My favourite billiard blogs

When I started this blog about a year ago I didn't know of many other billiard related blogs. At the last count there were more than 80! Here are my favourites, divided into three categories. (You can find these and all the others in the right menu).

News & results

David Hendon is a long-time writer for Snooker Scene. He is also the author of the Snooker Scene blog. It's a great place for the inside news from the snooker circuit and he's not afraid to speak his mind on controversial issues.

If you master the German language Snookerblog is another excellent source for snooker news. Eric Eggert does a great job of keeping you up to date on both the international and the German snooker scene.

If you're interested in the other cuesports as well European billiards is a nice starting point. Torvald Asplund writes about pool, snooker and carom from a European standpoint.

Yisra'el is from the Philippines and focuses on Philippine cue artists. His blog Philippine billiards keeps you updated on Reyes, Bustamanta and the rest. Every year he makes a list with who he thinks are the top Philippine players.

The next blog on the list comes from an insider. Eirian Williams is a professional referee on snooker's Main Tour. On Snooker Refereeing The Professional Way he makes frequent posts about small and big stories from the world of snooker.

Snooker World is a relative newcomer in the blogosphere but it has great promise and will be followed closely in the months to come. As the name suggests its main focus is on snooker.

The International Pool Tour was probably the biggest thing in cuesports last year. Several blogs focusing on the the new tour popped up. IPT Pool Fan Blog by "mallas" managed to keep a neutral view through both the ups and the downs.

Players

David Slitz is the author of the first billiard related blog I found. Barenada's Pool Blog is an entertaining look into a pool player's mind. He is obviously a very talented player but experiences the same ebbs and flows as novices like myself.

Niels Feijen is one of the world's top pool players. Feijen's blog is very down to earth and informative. He's also very active. During the recent Derby City Classic (which he won) he posted with high frequency.

Alex Lely's blog was also very good. Unfortunately he's now retired from major competition and therefore hasn't posted in a while. I hope to see some action there soon!

The Tip Jar is the product of top player Samm Diep. She has written for several pool publications and her well-crafted posts are a testament to that. She provides tips on how to improve your play, tells about her tourney experiences and shares her thoughts in a very honest way.

You might remember Efren Reyes being beaten in his first match of last year's World Pool Championship. The man behind that achievement was Tony "The Sniper" Crosby. He is a pro player from England, now living in Florida, USA. Tony Crosby's blog covers his activities on the pool tour.

Cary is a pool playing photographer from New York. He frequents a whole lot of pool establishments in the Big Apple and chronicles his experiences in Bank the Nine. His black and white photos manage to capture the essence of the pool subculture.

The world of Hannah Jones is a far cry from that of Cary's. She resides in Derby, England and is the youngest member of the World Ladies Billiards and Snooker Association. By reading her blog Hannah Jones - Snooker you'll know exactly what's going on in her snooker life.

Diary of a Pool Shooter is written by a slightly older player, namely Michael McCafferty from California, USA. He's "in search of truth and beauty in the game of pocket billiards" and shares his thoughts through both good and bad times.

Frame by Frame is charting the progress of snooker player "Kick". Currently his highest break is 30 but I'm sure he'll improve on that.

Jennefer Gallenberger from Austin, Texas is the person behind Poker, Billiards, and of course Anime. She writes about her own experiences as a player but also covers the subject of billiard in general. One of her recent posts gave an overview of some of the more famous billiard movies.

Unfortunately there aren't many top players keeping blogs, but some of them are still very good at keeping you informed, e.g. Ralf Souquet, Jasmin Ouschan, and Kim Shaw. A lot of the top pros can be found on MySpace, e.g. Thorsten Hohmann, Tony Robles and Charlie Williams.

Other

Billiards Blogger is written by an anonymous billiards enthusiast. She started as late as October 2006 but has already managed to cover a number of interesting subjects. Her last project was to review all the major billiards and pool forums. Next up is a similar review of the best billiard and pool blogs.

If you like me are fascinated by the history of the game then Billiard History's Untold Stories is the place to be. It's a joint effort between Billiards Digest and R.A. Dyer is. Dyer is the author of "Hustler Days", which "captures the game's popularity in the Thirties, its dark days in the Fifties, and its renaissance and apex in the Sixties". The blog displays video clips, images and stories from an era long gone. An era dominated by characters like Willie Mosconi, Wimpy Lassiter and Jack "Jersey Red" Breit.

OMGWTF was created by yet another anonymous pool fan. She attends many big tournaments and in the very funny "Fashionable Pool Junkie" series she gives her view on the players' fashion choices. The posts labeled "Billiards In General" are equally entertaining.

Robert Johnson from Acton, Massachusetts, USA is the author of 8 ball in the corner pocket. He is very interested in the scientific aspect of the game and is happy to share his knowledge on subjects such as throw and banking.

Most players hang out in billiard halls so it's only fitting that we finish up with Kendrick's Billiards Blog. It's written by Brian of Kendrick's Billiards, a billiards hall in Bellingham, Washington, USA. If you have any questions about starting a pool hall he's more than happy to share what he and his wife have learned.

See also:

• Pool and Billiards Blogs - the best that I’ve read (Billiards Blogger)

Related posts:

• Player blogs