Welcome to 3-Cushion Billiards
Snooker players are generally considered to be extremely dexterous and adaptable and the majority of them have probably flirted with the idea of trying their hand at other cue sports. Very few European players have been tempted by 3-cushion billiards over the years, but the great Ronnie O'Sullivan has recently bucked that trend. The 41-year-old traveled to the USA as part of his new TV series Ronnie O'Sullivan's American Hustle for the History channel where he enjoyed the opportunity to sample the game.
Read more: Can Snooker Players Make Decent 3-Cushion Billiard Players?
The Verhoeven Open Tournament, formerly the Sang Lee International Open, is the premier three cushion billiard tournament held in the United States. The event takes place each summer at Carom Cafe Billiards in Flushing, New York and attracts the very top of 3-cushion billiard talent from around the world. Originally conceived in 2005 to posthumously honor twelve-time USBA National Champion Sang Chun Lee the tournament was renamed the Verhoeven Open when the table manufacturer agreed to begin sponsoring the event in 2012. The 2019 event, consisting now of TWO International tournaments, will be held August 2-4 (Women) and August 5-11 (Open).
Read more: The Verhoeven Open: The Premier International Event in the USA
If you are a carom billiards player, you cherish a five-minute scene in the middle of the 1961 movie, The Hustler. Fast Eddie Felson’s manager, Bert Gordon, has set up a high stakes game at a Louisville mansion owned by Findley. Anxious to start the match, Fast Eddie removes the table cover and is confused by the absence of pockets. “Thought we came here to play pool?” Felson says. "I don’t play pool, Mr. Felson,” Findley says. He sips from his drink, a cigarette wedged between his middle and ring fingers. “I play billiards. My house, my game. You don’t have to play if you don’t want to.”
Tran Quyet Chien has found 2018 to be the perfect moment for reaching top form on the International 3-Cushion Billiard scene. Beginning in February when he won the Ho Chi Minh World Cup in front of thousands of adoring home town fans, to his most recent victory in the LG U+ Cup 3Cushion Masters, this talented young man proudly represents the future of 3-cushion billiards.
Read more: Vietnam's Tran Quyet Chien A Rising Star in 3-Cushion Billiards