McDermott Cue Manufacturing Inc. was started in 1975 in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. Jim McDermott started the company after a career repairing damaged pool cues in the local bars surrounding the Milwaukee in the 1960s. McDermott is know for having the interchangeable weight bolt system which has been used on all mcdermott pool cues since 1975 to present. Currently McDermott manufactures the Intimidator, the worlds most expensive and exclusive pool cue. The fantasy collector’s cue sports four dangerous blades and is created with over 1862 hours of engraving. The most prominent aspect of this piece of art is the Italian Obsidian sphere which is nestled in the 9 ½ lb shaft. This impressive artwork costs $150,000. McDermott Cue Manufacturing Inc. also has a mascot called Lil’ Guy. With Irish origins the Lil’ Guy wears a large red hat and pointy yellow shoes. The Lil’ Guy roamed the valleys of Ireland gathering tails and luck. Supposedly coming across the McDermott farm he gave the farmer wisdom and is today the mascot for the pool cues.

One of the best things you can get to improve your pool skills is a laser cue. A great one on the market is the CueSight. It projects a laser onto the cue ball in the form of a cross. The object is to keep the cross from moving from the strike spot. This teaches players how to achieve the perfect shot. Another good way to help your game is to get billiards training balls. CueSight also has one of the better training balls. The cue ball has lines on the ball that show you how to control the spin when hit. Using this with the CueSight laser cue can be extremely beneficial. Lastly, one of the age old ways of learning billiards skills is to buy billiards books and DVD’s. There are many, many different books and videos that teach the skills you need to learn to become a professional billiards player. “Pro Skill Drills” is an excellent teaching aid. They have books and DVD’s that will expertly train you in the ways of billiards.

To start off, you need a pool table. You want to get a full size table and not a little one. The pool table should have green or red felt. If you really want your billiards room to look like a real pool hall, you may even want to find a pool table that has coin slots on it. The next step is to find a pool cue rack. Get a wooden one with at least fifteen cue spots. Mount one or two of these on a wall in the room. Some other things to mount on the walls would be neon signs or posters. Also, sports and news articles make good wall hangings. The best way you can make your billiards room look real is to get a karaoke machine. Every pool hall has one of these. Put it in a corner close to the pool table and turn on some tunes. And don’t forget the little things! You definitely need pool balls and a triangle.

When buying a cue, most of what you’re paying is going to be for the brand name. The other part you will be paying for is the artwork and the design on the cue itself. Especially when first starting out, you will want to stay around one or two hundred dollars. A pool cue comes in either a soft or a hard tip. Professional players tend to like the hard tip, and most beginners start with a soft tip. Also, beginners should start with a pool cue that has a tip measuring 13 millimeters. If you have smaller hands, you may want to go with 14 millimeters. Another big part of picking out a beginner cue is the weight. A beginner needs a cue that weighs either 20 or 21 ounces. If a beginner uses a cue any lighter, it can be very difficult to ever perfect the skill. Don’t forget a case to carry and protect the cue. Usually a hard case is better because it provides more protection for the cue.

Regardless of which game of billiards, or pocket billiards you choose to play, there are a few basic tips that can help you to increase your shot making ability and leave you looking like a pro in no time at all. Take the time to practice these basic tips when no one is around to watch you, and you can really focus on your game. Then once you feel confident in your new skills, you will be ready to show your friends “how it’s done” the next time you are in the pool hall or your own billiards room.

Now, the most important tip for playing better billiards is to learn to stay down on your shot. Much easier said than done. Most people have a tendency to stand up as they stroke through with the cue stick and this will cause your cue stick to wobble and hit the cue ball at an angle rather than straight on. To remedy this tendency to jump up, practice shooting a ball down the rail and freeze after the shot. Keep your head down until the object ball is in the pocket. Sounds simple, right? It’s harder than it sounds and very few people have the tenacity to practice (perhaps at your local pool hall or in your own game room) something this simple, but imperative, over and over until they have it down. That is why there are so few really good billiard players.

The next tip for playing better billiards is to learn to stroke straight. Again, the practice shot for this is very simple, but most people won’t take the time to really practice it. Set your object ball one half of an inch from the rail, on the side rail, two diamonds from the top of the table (the end you are standing at). Set your cue ball at the first diamond, also one half of an inch from the rail. The shot is down the rail into the end pocket. At a half inch from the rail, if you don’t stroke straight, you are going to miss. Watch your arm movement as you hit the ball, you elbow should not move from side to side as you stroke back to front.

Another important tip for playing great billiards is to learn a closed bride. The bridge is the hand that supports the cue stick on the table as you stroke the shot. A closed bridge, (fingers around the cue stick), is much more stable than an open bridge (cue stick laying across your thumb), and will help reduce the wobble in your stroke, making it easier for you to pocket the ball.

Last but not least, learn to think at least a few shots ahead. Nothing can cause a pool player more sorrow than to make a great shot but leave the cue ball in a position where there is absolutely no way to make the next shot. Cue ball control makes the game,  using proper billiard supplies and thinking ahead provides the information you need to position the cue ball to run the table.