Damn I must be old since I remembered pool halls without little tables. In the last 10-15 years they are starting to take up half the pool rooms here. It started with one row and now two rows. In another few years it will be all bar tables.
Even the casual pool players fill up the bar tables before the 9 footers. They think it’s the default size. I told someone I play on 9 foot tables and they thought that was professional size reserved for professional league players so they don’t play on it.
To think my local room wanted to make every table’s pocket tight because a couple of pool players suggested it. This will make the game harder for casuals and not fun. Good luck on them coming back.
At this rate Americans will never recover and dominate pool.
One thing nobody can take from us are the cue makers. America has the best cue makers in the world.
It's about the money. A local hall had 1, 9' and maybe 7 bar boxes.
They remodeled and went to 7 bar box tables and 3 dart machines (for a league), since the big table rarely saw action.
They remodeled again recently and were going to go back to the way it was. Another former pool hall owner sat him down and
ran the numbers. Financially, it would take two years for the big table to pay for itself. They scrapped the idea, moved the darts to another location, and
are adding another bar box which also freed up more space for the customers.
More tables in the same space = more revenue.
Room owners are not responsible for growing pool. They are there to sell beer and make money.
ETA:
I think Billy has the right idea at the MC.
It's a freeroll. It is hard AF to make this kind of money playing pool in America.
The US team should have the mindset that "Hey, I'm up 20Gs!. Let's have some fun and try to parlay it into 40."
They have already won. Stop being crippled by pressure. No one is taking the $20k away no matter what.
If they look like they are having fun it is worth it -win or lose. These guys look like their dog died every time the camera is pointed at them.