Transition from 10ft to 9ft Pool tables

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Petros Andrikop

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Hi again,

This time I'm looking for some info on the transition from 10ft to 9ft Pool tables in competitive play. I guess through the '60s major tournaments were still played in 10ft, the transition started around mid '70s?..
Thanks in advance for your time.

Petros
 
C

ChrisinNC

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Petros Andrikop said:
Hi again,

This time I'm looking for some info on the transition from 10ft to 9ft Pool tables in competitive play. I guess through the '60s major tournaments were still played in 10ft, the transition started around mid '70s?..
Thanks in advance for your time.

Petros
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It should be no issue at all as your shotmaking should improve. Speed control when you need to come off a cushion or more for positioning might be the only thing you need to make adjustments for. Positioning zones may get a little smaller, so you need to be aware of to not hook yourself.

Of course it depends what game you are playing, but defensive safety shots will change a little as well. On a 10 foot table, even if your opponent is not hooked, an effective safety can be just leaving your opponent a long tough shot, but these shots won’t be as long or tough on a smaller table.
 
Bob Jewett

Bob Jewett

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I think the OP is looking for historical info, not advice about his game. Check out his other posts.

Charlie Ursitti compiled lists of carom and pool championships in the US. According to data in those lists, the World Championship in pool was conducted on 10-foot tables through 1949 and the 1950 tournament was on 9-foot tables. Here is a thread with a link to Uristti's data:

Charlie Ursitti's Complete History of Pool & Billiards

Charlie Ursitti's Complete History of Pool & Billiards http://charlesursitti.com/ Great collection here dating back to 1877. You can spend alot of time there ! Enjoy !
forums.azbilliards.com

As an example, here is the first mention of 9-foot tables that I could find:

1673199165561.png
 
G

garczar

AzB Silver Member
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Petros Andrikop said:
Hi again,

This time I'm looking for some info on the transition from 10ft to 9ft Pool tables in competitive play. I guess through the '60s major tournaments were still played in 10ft, the transition started around mid '70s?..
Thanks in advance for your time.

Petros
Click to expand...
50's sometime. By the 60's all big table play had switched to 9ft's.
 
DaveM

DaveM

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I was going to post what Bob posted. Off topic but I happened to look up my childhood barber Basil Minickene the other day after telling a story to a friend. I found those tournament results with the mention of table size. Basil's was in Amityville, NY in the 70's. I'm not sure of the opening or closing dates. It had a barber shop up front and pool hall in the back, interesting combination.
 
C

ChrisinNC

AzB Silver Member
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Bob Jewett said:
I think the OP is looking for historical info, not advice about his game. Check out his other posts.

Charlie Ursitti compiled lists of carom and pool championships in the US. According to data in those lists, the World Championship in pool was conducted on 10-foot tables through 1949 and the 1950 tournament was on 9-foot tables. Here is a thread with a link to Uristti's data:

Charlie Ursitti's Complete History of Pool & Billiards

Charlie Ursitti's Complete History of Pool & Billiards http://charlesursitti.com/ Great collection here dating back to 1877. You can spend alot of time there ! Enjoy !
forums.azbilliards.com

As an example, here is the first mention of 9-foot tables that I could find:

View attachment 680039
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Bob, yeah I guess I just missread the post as I was too eager to respond, as we have a 10 footer here in our room but otherwise all 9 footers. I was just trying to share my thoughts of what I experience as the difference when I go back-and-forth. It’s certainly much harder going from the 9 to the 10 as opposed to the opposite.
 
P

Petros Andrikop

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Bob Jewett said:
I think the OP is looking for historical info, not advice about his game. Check out his other posts.

