Could be, I haven't been to ABQ since covid. I hope so, too.
How many nine footer tables do you have to play on?
- Thread starter jaime_lion
- Start date
Could be, I haven't been to ABQ since covid. I hope so, too.
Within 30 minutes drive I have eight pool halls with four or five 7’ tables in one of them (and six or so 9’ Diamond in that one pool hall). The other seven pool halls are all 9’ tables. So I guess that’s a total of about 60-65 ?
Unfortunately, 7’ tables are the overwhelming choice for league play around here, and league play is the lifeblood of most rooms.
Having said that, most bangers play on the bar boxes, even if they’re not playing in a league, leaving plenty of 9’ tables for those of us that so desire. If I had to, I’d guesstimate that I have something like 75 9’ tables within a 40 minute or less drive.
Sadly, only one 12’ snooker table though.
Having said that, most bangers play on the bar boxes, even if they’re not playing in a league, leaving plenty of 9’ tables for those of us that so desire. If I had to, I’d guesstimate that I have something like 75 9’ tables within a 40 minute or less drive.
Sadly, only one 12’ snooker table though.
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Biloxi Boy
Man With A Golden Arm
I grew up on 8 foot tables. We paid by the hour, or at the end of every game, we hollered "Rack" and the rack boy came, racked a new game and we tossed him a dime or two-bits. There were a few 10 footers around, but they were rare. Somewhere in the late '70's/early '80's, I began to see 9 foot tables. I grew up in a billiards Garden of Eden in which The Hustler had just infected the world and BAR BOXES DID NOT EXIST. When bar boxes came, they were 7 footers and had cue balls the size of a grapefruit that were filled with lead -- draw was near impossible -- I hated them, and barely tolerate them now and now only in a bar. IMHO, a bar box in a pool hall is a crime against nature.
Don't know if it's true, but I have been told that 9 foot tables were a compromise: 8 foot tables predominated in the South while 10 foot tables were the rule in the North. According to the way I heard it, Southerners complained when they went north and vice versa. So, 9 footers were introduced to bridge the gap. If true, it was a great idea. If not true, it is a good story.
As a result of shooting on 9 footers, I no longer enjoy shooting on 8 foot tables. I can also tell you this, if you have never played on a 10 footer, you have to try it. The long green is one of the most daunting experiences in pool -- ranks just below those damned tables with no pockets (lol) but that's another thread.
Don't know if it's true, but I have been told that 9 foot tables were a compromise: 8 foot tables predominated in the South while 10 foot tables were the rule in the North. According to the way I heard it, Southerners complained when they went north and vice versa. So, 9 footers were introduced to bridge the gap. If true, it was a great idea. If not true, it is a good story.
As a result of shooting on 9 footers, I no longer enjoy shooting on 8 foot tables. I can also tell you this, if you have never played on a 10 footer, you have to try it. The long green is one of the most daunting experiences in pool -- ranks just below those damned tables with no pockets (lol) but that's another thread.
9 footers are scarce in my neck of the woods, Louisville, KY area. At one time we had two nice rooms, one had 12 9 footer old Diamonds (pre red label) and the other had something like 16-18 tables mixed between 8 footers and 9 footers.
Both are long gone and there are 5, maybe 7 9 footers left in the area. Two major places left to play are Diamond Bar and Pub with two locations. One has 16 Diamond Blue Label Diamond Pros and the other has something like 13 of the same with two older Red Label 9 footers. The third place to play, Louisville Billiards Club, is an older place and has three old Diamond Pros Red Label and around 15-20 old Diamond Red Label 7 footers. Pool Leagues keeps the doors open in all three locations.
With the closing of the last big room with 9 footers in Louisville, Bank Shot, that left a huge disparity of big tables to play on. One pocket is not the same on the bar box..LOL. A bunch of the players in the Louisville area decided to open their own room. A building was rented, three 9 foot Blue Label Diamonds from the DCC and one 7 footer was rented and installed. Twenty five to thirty members pay a nominal fee 4 times a year to cover operating and maint. cost. In turn, you get a key to the front door and can play 24-7. The whole deal is NOT a business and is ran by the paying members.
Both are long gone and there are 5, maybe 7 9 footers left in the area. Two major places left to play are Diamond Bar and Pub with two locations. One has 16 Diamond Blue Label Diamond Pros and the other has something like 13 of the same with two older Red Label 9 footers. The third place to play, Louisville Billiards Club, is an older place and has three old Diamond Pros Red Label and around 15-20 old Diamond Red Label 7 footers. Pool Leagues keeps the doors open in all three locations.
