker players who claim that pool is easy.

[@dnbmania]

What does he mean at 7:10 keeping the cue ball in contact with the object ball for as long as possible. How can you control that?

[@alienck3901]

Stun instead of screw..

[@MrBurgaBoi]

Man is still bussin the GG Gucci belt and hi top loubs.

[@rich123410001]

Love this. He is a genius

[@DavidSmith-jm3xr]

How to get kicked out for ripping the table cloths breaking off

[@chuckjones1358]

Great video and channel. Thanks Stephen and CT team. With the Moscini Cup in London in december, that would be a perfect opportunity for a CueTips video with one of the Nineball players

[@johnmackay3136]

@chuckjones1358 YES! c'mon Hendo,popular demand and all that😉

[@Paul_Abbott_Landsraad_Project]

Melling or Karl Boyes would be a lot of fun

[@mrjohnzilla-zx8sj]

100% Chris Melling!! Was also a snooker professional. Get it done cue tips!!

[@juchetony1910]

happy memories of Jimmy and Alex absolutely off their faces giggling while winning the cup. And Jimmy got the barmaid to pour him an extra pint to take home with him as he walked off.

[@liammurphy3790]

Would like to see him play a frame of snooker

[@slayer5097]

hes on this channel playing a frame with stephen

[@nakkadu]

I ike Potts and most of what he says....but his advice on break-off and the bendy cue thing I just can't get on board with

[@baki.0]

Here’s an idea.💡It’d be pretty cool if you had Snooker vs. Pool players at their own game!

[@mattdubovik3082]

He already has one

[@jpa_fasty3997]

What table is that then, size wise? Is that english pool?

[@jama211]

Far out this is so hard

[@lukeharwood3922]

Pool players struggle at snooker because the table is twice as big surely 😂 nothing to do with side 🤣🤣

[@TJ-ss1up]

Stuffed up he cannon and played the break exactly how he said he didnt want. Youd have thought they would have let him retake the shots and cut them out

[@chezchesterman5920]

Like to see him run the tip of his cue across the cloth like that in are club.. legend or not he would be expelled quickly though door...😅😅😅😅

[@emmamcleod432]

Nominative determinism

[@juchetony1910]

Fascinating stuff, and Gareth is very nice about you repeatedly cutting him off mid sentence!

[@oldbloke135]

Steve: "Still, you're going to win the frame from there aren't you?" Gareth: "Yeah." Then he realizes he didn't pot anything and all the reds are easy!

[@jackbuff_I]

I did have a good break though.. I'd off set the cue ball 6 o'clock to 7.. and aim 3/4 OB.. It'd more often than not pot one in the middle bag.

[@aquacruisedb]

Interesting. I used to play a lot of UK 8 ball and had a very similar technique to yours (but with more like 7/8 OB) with aprox 50/50 getting one of the two front reds in the left middle... I was surprised when he said there is no technique as I'd imagined something like mine/yours could be developed (not saying he's wrong, just surprised).

[@jackbuff_I]

@@aquacruisedb yeah you've got a better example and explanation there.. it was very similar to that. I just that earlier as a dumbed down example 👍

[@deathshead357]

At 3:34, why did he say that you want to avoid using topspin on the cueball because it's smaller? Anyone know?

[@kmanpilkers]

Because the cueball on an English pool table is smaller and lighter than the object balls. So if you play topspin, the cueball gets trapped "underneath" the object ball fractionally as the topspin takes the cueball forward. This makes it slightly more difficult to predict exactly how far the cueball will travel forward, and it tends to make it break wider from the expected path on a plain ball shot. It's not that you would never play with topspin, it's more that it's a bit less predictable than on other types of tables (snooker etc).

[@vulkan1233]

Is it Neal Foulds next week?

[@briancassidy6172]

Anyone else notice he says he will still win from there ... he didn't pot one 😂

[@stevemawer848]

He knows Stephen won't clear up!

[@_cole_shugg9409]

Garth for co host!

[@johnmackay3136]

C'mon Hendo,you need to get Earl Strickland, Shane Van Boening, Jayson Shaw,Darren Appleton, Chris Melling or Karlito Boyes on now 👍

[@_cole_shugg9409]

10 month old channel already racked in like $320k not bad at all

[@rpointstr4998]

How do you know?