Charlie Ursitti compiled lists of carom and pool championships in the US. According to data in those lists, the World Championship in pool was conducted on 10-foot tables through 1949 and the 1950 tournament was on 9-foot tables. Here is a thread with a link to Uristti's data:

Charlie Ursitti's Complete History of Pool & Billiards

Charlie Ursitti's Complete History of Pool & Billiards http://charlesursitti.com/ Great collection here dating back to 1877. You can spend alot of time there ! Enjoy !
forums.azbilliards.com

As an example, here is the first mention of 9-foot tables that I could find:

View attachment 680039
Click to expand...
Thank you all for your replies so far, thank you very much Mr. Jewett. So, was the famous 1966 US Open final between Irving Crane and Joe Balsis played on 9ft? From the video available the table looks like a 10ft.. Thanks again for your time.
 
DaveM

DaveM

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I had saved this the other day. On the bottom you can see a note about the table size. Bob's post shows 4 1/2 x 9, but I also pointed out the notation at the bottom when discussing table size with my friend. He did not know about 10' tables.
1673205790238.png
 
Bob Jewett

Bob Jewett

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Petros Andrikop said:
Thank you all for your replies so far, thank you very much Mr. Jewett. So, was the famous 1966 US Open final between Irving Crane and Joe Balsis played on 9ft? From the video available the table looks like a 10ft.. Thanks again for your time.
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It was a 9-foot table. I'm pretty sure all of the US Open 14.1 tournaments have been on 9-foots. So far as I know, there were no tournaments after the 1940s that used 10-foot tables.

By 1966 10-foot tables were already fairly uncommon in pool halls. I think that most of the rooms that opened in the pool boom in the 1960s were 9-foot tables. I never saw a new 10-foot table at that time (except for 10-foot snooker and carom tables) and 8-foot tables were much less seen. I did play in one room that opened in the 1960s that had maybe 12 8-foot tables and no 9-foot, but it was more of a family room.
 
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DynoDan

DynoDan

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Late 60s Bensinger’s had the first 10’ pocket tables I had ever seen. By the mid-late 50s, 9’ was standard EVERYWHERE (until the coin-op/barbox craze came along).
 
BushkaGUY

BushkaGUY

Member
DaveM said:
I was going to post what Bob posted. Off topic but I happened to look up my childhood barber Basil Minickene the other day after telling a story to a friend. I found those tournament results with the mention of table size. Basil's was in Amityville, NY in the 70's. I'm not sure of the opening or closing dates. It had a barber shop up front and pool hall in the back, interesting combination.
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I knew the Minickene family very well. Basil's brother, Morris, lived in Bay Ridge Brooklyn and I was a close friend of his son. Morris, Monsie as he was known , was a NY straight pool champ back in the 60's. I bought my first cue from him. His son and I used to practice on the 10 ft tables in the basement of the K of C in Bensonhurst because we were too young to get into the local pool room.
 
Black-Balled

Black-Balled

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Silver Member
DaveM said:
I was going to post what Bob posted. Off topic but I happened to look up my childhood barber Basil Minickene the other day after telling a story to a friend. I found those tournament results with the mention of table size. Basil's was in Amityville, NY in the 70's. I'm not sure of the opening or closing dates. It had a barber shop up front and pool hall in the back, interesting combination.
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Is that where 'get a haircut' became a euphemism for losing cash?
Teee
Heee
 
A

axejunkie

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Was it common for winner of the lag in 14.1 on a 10 foot to take the break? I thought I heard Danny DiLiberto mention that.
 
Bob Jewett

Bob Jewett

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axejunkie said:
Was it common for winner of the lag in 14.1 on a 10 foot to take the break? I thought I heard Danny DiLiberto mention that.
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I have never seen anyone choose to break in a serious 14.1 game. That having been said...

If I'm in a friendly match and I'm about to take the first shot of the day, I'd rather break than have to shoot the long shot after my opponent's break.

Mosconi is said to have taken the break and played the head ball in the side pocket in exhibitions. I heard he also did that in a minor tournament.

My doubles partner in college intramurals played the corner ball back to a head pocket and made it twice in one game. Big pockets.

Here is a video of Mario He playing the head ball after losing the lag. This was in the EPBF European 14.1 Championships. If it's dead, I think you're supposed to take it. (There was a better video of this match but it's been taken down.) He only runs 29.

 
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