Tips for quickly adjusting to table conditions?

W

WillyCornbread

Break and One
Silver Member
I have a Diamond table in my basement, and I recently started playing in some local 8 and 9 ball bar leagues.

I'm really struggling adjusting to the terrible and varying table conditions, primarily the speed of the cloth. The roll offs, bunched cloth at pockets etc. I can get over pretty quickly, but one table is twice as fast as my diamond, then another it's like playing on shag carpeting, by the time I start getting adjusted, it's too late and I've all but lost the match.

Are there any specific shots or tips to help my mind adjust quickly? Maybe it's just experience and time? I usually try to get to the table and at least hit a few 2 + 3 rail kicks but it doesn't seem to help. I'm over or under on all my positions...

Tips - or just experience?

Thanks - b
 
WillyCornbread said:
I have a Diamond table in my basement, and I recently started playing in some local 8 and 9 ball bar leagues.

I'm really struggling adjusting to the terrible and varying table conditions, primarily the speed of the cloth. The roll offs, bunched cloth at pockets etc. I can get over pretty quickly, but one table is twice as fast as my diamond, then another it's like playing on shag carpeting, by the time I start getting adjusted, it's too late and I've all but lost the match.

Are there any specific shots or tips to help my mind adjust quickly? Maybe it's just experience and time? I usually try to get to the table and at least hit a few 2 + 3 rail kicks but it doesn't seem to help. I'm over or under on all my positions...

Tips - or just experience?

Thanks - b
Click to expand...

Not to be smart but bar leagues have generally terrible conditions. Have you tried finding tournaments in poolrooms. Conditions in poolrooms are much better.
 
philly said:
Not to be smart but bar leagues have generally terrible conditions. Have you tried finding tournaments in poolrooms. Conditions in poolrooms are much better.
Click to expand...

Agree 100%, it's terrible. Unfortunately it's my only option for regular play against other people. There is a pool room close by, but they don't run any tournaments or leagues. If they did I would bail on the bar leagues without question.

It's so frustrating to be practicing and making progress at home, only to never be able to really show it competitively. I'm looking into some local tournaments, but that wouldn't be a regular thing.
 
WillyCornbread said:
Agree 100%, it's terrible. Unfortunately it's my only option for regular play against other people. There is a pool room close by, but they don't run any tournaments or leagues. If they did I would bail on the bar leagues without question.

It's so frustrating to be practicing and making progress at home, only to never be able to really show it competitively. I'm looking into some local tournaments, but that wouldn't be a regular thing.
Click to expand...

Man. I feel your pain. You want to get out there and take your temperature against other players. I like your competitiveness. Looks like you will have to move. Priorities ya know? Haha.
 
BRussell said:
How about getting there an hour early and playing a lot.
Click to expand...

I mostly play on a 9' gold crown with Simonis 760 and triple shimmed pockets... Then when I go to league or tourneys... it varies from 7' Valleys that sit at a 45* angle (lol) and shag carpet on them, to 8' off brand with ceramic tile on them, to 9' Diamonds with 860... so I play on various tables for league/tourneys, but my practice table is the Gold crown.... I ALWAYS get to the venue 1 hour early. (59 minutes and I freak out, and feel rushed! lol) I don't do any particular drills or warm up routine... I play normal game conditions. I find that it gets my mind in the right place for that particular table. I hope that helps ya!
 
BRussell said:
How about getting there an hour early and playing a lot.
Click to expand...

This is good advice, and I need to try a little harder or make time to get there earlier. I've been so new to the leagues that I have been hesitant to play ahead of time in front of other people because I didn't want them to know my speed (my rating was low because of being new). I realize how ridiculous this sounds because I'm not great, lol.

I'm going to get there earlier from now on, it seems to be the best idea and I feel a little silly that I didn't just realize that first.

Let me ask it this way though, if you only had 10 minutes on new table what would you do with it to try and mentally adjust?

Thanks for the input everyone :)
 
WillyCornbread said:
Agree 100%, it's terrible. Unfortunately it's my only option for regular play against other people. There is a pool room close by, but they don't run any tournaments or leagues. If they did I would bail on the bar leagues without question.

It's so frustrating to be practicing and making progress at home, only to never be able to really show it competitively. I'm looking into some local tournaments, but that wouldn't be a regular thing.
Click to expand...

You can still match up with people without being in a league or tournament. Throw some dollars on the line if no one will play for free.
 
getting there early to get familiar with the table is the best advice
here is another idea
take a standard shot
for example cueball in center of table
object ball one diamond up from corner and one ball off the side rail
pocket ball and go 3 rails to center of table
same set up
pocket ball and go across table 1 rail/2 rail
another idea
cue ball on foot spot
object ball 3 ball out from center of side pocket
make ball go end rail to end rail
with these few shots you should have a general idea of how the table plays except for table rolls
my 2 cents
 
I have a fairly specific warm up routine. object is about 2 inches from the side pocket on headstring side, and about an inch off the rail. Cue ball back about 2 feet, shooting the ball to the end rail pocket, I'll shoot a couple of draws, trying to bring the cue ball back to the head rail, and a couple of force following trying to get the cue ball to the end rail. I do this from both sides. Then its just a couple of shots from the center of the table, kind of like spot shots with a little angle so I can bring the cue ball around the table. In doing this, I judge the table speed, but also the pocket size and receptiveness. I mostly play on 4 1/2 x 9's, with 4 inch pockets. Anything in moving the cue ball around the table will help with getting the cloth speed.
 
