Passion For Billiards
Billiards is my favorite sport. I enjoy almost every type of pocket billiards—including snooker, although throughout my life I have only had the opportunity to practice on a full-size snooker table a handful of times. The only aspect I don’t particularly like about snooker is the larger table size and the frequent need to use extensions compared to other disciplines. Nevertheless, its strategic depth and elegance have always fascinated me.
My true favorite discipline is straight pool, also called 14.1 continuous. I see it as a unique blend of simplicity, elegance, and continuity. It is a game where each shot builds upon the next, demanding patience, precision, and thoughtful planning—qualities that make it especially appealing to me.
Beyond playing, I am deeply interested in the physics of billiards. In this regard, I have followed the work of David Alciatore for many years. Studying the articles on his website has helped me improve both my theoretical understanding and my practical skills at the table.
Since the early 2000s, one of the ways I have continued to stay connected to billiards—especially during periods when I did not have the opportunity to visit a billiard hall or when I wanted to practice concepts related to billiard physics—has been the Virtual Pool series. I currently own the latest version, Virtual Pool 4, and I still appreciate it not only as a game, but also as a surprisingly useful environment for experimenting with angles, spin, positioning, and other technical aspects of billiards.
Although three-cushion billiards is more popular in my country, I never miss the interviews and videos of Semih Saygıner. Each time I watch him, I gain new insights and perspectives. Meeting him and shaking his hand is one of the experiences I hope to have in my lifetime.
This is more or less the kind of atmosphere I imagine for it someday. Even if it is not exactly like the room in the image, having a billiards table in one of my own rooms would already make me very happy — not only as a space where I could host guests, but also as a place where I could practice freely and continuously improve my technique whenever I wanted. However, rather than buying a brand-new table, I would find much greater satisfaction in bringing an old one back to life myself. From repairing the slate to restoring the wood and replacing the cloth, I think the entire restoration process would become part of the story.
This dream table would be placed in a dedicated game room in my home—a place where I can not only enjoy the game but also host my guests and share meaningful, enjoyable moments together.
Pool excellence is not about excellent pool.