Customer Reviews

Byrne's Complete Book of Pool Shots: 350 Moves Every Player Should Know

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Byrne's pool books & videos have set (and raised) the industry standards for many years now. As a professional pool instructor, I read everything I can, and have strong opinions about what's actually worthwhile, correct, and genuinely helpful. Byrne's new book has moved to the TOP of my list of books I recommend to my students, from a playing perspective (this is not a science book). I don't care who you are, you don't know all the stuff in this book. And if you're at a level where you know a good percentage of what's in this book, you're also at a level where learning even one useful new thing is worth the price of the book. If you've been playing for a while, this book will open your eyes to a lot of new possibilities and understanding. If you're in your first year or two, you might do better by first focusing on fundamentals of form (find a good instructor) and getting a grasp of how balls behave and why (look for Byrne's videos - Volumes 1 & 2). You don't know what you don't know. Now, with this book, those who have read it will know many things you don't.

A former city of Cincinnati, College and military Amateur Champion, I've spent a good part of my life walking around a pool table. And I've played all the important games from One-Pocket and Bank Pool to Nine Ball and Straight Pool. More recently, and in semi-retirement, I decided try and take my game to a new level. That meant learning a few new tricks. There's no other author on the game of pocket billiards who knows more tricks than Robert Byrne. If you think you have a good handle on the sport, think again. You are guaranteed to advance your game if you follow the tips in Byrne's book. Now I know why he's in the Billiard Congress Hall of Fame. Now I've got to go practice what I've learned...

I've been a fan of Byrne for a few years now, but I never really appreciated the scope of his knowledge until reading this book. I think that it would literally take at least a decade to master everything in this book. Many of the shots are completely impractical except as trick shots, but they're still fun to try and the skills acquired can't hurt your game. I found his safeties and rail-first shots to be the most useful to me so far.
This book definitely intended for more experienced players (playing for about 1 year or more). If you are new, buy Byrne's Standard Book of Pool and Billiards first and work on the drills found in there.

I am a beginner/intermediate level player and this review is for those who consider themselves falling into this category.
Byrne is one of the better authors on pool out there and has some very good books. His "Standard book of pool and billiards" is outstanding.
This book, however, is an advanced book for people who seek to find hidden secrets. Most of the 350 shots illustrated in this book are esoteric and would rarely be encountered in practice. Also, quite a few of these shots are impractical; they can be used when playing/practicing alone to see how the balls behave under weird conditions but cannot be applied in a real game as they are low percentage shots.
These are not shots that every player "must" know. The title is a misnomer.
Also a good number of shots illustrated are useful for three cushion and straight pool which are not popular these days.
On the whole, this is not a very useful book for beginner/intermediate players seeking to improve their shots and hence their game.
It's a terrific book for enthusiasts who would love to discover unusual shots which are rare and low percentage, which obviously precludes their use in a real game.
If you're an advanced player with a decade or more of experience under your belt and feel that you have a good grip on a lot of "regular" shots and want to find out more, this is the book for you.
If you're a beginner/intermediate player who is seeking to improve his/her game with a view to notch up more victories, look elsewhere.

I have been playing pool for twenty years and this book introduced so many concepts that I don't know why I didn't research this book out sooner. This book single handedly improved my game dramatically. If you shoot pool and are looking for a deivice to train you from the begining to advanced stages look no further, this book is spactacular!

I have read through my copy of this book 3 times so far and I'm sure I'll read through it many more times in the years to come. Something in this book is bound to improve your game or at least your knowledge of what is possible. He exposes a good number of shots and concepts that are really not very difficult to grasp and execute *if* you know about them. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to move beyond the intermediate skill level of playing pool.

I consider myself decent at pool. I'm ranked as a 4 in APA 8-ball and have been playing on a frequent basis for the past 2 years. While this book is good, it seems to be entirely offensive shots. There are many instances where instead of attempting the shot shown in the diagram in the book, it would probably be better to try and play a safe (meaning you make a legal hit, but leave your opponent with a difficult shot afterwards).

Most of these shots in the book are difficult to make once, but are incredibly difficult for most of us to make on a consistent basis. If you want to win, you should be playing the percentages and often a defensive shot has a much higher probability of success than these offensive shots.

I would've liked this book better if it discussed the alternative shots that could've been taken, and mentioned the pros and cons of those decisions. Without it, it isn't very convincing that the shots shown are the best options.

Therefore, I think this book is good for beginners who just want to know some cool shots, or pros who are so accurate and precise that these shots are possible nearly 90% of the time.

This is my second copy of this book. I gave it as a birthday present. It was well received.

Unlike "Byrne's New Standard Book of Pool and Billiards," which is 50% devoted to 3-cushion billiards, this book is devoted entirely to pool. It's about how to put the ball in the pocket, which ball to shoot, and don't forget not to leave your opponent a shot.

Byrne is good at this and explains the difference between what it appears is happening and what the balls are really doing. It is an enjoyable read and a book anyone who enjoys shooting pool should have.

This is something not only to read again and again, but also to take to the tables and practice some to the set-ups with which you may have previously had trouble. The answers are there.

This is an excellent book. The section on foul shots is invaluable to a 9 ball player. This knowledge in this section can save your tournaments and games. This information is not well known. I personally practice several of these prescribed shots routinely and have gone from being an average player to being someone that is considered top 5 in my small town (50K). I have a couple of Mr. Byrnes other works on pool and im continually amazed at his insight and tips on playing better. I reccomend reading three cushion strategies as well that Mr. Byrne presents because it will educate you on important carom shots and how to prepare better safeties and or find better angles on problem clusters. Robert also has a fantastic old world style (salty) sense of humor that makes me want to read his work again and again! Bravo to the author of this fantastic book! Bravo,Bravo,Bravo!!!