Customer Reviews

Steve Mizerak's Complete Book of Pool

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Steve Mizerak has a very recognizable face when it comes to pool (probably from his Lite beer commercial days) and that is why you see it on the cover of every product that he hawks-but beginners beware...Mizerak is not much of an author. Don't get me wrong, he has plenty of knowledge when it comes to the game, but he tries to cover every aspect of pocket billiards (hence the title) in 208 pages. I say impossible. He basically spends a lot of time giving little tidbits, but never delving into one topic for long enough for anything to be learned. Experienced players will gain nothing from this book (except maybe a little abstruse history) and beginner's will absorb its meager amount of instruction and be hungry for more in a matter of days. If you are just beginning your collection of books about pocket billiards, I suggest going with a book by either George Fels (more instruction and strategy) or Robert Bryne (technique, drills, trick shots...the whole enchilada)

Though not nearly as in-depth as Byrne's Advanced (or Play Your Best Pool, and a few other books), this is definitely Mizerak's best published work to date, and you will learn a few things from it that are not covered by the other writers of such books. My strategy is to get and reads LOTS of these books, because no one author touches on every aspect, and long-time pool champ Mizerak has plenty to add, especially for newbie players, as well as experienced bar players who are not well-read on various nonobvious aspects of the game.

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Whether or not this 1990 volume truly is (as its cover's subtitle purports) "Everything You Need to Know to Play and Win," it's definitely Mizerak's most fun-to-browse book. This oversized paperback's 200 pages are replete with (black-and-white) photos and other kinds of illustrations, many of which are charmingly old-fashioned (quaint). Especially considering its affordability, no pool-book collector's shelf should be without this.

My 2 first books on pool were this one and Mosconi's Winning Pocket Billiards. Miz's book has some good insight into the contemporary scene (1990) and history of the game. There is also some basic instructional sections on technique and a nice section on selecting equipment/accessories. This may not be the most in-depth in comparison to Byrne's Book of Pool & Billiards, or Capelle's Play your Best Pool; but as an overview, it is well written and entertaining.

For strategy and tactics, in addition to Byrne and Capelle, I recommend Martin's 99 Critical shots in Pool. Mosconi's book from 1965 was all you had, or one of the few books out on pool in those days; it is a major influence on guys like Capelle and Byrne.

This book covers a good all-around view of pool. but it fails to go in depth, especially on strategy. It's a good book at first, but after awhile you crave more knowledge of the game, especially specific games. I recommend authors like Byrne (not only does he write on pool, he also covers 3-Cushion inside and out, great job), Fels (Mastering Pool is a great strategy guide if you can hunt it down on the net. not complete yet still very helpful), and Capelle (great book on one great game...Straight Pool).

this shouldn't be it. Steve Mizerak is a great player, and watching him play is always a pleasure. Unfortunately, his grace at the table barely makes it into this book.

I bought this book several years ago when I first started playing seriously, and it did little to improve my game. Once I started playing in the company of a few good players, I had no use for Mizerak's book. If you want that "if you could only have one book on pool" title, I highly recommend Robert Byrne's New Standard Book of Pool and Billiards.