Pool cues can look slightly different in different parts of the world. The tip size for example, it is nine millimetres in the UK and twelve or thirteen millimetres in the US. There are variations in the cue shafts as well. English pool cues have a small taper from tip to the butt while American pool cues often have straight shafts with no taper until halfway down the shaft. These differences are because of the way the game is played in the countries. English pool players address the ball by drawing the cue over the thumb and first finger, whilst pool players in the US like to wrap their forefinger around the shaft forming a ring around it hence the straight shaft so the finger does not have to open up as the cue is moved through it.



There are also some subtle distinctions in the cues in the USA and cues in the UK. Cue sticks from the UK are made from heavy grained ash and American players prefer the whiter maple. There is no playing difference between the two types of timber, it is simply what you like the look of. The handle or butt are decorated differently, the American pool cues tend to have linen wraps around the butt and English pool cues usually decorated with more often have spliced butt ends, relying on the wood for decorative effect. The look of the cue won't make you play any better though.

In contrast Carom billiard cues used in playing Carambole, which is a form of billiards originating in France, have a distinct type of cue with a large tip typically 12 - 13 mm reflecting the fact the balls used in carom are quite a bit bigger than either American or English pool. Carom balls are nearly two and a half inches across.

Some cue manufacturers are famous, like Balabushka who made excellent cues that are prized items today, he produced what are considered the best pool cues ever. An immigrant from Russia and set up shop in New York and the movie the colour of money made the Balabushka cue famous. The few remaining cues are worth a lot of money these days, one story says one changed hands for a staggering $45,000. You can buy copies of his cues these days , but they are expensive, now they may not improve your game, but at least you will look the part.

Cue tips are usually leather and there are different levels of hardness of the tips, depending on taste and frankly the differences are only noticeable by the playing professionals, the rest of us mere mortals would probably never notice the difference. It is essential that the tip can take a lot of chalk for good contact with the cue ball. You can even get different coloured chalks these days so the pool table cloth does not show the chalk marks so much. As well as the traditional blue you can get yellow, brown and burgundy to match whatever cloth you have.

A cue that is being seen more often is the so called jump and break cue which is basically a cue with 2 different shafts, one used for smashing the balls with on break off and the other is a more sensitive shaft used for normal play. It is a good idea and widely used on both sides of the Atlantic.

The cue you should choose obviously depends on the version of the game you play. Just get one that is straight and has a good tip on it which is the most important part of the cue, the rest is down to how much you want to spend for a good looking cue. A reasonable cue should cost about $50, more than that is due to the woods used and whether it is hand made or not.