What's hurt pool since I've been working in and around it for the last 34yrs.

realkingcobra

realkingcobra

Well-known member
Silver Member
A) Worsted woolen cloths, ie; Simonis, Championship and all the rest.
B) Racking aids.
C) Jump cues.
D) Double elimination tournaments.
E) Shorter races.
F) No Pro player division.
G) No Semi Pro division.
H) Pool table manufactures.
I) Aramith pool ball manufacturing.
J) Cell phones.
K) The internet.
L) Tournament promoters.
M) Tighter pockets.
N) Constantly changing rules for play.
O) Alternating breaks.

I could go on and on, but i think I've listed enough to get some good conversations started and to bring in the trolls as well.
 
T

tableroll

Rolling Thunder
Silver Member
realkingcobra said:
A) Worsted woolen cloths, ie; Simonis, Championship and all the rest.
B) Racking aids.
C) Jump cues.
D) Double elimination tournaments.
E) Shorter races.
F) No Pro player division.
G) No Semi Pro division.
H) Pool table manufactures.
I) Aramith pool ball manufacturing.
J) Cell phones.
K) The internet.
L) Tournament promoters.
M) Tighter pockets.
N) Constantly changing rules for play.
O) Alternating breaks.

I could go on and on, but i think I've listed enough to get some good conversations started and to bring in the trolls as well.
Click to expand...

Simonis offered the first worsted cloth for billiards.

Why worsted cloth? Worsted construction means that there are no short fibers that can release from the cloth to form "pills" or fuzz-balls that have to be removed from the playfield in order to allow the ball to roll straight.

Simonis cloth is incredibly smooth without felt-like fuzziness and Simonis does not wear like nappy woolen cloth which eventually develops tracks or grooves in the cloth, all the while shedding short fibers that constantly need to be removed. With Simonis, ball spin is consistent, and the roll stays straight and true on every shot.

Woolen vs. Worsted = no comparison.
I think all pockets should be standardized to 4 3/4 inches period.
 
JoseV

JoseV

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I would of never thought tighter pockets would be part of problem. I wonder if you feel it cause it's slowing down the pace of play ?

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk
 
mchnhed

mchnhed

I Came, I Shot, I Choked
Silver Member
A & I are the only two I know nothing about.
The others I agree with.

Is "A" because the cloth got faster or that there are too many choices?

Is "I" because of too many levels of quality between each of their ball sets or the cost?

realkingcobra said:
A) Worsted woolen cloths, ie; Simonis, Championship and all the rest.
B) Racking aids.
C) Jump cues.
D) Double elimination tournaments.
E) Shorter races.
F) No Pro player division.
G) No Semi Pro division.
H) Pool table manufactures.
I) Aramith pool ball manufacturing.
J) Cell phones.
K) The internet.
L) Tournament promoters.
M) Tighter pockets.
N) Constantly changing rules for play.
O) Alternating breaks.

I could go on and on, but i think I've listed enough to get some good conversations started and to bring in the trolls as well.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
S

Sweatin'

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Glen, I join the others in asking you to please clarify how you think tighter pockets have hurt the game. I was under the impression that most folks here thought anything over 4-1/2 " was a "bucket".
 
J

Johnnybgood

Banned
My guess is that Worsted cloth makes the table faster. Adding tighter pockets and speeding up the table completely change the game. Does it make it harder to play? Sure. I guess. Sorta? If you are the slow rolling type of player (say Varner vs Strickland) then maybe it helps your game? Where as if you are an authoritative player that plays best when balls are hit firmer then controlling the cue ball off rails (or the wide open for that matter) can be a challenge. Add in the tight pockets that generally don't like to be hit firm unless you are hitting the backs of the pockets first, and you are going to have trouble.

I would completely agree with the most of the points. Alternating breaks may help level the playing field but it sure dulls the game. Not sure about double elimination. Everyone has a bad and good set. Single elimination certainly changes the urgency. You start off in the losers bracket. Jump cues I am divided on. Most players avoid them. Use them as a very last resort. They and myself would rather kick before they jump.

Good topic though.


Sent from my iPhone using AzBilliards Forums
 
mvp

mvp

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I blame the internet!
Hustlers can't hustle, (they are outed on social media)
Pros see in advance who's playing where (might avoid if SVB on rosters etc)
League players are tracked and posted (results always available, pride affected)
Bad tournament directors are publicly outed (lowers interest and trust with players)

Sure the ole interwebz has done good also,but in my opinion there's just to much info out there.
 
slide13

slide13

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
grandpa-simpson-happy.jpg
 
Texas Carom Club

Texas Carom Club

9ball did to billiards what hiphop did to america
Silver Member
Whatever the state of billiards is, won't make me like it any less

I don't hit the balls around in my garage because its a popularity contest
 
vasilios

vasilios

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Nothing has hurt pool in the last 40 ears -
Modern entertainment has consumed the new game players -
Playin good pool is not as easy as pushin a button -
Plenty button pushers out there now -



bill
 
iusedtoberich

iusedtoberich

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
IMO, what has hurt pool, is that there are fewer and fewer bangers that step foot in the pool hall. Bangers are the ones who eventually turn into serious players. None of the things on Glen's list do anything to scare away the bangers, imo. (Some might scare away the serious player). Its all about attracting new bangers to the game. They feed the funnel. I don't have the answer, but its definitely not the minutia details that only hard core addicts like us even can detect.
 
mchnhed

mchnhed

I Came, I Shot, I Choked
Silver Member
Truth.
That's where the small pocket equation comes in.
True 5" pockets with the corrected angles should be the norm for ball banger's tables
with true 4 1/2" pockets for tournament tables.

iusedtoberich said:
IMO, what has hurt pool, is that there are fewer and fewer bangers that step foot in the pool hall. Bangers are the ones who eventually turn into serious players. None of the things on Glen's list do anything to scare away the bangers, imo. (Some might scare away the serious player). Its all about attracting new bangers to the game. They feed the funnel. I don't have the answer, but its definitely not the minutia details that only hard core addicts like us even can detect.
Click to expand...
 
iusedtoberich

iusedtoberich

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
mchnhed said:
Truth.
That's where the small pocket equation comes in.
True 5" pockets with the corrected angles should be the norm for ball banger's tables
with true 4 1/2" pockets for tournament tables.
Click to expand...

Agree. But most pool halls I've been to 5" is the standard. And the serious player's room might have 3 or 4 shimmed tables up front for us pool junkies. But the counter man always sends the bangers to the bucket tables first.
 
mchnhed

mchnhed

I Came, I Shot, I Choked
Silver Member
5 1/8"+ with inconsistent angles and sizes on the same table.

They need to be corrected and set to a standard 5".

iusedtoberich said:
Agree. But most pool halls I've been to 5" is the standard. And the serious player's room might have 3 or 4 shimmed tables up front for us pool junkies. But the counter man always sends the bangers to the bucket tables first.
Click to expand...
 
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