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Mark Selby answers questions from Eurosport-Yahoo! readers, including how important it is to hold a cue in hand before buying.

Edemrulez asks: Is it important to hold the cue in hand before buying it? I'm ordering one on the internet. And are custom cues important?

Mark Selby: What I look for in a cue is a good feel: I pick it up and feel the weight, see if it's comfortable. It also helps to play a couple of shots with it. The cue I use now was already made: I picked it up off the rack and liked it. More often than not someone at the top would have it made for them; but whether it is expensive or not is not important.

Eszterdusza: Does it influence your game if the match is on TV or not? Are you more stressed if it is?

MS: Not really. Early doors in my career it affected me a little bit, because of the nerves. But it is the same no matter whether there are cameras or not: the balls are the same and do not move any differently.

Eszterdusza: Are you allowed to drink coffee before a match? And how often do you undergo doping tests?

MS: Caffeine is a drug I suppose, but it is not performance-enhancing so it is not banned. If you get to the final of a tournament, you will be drug-tested, win or lose. There are also random tests at tournaments. But it is not something I as a player worry about at all.

Snooki: I'm 35 years old: will it be difficult for me to learn to play snooker to a decent level? How long did you need to become fairly good?

MS: I started at nine and had my first century break at 11, but it is the same as anything: if you have the time and put the effort in, that will see you get more out of it. I guess if you are 35 you will have a job and not have hours and hours every day to practise, so it might be difficult.

Andy Bartrum: After Jimmy White's victory in Prague, do you think he is capable of getting back into the top 16 or even 32?

MS: His form is certainly good enough: he's won a few tournaments of late. If he carries on as he is, why not?

First L: You mentioned before that you were supposed to play in Romania; but it has been cancelled. Why is that - and do you have plans to come to Romania any time soon?

MS: It is to do with a flu epidemic: it is dangerous to go across. The guy organising it is going to let us know in a couple of days for definite whether it is cancelled: I expect it will be. If so, I hope that when it is rearranged I will be able to go out there.

Have a question for Mark? Just leave it in the comment box and he will try and answer it next week.

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