No one said anything about “buckets”. A standard Diamond is 4 1/2”, I agree that with new cloth and polished balls in tournament play, on the pro tour, this should be reduced to to 4 1/4”, or say 4 1/8” as the new cloth and polished balls mitigate that reduction a bit.
As others have mentioned, that kind of reduction on club tables for everyday play is kind of unrealistic. Where I play, all the tables have been left at 4 1/2” with the exception of 2 tables tightened to 4 1/8” for one pocket for a small group of us. Of that small group of players, only the owner and I are fond of rotation as well and play it on those 2 tables as well. I’m a “well seasoned” player, as is the owner. Playing rotation on those tables is challenging after the cloth has received several weeks of play. As noted in my previous post, it limits cheating the pocket, which limits positional options.
You say you could “GAF”, but inevitably, in every thread on this subject, you’re quick to point out your views on “maximum accuracy”. You don’t seem to get that “maximum accuracy” is required to divide the pocket into 3 segments and accurately hit those individual sections consistently to get the required position on the following ball. I can hit the center of the pocket every time, but in rotation, that limits positional play, and changes the game, that seems lost on you.
