FAQ

Do you have a membership option?

Yes! Become a Fargo Billiards Member for $15 per year to receive a 10% discount on pool table rental along with other benefits.

Are there any restrictions for minors?

Minors are permitted in the front billiard areas (The Alley and Diamond West), in the dining area, and in the pro shop anytime. Any minor in a billiard area must be renting a table, and there is a maximum of four patrons at any table with a minor present.

Who created the art on the walls and what do they mean?

Kimble Bromley is the artist of the billiard art featured within our establishment, collectively known as “The Rack”. You can see photos of the artworks and read his artist’s statement about them on our Billiards Art page.

Questions about Cues

Do I Need to Buy a Cue?

The short answer is NO.

Equipment is less important in pool than it is in car racing, golf, skiing, bicycle racing, or cooking.

One consequence is you can’t buy a better pool game. More importantly though, you don’t need to buy a better pool game.

How Do I Pick a Cue Off the Wall?

Pool cues provided by the establishment are called HOUSE CUES. The main difference between a house cue and an individually owned cue is that the house cue doesn’t come apart.

House cues are all 58 inches long, give or take an inch, and weigh 19 oz, give or take an ounce or two.

The importance of the weight, the length, the balance, and even whether the cue is straight pales in comparison to one criterion: the condition of the leather tip.

Choose a cue for which the tip is not mushroomed like a muffin top. The tip should have the curvature of a nickel.

Why Do People Buy Cues?

One reason is players value consistency
The weight, the balance (distribution of weight), the diameter at the tip, the taper (details of the way the width grows for the first 20 inches or so from the tip), the shape and hardness of the tip, the material the back hand grips (e.g., linen or leather or wood), the acoustic properties of the wood, the stiffness of the shaft (resistance to bending), and how rapidly those vibrations are dampened all contribute to subtle differences in the way different cues feel to the player. Many of these properties contribute to what is called the hit of a cue.

By playing with the same cue every time, a player becomes accustomed to the feedback provided by that cue-the sound and the energy transmitted to the rear hand-and uses this in the learning process.

A second reason is cueball squirt
When a cue strikes a cueball to the right or left of center, the cueball travels away spinning to the right or the left. But there’s a second, undesirable, effect as well. The cueball angles off a small amount opposite the direction of the sidespin. This is called squirt (or cueball deflection) and a player shooting with sidespin must compensate his or her aim for this. The amount of squirt depends on the cue. A consistent cue means consistent aim compensation. Some cues are specifically designed to reduce squirt.

The third reason is most elusive
A player’s cue is the link between past, present, and future at the pool table. It’s been there for the fear and the despair as well as for the joy, the elation, and the pride. Players who have had the experience of feeling in that trance-like state called “the zone” have been known to describe their cue as feeling like an extension to their arm. You may notice a player talking about his cue sometimes like he would talk of an infant child, other times like he would talk of an old army buddy, and, unfortunately, other times like he would talk of the most treacherous of traitors.

How Do I Choose a Cue to Buy?

Because personal preference is key, you must hit with a cue before you buy it. We recommend avoiding both the cheapest cues and the most expensive cues. Low-end cues use ramin wood for the shaft rather than quality maple. You will be disappointed with this. And in a couple years you’ll have a better idea of what you like, so thoughts of a more expensive cue should wait until then.

A price range of about $120 – $500 is about right for your first cue. Beyond that you’re mostly paying for art or for the work of a particularly reputable cuemaker.

While the shafts (front ends) of nearly all quality cues are made of maple, the butts are made from many different beautiful and exotic woods that are spliced together or inlayed into one another. Some of the more common woods are the highly figured birdseye maple, rich black ebony from Africa or even Asia, the dark and beautiful cocobola or the lighter bocote from Central America, purple heart from Central or South America or the nearly white hardwood holly.

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