worth practicing on a cheap table?

Darkridder

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hello everyone.

I've recently been looking at houses that will fit a table. I just put in an offer on one that has a seven foot table in the basement... The problem is it's cheap.. Very cheap... But it stays with the house.

How cheap you ask?

It has a wood top, the cloth has stains in it.. I don't know if it's level ( my guess is it's not) the bumpers are like a half inch wide.

Should i even practice on this thing? Just use it for straight in shots and cuts?

I don't want to sound like a snob.. Just worried that practicing on this table couldn't hinder learning bank shots and cue ball control?
 
That's not what makes a table cheap...

Hello everyone.

I've recently been looking at houses that will fit a table. I just put in an offer on one that has a seven foot table in the basement... The problem is it's cheap.. Very cheap... But it stays with the house.

How cheap you ask?

It has a wood top, the cloth has stains in it.. I don't know if it's level ( my guess is it's not) the bumpers are like a half inch wide.

Should i even practice on this thing? Just use it for straight in shots and cuts?

I don't want to sound like a snob.. Just worried that practicing on this table couldn't hinder learning bank shots and cue ball control?

When you say wood top, are you talking about under the felt?? If it is a slate table, a relevel and refelt is a hell of a lot cheaper than buying a place and putting in a new table.

Of course, that's if you were going to get a 7 foot table in the first place.

I wouldn't buy a place cause it had a 7 or 8 foot table unless it also had a garage or room big enough to fit a 9 and the 7 footer was a diamond table.

But that's just me.

Jaden
 
If it stays with the house, offer less. Charge them to dump it, or make them take it out.

I needed to sledgehammer one apart in my basement to get it out. They are trash and not worth practicing on if you are serious about your game.

They are great for parties with alcohol involved, or kids, but not for a player.
 
The answer is a definite NO. Like one guy said, make the owners get rid of it.

I've heard it said that you should practice on what you compete on.

However, that is difficult these days...

Good Luck
 
I played on one of those once. They're better than nothing, but you should be looking for the first opportunity to get it out of there and get something nicer :-)
 
It's not even good for cuts...but it's ok for straight shots....
...light flimsy tables cut thick.
...and it's better to than not hitting balls at all.

And don't spend money on new cloth...save it for a real table.
...when you take the rails off, it will sag.

Possibly the greatest cuesman that ever lived. Walter Lindrum. would hit the three
billiard balls every day, even if he was traveling....a leather seat on a train or ship was
good enough for him. He would get off the ship and make big runs at English billiards.

Walter Lindrum....worth googling
 
Yeah, shit can it. Even practicing on it could diminish your love and excitement for playing.

Having that been said, I use to have an old, cheap 8 foot Brunswick in my basement. Although it was a cheapy, it played good, I enjoyed it, and it absolutely helped my game. At some point though, a table could be so bad it's neither enjoyable or good for practicing...this tables sounds like it would fit into this category.
 
I once played on a warped wood bed table.. Pocketing balls was interesting after you figured out the rolls.
The best part was most shots were hit from the center of the table. All the balls rolled would end up there.
.
 
IMHO it's better than nothing (if that's the alternative) for practicing your stroke. Straight-ins and cut shots; no banks, kicks or position play.

You can feel whether you make a good stroke or not. It doesn't matter if it's on a 9ft Diamond or a kitchen countertop.
 
7 foot valleys are all over craigslist as low as $200 sometimes

getting a slate practice table couldn't get any easier
 
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