Best think you can do if you usually play at the same places is to go to the venue you be playing at for a couple of nights before your tournament to practice/shoot. Do not play on your table during this time, just the tables you will be shooting on. If the venue is too far away to be practical you should be able to find a bar table nearby that plays very similar. I have a 9' Gold Crown at home, I love my table, it plays almost the exact same speed as Diamonds do, I had all the modifications done to it to make it play like a current table but it does me no good when I go to a tournament played on Valleys with shag carpeting on them. So I am in the same boat as you, if I want to play well in a tournament on slow Valleys I spend a couple nights playing only on those. One thing I do not understand is that one of the Amusement Co. that supply most of the tables in our area recover Diamonds with Simonis but why do they put that cheap slow, nappy felt on Valleys????
 
Play a simpler game which involves using less cueball movement. Generally this can leave you harder shots, but by eliminating much of the cueball manipulation, you should be able to overcome.
 
Thanks for weighing in.

I'm going to get there early and do my best to get some table time to warm up.

I think it would be good for me to take some of the shots listed here and practice them in a specific order on my table for a while. Then replicate the exact shots and the order on the terrible tables - maybe that will make things kick in since it would be something consistent for my mind to compare...
 
This is something I was thinking about recently. It probably deserves its own thread, but I though it would be cool to get everyone's thoughts on the best way to tune in on an unfamiliar table quickly. Say you only have time to shoot 5 shots, and you want to learn as much as possible about the table from them - which shots would you choose?

Aaron
 
WillyCornbread said:
Thanks for weighing in.

I'm going to get there early and do my best to get some table time to warm up.

I think it would be good for me to take some of the shots listed here and practice them in a specific order on my table for a while. Then replicate the exact shots and the order on the terrible tables - maybe that will make things kick in since it would be something consistent for my mind to compare...
Click to expand...

exactly:thumbup:
 
WillyCornbread said:
I have a Diamond table in my basement, and I recently started playing in some local 8 and 9 ball bar leagues.

I'm really struggling adjusting to the terrible and varying table conditions, primarily the speed of the cloth. The roll offs, bunched cloth at pockets etc. I can get over pretty quickly, but one table is twice as fast as my diamond, then another it's like playing on shag carpeting, by the time I start getting adjusted, it's too late and I've all but lost the match.

Are there any specific shots or tips to help my mind adjust quickly? Maybe it's just experience and time? I usually try to get to the table and at least hit a few 2 + 3 rail kicks but it doesn't seem to help. I'm over or under on all my positions...

Tips - or just experience?

Thanks - b
Click to expand...

This is why in my 25ish years of playing I can count the number of days I played on a bar table (that was not setup in a real pool hall and done properly) on my fingers and toes with maybe a few left over. I've learned that spin is just about useless on crappy tables and position is measured in half foot increments instead of an inch or less.

Sucks for anyone that does not have proper tables near them, I travel about 45 minutes one way to get to a few rooms with competition for me with good tables, I'd rather not play than play on tables that frustrate me.
 
Last edited:
WillyCornbread said:
Agree 100%, it's terrible. Unfortunately it's my only option for regular play against other people. There is a pool room close by, but they don't run any tournaments or leagues. If they did I would bail on the bar leagues without question.

It's so frustrating to be practicing and making progress at home, only to never be able to really show it competitively. I'm looking into some local tournaments, but that wouldn't be a regular thing.
Click to expand...

Talk to the pool room owner and find out why no leagues or tournaments, and talk to the people that run the league why it's not also in that room. If you know the area players, see if you can get them together for something there.
 
WillyCornbread said:
I've been so new to the leagues that I have been hesitant to play ahead of time in front of other people because I didn't want them to know my speed (my rating was low because of being new).
Click to expand...

Aaaand THAT is what is wrong with leagues, IMHO of course.

Gideon
 
fastone371 said:
One thing I do not understand is that one of the Amusement Co. that supply most of the tables in our area recover Diamonds with Simonis but why do they put that cheap slow, nappy felt on Valleys????
Click to expand...

Three theories:

1. People who are used to cheap, slow, nappy cloth (the vast majority of bar players) would not like the fast worsted cloth of a Simonis. I'm not talking about complete bangers (who would not notice), but people who play regularly on bar tables a "good" bar level. They would have the same adjustment complaints, in reverse, and less ability to make the adjustment.

2. Cheap cloth is cheap, and they figure anyone playing on the Valleys won't know any better (or, like 1 above, would prefer it).

3. Cheaper bar tables are less level (and since they are one piece, even a good mechanic may not be able to make them true). My theory is that cheap, thick cloth is more forgiving - you have to hit harder, so object ball roll-off is less obvious, and the cloth is slower, so CB roll-off happens less.

Gideon
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top