Types of pool Cues

A cue stick also known as a pool cue is a kind of sports equipment that is used in the game of pool. It is also used in snooker or billiards. It is a kind of stick that is used to hit a ball. It has a shaft and a tip as well as a butt. Some have joints as well.

There are primarily three types of cues.

The most simple one is a single piece of stick with its width reducing uniformly from the end to the tip .The second one is called the 'two piece' cue which can be folded from the middle, this is particularly useful in traveling. The third type is also of a folding variety but the fold is not in the middle rather it is three fourth distance away from the butt. This is called the" three quarter two piece".

Besides these there are specialty cues that are tailor made for specific shots. Some example o such cues are break cues and jump cues.

Break cues have very thin tips but are made of very hard leather and are used during break shots. They are designed in such a way that the full impact of the shot is transferred to the ball.

Jump cues also have hard tips and are used for making jump shots but they are very light and short in length. Sometimes standard break cues have a two piece butt. It allows the heavier butt piece to be removed so that a jump cue can be produced. These are called Break-Jump or Jump-Break cues. There is yet another variety o cue that is called the "sneaky pete", it is actually a very good quality two piece cue but looks like a single piece cheap variety cue and is effective in bluffing the opponent in believing that the user is an unskilled player.

On the basis of the type of make there can be two categories of cues- production cues or custom cues. Production pool cues are produced in large quantities and are computer designed whereas custom cues are hand made and are usually of different material according to individual choice.

A good pool cue can be chosen by noting certain aspects. For instance the stick should be always straight and not curved in any way. The tip should be soft and round in shape. The weight too is an important criterion and since such sticks are available in different weights one should choose a stick with a weight that is most comfortable to him.