A longtime teaching pro at Amsterdam Billiard Club in New York City, Tony has dozens of regional and national titles to his name, including the 2004 BCA Open 9-Ball Championships. He's a 7-time Tri-State Player of the Year, and has run 267 balls in straight pool.

Place balls 1-8 as shown. From the cue ball position, start by trying to make full contact with each object ball. A couple pointers: 1) Strike the cue ball at dead center, or just below; and 2) Use a firm stroke. For your aiming point on the rail, you could pick the point half the distance to the object ball, but because firmly hit shots tend to come off the rail at shorter angles, your can adjust a bit farther to compensate (see point A on rail and actual contact point). Note: The 8-ball path (green line) will require left English. Once you master full hits — of course, table conditions will vary — try to hit underneath the ball (orange path to 2 ball), resulting in a cross-side bank or a safety separating the cue ball and object ball. [Courtesy Nick Varner]