Play Your Best Straight Pool [Paperback]

Like many, when I first began playing pool, I started off with 8 ball and eventually moved to 9 ball. After a couple years, I began playing some of the other games (straight pool, 1 pocket, billiards, etc) and now love straight pool the most. More than any other game, it requires a player to master all aspects of pool, such as position play, shotmaking, defense, and above all, knowledge. As such, in my opinion, anyone with an interest in straight pool who reads this book can't help but improve their game. I'd recommend purchasing some Accu-Stat straight pool tapes in addition to this book. You'll then be able to see some of the principles in practice. Hope this helps!

Just when I thought I was done, a few years ago Phil Capelle writes Play Your Best Pool, a great and very thorough book, although maybe lacking in some of the finer, more advanced points. Then came A Mind for Pool, a pretty good read into the mental aspects of the game. So when his latest book, Play Your Best Straight Pool came out, I just had to buy it. I was not disappointed.

This book covers EVERY aspect of the great game of straight pool - entire chapters are devoted to break shots (primary and secondary), position play, recurring patterns, key ball concepts, safety play, etc. I remember learning the basic concepts of straight pool from Fel's Mastering Pool - this book expounds on those concepts in great detail. The numerous diagrams are drawn expertly and to scale, and the information seems like it will never end. Even though I read the book cover to cover, it is really meant to be taken in sections and studied, or even to use the sections as reference material from time to time. Since there is a lot of advanced information here, Mr. Capelle has gone through the trouble of indicating the sections that are especially relevant for beginners, so they do not have to wade through all the material to find points of interest. While a good player can run a few racks of straight pool on talent alone, this book simplifies the game and offers insight into how the pros regularly run 100 or 150 balls and up. Anyone reading this book will increase their balls per inning average and will most assuredly beat their current high run.

I have only one complaint, and it was not serious enough to lower my rating. In my version, all of the fractions used in the text ( ball,  diamond, etc.) were printed incorrectly - for example,  showed up as 'fi (or something like that). Luckily, the mistakes were consistent throughout the text (must have been an error during typesetting) and were easy to decipher. Perhaps this problem has already been corrected, as I'm sure my copy came from the first run.

Bottom line - if you want to play better straight pool, buy this book!