Practice table size - 7 footer or 9 footer???

spliced

spliced

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
For someone who plays almost exclusively on bar tables in leagues and tournaments, is it a better idea to get a 9 foot or 7 foot table for practice at home? Does it make more sense to get a 9 footer so the shots are longer and more difficult or to get a 7 footer which will have more clusters and similarities to tables you play on in competition?
 
If you can fit a 9 footer, that is probably best. All I can fit in my garage is a 7 footer- so that's is what I purchased. I had the pockets made to be quite tight though for tough practice conditions.

I used to practice on 9 footers a lot before I got my table and found it to be quite beneficial. It is great to have a table period, however I think a 9 footer is best if one has the space.
 
nine footer is more fun

The nine footer is more fun to play on, I'd get the nine footer for home use. The only way it will hurt your seven foot game is if you quit playing regularly on the seven footer too.

Hu
 
I like playing on 9ft then going to 7ft seems everything goes easier u really can't let ur stroke out as much on 7ft that's the thing I don't like :cool:
 
9FT all day. It is easier to down scale your game than up scale.
Think Snooker players 12ft table - pool to the guys is easy.
Now think Pool player playing snooker... :thumbup:
 
Played on a 12 foot snooker table last night 6 hours. It's a fun game, I like the game itself, quite interesting.

But geez, the table is bigger, and the pockets are smaller, and the pocket facing is rounded, not angled, so you had to bear down on even the easy shots. Cause anything close to a rail was iffy at best. And the rounded pocket facing enjoyed spitting the balls back at you, as if to say, FU rookie, try again !!!

The guy had a name for his beautiful table, but I simply called her the B1tch ;)

Going back to a 9 footer today is gonna be a friggin walk in the park ;) And my Tuesday league on 7 footers, I might not even have to open my eyes to run out !!
 
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ChicagoRJ said:
Played on a 12 foot snooker table last night 6 hours. It's a fun game, I like the game itself, quite interesting.

But geez, the table is bigger, and the pockets are smaller, and the pocket facing is rounded, not angled, so you had to bear down on even the easy shots. Cause anything close to a rail was iffy at best. At the rounded pocket facing enjoyed spitting the balls back at you, as if to say, FU rookie, try again !!!

The guy had a name for his beautiful table, but I simply called her the B1tch ;)

Going back to a 9 footer today is gonna be a friggin walk in the park ;) And my Tuesday league on 7 footers, I might not even have to open my eyes to run out !!
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Snooker is simple once you know the sweet spot of the pocket and what the pockets will accept or throw right back at your face. :-)

As for 9 or 7ft... My girlfriend has a *****y remark she makes when I piss her off. Bigger is better. :-(

Same in pool. If you get to a stage on a 9 footer where long pots are just another shot then you will go to your league matches on the barbox and think there are no long shots at all on this table. As long as you keep playing league and familiarise yourself with the box every now and again the bigger home table will only help. Bigger tables show up fundamental flaws more often so for that reason alone they're worth it.
 
a 9-footer is always perfect for practice. but if you can easily run 15 balls on a 7-footer then you must have tremendous cueball control.
 
arps said:
a 9-footer is always perfect for practice. but if you can easily run 15 balls on a 7-footer then you must have tremendous cueball control.
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The reason I ask this question is that I am house hunting and finding many more places that can fit a 7 footer vs a 9 foot. And with so many leagues and bar table tournaments in my area, and now a lot of the pro events going to bar table, maybe it would be a good idea to get myself super familiar with the conditions I will be playing on in competition
 
I would also vote for the 9 footer. I hardly ever practice on bar tables.

I will say though -- that getting to the point where you're game is just flowing on the bar table isn't as easy as you would think. For me, to really get in top bar table gear I have to play on them for at least a few hours before everything starts to click. Sure pocketing the balls is easier but just totally getting in the grooze doesn't happen automatically.

If I was king for a day I would have one of each. The nine footer to do most of my practicing on and the bar table would just sit there until a day or two before a tournament. Then I would get on that thing and start running racks until everything started flowing.
 
I went for an over size 8ft. Steepleton works great for me. But if I had room for a 9ft I would have it.
 
7 footer for precision

If you are a good player I'd say stay with the 7 footer. You said all your leagues and tournaments are on a 7 footer. The angles are much different on the smaller table. It's a lot harder to get position and the precision of your game will improve much better practicing on the 7 footer that you usually play on in competition. If you are a lower ranked player than maybe you will benefit more by playing and shooting on the bigger table. It's a lot easier to run out on a 9 foot table with all the space available for position mistakes.
 
I'm in the same position as you spliced, but I've decided to look for a house that will hold a 7 footer just fine, more in my price range. Plus like you said.. All the leagues here and tournaments are on seven foot tables, I'll get more practice working around the cluster of balls and breakouts.
 
Both if possible

I will want to have both bar and nine foot table if I had the room. I know of some people that have this set up. A nine foot table will be my choice for practice.
 
AceAngeles said:
If you are a good player I'd say stay with the 7 footer. You said all your leagues and tournaments are on a 7 footer. The angles are much different on the smaller table. It's a lot harder to get position and the precision of your game will improve much better practicing on the 7 footer that you usually play on in competition. If you are a lower ranked player than maybe you will benefit more by playing and shooting on the bigger table. It's a lot easier to run out on a 9 foot table with all the space available for position mistakes.
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I think you've got it backwards.
 
If you play bar table pool exclusively (League, Tournaments, Gambling, etc....)
Get a 9 footer :thumbup: (Gold Crown or Diamond Pro AM) don't F around.
The only other table I would consider would be a Gold Crown Pro 8 (oversized 8 footer)

PS: Buy a table with Ball Return.
No matter what anyone else says it SUCKS walking around the table plucking balls out of the pockets :angry:
 
AceAngeles said:
. The angles are much different on the smaller table. .
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I hear a lot of people say this. I don't understand how it can be true though since both tables are twice as long as they are wide. The shots on a 9' table are longer but the angles are the same.
 
I have a 9' table at home and play league on 7' tables. I love having a 9' table and don't really have problems moving over to play on the barbox.

If you can find a house that can accommodate it, definitely get a 9' table.
 
jmurphy said:
If you play bar table pool exclusively (League, Tournaments, Gambling, etc....)
Get a 9 footer :thumbup: (Gold Crown or Diamond Pro AM) don't F around.
The only other table I would consider would be a Gold Crown Pro 8 (oversized 8 footer)

PS: Buy a table with Ball Return.
No matter what anyone else says it SUCKS walking around the table plucking balls out of the pockets :angry:
Click to expand...

I disagree about the ball return. I've had it both ways. I'm now glad that I don't have one. It's nice not having to bend down to get the balls out. Once you fill up the pockets on one end of the table you can switch sides and continue practicing.

Now if you don't do a lot of practicing but instead are just playing all the time, then maybe the ball return is better. It's not for me.

....now back to our regular scheduled program.
 
skip said:
I went for an over size 8ft. Steepleton works great for me. But if I had room for a 9ft I would have it.
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I too chose the big 8-footer, with 4.5 pockets,so I can enjoy the best of both worlds
 
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