a new game?

thefonz

thefonz

It's not me...it's my ADD
Silver Member
Does anyone think that snooker would be more popular in north america if it was played on a 5x10? As someone that used to play quite a bit, one thing that I found discouraging was the amount of time you'd have to put in to stay technically proficient on the 12 footers. As one goes on in life, it gets tougher to commit the time needed to keep the game enjoyable. Maybe on 10 footer being less technically demanding it would attract a greater audience?
 
driven said:
I don't think so.
The game needs to be played on the six by twelve.
If you can make it here you can make it anywhere.
http://youtu.be/7WCoYfKbx2c
Go big or go home.
no disrespect intended.
steven
Click to expand...

I can understand a purist pov, but I'd rather see more people playing even though it's on a 5x10 than nobody playing on a 6x12. There's only 4 full size tables in my city where there once was a couple dozen. When "going home" means no more snooker at all....well that's a shame.
 
driven said:
I don't think so.
The game needs to be played on the six by twelve.
If you can make it here you can make it anywhere.
http://youtu.be/7WCoYfKbx2c
Go big or go home.
no disrespect intended.
steven
Click to expand...

Americans have this idea that snooker can only be played on a 12 ft table - which they don't have, and which pool rooms are not going to introduce because they flunk the cost-benefit analysis.
Same with 10 ft - although Diamond has been turning out a few 10 ft pool tables.
Canada Billiards produces pool and snooker tables in all sizes.

Stephen Hendry started on a six foot table.
What is needed is more people playing snooker.
Needs missionary work.
So play snooker on whatever table is available.
Play six red.
Or ten red.
A game where the win is determined by points earned rather than by black ball potted is an odd concept to Americans.
Perhaps Chinese 9-ball, played on a 9 ft table with snooker pockets will spread to North America.
Only Americans like bucket pockets.
Compare to Russian Pyramid or English 8 ball pockets. :D
 
Scaramouche said:
Americans have this idea that snooker can only be played on a 12 ft table - which they don't have, and which pool rooms are not going to introduce because they flunk the cost-benefit analysis.
Same with 10 ft - although Diamond has been turning out a few 10 ft pool tables.
Canada Billiards produces pool and snooker tables in all sizes.

Stephen Hendry started on a six foot table.
What is needed is more people playing snooker.
Needs missionary work.
So play snooker on whatever table is available.
Play six red.
Or ten red.
A game where the win is determined by points earned rather than by black ball potted is an odd concept to Americans.
Perhaps Chinese 9-ball, played on a 9 ft table with snooker pockets will spread to North America.
Only Americans like bucket pockets.
Compare to Russian Pyramid or English 8 ball pockets. :D
Click to expand...

You just brought back some great memories. I miss the six red pot black tournaments we had in town, great action. We don't have enough tables at one hall to run a tournament now:mad: all the main hall owners sold their 12 footers off to make way for the small table, makes business sense as far as making use of the square footage I guess.
 
Don't get me wrong, I will play the game on whatever table is available. There are zero twelve ft. tables in my state where there used to be three, i think. No tens either. I don't think you can blame the rooms for taking them out, they never got much play. I Don't know why, you would think there would be a waiting list. The only chance I have now is in NY. problem lately is after a couple hrs driving my eyes get a little tired.

I was in England for two weeks about 1974 when I first learned of the game. Me and a friend found a private club in Hounslow, I think that is how it is spelled. I remember it was upstairs with maybe 20 tables. We spent much of our vacation there. Great room.

I also remember those nasty bar tables, very tough.

Also in response to theFonz, For some reason the 10 ft tables over here that I have played on play harder for me. I don't know if they are manufactured that tight or have been messed with. I do know if I had enough space and $$ I would put one right there next to the pool table.
I am not sure I could get very good on it but it helps me play better pool, at least for a little while.


steven
 
I used to travel to a pool hall in Selmer, TN almost every week to play snooker on a 5x10. It was an actual pool hall.....no beer or liquor. You could buy canned sodas or bottles of water and candy bars. There was always a game of dominoes going and all of the older men sitting around shooting the breeze. The three of us that would travel the 45 miles to the hall were always the youngest there....16 at the time. There was only one snooker table there and about 5 8 footers from the early 1900's. which played ok.

