Pool and Billiard Trick Shots

Trick shots (or artistic pool) are a challenging and entertaining discipline of pool, billiards, and snooker. Often, the balls do unexpected things like travel in near circles or make hard turns, or many balls are sunk in one shot. Trick shots also utilize props to give the shot an aesthetic appeal or add difficulty to a shot.

There are two aspects to trick shots: the setup and the execution. The overall difficulty level of a shot is a combination of these. It is easier for a pool novice to concentrate on the easy execution shots, even if the setup is more difficult. This just takes patience and precision in setting up the shot. A more advanced pool player will have the skills necessary to execute some of the more difficult shots, adding spin to the ball or making it jump in the air.

Trick shots are broadly classed into two categories: artistic shots and skill shots. Artistic shots are those where the setup is more critical and multiple balls go into the pockets. Skill shots are those where the execution is more critical and certain spins must be added to the balls. Trick shots are further divided up into 8 disciplines for sanctioned tournaments -- trick and fancy, prop/novelty, draw, follow, bank/kick, stroke, jump, and masse.

The world rankings are determined by tournament participation and personal score in each tournament. Current rankings are determined by the Artistic Pool and Trick Shot Association.

(left to right) #1-Andy Segal, #2-Nick Nikolaidis, #3-Tom Rossman,

(left to right) #4-Sebastian Giumelli, #5-Eric Yow, Retired #1-Mike Massey

This lens was nominated for the 2009 Giant Squid Award in Best Outdoor/Sports Category. Thank you, readers! Be sure to check out the other nominated lenses at 2009 Giant Squid Awards.

APTSA Tournaments:

• 2011 World Artistic Pool Championships March 10-13, 2011, Valley Forge, PA.
• Past APTSA tournament results can be found here.

Ultimate Trick Shot Tour (challenge opponents with your own trick shot inventions!):

• Tour Stop #3 May 28, 2011, Shooter's Billiards, Gardner, MA. $1000 added!

Dr. Cue Classic Artistic Pool Tour (geared toward amateurs!):

• No upcoming tournaments scheduled.

Independent Tournaments:

• No upcoming tournaments scheduled.

Watch trick shots on TV. Check Pool & Billiard Magazine's TV schedule.

2008 Dr. Cue Classic Artistic Cup

It's important to know in what direction the balls will travel after hitting them. In general, if you hit the cue ball in to an object ball, the object ball will follow the line that connects the center of the two balls on contact. Similarly, if you two balls are touching (balls A and B), and the cue ball hits ball A, ball B will follow the line that connects the centers of balls A and B. But where will ball A go? Ball A will tend to follow the tangent line between the two balls, perpendicular to the line that connects balls A and B.

All of this, unfortunately, is overly simplified as there are friction effects, but this is a great starting point. Be sure to check out Tim Chin's article on throw for tips and drills. He also has a new article on spin and basic ball setup.

Find diagrams and more details.

Possibly the most popular trick shot there is. This is a classic shot made popular by Steve Mizerak in a light beer commercial back in the 70's. Two balls end up going in the side pocket by the cluster, and then one each in the opposite side and two lower corner pockets. Meanwhile, the cue ball runs three rails around the table to get the last ball hanging in the upper left corner. Get the rest of the Just Showing Off tutorial.

Presented with permission of Tim Chin. More trick shot tutorials and diagrams can be found on Trick Shot Tim. Diagrams are also available at 10 Billiard Trick Shots to WOW Your Friends.