4.5" is tight enough. Smaller pockets won't help you get better at cue ball control, game strategy.
I must respectfully disagree. If you are able to play well on a table with really tight pockets,
other tables are going to just play easier. That’s just common sense. When you play golf on
easier courses, you play better than on harder courses usually, but weather can be a variable.
If you play on 10’ table regularly, a 9’ table becomes easier. If you bench 200 lbs, then doing it
with 125 lbs is much easier. If you can run 5 miles, then running 3 miles is easier. Anytime you
switch from a more difficult venue to an easier venue, you usually do much better. That’s true
in academic endeavors and sports, as well as life in general. You push yourself and become better.
Now some people don’t enjoy the challenge, succumb to frustration and so they don’t like tight tables.
Personally, just change the pockets on a 12’ snooker table to pool table and let’s play. Sure, the game
can be frustrating played on big tables with tight pockets but the satisfaction from succeeding is just
phenomenal. The more challenging a table is, the more I enjoy playing on it. It separates the meek from
the mild, the wannabes from those that are really good players and it makes you concentrate & try harder.
Everyone has their preferences but I prefer to play on tables that tend to frustrate the average pool player.