The snooker table was the reason everyone was there. There would be 15-20 of us there waiting to play partners with the winner of the table. The pool tables hardly ever got played on. The losers had to pay 50 cents for the game and the counter man would rack for you. "Rack em Deno."

I've moved away from this hall and have 3 snooker tables within a 45 mile radius and all are 5x10. There used to be 1 6x12. I love the game of snooker and I live in the south and might even be considered a redneck by many. There are a lot of us down here that love the game. I miss playing every week and I would buy a snooker table over a regular table any day.
 
Allen Brown said:
I used to travel to a pool hall in Selmer, TN almost every week to play snooker on a 5x10. It was an actual pool hall.....no beer or liquor. You could buy canned sodas or bottles of water and candy bars. There was always a game of dominoes going and all of the older men sitting around shooting the breeze. The three of us that would travel the 45 miles to the hall were always the youngest there....16 at the time. There was only one snooker table there and about 5 8 footers from the early 1900's. which played ok.

The snooker table was the reason everyone was there. There would be 15-20 of us there waiting to play partners with the winner of the table. The pool tables hardly ever got played on. The losers had to pay 50 cents for the game and the counter man would rack for you. "Rack em Deno."

I've moved away from this hall and have 3 snooker tables within a 45 mile radius and all are 5x10. There used to be 1 6x12. I love the game of snooker and I live in the south and might even be considered a redneck by many. There are a lot of us down here that love the game. I miss playing every week and I would buy a snooker table over a regular table any day.
Click to expand...

Memphis has at least a couple places with some tens. Peoples of Beale St. of course, They could maybe take better care of it. And another room close by has a 2 tens. Can't remember the name right now. Most people only want to play golf anyway, I walked in as a stranger one day and they tried to lure me in to the golf game, I would have had no chance, 3 vs one I figured. Even though I don't gamble I offered a game of snooker for whatever they wanted to play for, and would have played if it wasn't too much, No takers.
 
The snooker tables were doing well before they were replaced with 9 footers. The owner took a trip to vegas to some place named pinky's, had a vision, then yanked the snooker tables out.:confused:
 
Snooker used to be enormously popular in the midwest (most 5x10 tables, but it wouldn't have mattered had they been 6x12). It is now only a rarity. I think the economics of running a room destroyed the game in this area. And bar tables are destroying 9' tables.

And, speaking of bucket pockets, did any of you check out the table Alex won the Canadian championship on?? eh, Scaramouche? ;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsOzhM190P4 one of the tables there - you could drive a truck into that corner pocket. :D
 
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I play snooker frequently on a 10 footer. We generally play 10 reds and there is only 1 table within at least a 50 mile radius of where I live that I know of. The table gets use, but it's not that hard to get time on it. Snooker is a great game likened to straight pool and one pocket imo due to the amount of safety play required to play well, unfortunately these are the very things that keep it less popular because most of the younger players just want a fast game with a chance to run out every inning. So just like 14.1 and to a lessor degree one pocket, tournaments will favor the faster games like 9 ball and 8 ball because of time, and of course the lack of enough tables to play snooker tournaments on. Sad really,,,, snooker is a great game, even with American rules.
 
At 60 years young, I grew up in rural Illinois, and every single town in any direction had a pool room w/ snooker tables. Mostly 10 footers, and there was a game at any time of day. Retirees and businessmen during the day and young guns at night. (In Arthur, a large Amish area, you couldn't get a table at night) Played 6,10, and 15 red ball, and 6 ball as well.(A quarter a ball and $1 on the 7) Played partner (either hi/lo or first/third) and ring games. Ring games involved 5/10 cents a point but the only points you had to pay was the person following you. Favorite partner game is 3 handed where you are your own partner and you rotate partners every game.

At one time we also had a snooker league where every town had 5 man teams. One night a week, meet a team and play a round robin. Every person got 5 games and the town w/ 13 wins was the winner.

As for tables, the vast majority were fairly tight. Moreso than the 12 footers you see on the internet. No dissrespect intended, but that's how it was. And today, you search for a table. I don't know about Chicago, but downstate there probably aren't 20 tables. And when you do find one, no one plays or it's in bad shape.

Too bad... All this made for some good times, tough games, and geat memories.
 
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