[@MegaMilez]

I found it amusing that this dude kept interrupting Selby's rhythm to give him unsolicited advice when Selby was carrying the team entirely lmao. Can't stand having teammates who interrupt your run when you've potted 5 balls already.

[@robby1816]

Gareth's not winning that last frame from there, as he didn't make a ball on the break.

[@juchetony1910]

I wish they'd played that frame. Stephen was robbed via that in off the last match they played.

[@werbone]

Fascinating, as ever, Gareth speaks very well about pool. However I was very unimpressed to hear recently that in pro English pool the cue ball is lighter. I thought that was only in pubs for obvious reasons. It belittles the sport imo. The lighter cue ball is nuts at pro level.

[@murrayross212]

It's always been that way. Why change it? Whether you play in a pub, in a league or you're a pro, it's the same for everyone.

[@NoName-eo2mv]

It was for the pub so the white came out the top if it went down, now at clubs all the balls come out the same end, but theyve never changed it and are very unlikely to now, tho I think there is debate on it

[@KarnageGaming]

i mean that is a cool break and i dont want to judge the advice from such a great player. but if that technique was really worth using wouldnt you be using it in your tpurnaments lol

[@thepunisher1951]

6:52 thank me later

[@codmobile6971]

Reckon could brake and fish him 100%

[@DJDEADBEATR8]

Why's he got a bendy cue??

[@RicStaR2410]

When do snooker players want to be straight on anything? It is rare in snooker to want to be straight too. Always want angles because you can do more.

[@ravivarman2020]

Please get jimmy white on this channel.

[@LeeRogers-ik2hr]

Side - AS

[@andysingletonefc]

Ive played both for years every week snooker is far superior and harder hands down 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@Flabbergastingflatulence]

No sure why your holding a cue Steven 😂

[@juchetony1910]

like teachers can't talk without holding a board pen.

[@liamtrebicki2363]

Still going to win the frame from there aint ya? No because he didnt pot of the break lol

[@pioneert90]

Surely that's not a standard cue to be happy bending it like that and being confident it won't snap?!?

[@juchetony1910]

looked like Peter Seller's cue in "Shot in the Dark".

[@PlayMoreGolf-RipOff]

STEPHEN LEE…. It’s time to get STEPHEN LEE on the channel!

[@murrayross212]

Ill bet you a fiver he doesn't come on

[@PlayMoreGolf-RipOff]

@@murrayross212 behave… I know better than put any bets in if STEPHEN LEE is involved!

[@johnmackay3136]

@TheDeVereClub I for one don't want to see that cheating prick on or hear anything he's got to say.

[@jgorres]

Are they playing on a 7ft table? Or is it 8ft... I know it's not a 9ft table.

[@AdeJohnson]

I'm not taking any pool tips off anyone wearing those shoes, Goodnight.

[@tobyk8125]

Yeah that's logical. I'm not taking any cooking tips off anyone who's crap at football either.

[@AdeJohnson]

@@tobyk8125 Shut up you fanny it was a joke.

[@Itsmeeeeer]

Class channel and always great videos however this one and the other video with Gareth are a hard watch, the bloke it a plonker.

[@europeanroyalty4778]

Only a pool player would think the game isn't easy. It's insulting.Snooker require's thinking 2,3 shots ahead,no different.

[@stevemawer848]

But Gareth says he's thinking about potting the last ball, not just the next couple. Obviously not possible in snooker since there are more balls and far more combinations.

[@Pochettno]

Stephen hendry please get o sullavin back

[@vgamerul4617]

Who

[@DrPool147]

His explanation and demonstration of the break doesn't make sense to me. The slo-mo shows his body jumping into the air, which would suggest a loss of power like how he explains if the cue comes up. He also talks about not putting back spin on it but then he drives the cue down through the ball. However, it works as he's got a monster break

[@jayjayb89]

So all that breaking off chat to basically say just smash em 😂

[@jama211]

No?

[@timothybrayshaw7749]

Closing of the video..."you're going to win the frame from there ain't ya"....but he didn't pot off the break. So, No?

[@crack_squirrels]

How do you break whilst the fucking cue bends without fucking up the felt of the table? Terrified to try this at my local.