Do/Did Bar Tables Greats Practice Much on Bar Tables?

[BasementDweller]

I'm wondering if the great bar table players from the past and the more current players actually spent/spend much time practicing on the bar tables?

This subject came up the other night and I'm a bit skeptical that this caliber of player would spend much time working on shots on a little table. My contention is that most of them did/do their practicing on bigger tables and just competed an awful lot on the bar table. The exception would be maybe working on breaking and banking, but other than that I just don't see the practice time as being that productive on the bar table.

Change my mind if you dare.

 

[ENGLISH!]

Mr. White,

I am by no means a great. However, I learned on a Brunswick Sport King. To me, playing on a bar table is like a totally different game for two(3) reasons. The cue ball is different. The rails & banking are obvious. And lastly, since the tables are smaller, the paths to the pockets are blocked much more often. The table starts out much more congested.

When I started, the predominant cue ball in my area was the 'big mudd ball'. Since the paths are blocked more often, controlling the cue ball is of more importance. So i had to buy 'a big mudd ball' to practice with on my home tabel. That is one of the very few times that I did any real practicing. I had to learn how that ball reacted what I to do to control it.

As to practicing on the bar table, I would say no, not really, but playing on them whenever & as often as possible is a type of practice. I guess.

Best Regards,

 

[Black-Balled]

interesting question...kinda!

That said, I can't imagine you would hear too many tales of 'practice', they would be gambling.

Keither would be able to provide some input, surely.

 

[BasementDweller]

I'm bumping this thread just this once then I'll let it die and get back to reading about Bonus Ball

I'm just curious about this. I guess I probably could have worded the question differently.

How about do you know of any bar table greats that ONLY ever played on bar tables? I'm sure there have to be a few.

I was talking with an up and coming player last week and I basically told him I think he would be better off practicing only on big tables. He was talking about buying a bar table to practice on. I thought he would be much better off with a big table and just competing a lot on the bar table if that was were the action was. That got me thinking about it...

I was thinking about someone like Jason Kirkwood. What did he practice on? I know he obviously gambled a lot on bar tables. Maybe Neil knows. Paging Neil...

How about it JoeyA? You play with a lot of these bar table guys. You think they really spent much time "practicing" on bar tables?

I guess I have this image of them sneaking off somewhere and practicing on a triple-shimmed 9 footer and then letting everyone think they just play on the bar tables.

 

[Donny Lutz]

All tables

I'm bumping this thread just this once then I'll let it die and get back to reading about Bonus Ball

I'm just curious about this. I guess I probably could have worded the question differently.

How about do you know of any bar table greats that ONLY ever played on bar tables? I'm sure there have to be a few.

I was talking with an up and coming player last week and I basically told him I think he would be better off practicing only on big tables. He was talking about buying a bar table to practice on. I thought he would be much better off with a big table and just competing a lot on the bar table if that was were the action was. That got me thinking about it...

I was thinking about someone like Jason Kirkwood. What did he practice on? I know he obviously gambled a lot on bar tables. Maybe Neil knows. Paging Neil...

How about it JoeyA? You play with a lot of these bar table guys. You think they really spent much time "practicing" on bar tables?

I guess I have this image of them sneaking off somewhere and practicing on a triple-shimmed 9 footer and then letting everyone think they just play on the bar tables.

I played mostly on bar tables for the middle twenty years of my 58 years on the felt. I made the "masters" list on the BB around 1981.
For me, playing on as many size and kinds of tables helps all games on all tables...