Mark Finkelstein

Untitled Document Pool Shot Quiz

Any good player knows that shooting good pool is not just about making balls.  You have to play for shape, but sometimes it's hard to know the best way to get yourself out of a jam.  

This week, I set up a little quiz for you. This is the PoolDawg Academy, after all! See if you can figure out the best way to play these scenarios. There are probably several ways to play some of these shots, but I've chosen some of the more unexpected answers. Scroll down and try it out!

How did you do? These are fun shots to play around with, and every once in a while they come up in a game and you steal a victory from an unlikely position.

Play well and see you on the road.

Mark Finkelstein is an ACS Level 4 and PBIA Master Instructor. Mark has been playing pool for almost 60 years and is the house pro at Slate and Eastside Billiards in NYC as well as the Instructional Columnist for NYC Grind. Mark also publishes at Easy Pool Tutor and various other pool publications, and has written a book, “Pool Ramblings” which is available from McNally Jackson publishers. He is also on the staff of the National Billiards Academy that teaches pool seminars throughout the United States. Mark is active with both the PBIA and the ACS Instructor Committees, teaches private lessons in the New York City area, plays exhibitions and runs tournaments for Corporate parties and donates his time to various schools and charities promoting pool. As a player, Mark is quite accomplished, competing in Japan, the Philippines, and coast to coast in the United States.