Just curious?
- Thread starter Gdub1717
- Start date
If you’re a serious player or want to become one you almost have to have your own table. I know there are exceptions, and stories of pros who went to practice on their bicycles, slept under the tables at the local hall, but in my opinion you have to have your own if you practice a lot. BUT .. I know a lot of so called serious players whose pool tables soon started collecting books, laundry and kid’s school projects
Most of the strong players I know never had the space for a table. They play and played in pool halls, competition was the driving force. A few strong players in my area have tables, but those almost always came after they got good. Having a table is nice. I had a table and never used it. When I didn't have a table I played all the time. I got a table again......
I’ve had the home table setup for 20+ years. Knows what?
Nothing beats the pool hall. It’s like learning a golf course.
The cloth and rails are different and so is the competition.
One of our pool halls started reopening this week at 11am.
I’d much rather play on the tables I’ll compete on especially
since tables are newly covered and the players are there.
Frankly, I tended to plateau practicing at home versus going
to the pool hall to play. That’s just the way I’m built. I need a
opponent to push myself & hopefully, they are really good too.
Nothing beats the pool hall. It’s like learning a golf course.
The cloth and rails are different and so is the competition.
One of our pool halls started reopening this week at 11am.
I’d much rather play on the tables I’ll compete on especially
since tables are newly covered and the players are there.
Frankly, I tended to plateau practicing at home versus going
to the pool hall to play. That’s just the way I’m built. I need a
opponent to push myself & hopefully, they are really good too.
I have a 3x6 with snooker cloth and 3.75" pockets. Torture 8-ball or Rotation table
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Never had a table - well a 2 footer that I might still have. Regrets are there was never any place to pile laundry. Blessings are real poolers at the hall and it's pointless to show off at home.
middleofnowhere
Registered
I never have not owned a table. When I was growing up we lived in a hotel that had two 9 foot Brunswick's. When my parents bought a house it had a table. As an adult I have always owned a table. In fact I have two. No pool player should not own a table.
If you enter a tournament even if you are 2 and out, some places will allow you to play for free until the end of the tournament.
That's a good time to get some practice, and some friendly games with opponents that are better than you.
tomatoshooter
Well-known member
I have a table. It's a huge help but it's not everything. The biggest advantage is the convenience. If I watch a video and a player says to do something, I can do it right then. I can play hours a day for no (extra) money. I don't feel silly going to a pool hall and paying just to roll a cue ball up and down the table for an hour. There's no time lost commuting to a pool hall and back. Because the table is the same, I can know that any difference is in what I'm doing. During the lockdown my pool table provided a much needed source of frustration.
There are areas that are somewhat drawbacks. If I invite someone over to play pool, I feel like Floyd Mayweather saying "Hey I just put a boxing ring in my basement, want to come over and spar sometime?" The biggest is that you get so used to how your table plays that it can be disorienting playing on other tables. This was mainly when we came out of lockdown and I started playing other places. Not so much when I play other places, but in my room I'm just shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot in the exact same environment so if other people are there talking with their slow ass shooting it is very distracting. This doesn't have any effect outside of my room, in a bar the distractions become ambiance and I slow play doesn't bother me.
I do need to shoot on other tables more but there's no way I could have achieved the improvement I have without my own table.
There are areas that are somewhat drawbacks. If I invite someone over to play pool, I feel like Floyd Mayweather saying "Hey I just put a boxing ring in my basement, want to come over and spar sometime?" The biggest is that you get so used to how your table plays that it can be disorienting playing on other tables. This was mainly when we came out of lockdown and I started playing other places. Not so much when I play other places, but in my room I'm just shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot in the exact same environment so if other people are there talking with their slow ass shooting it is very distracting. This doesn't have any effect outside of my room, in a bar the distractions become ambiance and I slow play doesn't bother me.
I do need to shoot on other tables more but there's no way I could have achieved the improvement I have without my own table.
Nyquil
Well-known member
I have only been out to a pool hall once since I got my table this summer. Having a home table can def help your skills just from the standpoint of how much easier it is to walk into your room and just run racks or drills whenever you want. Flip side for me is after a few months my skills stopped improving. I am getting lazy playing by myself. Going out was a lot of fun to compete with people and I was much more deliberate with every shot. Being able to play against higher skilled players and get tips was also nice. What I don't miss is waiting on a table and how damn loud the pool halls get on the weekend.
Yeah, getting lazy is a major problem. I find that even when playing friendly games this can creep in. Most people I know, like to play for small stakes. When I played a lot stakes were a must, now that I don't play much there is no need for stakes to stay alert.
Nyquil
Well-known member
Agreed. The older I get the more of a hermit I am becoming and I don't get out much at all these days. Ideally if I can find a couple of lad's that are decent at playing that I am comfortable with letting into my home that would be ideal for me. I would benefit from having some consistent practice partners and maybe some small cash games to keep me competitive. I have all the equipment just no social skills when it comes to meeting new people lol. Been kicking around the idea of trying to get into a B level league. I think this would help me advance my game also.
In my opinion there’s a weird progression that can happen, and this has been mentioned by numerous pro snooker players, John Higgins being one of the more recent. When you start out, you have the club. You learn a bunch from your peers and simply playing, maybe you get some solo time in there. Then, you start to have the desire for a space that allows you to work on things distraction free, to fine tune everything. If you have the means, this will probably result in a home table. Then you hit a certain level where motivation, focus, competition become become important factors for staying sharp and maybe even getting whatever improvement is left to get, and that will lead you back to some kind of club. Maybe it won’t be like the club you first started in, but it’s with your peers again.
John Higgins has talked about this quite a lot recently, and specifically created a space for his fellow Scottish pros to play at. He felt the table at home wasn’t work like enough, and that his practice time on it often felt wasted. He needed a place away from home that motivated him to play.
As for me, I have a table at home. But I also live on an island, so you know…
John Higgins has talked about this quite a lot recently, and specifically created a space for his fellow Scottish pros to play at. He felt the table at home wasn’t work like enough, and that his practice time on it often felt wasted. He needed a place away from home that motivated him to play.
As for me, I have a table at home. But I also live on an island, so you know…