The Pool Player's Guide to Dead Stroke

Dead stroke is what happens when you find that special place within your mind  that some refer to as "The Zone."   You've been there.  You've done that.  So why can't you bottle it up and use it whenever you need it? 

Well, now you can.  This NEW book by Bob Henning holds the nine keys and the nine actions that will unlock the doors to this magical kingdom.  Learn to trust your intuitive self.  Develop the mental discipline to silence inner doubt.  Relinquish control and let it flow!  Experience the thrill of functioning at a higher than normal state of awareness, shooting effortlessly and confidently time and time again.

Dead Stroke.  Dead Punch.  In the Zone.  Playing out of your head.  Out of your box.  In stroke.  Catching a gear.  Read on.  Pierce the myth.  Enjoy the buzz...enjoy the action...get in stroke...and enter into The Stroke Zone!  $19.95 (SZ)  

Zen Pool is a 116 page book by a former Junior National Champion, 2-time Collegiate Champion, and 2006 World Straight Pool Championship Semi-finalist.  The purpose of this book is to improve your total pool game with your awareness in the present moment.  Learning to play pool can increase your body awareness, reduce stress, elevate your mood and help you develop a focused and calm body, mind, and spirit.  In this book you will learn practical insights and skills to help you break through barriers, elevate your ability, become more consistent, and play pool in "the Zone."  Zen Pool is a compilation of Eberle's best instructional columns, diagrams, and photos and designed to help improve your game.  Softcover only.  Order on the More Books section on the order page.  $19.95  (ZP)

It was Valentine's Day, 1978, and Howard Cosell was hosting the long-awaited show-down between the best-ever tournament player, Willie Mosconi, and the game's most famous hustler, Minnesota Fats.  This was The Great Pool Shoot-Out, one of the most highly rated televised sporting events of the year.  R.A. Dyer, author of the best-selling Hustler Days, writes about this acrid, but mutually beneficial rivalry between Fats and Mosconi, and how the televised shoot-outs came to embody that rivalry, which was nothing less than a bitter rift within the soul of American pocket billiards.  They were born the same year, but they were vastly different characters.  One stood for artistry, the other for show business. One brought dignity to pool, the other made it fun.  They are without doubt the two most important players ever to hold a cue.  This book is the ultimate tale of American sportsmanship.  Hardcover only.  Order on the More Books or Movies & Stories sections of the order page.  $24.95  (HTC)

This new book is subtitled The Psychology of the Shot.  It's a 96 page, small format work...concentrated and packed with good insights.  Before every game, before every shot, there is a period of concentration dedicated to making the shot.  All the practice, all the learning, all past effort always leads to this critical moment of time.  In that short period the best players have figured out psychologically what best to do.  They don't just concentrate and shoot, they have a method.  Buddy Hall recommends this book "to anyone who wants to improve the mental aspect of their game."   Softcover only.  Order on the More Books section of the order page.   $11.95  (OMG)

This new book is subtitled:  The Legend of Kid Delicious, the Last Great American Pool Hustler.   It is the outrageous tale of Kid Delicious, a 300-pound, bipolar Jewish kid from New Jersey, who lights up the seamy side of pool as much with his glittering play as he does with his magnetic personality.  He teams up with Bristol Bob, a nutrition and physical fitness nut and pool player.  The entertaining and mismatched pair go underground into the world of hustling, experiencing the highs and lows of life on the road. Action gets hotter, calls get closer, and Delicious’ prowess with a stick becomes more and more known. Ultimately, he sheds his cover to become professional pool’s biggest media sensation since Minnesota Fats.  His story was first featured in Sports Illustrated and the movie rights to this book have already been optioned by Lionsgate.  Hardcover only.  Order on the More Books or Movies & Stories sections of the order page.  $24  (RTT)

  This is the long-awaited sequel to the popular Banking with the Beard.  It has about 100 pages of banks and 140 pages of photos and pool stories by one of the great hustler-storytellers of our time.  If you like Freddie's first book...you'r gonna love this one!  Read about all the great pool players of the last forty years.  Lots of back room Stories!  Order on the More Books section of the order page.  $29.95  (GOS)

Sid Banner, the “Professional Amateur,” spent 16 years putting together this comprehensive guide for billiard players together.  Over 165 diagrams on the System Sid 3/C Ball Hit System, other diamond systems, long and short angle systems and more.  Although tailored to billiards, the cue-ball and rail information will benefit any pool player.  This is the spiral bound Revised 3rd Printing. $49.95  (3CB)

