That is a good way to do it. Place i play just keeps "Reserved" signs on the tight ones. Hacks are not allowed on them. House-man has say in this. Works fine.
Tight Pockets
- Thread starter qbilder
- Start date
I hope you have Mark put Mali cloth on the table. Seriously
You'll remember the old days of why you liked playing pool.
What a sweet setup that would be, 5" pockets and slow cloth.
It's what everyone started out with till good players wanted to prevent other good players from running more racks on them.
I think Dean needs large pockets to hold all his money!!:grin:
I don't know why anyone wants or needs any table more difficult than a 9' diamond pro. It represents the best balance of difficulty and playability for the entire suite of pool games, namely 9 and 10 ball, 8 ball, 14.1, onepocket and banks (in no particular order of importance). Pockets tighter than this don't do much for the game IMO, nor does it improve play. It DOES however, stoke players egos comparing diminishing pocket sizes, even though I'd bet most can't run multiple racks of anything on a diamond pro anyway. I've played on super tight pockets before. Michael's one pocket table in Cincinnati and I didn't get the point. I'll play on it again because that's what they want to match up on up there, but it doesn't improve the playing experience nor does it gain any given player an appreciable edge. All imho of course.
I did a lot of research before tightening my home table pockets, and decided on 4.5” corners. It still let’s you cheat the pocket, which is a skill you’ll need at the pool hall, while also being tight enough to straighten your shot.
I hear ya and mostly agree. Just want to point out that tight pockets do not straighten anyone's shotmaking out. Only a straight stroke with proper aim can do that and any player can perfect their stroke and aim on any table, whether tight or loose. Tight pockets are only pshychological, imo, and usually detrimental at that.
Too tight of pockets aren’t for pool. Being able to “cheat” the pocket for position is part of the game, should be at least...
The the most brutal tables are those ones with 5” pockets, rock hardfacings, rounded over points, and down angles damn near 90°....Deceiving buggers, nothing worse in pool.
You’re on the 8 ball, it’s almost 3 diamonds up on the long rail and you have perfect angle to just hit that nice routine medium paced draw shot one rail to get on the 9 Ball that’s up table, a diamond from the corner pocket closer to the short rail. You let out a nice smooth stroke, you see the 8 headed down the rail, know it’s going in, so you turn your attention to the cueball, you’ve hit it sweet, it missing the side pocket by a diamond and you’re gonna have a tap in for the win...only to hear that thud thud thud, you look up to see the 8 ball bounce between the facings, it’s hung up nicely in the pocket for your opponent. You’re disgusted, tempted to rake the balls, you go sit in your chair and begrudgingly watching your opponent play the 8 ball unnecessarily rail first with extreme running English to come 4 rails and barely get by the 9 to land straight in, you still make him shoot it even though Ray Charles could make it. You then unscrew your shaft, throw it up in the air soft toss baseball style and take Barry bonds cut at it with the butt of your cue, shafts breaks in pieces, you flip off the crowd. You then calmly put the butt of your cue into your case, hand your oppenent a $50, apologize to the houseman, pay your bar tab, and walk out of the building.
I’ve never had that experience, but that’s the kind of things that happen when tables have hard facings with bad angles, ya know?
The the most brutal tables are those ones with 5” pockets, rock hardfacings, rounded over points, and down angles damn near 90°....Deceiving buggers, nothing worse in pool.
You’re on the 8 ball, it’s almost 3 diamonds up on the long rail and you have perfect angle to just hit that nice routine medium paced draw shot one rail to get on the 9 Ball that’s up table, a diamond from the corner pocket closer to the short rail. You let out a nice smooth stroke, you see the 8 headed down the rail, know it’s going in, so you turn your attention to the cueball, you’ve hit it sweet, it missing the side pocket by a diamond and you’re gonna have a tap in for the win...only to hear that thud thud thud, you look up to see the 8 ball bounce between the facings, it’s hung up nicely in the pocket for your opponent. You’re disgusted, tempted to rake the balls, you go sit in your chair and begrudgingly watching your opponent play the 8 ball unnecessarily rail first with extreme running English to come 4 rails and barely get by the 9 to land straight in, you still make him shoot it even though Ray Charles could make it. You then unscrew your shaft, throw it up in the air soft toss baseball style and take Barry bonds cut at it with the butt of your cue, shafts breaks in pieces, you flip off the crowd. You then calmly put the butt of your cue into your case, hand your oppenent a $50, apologize to the houseman, pay your bar tab, and walk out of the building.
I’ve never had that experience, but that’s the kind of things that happen when tables have hard facings with bad angles, ya know?
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One of the places i play at tightened-up on of the GC's to 3&7/8's corners. Its not so bad if two GOOD players are playing 1p but the other day i watched two older guys take 20min to make ONE BALL on it playing 8b. The other three GC's are 4" and are brutal enough. To me 4&1/4- 4&1/2 are more than tight enough for good players. Ball banger/fun players need all the help they can get.
It just forces you to focus more on center pocket after you rattle 5 or 6 that should have dropped. I don't think players naturally focus on where the ball drops in the pocket... just the fact that it drops. Missing balls will tighten your stroke, but it's not worth destroying your confidence. Plus, cheating pockets is much more fun for position play.
I think pockets should have 3 clear "pocketable" lanes for a straight on shot on the OB. 4" pockets really blur the lines between those lanes.
Well said. Repeating myself -- it always kind of amuses me that some intermediate-level amateurs want real tight pockets on their own tables. In the past, I've opined that I have never seen a pool player who was "too good" for a 9-foot Diamond table with 4½" pro-cut corner pockets.
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