8ft versus 9ft Diamond Pro am (room 17'6" x 14')

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thenaturalpoolplayer

Active member
USA Pool Size & Playing AreaMinimum Room Dimensions Full Size Cue 58"
9'100" x 50"18' x 13' 10"
8' pro92" x 46"17' 4" x 13' 6"
8'88" x 44"17' x 13' 4"



The 8 ft fits perfectly with no shorty's. The 9 ft requires a shorty if shooting right on the rail, straight across or straight up table...if off the rail then ok, or if shooting at an angle then ok. BUT sometimes you will have your butt against the wall even if not on the rail...like 6" off...so it can stifle your stance somewhat even if you get a full cue movement.

I would like to play some straight pool so think the 8 ball table is the best for that, and 8 ball so that's one thing to consider. Will the 8ft table ruin my 9 ball game on the 9ft?
 
I have an 8ft at home because I lacked space for a 9ft. I practice at home and play league games at the club on a 9ft. When you first go to the table I can see the difference but it takes me only a little while to adjust. My space is actually 16.8ft so in theory I would require a shorty when playing a frozen shot on the short rails but actually never use it. if anything the 8ft one would teach you to deal better with clusters. This is my opinion
 
sorin said:
I have an 8ft at home because I lacked space for a 9ft. I practice at home and play league games at the club on a 9ft. When you first go to the table I can see the difference but it takes me only a little while to adjust. My space is actually 16.8ft so in theory I would require a shorty when playing a frozen shot on the short rails but actually never use it. if anything the 8ft one would teach you to deal better with clusters. This is my opinion
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Yeah I was thinking the 8ft would be more fun for 8 ball and straight pool as well. I never liked playing either of those games on the 9ft.
 
sorin said:
I have an 8ft at home because I lacked space for a 9ft. I practice at home and play league games at the club on a 9ft. When you first go to the table I can see the difference but it takes me only a little while to adjust. My space is actually 16.8ft so in theory I would require a shorty when playing a frozen shot on the short rails but actually never use it. if anything the 8ft one would teach you to deal better with clusters. This is my opinion
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not much diff in a 8 and 9ft. going back-n-forth is no biggie.
 
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If it matters to you, Diamond split the difference and their 8ft tables have a 45"X90" playing surface.
 
I've got a 9' Gold Crown I in my 18' x 18' garage. A shorty comes into play 10% of the time. I play mostly on 9' tables outside my home so it was a no brainer to live with the slight inconvenience of a shorty.

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rexus31 said:
I've got a 9' Gold Crown I in my 18' x 18' garage. A shorty comes into play 10% of the time. I play mostly on 9' tables outside my home so it was a no brainer to live with the slight inconvenience of a shorty.

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with that amount of space, there shouldnt be any issue of needing a short cue
 
If the cue ball is 1" or closer to the head or foot rail and the shot is 60° to 90° in relation to the rail, the shorty is needed. What it's taught me is to keep the cue ball off the end rails when playing position.
 
100%, get the 9ft and a decent shorty or most of the time you'll be playing by yourself and you can move the cue ball when it comes up. I have a 7ftr and I purchased a 9 ft diamond. Now the 9ft just seems normal to me and when I play a tournament, I'm not at a disadvantage. Your game will be so much better practicing on the 9ft and worth the minor inconvenience.
 
You should be able to switch between any size table in about 10 seconds. Your eyes and brain figure out the differences instantly.
 
iusedtoberich said:
You should be able to switch between any size table in about 10 seconds. Your eyes and brain figure out the differences instantly.
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Yeah, I don't think so. We have no 9ft tables where I live for 50 miles, so I rarely played on them. So going from a 7ft to a 9ft is pretty significant and 10 secs isn't going to help me. After playing on the 9ft everyday for 3 months...yes, my brain and eyes did catch up and I quit coming up short on all my position.

Point is, get the 9ft, you are 6 inches short on your long rails and that's only 3 inches on each side. Then after playing on the 9ft all the time, come back and let us know if going back to an 8ft or 7ft doesn't seem a million times easier.
 
thenaturalpoolplayer said:
USA Pool Size & Playing AreaMinimum Room Dimensions Full Size Cue 58"
9'100" x 50"18' x 13' 10"
8' pro92" x 46"17' 4" x 13' 6"
8'88" x 44"17' x 13' 4"



The 8 ft fits perfectly with no shorty's. The 9 ft requires a shorty if shooting right on the rail, straight across or straight up table...if off the rail then ok, or if shooting at an angle then ok. BUT sometimes you will have your butt against the wall even if not on the rail...like 6" off...so it can stifle your stance somewhat even if you get a full cue movement.

I would like to play some straight pool so think the 8 ball table is the best for that, and 8 ball so that's one thing to consider. Will the 8ft table ruin my 9 ball game on the 9ft?
Click to expand...

I thought you have a 9 foot table already with 4" pockets or something, why an 8 footer now?
 
rexus31 said:
If the cue ball is 1" or closer to the head or foot rail and the shot is 60° to 90° in relation to the rail, the shorty is needed. What it's taught me is to keep the cue ball off the end rails when playing position.
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That is a good point. It teaches you to not leave yourself on the rail.

hang-the-9 said:
I thought you have a 9 foot table already with 4" pockets or something, why an 8 footer now?
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I do, with 4 1/4" pockets. Not fun for anything but 9 ball or 10 ball. I figure an 8 ft might be a good mix for some straight pool and 8 ball....plus its more fun for other players. My table is pretty tough and lessor players lose interest pretty fast. I have seen it humble players with 750 fargos.

hlymnstr14 said:
100%, get the 9ft and a decent shorty or most of the time you'll be playing by yourself and you can move the cue ball when it comes up. I have a 7ftr and I purchased a 9 ft diamond. Now the 9ft just seems normal to me and when I play a tournament, I'm not at a disadvantage. Your game will be so much better practicing on the 9ft and worth the minor inconvenience.
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That's true, but honestly the shorty rarely comes into play...but my butt against the wall comes into play more often...I would say anytime the cueball is 6" (or less) from the rail with a straight out shot. No problem stroking, but harder to get down on the shot...have to bend at both knees like Niels Feijen.

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I practice at home on a OS 8. I gamble and do league at the pool room on 9 ft tables...I made my pockets a little tighter on my home table to compensate. I can’t tell a difference, and I too was worried about it before I got set up.

The most important thing is you are going to be able to hit balls at home. A bar box would be better than nothing at all. I hope this helps
 
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