This little gem is perfect for organizing your calendar of pool events, logging practice details, and recording incidents or shots that affect your performance.  Filled with blank table diagrams, “notes” pages and a bonus section of seven practice drills from “The Lesson:  A Handbook for Enlightened Students” by The Monk.  $14.95  (LOG)

ROAD PLAYER: The Danny Diliberto Story
by Jerry Forsyth

 This new book is a lifetime of stories from the vibrant memory of Danny Diliberto, one of Accu-Stat Video's most popular commentators.  Beginning with the Hustler's Tournaments in Johnston City, Diliberto was one of the fabled road players.  He excelled in four sports: baseball, bowling, boxing, and pool.  Boxing was his first love, but his own hands could not stand the power of his blows.  Pool gave him greatest fame and that's what this book is about.  Any devotee of the game will be fascinated with this look into the immediate past of the game.  From Las Vegas to Hollywood to the smallest towns on the most distant highways, this is the life of the roadman. A gambler’s tale in his own words.  A great book!  Order on the More Books or Movies & Stories sections on the order page.   $19.95  (RP)

 This new book starts with an analysis of the Basics of the Break Shot and thoroughly examines The Address, Shooting Aim, Bridge Hand,  Break Stroke and The Magic of Rhythm.  There is intense coverage of how the brain and body work to produce a great break shot and thorough coverage of the aids available for building and practicing the break.  A major section of this book is Joe Tucker's famous and out-of-print book Racking Secrets.  It's 52 pages of everything you'll ever need to know about reading the rack and maximizing your breaking efforts. Another section , Precision Break Shots, uses Joe's Aiming Ball System.  There's another great chapter on using the Break Shot to Control the Game.   $29.95  (GBS)

 This new book is the definitive work on bar table 8-ball.  If you want to learn the secrets of topflight 8-ball, this is it.  Over 260 pages and 460 diagrams will help you understand how small tables play differently than the big ones.  Sides vs. corners, slide-thru, smash-thru, strategy, pattern play, cluster work, and much more!  Great sections on the diamond systems including some uses of the Corner-Five system you probably have never considered.  $29.95  (EBB)

Freddy reveals the secrets that made him one of the most feared money players in the country.  His book teaches you how to bank accurately.  "The Beard's" system is the only bank method that incorporates cut angle, cue ball english, and force into a simple, easy to understand banking formula.  The section on "Automatics" alone is worth the price of this book.  "I'm glad Freddy waited until I quit playing to release these secrets." - Leonard "Bugs" Rucker.  "Finally, a worthwhile book on Bank Pool from a Chicago banking legend." - Grady Mathews  "    $29.95  (BWB)

THE BANK SHOT & OTHER GREAT ROBBERIES
by Minnesota Fats & Tom Fox

This book is an autobiographical classic about the most famous pool hustler of all times...Minnesota Fats.  It is a candid, anecdote-filled account of the fabulous Fat Man's life, told in his own uninhibited patios.  Illustrated with photos and line drawings this book is a vivid portrait of a true pool legend as well as a high-spirited read, and a useful handbook for those who want to know his techniques and expert analysis of the various approaches to the game.  $15  (FATS)

BEST DAMN POOL INSTRUCTION BOOK & CD-ROM
by Ron Schneider

This book covers every aspect of the game, beginning with how to develop a better stroke, to the more advanced techniques of how to masse or jump a cue ball.  It uses a very simple and concise teaching format to help expand your knowledge and ability.  It contains an abundance of illustrations and discussions on how to replicate the various shots necessary to improve your game.  This combination offer includes a CD-ROM which is a complete e-book with some animations that plays in all computers including PC's and Macintosh.  Also includes a laminated wallet card with Ron's 10 Winning Rules for Nine-Ball.  $34.95  (BDP)

HOW TO BE THE CAPTAIN OF A WINNING APA 8-BALL TEAM 
by John W. Loftus

"There are a great many captains of teams in the APA who want to have a winning team, but year after year it just doesn't seem to work out.  They wonder why other teams win more often, but don't understand how they do it.  If you have more fun when you win than when you lose, this book is for you.  There's 146 pages devoted to helping you become the captain of a  winning team.  Chapters on About League Operators, Strategies for Throwing Your Players, How Handicaps are Determined, and lots more.  $17.95  (APA)

This book takes the reader into the life of pool's legendary money player.  It is action-packed, entertaining, and easy to read.  An inside look at the Johnson City tournaments and the world-famous money room--the Rack.  It has received rave reviews from pool publications and other reviewers!  $16.95  (RED)

