9ft regulation vs. Barbox - Which helps you play better?

[Billy_Bob]

I go by the local pool tournaments, league, etc...

In my area and for miles away every single tournament and league play is on a 7 ft. bar table. Maybe once a year they will have a tournament on 9 ft. tables.

So I have a 7 ft. at home and only play on these. Sometimes will play on a 9 ft. for fun.

If I lived in an area where there were weekly tournaments on 9 ft. tables, then I would have a 9 ft. at home and play mostly on 9 ft. tables.

I've seen "rack running" 9 ft. table 9-ball players come and try to play 8-ball on a bar table. They don't do so good. They can still run racks of 9-ball though. But top players who regularly play 8-ball on 7 ft. tables will do quite well.

 

[Drew]

I go by the local pool tournaments, league, etc...

In my area and for miles away every single tournament and league play is on a 7 ft. bar table. Maybe once a year they will have a tournament on 9 ft. tables.

So I have a 7 ft. at home and only play on these. Sometimes will play on a 9 ft. for fun.

If I lived in an area where there were weekly tournaments on 9 ft. tables, then I would have a 9 ft. at home and play mostly on 9 ft. tables.

I've seen "rack running" 9 ft. table 9-ball players come and try to play 8-ball on a bar table. They don't do so good. They can still run racks of 9-ball though. But top players who regularly play 8-ball on 7 ft. tables will do quite well.

Bar table 8-ball is a completely different animal.

 

[Wolven]

I find that playing on 9ft table improves stroke. Making balls on 7ft table is easier but less enjoyable as most of the time tables are crap & very dirty.
IMO switching from 7ft table to 9ft table is much harder to do then going the other way.

 

[supergreenman]

Lol, go tell Matlock that bar table pool isn't real pool. I'm sure he'll want to bet you a little something on the toy.

Big table snobs irk me. I play most of my pool on a big table, however, I play in one barbox league and one mixed league and the ability to move from one table to another shows a well rounded pool player.

Just last night I had to get my friend(who happens to be a big table snob) to spare on my VNEA team last night because my captian was under the weather. If we hadn't needed him to do well last night it would have been funny watching bash the balls around in frustration because he kept getting out of line or missing easy shape. This is the same guy that was saying before the match that playing on barboxes was way to easy and for bangers and hacks.

 

[Drew]

Big table snobs irk me. I play most of my pool on a big table, however, I play in one barbox league and one mixed league and the ability to move from one table to another shows a well rounded pool player.

Just last night I had to get my friend(who happens to be a big table snob) to spare on my VNEA team last night because my captian was under the weather. If we hadn't needed him to do well last night it would have been funny watching bash the balls around in frustration because he kept getting out of line or missing easy shape. This is the same guy that was saying before the match that playing on barboxes was way to easy and for bangers and hacks.

We don't have too many big table snobs around here. Mostly because everyone grew up playing on the small tables. Anyone who says bar tables are for bangers obviously hasn't played a strong barbox player. And let's not forget how much money is in the dive bars and strip clubs with only 1 or 2 Valleys.

It's impossible to say which table is harder. I agree that making shots on the big table is definitely more challenging. But when you miss on a bar table you really will feel the punishment with 2, 3, or 15 racks lost. When was the last time one miss cost you 7 games on a 9' table? If you want to be a strong shotmaker, go play some on the snooker table. One miss on that table probably won't even cost you a single rack.

 

[ioCross]

I used to be a 9 ft snob until i started getting into action with the owner of a bar on his crappy 7 ft'ers.

It all started when i beat him out of 200 on the 9 ft'ers at the poolhall right next to the bar playing 50 a game 8ball. He told me to come to his bar and play on his tables and bet what i wanted.

I went over there thinking it would be a peice of cake but the complete change in tables made a huge difference. I lost 400 playing barbox 8ball, had to adjust to barbox 9ball and barely broke even.

I went back a week later and played him the same way. Races to 3 for 100. We would start out playing 9ball, and after i won two sets we'd switch to 8ball and i'd lose what i won right back to him.

The combination of bad playing conditions with him being used to playing on his table and me being in unfamiliar territory never allowed me to get him for a lot, maybe a hundred here and there and once or twice 200. One night i played like a dog and lost 400.

A few weeks later he happened to come in and saw me in some 20 dollar 9ball action when i happened to be in dead stroke and he proclaimed that i was trying to hustle him and said he wouldn't play me ever again. That was the worst 40 dollar win i ever booked.

The point is i would crush him any game on a 9 ft, but on a box playing 9ball i was a slight favorite, and box 8ball on his table i was the underdog. Ever since then i've changed my opinions on being a box player. I wish there were more poolhalls that have barboxes in my area as i'd like to practice more on them.