Welcome to 3-Cushion Billiards
There are sighs, monosyllabic grunts and groans, breathless mutterings. There are references to God. There are curses, of course, and sometimes long vituperative whisperings, best said in a foreign language, questioning the heritage of the table or the balls, or questioning why fate has turned cruel or why we ever took up this infernal game. The vernacular of the billiard world is rich in the things we say when we miss or when others miss.
Virtual reality has become a fairly well-known technology. A few years ago we were hearing some buzz about its potential emergence, but it wasn’t until about midway through 2016 that most people really started to see what it was capable of. Now there are countless VR experiences for consumers to enjoy, on a full range of headsets at different prices, and through any number of games. What’s been a little bit slower to develop is any kind of meaningful VR sports market.
Read more: Can Virtual Reality Help Grow the Popularity of 3-Cushion Billiards?
Vietnamese cueist Nguyen Quoc Nguyen, 35, started participating in professional billiards tournaments when he was close to 30, but despite the late start, he has made his mark internationally. Viet Nam News interviewed Nguyen and delivers a personal perspective on this up-and-coming world class player.
Read more: Nguyen Quoc Nguyen credits success to passion, luck
If you talk to the majority of professional billiards players about earnings, they will promptly inform you that it’s tough to earn a living. Generally speaking, prize money has risen significantly in recent years, thanks in part to the rise of the PBA, but it is still something of a slog when you are not at the very top of the sport. Dick Jaspers might make a comfortable living from 3-cushion billiards, but many others do not.
Read more: Professionals Vs. Amateurs on the Table: The Big Question Raised in 2021