THE KELLY POOL TRADITION AT CHRISTMAS

If you own a Billiard table, chances are that on Christmas day you will bring your family and friends together with a game of Kelly Pool.

Kelly Pool is of course the Billiards game where you draw a numbered pea at random from a shake bottle.

With fifteen numbered peas in total, the idea is to not only sink your opponent’s ball but to sink your numbered ball to win.

Naturally you need to keep your number secret.

You tend to know the veteran Kelly Pool players, as they are the ones who go to great lengths to try and make sure all peas are returned to the shake bottle.

We’ve all been guilty of getting home after a big festive day only to discover the pea in your pocket. Doh!

Kelly Pool is a funny, funny game when all the idiosyncrasies of family and friends are put on show. Then of course there’s the new comers to the Christmas Day family tradition.

The new girlfriends or boyfriends, or the long-time-no-see distant relatives.

Opinions are quickly shaped about these new-comers as to whether they are good, bad, indifferent or they-need-a-bit-of-working-on.

When it comes to playing against family and friends that have taken part in the Christmas game tradition for many years, we may not be able to remember their birthday or their children’s names but for some reason we can remember how they react during the competitively social game of Kelly Pool.

To watch your brother or sister hold back tears after again being the first one knocked out of the game is a precious thing. Their reactions can and does bring tears to your own eyes.

On the opposite end of the scale there’s the personality types that would rather hide their numbered ball in a protected place on the table, so they can indulge in the joy of knocking others out of the game.

Each family tends to have a name for this person but as yet there isn’t a universal term. Tool is a good starting point. Then again, being the “Tool” can be very personally satisfying. The trick here is to contain your laughter from exploding. This in itself is fraught with danger as liquid blown through your nose is not a pleasant experience. Very funny for others though.

And here’s another funny thing, and it’s a fact. Kelly Pool was banned in parts of the United States and Canada in the mid-20th century as it was considered a stronghold of gambling. Playing the game was actually a fineable offence in Montana until 1964.

And for the record Calistus Mulvaney of Irish decent, who was known as Kelly Mulvaney invented the game in Chicago in 1893.

But back to bans and to family and friends. There is also one player that always has to be called three or four times to tell them that it’s their turn. This is a particularly frustrating time for the “Nob”, but for the forward thinking player, the knowledge that the time-wasters shot is coming up is the perfect time to either replenish or empty their liquid(s). This is smart play.

Whatever the case, the wide range of player personality types is what makes Kelly Pool a fantastic Christmas Day activity.

For a list of rules click on  http://bit.ly/KellyPoolRules. Post Christmas you can buy in store or purchase online at Billiard Shop a new Kelly Pool kit to replace your kit which has 3 peas missing. Doh!

HOW TO MOVE A POOL TABLE

BILLIARD SHOP – THE PROFESSIONAL MOVERS!

Don’t risk life, limb or table moving your Billiard table! Slate is a heavy thing and it needs to be moved and then reassembled on the frame with precision and care.

Billiard Shop offers a complete removal service whether that be from house to house or house to storage.

Billiard Shop has been moving Billiard Tables of all shapes and sizes since 1968. Their expertise will ensure the move is as smooth as possible, giving you peace of mind.

Billiard Shop staff are expertly trained in getting the table level which is not an easy thing to do for a do-it-yourselfer. After all, what is the point of having a slate table if the balls don’t roll straight?

“All the billiards shops have a service where you can call to move your table, whether that be in Townsville, Mackay, Toowoomba, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, or at Aspley or Macgregor in Brisbane,” Billiard Shop’s Luke Johnson said.

“There are many ways a table is built and many ways to move it, for example some 10 ft and 12 ft tables have a number of pieces of slate.”

“If you give us a call we can give you advice or we are more than happy to come move it for you,” Mr Johnson.

The slate in picture was a one piece slate which was disassembled then placed on the back of the Billiard Shop Ute. A specifically designed trolley, boasting soft tyres, is without a doubt the hero of the exercise.

The tables are not only heavy but many are also artistically designed so to ensure your expensive and prized possession makes the journey intact by professionals.

Depending on the entry point into a dwelling the table may require to be broken down dramatically.

Measuring the entrance with a pool cue is a handy way of deciding the best point of entry.

Once the base is placed in the required position, taking in to account the room to make a shot, the top slate section is then brought in.

It’s simply not a case of placing the top on as it can at times be quite a task lining up all the holes.

The end result of a professional Billiard Shop move is it’s ready to play!

“So if you’ve got a table or are looking to buy a second hand one, or if you’ve got one and you want to move house, give billiard shop a call and we’ll happily help you out,” Mr Johnson said.

