Play Your Best Pool 10 Rev Anv edition by Philip B. Capelle (2005) Paperback

by Philip B. Capelle

Phil Capelle's Play Your Best Pool is by far the most comprehensive book ever published on playing pool. The book's 442 pages reveal hundreds of secrets and strategies that can help improve your game regardless of whether you are new to the game or are on the verge of going pro. A complete course on the fundamentals includes over 40 photos that demonstrate the correct stance, bridge, grip and stroke. A series of checklists shows you how to practice and evaluate your game. The next two chapters cover everything you need to know about aiming and shotmaking. Ninety diagrams demonstrate gamewinning shots including banks, cuts, combinations, billiards and caroms. The pros make pool look so easy because they've mastered the art of position play. Play Your Best Pool shows you how to use english and then provides you with over 130 diagrams on all facets of position play so you can also learn expert cue ball control. Phil Capelle's 21 Principles of Position Play alone are worth far more than the price of the book. Speed control, natural position, how to plan for three balls at a time and down the line position are just a few of the principles covered in this section. Your success at 8-ball and 9-ball, America's two most popular pool games, largely depends on how much you know about the strategy of each game. In two big chapters you'll learn all about offensive and defensive strategies that can help you gain control of the table and keep your opponent in his chair. You'll find solid advice on kick shots, safeties, pattern play, break shots and much more. These two chapters alone contain over 170 illustrations. Developing a topflight pool game requires that you spend many hours at the practice table. Play Your Best Pool provides you with over 20 diagrams of practice drills and many other useful suggestions for making your practice sessions as fun and productive as possible. To round out your complete course in pool you'll find chapters on the mental game, competition and how to improve that will tell you how to think like a winner and compete successfully in tournaments, leagues and money games.

Genres: Reference

Paperback

First published October 1, 1995

Reviews

[Cary Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, together with Byrne's Standard Book of Pool and Billiards, is all you need to become a very good player (well, that and lots of practice). Those two books are head and shoulders above the rest.
Capelle gives great instruction, concepts you won't find elsewhere, wonderful diagrams, and even a little on the mental game. Go get this book and run some tables!

[Dabbo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will be referencing this book, maybe forever....stressing positive thinking.
It really is a gem if you want to be a better pool player. I would also recommend "The 99 Critical Shots in Pool."

[Paul Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book so much information on the game!

[rey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of great advice and i learned a lot just from the first chapter. only thing i wished had been added was the rules of 8-ball. such as what causes fouls, what shots don’t count and etc…

[Damon · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Play Your Best Pool" is the single best introduction to playing pool ever written. It is very imformative and covers a so many areas of this facinating game. The author writes intellegently and patiently, and provides excellent illustrations to explain his point. The author has helped me raise my game up higher than I ever expected and I'm sure this book will help raise your game as well. Be sure to follow up this book with "Play Your Nine Ball," "Play Your Best Eight Ball," and "Play Your Best Straight Pool."

[Gloryanna Boge]

I don't know if I should really give a review since I haven't read this whole book through. This was a Christmas gift from my mother-in-law and, unfortunately, I'm still a horrible pool player!