it's a noticeable difference. do we know for sure it's 3.9"?
UK Too Slow
- Thread starter Island Drive
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it's a noticeable difference. do we know for sure it's 3.9"?
From the measurements with a tape measure it looked like 3 15/16” roughly 3.94 give or take a millimeter. 4” with new cloth and today’s elite is a good test imo. 4 1/4 is good for an event like the DCC, but I still feel 4 1/2 is the best for pool halls. When that cloth wears in, conditions can get tough.
My GC I is totally rebuilt by Dave Isaccs/doing the US Open 9 Ball tables this year.
Even the top rail underwood was replaced (many recovers in a 30 yr period.... staple damage).
I have 4.5'' teet to teet pockets.
With the Simonis 860 HR on it and worn in, it plays waaaaaaaaaaaaay tougher than 4 1/4'' pockets with new cloth.
If you catch Any amount of rail going into the corner, unless the ball speed is near zero, it dbls the pocket.
He shimmed the new rail cushion pockets to get em this size, same as at the Open.
Even the top rail underwood was replaced (many recovers in a 30 yr period.... staple damage).
I have 4.5'' teet to teet pockets.
With the Simonis 860 HR on it and worn in, it plays waaaaaaaaaaaaay tougher than 4 1/4'' pockets with new cloth.
If you catch Any amount of rail going into the corner, unless the ball speed is near zero, it dbls the pocket.
He shimmed the new rail cushion pockets to get em this size, same as at the Open.
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not much less
I’m gonna give you a little read on good players who bet serious cash. They develop a heightened awareness.
In the days before extended rails, tight pockets had their own personalities. Every one pocket player worth his salt knew which
pocket favored the breaker. The players who were unaware of the subtleties needed backers.
thanks, that explains it. i'm all for tight pockets, but that's too much. they should revert to how it was last year. most importantly they need to settle on a number for these MR main events and stick with it
It’s not possible to standardize because all the different vendors have different slate shelves, different miter angles, and different cushion brands. They will always play differently, with Diamond always the toughest due to their deepest shelf.
Just looking at this picture it looks like a bastard table.
Bonus ball actually had it right imo. IF and only if you go this tight, the facings should be parallel.
True, but for the Matchroom run events it should be possible.
The World Snooker Tour has a standard table supplied by Star and the pockets are meant to be identical, based on a template (even then there is plenty of discussion about how they play looser or tighter).
So there's no reason why Matchroom couldn't standardise for the events, they themselves run, e.g. 4.25" for open events and if they want to tighten up for the Masters or maybe the WC then go for it, but at least it would be more consistent.
I suspect they will do that, but we are in the early days of the WNT, so they are just trying a few things out, by 2025 or maybe 2026 I would expect them to have standardised tables and pockets (again with the exception of the events Matchroom don't actually run themselves e.g. those in clubs etc.)
That’s to big. For these guys thats like us playing on a valley . but maybe 4.25
May as well be using Chinese 8 ball tables
Look at those buckets. No wonder they make it look so easy.
A guy I know who used to shoot professional archery and could hit a spot about the size of a dime consistently always said that the center of a bullseye is the same size no matter how big the area around it was. I guess that principle applies here. I just don’t have the steady aim required to be efficient at hitting the bullseye.
Scrunge19
Registered
According to Matchroom, the diamonds played easier than the rasson tables. Hence the additional pocket reduction we’re seeing now.
if they want or care about viewers they have to cater to them. or go the way of bowling on tv which was a big thing years back.
no excitement and every shot was basically the same.
pool with too tight pockets is only a shooting game with strategy and moving the cueball, along with the luck factor going the wayside.
,
take the luck factor out and the winners are predetermined so why watch.
no excitement and every shot was basically the same.
pool with too tight pockets is only a shooting game with strategy and moving the cueball, along with the luck factor going the wayside.
,
take the luck factor out and the winners are predetermined so why watch.
I tried to talk RKC into making pocket templates like snooker does
It governs how the slate is cut also.
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Payball is played with six balls on a snooker table….with money on every ball…double on last one….nine ball rules.
….the reason for money on every ball is that too many early balls are insignificant otherwise.
On traditional pool pockets, often the fight on the early balls is to see who wins the game because the victor runs out.
Tight pockets changes the game to a game that is NOT fast and furious and not as watchable.
Look at those buckets. No wonder they make it look so easy.
A guy I know who used to shoot professional archery and could hit a spot about the size of a dime consistently always said that the center of a bullseye is the same size no matter how big the area around it was. I guess that principle applies here. I just don’t have the steady aim required to be efficient at hitting the bullseye.
Unfortunately that's not how it works with pool and pockets. If you're shooting down the rail, the center of the bullseye changes depending on pocket size.
Its because in their own mind they are far too good for 4.5" pockets and only a 4 1/8" pocket can give them a proper challenge. The only reason they don't run out on 4 1/2" pockets is because its not challenging enough to give it their best effort. The only reason they don't gamble with you by playing the ghost is because they don't want to take all of your money.
Ghost of OBC
Well-known member
The upside is that when they get their way, and the room operator switches, we can time league matches using Stonehenge.Its because in their own mind they are far too good for 4.5" pockets and only a 4 1/8" pocket can give them a proper challenge. The only reason they don't run out on 4 1/2" pockets is because its not challenging enough to give it their best effort. The only reason they don't gamble with you by playing the ghost is because they don't want to take all of your money.
I guess it’s a fine line. You don’t want buckets that they never miss but you don’t want them to tight that they don’t take on the tougher shots that 9 ball is popular for.
I know I give golf analogies a lot butttttttt I don’t watch the us open. Why? They make the course so hard that even the best golfers in the world with the fastest swings can’t get out of the rough. All they can do is chop it back in the fairway but that takes away the amazing saving shots that they are capable of making. The greens are so fast even they can’t hold the greens and putting is insane that they can barely touch the ball and it rolls forever . It’s just not fun to watch. I don‘t want Them playing driver pitching wedge all day but I also don’t want to see them on a course so hard that even they can’t score and show off all the skills they perfected that makes it fun to watch. There’s a fine line between to easy and stupidly hard. Both are bad.