Call 1300 300 654 to speak to your nearest Billiard Shop removals specialist.

THE GREATEST THING THAT HAS HAPPENED TO MY FAMILY

“It’s the greatest thing that has ever happened to my family, my three boys now even say they hate video games!”

Macgregor Billiard Shop owner in Brisbane’s south-side Graeme Savage has a particular smile on his face as he recalls the comments of this customer.

“He came in four months after he had purchased the Pool Table to look at upgrading his boy’s pool cues and before I could even say hello he came out with those wonderful comments,” Mr Savage said.

The father of three boys knew nothing about pool tables when he first set foot in to the Billiard Shop.

He was simply looking at something that could get his boys away from video games and start being more sociable – speaking and interacting with each other in a fun, competitive and social way.

Mr Savage says the father went on to say “The Pool table has brought my family together in a way I couldn’t have imagined. For a start it got them off their backsides and they quickly developed some wonderful competitiveness with each other.”

“I never would have imagine that the Pool table would have had such a profound positive effect on my boys,” he said.

Billiards is many things to many people but one unifying force is that it does as Billiard Shop says – brings family and friends together.

Maybe no one describes the power of Pool better than American Billiards blogger Robert Clinton who in collating his thoughts as a troubled four year old wrote.

She (his mother) would take me with her to work (at the Pool Hall) most days, but even when there was discord in the pool room, it never involved me. Anytime something was happening there, it was easier to ignore than the chaos at home. There was refuge for me in this place. I found myself drawn to the rush I felt from the little successes created with each swing of the cue. There was always a release of adrenaline into my humble frame, and the memory of the power that surged through my body in those moments has always provided me with a reminder that I am somebody. The tight and smooth cloth felt wonderful every time my fingertips were placed onto it to bridge my cue. The silky texture caressed my palms and fingers even though I was holding onto them for dear life. For me, this was Heaven on Earth.

  Robert, who is a painter by profession, but a more than handy pool player recently beat nine time world champion Earl Strickland in a handicapped 9-ball tournament.

While his experience with Billiards as a child is much different than the Brisbane father of three, there are obvious parallels with how a Pool table can shape lives.

There are many similar stories throughout Australia and in the Billiard Shop centres in Townsville, Mackay, Toowoomba, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast at Aspley and Macgregor in Brisbane.

Billiards does bring family and friends together!

BILLIARD SHOP – BRINGING FAMILY AND FRIENDS TOGETHER

Since 1968 Billiard Shop stores around Queensland have spoken about the social benefits of playing Billiards.

Today Billiard Shop more than ever stands behind its slogan “Bringing families and friends together.”

While Australian households that have grown up with Billiard Tables are acutely aware of the great social benefits this play, scientific research is also increasingly recognising this.

Science supports the notion that play benefits learning or in scientific language, there are cognitive benefits of play.

Clinical psychologist Dr Eric Fisher who penned, The Art of Empowered Parenting: The Manual You Wish Your Kids Came With, highlights one-on-one sports, like tennis and gymnastics as having tremendous benefits as they allow kids to shine individually without being overwhelmed by having to compete for field time.

Dr Fisher’s recommendation is referenced with ways to help shy children break out of their shell.

According to Billiard Shop’s Luke Johnson, “the one on one aspect of Pool is a great way to help grow a person’s confidence and character.”

“As they grow and their skills develop the social interaction associated with the table game also has tremendous benefits,” Mr Johnson said.

While life experience and common sense tells us of the enormous benefits of playing this one-on-one sport, the Neuroscientists of this world require more concrete evidence of the positive effects playful behaviour has on a child’s ability to learn.

There is no ethical way to test this on a human so research falls on rats.

In 1954 Neuroscientists experimented raising some rats in boring, solitary confinement and others in exciting, toy-filled colonies.

They concluded rats raised in stimulating environments had bigger brains and were smarter, able to too find their way through mazes more quickly.

It seems likely that human brains respond to play and exploration in similar ways.

“The reality is that great mates, of all ages, are being forged every week around a Billiard table and that mateship leads to a whole other range of healthy active life experiences,” Mr Johnson said.

Billiard Shop has stores in Townsville, Mackay, Toowoomba, Maroochydore, Bundall on the Gold Coast and services Brisbane at Macgregor and Aspley.

These stores have a complete range of tables of various sizes and budgets along with attachments that transform them into Tables Tennis set-ups.

Billiard Shop’s expert advice will marry up your wants with particular tables and can even offer finance to ensure the good times roll by “Bringing family and friends together.”

Merry Christmas from Billiard Shop