The playing height of an English snooker table is approximately 32", two inches higher than a pool table. It's very noticable and makes the adjustment from pool to snooker that much harder. The normal/ideal surface height for pool tables (Gold Crowns, Diamonds, etc.) is 30". You might have noticed that this is the same height as most American dining room and office tables, and has been for centuries. This is in all likelihood the reason that our pool tables began using this height. I suspect that some existing tables that were already in use centuries ago were converted to pool tables. Makes sense to me.
One interesting thing I noticed in my travels was that in Japan the playing height of their pool tables tended to be lower by about one inch (29" high). I think this was done because of their shorter stature. This is not the case in the Philippines, China or Taiwan, who play on similar height tables to ours. I think even this one little thing is not helpful to Japanese players who wish to compete internationally. I suspect the top players in Japan are able to practice on a taller/regulation height table somewhere. I just never saw them in the poolrooms I visited over there.
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