THE PLEASURES OF SMALL MOTIONS
by Bob Fancher

This book is on motivation, competition, and the fundamental role of the body in the mental game and is written by a  practicing psychotherapist with a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University .  It is a new version of the original and popular internet book, now with 140 pages and five additional sections.  The chapters on Concentration and Rhythm and his examination of conscious and unconscious controls are especially good.  $16.95  (PLE)

This 110 page spiral bound volume is intensely focused on alignment, one of the most important concepts in pocket billiards.  About 80% of it is devoted to the relationship between human eyesight and spherical balls and the errors that are inherent in that relationship.  It explains why some shots are frequently missed.
$29.95  (ANS)

This 49 page book has everything you will ever need to know about reading the rack to determine how to break.  Good players know that gaps between the balls will impact the way the rack will open, but few know what result each specific gap will cause.  For 9-ball, 8-ball, and straight pool.  Learn what to do!
$12.95  (RAC)  OUT OF PRINT   (Photocopies are available or check out Joe's new two-disc DVD set or Bond's new book The Great Break Shot on the What's New page or in this section!

Guide to Killer Pool
by Jeanette Lee

Pool-playing megastar Jeanette Lee, known as the “Black Widow,” explains every aspect of playing to win, from holding the cue to performing combination, kiss, and trick shots. She shows pool players of every level how to compete intelligently, lose gracefully, win frequently,  and stay focused to achieve your goals.
$12.95  (KIL)

PLAYING OFF THE RAIL:
A Pool Hustler’s Journey
by David McCumber

This modern road adventure received a lot of media coverage—NBC:Dateline, USA Today, etc.  The author and a top player take $30,000 on a six month trip in search of high-stakes pool.  It’s a great look into the behind-the-scenes world of the road player.  This author hides nothing!
$13.95  (RAI)

THE 99 CRITICAL SHOTS IN POOL
by Ray Martin and Rosser Reeves

This classic volume by 3-time World Champion Ray Martin has impacted the games of a lot of players.  It is one of the best selling instructional books about pool and has been around since 1976.  People are still talking about shots first revealed in this book.  Part of it is specific to straight pool, but most applies to all games.  This second edition is totally revamped with up-to-date photos and a full color cover.  $15  (99C)

THE MENTAL EDGE
by Kenneth Baum

Alex Pagulayan attributed his  great play in the 2002 US Open to studying this book.  Baum describes the program he uses to sharpen and maximize the sports performances of professional and amateur athletes.  Power Talk , Proper Visualization, Perception Stretchers,  Performance Cues, and more!  This book is targeted towards all sports!   $14.95  (ME) 

THE STRAIGHT POOL BIBLE
by  "Babe" Cranfield and Larry S. Moy

Cranfield, and 84 year old man, is a Hall-of-Famer and a former world champion.  There is something pure about a man his age sharing his life's work, and this quality is present throughout.  
$19.95  (SPB) 

Over 450 pages with 250+ pages in full color.  Feature stories and coverage of the major world, national, and regional tours, independent events, amateur events, and more!  Hundreds of color photos, including over 600 players.  High quality, glossy paper with library quality bindings.  Hardcover only.  Moving into the COLLECTIBLE market.  Get it now..  $59.95  (BYH)

ONE POCKET MAN
by Albert J. Betz  

This 184 page novel is primarily a mob story.  Danny Bonte loves one-pocket, but he is also an aging hit man for the Chicago mob who has outlived his usefulness.  When the feds reveal his boss has put a contract on him, Danny sings like a bird.  For his reward, they move him to Philadelphia and set him up with a pool room.  There he teaches one-pocket to a neighborhood kid,  finds love and friendship, and battles the Philadelphia mob.  Each chapter starts with a quote from Jack Koehler’s book Upscale One Pocket.  $15  (OPM)

YOU MIGHT BE A "D" PLAYER IF...
by Samm Diep

About time someone finally brought some humor to the game!  This little book is a collection of 101 classic moves that all pool players can appreciate.  Each one is illustrated with a funny cartoon.  You'll laugh and want to share these with others.  They'll remind you of yourself and your fellow players.  "It's okay to poke fun at others," the author says, "as long as you poke fun at yourself, too."  $12.95  (DPL)

Another fun entry into the world of pool books.  This hard-cover one, by a well-known WPBA player and TV commentator is sure to bring some younger folks to the game.  It's colorful - every page is full color - and full of fun graphics and photographs.  It covers everything from Stance to Etiquette, from English 101 to Trick Shots, and from Banks to The Break.   It's a good book for kids up to about 14 years.  $12.95  (KIDS)