Are 10ft Tables Bad ?
- Thread starter Mr. Bond
- Start date
Cool article. I wish that pool were still our "national indoor pastime"! Are ten foot tables bad? I surely don't know. I likely will never find out either, as pool tables seem to be shrinking down to the seven foot variety everywhere I look....yikes!
Wonder how billiards has been so forgotten in America when in the past they were hand in hand
Most people I introduce the game to never even seen a table without pockets
I play and enjoy both regularly, not as much pool because I don't have a table
Most people I introduce the game to never even seen a table without pockets
I play and enjoy both regularly, not as much pool because I don't have a table
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Players that go from 9 ft to 10 ft find it different for the same reason that it is for them by going from 9 ft to the bar box. It is almost a different game.
The game is also changed by making the pockets smaller, depth of shelve, and angle of the rail in the pocket. It is not because the target is smaller as much as it is for the pocket to accept the balls. A smaller pocket also has affect on cheating the pocket for position.
Brand of tables also make a difference.
I think that 10 ft tables may help a pool hall get more business as not too many houses has the space for one. But then if their aren't many tournaments that use 10 ft tables people won't feel the use for playing on one.
One of our local pool hall installed a couple of 7 ft diamond tables and those have increased his business as players are always lined up to play on them because there are are tournaments that use them thanks to Diamond that sets them up.
I guess this may be because not too many can afford one for home even though they have the space.
The game is also changed by making the pockets smaller, depth of shelve, and angle of the rail in the pocket. It is not because the target is smaller as much as it is for the pocket to accept the balls. A smaller pocket also has affect on cheating the pocket for position.
Brand of tables also make a difference.
I think that 10 ft tables may help a pool hall get more business as not too many houses has the space for one. But then if their aren't many tournaments that use 10 ft tables people won't feel the use for playing on one.
One of our local pool hall installed a couple of 7 ft diamond tables and those have increased his business as players are always lined up to play on them because there are are tournaments that use them thanks to Diamond that sets them up.
I guess this may be because not too many can afford one for home even though they have the space.
I would love to play on a 10 footer. I play strictly on 9 footers. If 7 footers were all there were I don't know if I would continue to play. Well...yes I would but there is a world of difference between 9 and 7 footers. I would love to give a 10 footer a shot.
…yes on the 10’r, your eyes will get bigger, the grin wider and your stomach in nots, it's great to get a view of the conversation from way back, and u no, nothings’ changed other than the economics, temperament and the tools, at lease the payouts seem to be holding on to about the same, thanks for the post.
Does he charge a different, higher rate to use the 10ft? Could be why it isn't used.
I think the night rate is the same as 9' and I'm usually there at night. I don't think it qualifies for the $12 "all day" rate though.
I grew up in the 40's-50's and privileged to have a 10ft. Brunswick Kling in our parlor.
Dad allowed me to begin playing at age 8 (I was tall enough by then).
During my eight year stint in the U.S. Navy (flyer) I was again privileged to have access
to six 5x10 Brunswicks and played several hours a day, mostly alone, working on my
Straight Pool game. All six U.S. Navy 14.1 Championships I competed in were played
on 5x10 tables.
Given a choice, I would play exclusively on 10ft. Tables.
Dad allowed me to begin playing at age 8 (I was tall enough by then).
During my eight year stint in the U.S. Navy (flyer) I was again privileged to have access
to six 5x10 Brunswicks and played several hours a day, mostly alone, working on my
Straight Pool game. All six U.S. Navy 14.1 Championships I competed in were played
on 5x10 tables.
Given a choice, I would play exclusively on 10ft. Tables.
Me too.
It's kinda funny how the points being made in the article ( in favor of the 9ft) are pretty much the same points that are made today by people in favor of using 7ft tables.
Oh no. Does this mean we will eventually be playing on 6 footers?
Four poolrooms I know of in NYC have had 10-foot tables. Two of those four got rid of them and one room outright closed. The only remaining room recently purchased a whole new fleet of Diamonds and the 10-footer sits right in the front of the room and gets all the serious action.
From what I've seen, it's very subjective and it really only takes a small handful of players to make a 10-foot table popular. If the top players in your room don't gravitate to it, it's dead space. If they do, it's your crown jewel.
In my opinion, if you're working with limited space and doing your best to monetize each and every square foot of a poolroom, a 10-footer is probably not worth the risk. You could almost fit two bar boxes in the same space which could yield twice as much revenue for your weekend walk-ins and be very popular with your 8ball league players. On the other hand, if you already have a handful of top professionals frequenting your room and making big games, a 10-footer will feel like an easy decision.
From what I've seen, it's very subjective and it really only takes a small handful of players to make a 10-foot table popular. If the top players in your room don't gravitate to it, it's dead space. If they do, it's your crown jewel.
In my opinion, if you're working with limited space and doing your best to monetize each and every square foot of a poolroom, a 10-footer is probably not worth the risk. You could almost fit two bar boxes in the same space which could yield twice as much revenue for your weekend walk-ins and be very popular with your 8ball league players. On the other hand, if you already have a handful of top professionals frequenting your room and making big games, a 10-footer will feel like an easy decision.
yup, and I'm sure the room owners in 1921 were thinking the same exact thing.
Love the article. Although I kinda find the logic to similar to saying, most golfers don't have access to PGA standard courses so pros should compete on the easier club courses to give the rest of us a chance.
That said, I've always had this image of pool rooms in the early 20th century packed with 10 footers. I guess I was very mistaken.
That said, I've always had this image of pool rooms in the early 20th century packed with 10 footers. I guess I was very mistaken.
Agreed
The nicer places did primarily have 10ft tables, but way more of them were billard tables than pocket tables. The smaller and small town halls stuck to 9ft.
Interesting! So very much like how things are now with 7 foot and 9 foot tables.
Also of note in that article is the writers opinion of the standard of play between 10 and 9 foot tables. It appears that he is inferring that matches on 10 foot tables were more of a tactical affair than on the smaller tables.
On a side note, although the writer believes longer runs to be preferable to the audience member, perhaps the movement to 9 foot tables hurt straight pool in the long term? Long runs are fine occasionally for the average viewer but I would think more back and forth to be preferable, which the 10 foot apparently provided during straight pools apparent glory days.