“I agree…AZ billiards is without a doubt the best billiards board on the net. I think part of it has to do with the sheer volume of traffic Mike has coming to his site, from both the US and abroad. Also, there are some great posters there, including contributing current professional players as well. His top level articles are superb, as well as the photographs from Diana Hoppe as well…I believe that is her name.

Although I don’t agree with the politics of the site as well as the favoritism shown by it’s moderators, I feel Mike does have the market cornered as far as online pool forums are concerned. AZ also has many older, more seasoned pool veterans that really step up and contribute to the board…from old road players to past tournament champions.

Because of the volume of posts on AZ however, you really have to wade through a lot of meaningless posts to find that juicy nugget of information that may improve your game or provide some insight into the game of pool you have been looking for.

Overall, I voted for AZ and I believe it will continue to be the top forum for pool players and spectators for many years to come.

Shorty”

“I agree…AZ billiards is without a doubt the best billiards board on the net. I think part of it has to do with the sheer volume of traffic Mike has coming to his site, from both the US and abroad. Also, there are some great posters there, including contributing current professional players as well. His top level articles are superb, as well as the photographs from Diana Hoppe as well…I believe that is her name.

Although I don’t agree with the politics of the site as well as the favoritism shown by it’s moderators, I feel Mike does have the market cornered as far as online pool forums are concerned. AZ also has many older, more seasoned pool veterans that really step up and contribute to the board…from old road players to past tournament champions.

Because of the volume of posts on AZ however, you really have to wade through a lot of meaningless posts to find that juicy nugget of information that may improve your game or provide some insight into the game of pool you have been looking for.

Overall, I voted for AZ and I believe it will continue to be the top forum for pool players and spectators for many years to come.

Shorty”

Although I don’t agree with the politics of the site as well as the favoritism shown by it’s moderators, I feel Mike does have the market cornered as far as online pool forums are concerned. AZ also has many older, more seasoned pool veterans that really step up and contribute to the board…from old road players to past tournament champions.

Because of the volume of posts on AZ however, you really have to wade through a lot of meaningless posts to find that juicy nugget of information that may improve your game or provide some insight into the game of pool you have been looking for.

Overall, I voted for AZ and I believe it will continue to be the top forum for pool players and spectators for many years to come.

Shorty

Date of forum launch
# of Users
# of threads
# of posts
Popular post categories
…and all other relevant site info

Ok, lets go through your list starting from the top.
1. Date of forum launch - I don’t know how much relavence this has on the forum. If yu are looking for longevity, only the future will tell.

2. # of users - I don’t think the number of users is important as long as the number of posters keep posting to keep the subject matter fresh.

3. # threads - The number of threads is pertinent as long as the content is no repetitive,

4. # of posts - I assume you mean the users who post on a particular threaad as opposed to users who post new threads. The number of posts is not as important as the value of the content of the post.

With this all being said - here are my (IMHO) two top forums - Easy Pool Tutor and AZBilliards.

As for EPT - I think it is very important to have a single place to go for FREE written instruction. The people who have submitted lessons and drills have taken their time to try and help other players. The lessons range from very basic for the beginners to sophticated instruction for the more advanced players. The next item is the quality of the threads and posts of our regular users. There is rarely any verbal jousting among the posters of this site. Content is very good and helpful hints to improve your game are always available. Also we have many types of items for sale from cleaning products to pool tables and all the accessories in between and a vertual library of custom cue makers from all over the world.

Also important is the readability of the forum. It is very eay to navigate EPT and it is also easy on the eyes to read EPT. By that I mean having the background of blue and the printing in black. It makes it easy to read for some of us older folks.

The only thing I would like to see improvement in is the listing of tournaments and leagues. I would like to see this format done on a state by state basis. I am sure there are others who can add to this but these are the things that bring me back again and again to EPT.

As for AZBilliards - They have a very good forum also and it is a close second to EPT. Why do I say a close second and not equal - A very simple reason - AZB posts are on a grey background and it is a little more difficult to read. On the other hand I do think their posting of tournaments if better that EPT.

A comment about EPT and AZB - Please install software that would allow us (me) to easily increase that size of the text.

I hope this helps you.

#1 - Volume. The number of posts and participants is quite high for such sites; assuring that any questions/concerns/opinions reach a large number of like-minded members in a timely fashion. You do NOT have to wait days for an answer; and you can be pleasantly surprised by the variety of responses.

#2 - News. The site does a good job of trying to track down world/national/state/local results. Not always up to the minute, but quick enough for me.

#3 - Variety of posters. There are a large number of pro’s who post often; many more who just lurk. Noted instructors, road players, pool historians also are frequent contributors; not to mention many in the billiard industry and several promoters as well.

#4 - Collegiality - For those who wish; there is the opportunity to meet like-minded pool fanatics. Hardly a tournament goes by without at least a few AZB’ers meeting up. The members sponsor a private room at Derby City for lessons, match-ups with pro’s, gambling sessions, private tournaments, etc. It is easy to find someone in your locality with whom to play - just post on the board and your number of practice partners WILL increase. There is also a “virtual tournament” each year for people that can’t travel (everyone plays the same solo drill, and posts their scores). The members have also sponsored at least 2 players to play in the U.S. Open.

While this all sounds like a paid testimonial - I have no financial interest in AZB. But as a pool player, I see great benefit to having one dominant site - so that the members can maximize the benefit of the time they spend there; making it easier and more efficient to stay in touch with the “pool scene”. For me, AZB is the CLEAR winner of your poll.