1st experience playing "Pro cut" pockets...Good Lord!

SplicedPoints said:
Practice on a tight table. But play on a loose one.
This makes your 'play' more fun.
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I played on a bar box the other day, after playing on my home table which is an 8 footer with 3 inch snooker cut pockets and 2 inch balls. It felt like I was throwing pebbles into a garbage can!

I can tell you I have got massively frustrated over the last month of practicing and missing shots I feel I should be getting in my drills, but it was all worth it when I rocked up and saw these garbage can sized pockets :smile:

I don't think I will ever go to generous pockets for my home table now.
 
Bob 14:1 said:
Getting my long awaited 9' Anniversary installed within a month. I opted for 4 7/8". Certainly not pro cut, but I'd be curious as to the member opinions on this pocket sizing,,,
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That's the size my Anniversary has and I really like them.
As someone else mentioned it's more than just the size but I think the table plays
very fair.
 
Fatboy said:
I think "Pro Cut" pockets are terrible for pool in general. Especially for beginners, Its so hard I believe some people dot pocket enough balls and lose interest. Pool is difficult enough already.


(snip).
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I had a friend go with me to the pool hall, which he rarely goes to. He's played pool for decades and is a very good league player, finishing as the top player many times.

He hated the tables there. He said that he's played pool everywhere for years and he won't play ever again on those tight pocketed tables. He quit playing in the middle of our match.

Now this guy knows pool, plays it quite often, and is good enough to pocket balls on the tight tables, but he has no fun doing it, so he hasn't been back to the pool hall since.

fyi,

Jeff Livingston
 
There's room for both in a pool hall, just like there's room for snooker tables, 9' tables, and 7' tables. Setting one or two tight tables aside will attract people that want the challenge if you have the income to support them not always being occupied.

Mike has done the same thing, keeping one table separated from the rest with tighter pockets. I don't mind playing on it and hanging balls, it just forces me to dig in and play a better game.

Mickey's in Vegas is separated into two sides, with Diamonds on one side and Brunswicks on the other. The GCs see more play, and the guys who want the challenge are left to themselves.
 
I think most people struggle on those type of pockets if they are not familiar with them.

@poolhustler - about as big as the pockets in your avatar:thumbup:
 
bdorman said:
I agree that tighter pockets make one a better player...but I also have to agree with Fatboy that making the game so difficult scares away the general public.
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I have never seen anyone say that the general public should be playing pool on tables with tighter pockets.
 
Easy solution to this "tight pocket" dilemma. Shoot the balls into the center of the pocket :eek:. Don't remember ever hanging a ball using this method ;). Do remember having a few object balls return to the playing surface on the "new" Valley BB's last year :angry:. Those pockets were smaller than the Diamond Pro Cuts. Not as well designed though.

Lyn
 
Bob 14:1 -
I opted for 4 7/8".
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Freddie -
IMO, too big for home if you are going to be the main user of the table.
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Gotta go with Freddie on this. I had 4 1/2" corner pockets on my diamond at home, which felt tight enough to keep my shooting edge but was still fun (most of the time).

pj
chgo
 
I prefer 4" corners and 4 7/8" sides on my home table. It plays tough but fair.

IMG_3564.jpg
 
Bob 14:1 said:
Getting my long awaited 9' Anniversary installed within a month. I opted for 4 7/8". Certainly not pro cut, but I'd be curious as to the member opinions on this pocket sizing,,,
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I very much agree with fatboy on this. The game is hard enough already for the average person without making the pockets 4" with a deeper shelf, which is one of the reasons I dislike the infatuation with diamond tables. More people would play if they could make balls, and I believe one of the major deterents to beginners continuing to play pool is the learning curve required to play at a decent level that makes the game fun. I also dislike how those type of pockets take away the ability to shoot certain shots. They literally change the game.

That being said, I think 4 7/8 is too large. Not necessary because it is too large, but because everywhere else you play will have smaller pockets, and your game will suffer. I have 5" pockets at home, and it is tougher everytime I go anywhere else to play. If I had to do it all over, I'd have 4.5" pockets put in. Tough enough to be challenging, but not too tight to ruin the game.
 
You can always get pocket reducers to help sharpen your focus and hone your stroke. Mine take my 5" pockets down to 3.25". I do my drilling with those and it makes a huge difference, yet I can take them out and invite my friends over to play on a table they will still have fun on.
 
