Top Players Of The Game

Ralph Greenleaf (right) and, Willie Mosconi (left) are still widely considered the top players in the history of billiards. 

Billiards has been played for many many years. Going all the way back to 1893. There have also been many outstanding players through out billiards' history. Here I will tell you a little about some of the best players in the sport and I will show you my top picks for my "legends" team. Which includes a player for Pool, Carom, & Snooker.



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Pool

 

Ralph Greenleaf (1899-1950)

Ralph Greenleaf was, and still is, widely considered the single greatest player of all time. He played pool and carom billiards.  He won 20 World Pocket Billiards Championship titles from 1919 to 1937. Greenleaf also amazed audiences with his fabulous trick shots. Greenleaf died at age 50 because he lived wild, and was a big alcoholic. He was a fierce competitor. He won his first world title in 1919, he was 20 years old. Greenleaf didn't have any competitors who could really consistently beat him. The only enemy he had was alcohol. He came back and played again in 1942. He came in third place, in a three cushion match.

Here is a video highlighting Ralph Greenleaf.

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Carom

Raymond "Mr. 100" Ceulemans (1937-Present)
Ridder Raymond Ceulemans was born on July 12th, 1937. He plays three cushion billiards and is widely considered the most dominant single player in any sport. Yes any single player sport in the world. He has won 35 World Championship titles, 23 in three cushion billiards, and the rest in other carom billiards games. Ridder also has won 48 European titles, 23 in three cushion, and 61 national titles. He is nicknamed Mr 100. He was inducted into the Billiard Congress Of America's Hall Of Fame in 2001. He is one of the very few non-Americans (he was born in Belgium) to be inducted. In 2003 King Albert II of Belgium awarded Raymond Ceulemans a knighthood in recognition of his lifetime achievements.

Here is a video highlighting "Mr. 100"

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Snooker

Ronnie "The Rocket" O'Sullivan (1975-Present)
Ronnie O’Sullivan was born on December 5th, 1975 in Wordsley, West Midlands, England. He is considered the best snooker player ever. Even at a young age, he showed his talent as a Snooker player. Snooker is a billiards sport (to learn more read more of the blog!). By age 17 (1992), Ronnie turned professional and was already competing at the world level. He soon developed the nickname,The Rocket, because of his fast pace playing style. Ronnie O'Sullivan currently holds the record for the most maximums, 11 (in professional play). A maximum is when in snooker the player makes all 15 red balls, in combination with the black ball, and then makes all the colored balls in order. "The Rocket" has won numerous world championships and competitions. At the 2010 Party Casino Premier League, he became the first man to win a single professional title on nine separate occasions. O'Sullivan is the reigning World Snooker Champion. He has been the champion in, 2001, 2004, 2008, & 2012. He is second on the snooker all time prize money list, with 6 million euros. O'Sullivan has also been the world's number on player 5 different times and he has won a total of 24 titles. He is also second on the list of players making the most competitive century breaks, with 678, and holds the record for the fastest maximum break, 5 minutes & 20 seconds. Ronnie O'Sullivan is truly an amazing player. In my opinion, he is the best player ever.

Here is a great video about Ronnie "The Rocket" O'Sullivan.

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Wild Card

Willie "Mr. Pocket Billiards" Mosconi (1913-1993)

In 1924, at the age of 11, Mosconi was the juvenile straight pool champion and was regularly holding trick shot exhibitions. Willie Mosconi is one of the best players to ever play billiards. Most players back in the day, would hustle people for their money, but Willie claimed he never hustled anyone, beating everyone honestly: "I played everyone straightt," he said. Soon his performances impressed many, including the president of Brunswick. They immediately hired Mosconi. Mosconi then embarked on a hectic cross-country tour promoting Brunswick products. Mosconi was joined on the tour by his idol and World Champion Ralph Greenleaf, After  the tour Greenleaf had 57 wins and Mosconi had 50. In 1940, a tournament series was held by billiard halls. Mosconi dominated this series. He ran 125 balls in a row, five times. Only two other players in history had ever done the same. In 1956 Mosconi suffered and stroke, but by the next year was already playing back at 100%. Mosconi's biggest accomplishment came on March 19th-20th, 1954. On these days Mosconi set the world record by making 526 consecutive balls without a single miss. To this day the record hasn't been beat and will likely never be beat. Mosconi also did many other things then just billiards. In 1944, Mosconi enlisted in the Army during WWII. He also produced a movie called the Hustler , and was in many other movies as an actor. Mosconi retired from play in 1966, but remained active in promoting the game of billiards. Two years later he was inducted into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame at age 55. On September 17th, 1993 Mosconi suffered a heart attack and died.

Here is a video highlighting some of Mosconi's play.

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Other Equipment

Chalk and the mechanical bridge are always used in pool. The mechanical bridge is used for tough shots, where the player needs extra length. Chalk is rubbed on the top of the cue stick to provide grip.

Mechanical Bridge

The mechanical bridge is used to extend a player's reach on a shot. It is a stick with a grooved metal, or sometimes plastic, head in which the cue stick sits on. It is sometimes referred to as the rake, bridge stick, or bridge. In Europe a rest is used. The head of the bridge can vary in design. In Italy, players use a longer thicker cue stick instead of a mechanical bridge. In snooker mechanical bridges come in three different forms. They depend on the players style. The spider bridge has a raised arch that goes out about 12 cm, and three grooves for the cue stick. The standard cross is the standard bridge. The giraffe has a raised arch that goes out about 15 cm and has one groove.You can also use screw on cue stick extensions.

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Chalk

Chalk is used in all billiards style games. Its main purpose is to provide the player more grip on the ball. You rub chalk on the tip of the cue stick, and that allows the player more grip on non center shots, and is used to put spin or curl on the ball. Chalk that is used isn't real blackboard chalk, it is a different kind. Chalkboard chalk is calcite, and Pool chalk is silicate. Cue tip chalk was invented in 1897, by pool player Will Spinks, and chemist Will Hoskins. The chalk is made by crushing silica and aloxite into a powder and glued together. Harder, dryer chalks are the best.When chalk was first introduced to American players, it was called "putting English on the ball." 

There is also another type of chalk, hand chalk. Hand chalk is used to provide the player with a more smoother stroke on a shot. Many players nowadays prefer to used a pool glove instead of hand chalk, due to the messy mess the chalk can make. The buildup of the chalk particles on the table cloth can result in affecting ball movement. Some players use the lubrication method. Which is when a player mixes the hand chalk with saliva, to create a chalky paste which is a lubricant for the cue stick. This method was invented by professional pool player, Hal "Spitty-Smitty" Smith.

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Here is an article with much more info on certain chalks.

Here is a video that shows you how to put on pool chalk.