With the closing of the last big room with 9 footers in Louisville, Bank Shot, that left a huge disparity of big tables to play on. One pocket is not the same on the bar box..LOL. A bunch of the players in the Louisville area decided to open their own room. A building was rented, three 9 foot Blue Label Diamonds from the DCC and one 7 footer was rented and installed. Twenty five to thirty members pay a nominal fee 4 times a year to cover operating and maint. cost. In turn, you get a key to the front door and can play 24-7. The whole deal is NOT a business and is ran by the paying members.
With the pussification of pool you will see more people playing for patches on 7 footers... Real players are made on 9 footers.
The local competition is selling out... 16 seven footers and barely 3 decent players in the whole room. No coincidence.
I agree, disagree, agree, disagree, agree ...
I like the nines and like tens even better. I don't remember what the brand was but there were some ten footers that had saddle leather near the top of the pockets with another layer of saddle leather hanging down I guess as a "burner". The thump of firing a ball dead center into that leather made the trip to the pool hall worthwhile!
Like it or not, action was much more readily available on the barboxes and the eight hundred pound gorilla of a cue ball was in vogue. That is where the "Draw for show, follow for dough" saying came from. You had to get good at playing for follow with that gorilla because drawing it more than a foot or two almost wasn't going to happen unless balls were very close together. Once I learned how to manage the mud ball it was my friend. Playing shape to a gnat's behind was possible with that thing and it broke up clusters like sherman marching through Georgia, damn him!
I liked to gamble by the game and playing eight ball. Fine to hide speed when you needed to. Nine and ten it is harder to control outcomes and playing by the set makes give and take harder.
Hu
I like the nines and like tens even better. I don't remember what the brand was but there were some ten footers that had saddle leather near the top of the pockets with another layer of saddle leather hanging down I guess as a "burner". The thump of firing a ball dead center into that leather made the trip to the pool hall worthwhile!
Like it or not, action was much more readily available on the barboxes and the eight hundred pound gorilla of a cue ball was in vogue. That is where the "Draw for show, follow for dough" saying came from. You had to get good at playing for follow with that gorilla because drawing it more than a foot or two almost wasn't going to happen unless balls were very close together. Once I learned how to manage the mud ball it was my friend. Playing shape to a gnat's behind was possible with that thing and it broke up clusters like sherman marching through Georgia, damn him!
I liked to gamble by the game and playing eight ball. Fine to hide speed when you needed to. Nine and ten it is harder to control outcomes and playing by the set makes give and take harder.
Hu
I haven't seen much change in SE Michigan but I honestly don't have much interest in pool halls except when I travel for work. My area is generally pretty lean but it has been that way for decades. There are what I would call bars with 6-8 tables (usually 8 or 8.5 footers) and bars with a few bar boxes in my immediate area.
I'm not against hanging out in pool halls but again, I get my fill of playing with strangers when I travel and have time to kill. When I'm home I have a few friends over and avoid all the hassle.
At home, I had one 20 years ago and just one today...so no change there.
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I always played on 9' tables growing up(but if someone had an 8' at home,I would play there too)and in pool halls but times have changed.There are many pool leagues that play in bars.7' tables re the new thing.Tournaments all over the country(bar boxes).In Las Vegas all the tables are small for the National Championships like APA League and BCAPL League.It is still pool and very competitive.
I have a 9'Gold Crown II but play on bar boxes in leagues.So think about it,they draw leagues into pool rooms and bars,no table time because you put your money in the tables and if all of a sudden you have two teams playing each other,there are at least 8-10 players there.They will come back to practice.Whatever keeps pool alive works for me.
I have a 9'Gold Crown II but play on bar boxes in leagues.So think about it,they draw leagues into pool rooms and bars,no table time because you put your money in the tables and if all of a sudden you have two teams playing each other,there are at least 8-10 players there.They will come back to practice.Whatever keeps pool alive works for me.
I wish we had some 9ft tables close to us. Short of playing on a 9 ft table in someone's home,it is a 1 1/2 -2 hour drive to a room with any 9 ft tables. Before I had to quit playing several years ago there were a few within 30 minutes from home.Those rooms are long gone.
My pool playing days started right after the movie The Hustler came out, early sixties. The GC just came out and the new family oriented billiard rooms were popping up all over. A great time for pool. And now all the 7 footers everywhere to me is pathetic. Just an amusement, not real pool like in the good old days. oh well, just my opinion. I have other opinions which direction our society is taking, but we'll save that for another forum!
Me too ... although the 8 (9?) 9' tables at the Snooker Shack are nice to have for league etc. (the Shack has 4 x 7' Diamonds, 2 x 12' snooker tables, and maybe 7 or 8 8' tables if the 9'ers aren't your style).
Dave