SMG said:
I think most people struggle on those type of pockets if they are not familiar with them.

@poolhustler - about as big as the pockets in your avatar:thumbup:
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I had Ernesto cut 4" pockets on my table and now have 4 1/4" non parallel cut pockets by Tablemechanic.

They are 4" in the back and 4 1/4" at the opening.

They both play tough!!!

Are Pro Cut pockets 4" or 4 1/2" ???
 
DogsPlayingPool said:
Pro Cut Diamonds are 4 1/2".
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Just remember that the pocket spec on any table has more going on than the width of the pocket opening. Pocket angle and slate shelf depth are very important factors in how "tough" or "tight" a table plays. See RKC, I remembered at least two things you said...
 
Newbie here, not sure I fully understand table design but I am interested in this discussion. The pockets on my home "practice" table are easier than the ones I play on in league. Especially the side pockets.

Is the time to adjust that when I want to change the rubber bumpers or is it more involved than just the bumpers. I dont think I can post pictures yet, due to low post count I guess, but if the measurement is from the bumper corners my table pockets measure 4 3/4" at the corners and 5 3/4" at the side pockets.

It makes sense to me that my practice table should play a bit more difficult than the tables I play on in the league, but what will it take for me to accomplish that. (retired, low fixed income by the way)
 
Bona said:
Newbie here, not sure I fully understand table design but I am interested in this discussion. The pockets on my home "practice" table are easier than the ones I play on in league. Especially the side pockets.

Is the time to adjust that when I want to change the rubber bumpers or is it more involved than just the bumpers. I dont think I can post pictures yet, due to low post count I guess, but if the measurement is from the bumper corners my table pockets measure 4 3/4" at the corners and 5 3/4" at the side pockets.

It makes sense to me that my practice table should play a bit more difficult than the tables I play on in the league, but what will it take for me to accomplish that. (retired, low fixed income by the way)
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You can cheaply and easily reduce your wide side pockets this way (sorry, I don't have a photo):

Buy a small box of those pencil erasers with the pointed tip that fit on the end of a wooden pencil and get some straight pins like those used in sewing.

Cut off the round portion of the eraser that fits over the pencil so you're left with just the pointy part. This will be your reducer.

Now, using two pins and good pair of pliers, mount the eraser inside the side pocket so the bigger part of the eraser is even with the rail. Push the pins through the eraser into the cushion. I use two per eraser.

Do this for the other side of the pocket. Each side reduces the size by 1/2", thus 1" overall.

Believe it or not, these work so well that you can even bank off of them and they react much like the rail does. They last a long time, too.

So, for less than a few bucks you have a very good pocket reducer and become a superstar in just 5 minutes...OK, that part is a lie, but the rest is true.:thumbup:

Jeff Livingston
 
Bona said:
Newbie here, not sure I fully understand table design but I am interested in this discussion. The pockets on my home "practice" table are easier than the ones I play on in league. Especially the side pockets.

Is the time to adjust that when I want to change the rubber bumpers or is it more involved than just the bumpers. I dont think I can post pictures yet, due to low post count I guess, but if the measurement is from the bumper corners my table pockets measure 4 3/4" at the corners and 5 3/4" at the side pockets.

It makes sense to me that my practice table should play a bit more difficult than the tables I play on in the league, but what will it take for me to accomplish that. (retired, low fixed income by the way)
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You can have "shims" added to the pocket facings at any time, but you might have to replace the cloth on the rails.

Another way (as I've described elsewhere) is to shoot at the pocket facings rather than the whole pocket. That's what I do all the time in practice, but it's especially helpful when I'm on a table with bucket pockets. Keeps me sharp (well, as sharp as I get :)).

pj
chgo
 
jalapus logan said:
Just remember that the pocket spec on any table has more going on than the width of the pocket opening. Pocket angle and slate shelf depth are very important factors in how "tough" or "tight" a table plays. See RKC, I remembered at least two things you said...
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'll try to remember that. :rolleyes:
 
I prefer playing on a table with pro cut pockets. What drives me crazy though is a table with deep shelves. There's a 9 footer by me that seems more annoying than anything. Very difficult to make a shot down the rail.
 
My pockets on my 9 footer are just under 4&1/2",after seeing some people with the 4" pockets, I'm heading out to purchase another set of rubber shims..

When in rome, as the saying goes. :cool:
 
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