I think that sometimes bar table pockets are so wide it becomes a joke. The pockets should be wide enough to accommodate 2 balls and that's it. The table at which my home league matches take place accommodates 2.5 balls. You wouldn't believe how badly somebody can hit a ball on still make it.
Do You Think It's Time to tighten up BB's?
- Thread starter Johnnyt
- Start date
Excellent post......players below pro level won't enjoy playing on a table with 4" pockets. I've been playing for years and I don't like playing on a real tight table. Tight tables would scare more people away from pool than bring more into the sport!
James
Nope, the intentions of that industry specifically cater to the bar bangers, drinkers and that demographic. If your a vendor, last thing you want is less table turnover per hour because of tight equipment. But on that note, the cheap ass vendors (not all of em) buy thick/less expensive rag cloth and now, the balls don't go in unintended pockets as often because of poor ball speed, they all should use simonis or at least a Fast Cloth. Cost more up front, but at the end of the year you probably have at least 15% more coin drop than slow/cheap/rag.
Johnny,
If you want bar tables to tighten up "bet a little higher" and they will tighten up just fine!
James
Unless the event is named "The Bar Box Nationals"; bar boxes should not be used at a national (or even state) level tourney.
Why not? thats why they have 9 ft tourneys also
well....let's just hope it stops there. I for one will not watch the national 4x2 table top 9ball extravaganza....
ok....maybe if TAR puts it on I'll watch.
G.
Believe what you want. 9' tables only account for about 10% of all tables in the US. Of the remaining 90% bar boxes are a huge % of it. With the economy in the crapper for as far into the future as one can see, less and less added money and good sponsers, the price per sq ft for rent, and the price of 9' tables and the cost to maintain them, you are going to see a hell of a lot more bar box tournaments in the US.
That's why I say start tightening the pockets and put on good rails that don't let you make balls hitting the rail 6" from the pocket. I believe the 7' Diamonds could be shimed to tighten the pockets to under 4 1/2' at a small cost. A Valley in good shape can have extended Ridgebacks rails making the pockets 4" to 4 1/4" at a $200 cost. I'm not talking about vending tables where only bangers play. I'm talking about tables used for open tournaments. Also, if a room has 8 bar boxes, make at least one tight. Johnnyt
That's why I say start tightening the pockets and put on good rails that don't let you make balls hitting the rail 6" from the pocket. I believe the 7' Diamonds could be shimed to tighten the pockets to under 4 1/2' at a small cost. A Valley in good shape can have extended Ridgebacks rails making the pockets 4" to 4 1/4" at a $200 cost. I'm not talking about vending tables where only bangers play. I'm talking about tables used for open tournaments. Also, if a room has 8 bar boxes, make at least one tight. Johnnyt
If you tighten up the bar boxes then players will have to play sober. And that will not help any bar owners that rely on alcohol income to support the place. They would have to raise the price of the game to $3 per game to make up the difference. Leave the pockets on bar boxes as loose as can be. 90% of bar players are there for fun...not to go pro.
I have a pool problem that interferes with my drinking!
I made mine 4.25 and I liked it a lot. It would spit balls out quite a bit but once you got used to it it was really nice to play on. I used to get people playing in my place and they would get tortured the first hour until they settled down.
What a lot of people don't know is you can change the rails on a Valley in under 30 min taking your time to get them on at the right hieght. I have 3 sets for mine...standard Valley 4 1/2", Ridgrback 4 1/2", and extended Ridgebacks 4" all 6 pockets are 4".
When I first went to the 4" I couldn't run a rack of 9-ball. Then I played nothing but 14.1 for a month. After that I could beat the ghost again on the 4"' almost as easy as the 4 1/2's. I still have to respect them and play good position and get set up for the best angles.
Almost every time I tell someone about my table they say, "yeah but the shelve is still shallow, making it still an easy Valley." When they come over and play they change their tune very quickly.
9-ball is too easy for pros on a bar table...even with 4" pockets. Ten ball, 4" pockets, and good rails that won't allow you to make a ball touching them first is the ticket IMO. Johnnyt
When I first went to the 4" I couldn't run a rack of 9-ball. Then I played nothing but 14.1 for a month. After that I could beat the ghost again on the 4"' almost as easy as the 4 1/2's. I still have to respect them and play good position and get set up for the best angles.
Almost every time I tell someone about my table they say, "yeah but the shelve is still shallow, making it still an easy Valley." When they come over and play they change their tune very quickly.
9-ball is too easy for pros on a bar table...even with 4" pockets. Ten ball, 4" pockets, and good rails that won't allow you to make a ball touching them first is the ticket IMO. Johnnyt
I think 4" pockets are too tight. I mean I think for sure that they are good to practice on but in games you also need to know how to use the rails or "make the pocket grow" as Buddy Hall puts it. Efren does this A LOT.
I practice on 4" pockets at the poolrooms here because EVERY pool room has one for the house pro in the front. They are tough and they require accuracy of course. But they cut off a lot of position shots because of the accuracy required.
I would like to see it officially standardized. Not necessarily tightened up.
The Bar Box championships are going on right now if anyone wants to check it out. They are playing all week with formats 10 ball, 9 ball, and finally 8 ball. Goto Tar Report and/or CSI.
One of my favorite games is barbox 8 ball.:thumbup:
The Bar Box championships are going on right now if anyone wants to check it out. They are playing all week with formats 10 ball, 9 ball, and finally 8 ball. Goto Tar Report and/or CSI.
One of my favorite games is barbox 8 ball.:thumbup:
Personally I think the 4 1/2" diamond pockets are perfect for all levels of play. I think the pocket is tight enough to require accurate shooting but not so tight that the average banger can't have a good time. They're not in any way too easy for the pros. What I think it is, is that the players on average at the pro level are just getting better so the older equipment looks easy to them. The diamond bb's they play on now are plenty tight enough to bring the best player out on that given day. I look at it like this. Football players are getting bigger, faster, stronger, the NFL isn't trying to make the field 150 yards. Or make it 13 on 13. Usain Bolt broke and continues to break the world record in the 100m in times no one thought possible. They're not trying to make it the 120m. The athlete is getting better, the game, whatever it may be is being played at a higher level at the elite level, that doesnt mean you need to make the game harder. I think there should be standard equipment specs for the tables but, one, that would be hard to do with all of the existing equipment that doesn't meet those specs still being in use, and two, is that the equipment needs to be standard for the local level tournament all the way to the US Open. Kids play on the same 10ft basket in HS basketball as they do in the NBA, same size ball, the courts the same size, so why should pockets be tighter in pool because there's an elite level of play? Make the equipment standard for competition and leave it alone. I don't understand the want to continue to make pockets tighter and tighter. Pretty soon the pockets are gonna be 2 1/2".