A question about the table I'm getting.

V

visualchaosfx

Newbie
Well I should have asked this before I bought the thing but anyways, the table I'm getting is a Minnesota Fats 84" Billiards Table with Table Tennis Conversion Top from Walmart.com and it should be here by Friday. Does anyone on here own this table.

I didn't have $1200 to get me the good table plus this is going in my living room which is 12' x 13'

But this table should be adequate enough for a novice like me shouldn't it? I'm not lookin to train and go pro or anything like that.

eh oh well I just thought I would ask.
 
A 13 foot long room is 156 inches. 156 inches minus a 84 inch table leaves 72 inches. 72 inches divided by 2 leaves 3 feet on each end of the table. That's about half what you need.

Take the table back to Wal-mart.
 
Well, table tennis is fun ;) !!!

Seriously, you are not gonna improve a lot of areas of your game with a table of this quality. But then, you are only looking for enough table to have a little fun on, so it's gonna serve in that capacity. And whoever you play is gonna be on the same playing field as you, so in my opinion, even a cheaper table is better than nothing. I would definitely look into getting a higher quality set of balls though.

You should in the least be able to improve your stroke fundamentals, draw, follow, and English shots with a better set of balls.

Have fun!!!

Maniac
 
Maniac said:
Seriously, you are not gonna improve a lot of areas of your game with a table of this quality.
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i understand what you're trying to tell them but this statement is just not true. for the most part the quality of the table you play on has little to do with learning the fundamentals of playing pool. you can hone in many techniques on a table of this quality and still practice the physics of the game the same way. the biggest problem they have is what hal mentioned, the table is too big for the space it's being put in.
 
I've heard bad things about the Wal-mart tables. It's too cramped in there anyway as stated several times before. Sorry :\
 
You still gonna keep this table or what? If yo do, you'll regret it.
 
a good friend of mine who never really was very good bought a 8' table from walmart, put it in his garage, i didn't see him for a few months and he came over new years eve for my party and i couldn't believe his improvement. he said going from his table to my brunswick 9' was like going from a chevette to a corvette, don't know if this would happen for everyone but i guees it's how much practice you put in and how bad you wanna learn. just my .02
 
visualchaosfx said:
... a Minnesota Fats 84" Billiards Table with Table Tennis Conversion Top ... is going in my living room which is 12' x 13'...
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As others mentioned, you will be really, really cramped on a lot of shots. A friend of mine has a 5x10 table in a room about that size. He has the table moved into one corner. This gives him enough room around two sides to play any shot on the table. Well, he can only do spots shots with a cut to the right.

I originally learned on a table like yours that a friend got for his birthday. I think I spent more time on it than he did. We had a lot of all-night six-ball sessions. His situation was better in that there was plenty of room around all sides. I learned things on that table that I never would have learned at the pool hall, like how to aim full at a spot shot and let the cue ball roll to the side half a ball to make the shot, how to curve an object ball around an obstructing ball, and how to play a ball on the side cushion into that same side pocket by getting the speed right.

If you play a lot, it ought to be good for about six months and then I think you'll want to play on slate tables. Around here, several pool halls offer monthly memberships for $75 to $125 that give you a very cheap (relatively) way to practice.
 
I played on very similar tables growing up and the problems I think you may encounter run like this

1. Not the same kind of cloth and cushion material. The response and the action on the ball and the reaction from the cushion is completely different than even a low end slate table.

2. Maintaining a level table is very difficult on these tables some use set screws into the playing surface and its real tough getting it lever over the full surface. You'll constantly be adjusting and expect some ups and downs over the length of the surface.

3. The obvious point like stated is that is doesn't fit. A garage may be better but unless its climate controlled maintaining a level surface will be tough.

All in all I don't think its a bad purchase if you've never played and are just getting started. I don't recommend sticking with it for anything more than 6 or so months. At that point you still should be able to get something from it on the resale and your game should have improved enough to possibly look into a higher quality table.

Good luck and hope you have fun with it and don't be discouraged by its shortcomings.
 
I just got the table yesterday and put it all together. I got the table leveled out. Me and my friends played about 9 games on it last night and we are happy with the table. My only problem with it is the cheap cues that came with it but other than that, its all good. I also have enough room to play. The only thing I gotta move is the treadmill thats in the background. God I love playing this thing.

Oh and don't mind the cardboard covering part of the glass door in the background lol. Here are some pics.





And maybe someday I'll get a better pool table...... when I get a better house and a bigger living room lol.
 
I worked on an OLD Minesota Fats table. It was a pure nightmare. The guy got ripped also. He said he paid $1,500. The poor dude had 3 young boys and looked like he just dumped a lot of money into his new home.

Now normally no matter how bad a table is I "Bend" the truth about a table. I normally say to someone who bought a peice of junk "It's a decent table".

This one though was terrible. Hard to lie about this one. So I told the guy when he asked me how good of a table it was I told him "It's an alright table. But since you have 3 young boys it will be a good table for them to learn proper care of a table. But say in 2 years if they are still interested pool you might want to invest in a better table."

That always works.

But always look around at Used tables if you are on a budget. You won't believe how many tables you can find for $300-$1,000 that are great tables. You just have to look for a recently divorced woman who is trying to get back at her husband. And you will be suprised how many women get the pool table.
 
visualchaosfx said:
I just got the table yesterday and put it all together. I got the table leveled out. Me and my friends played about 9 games on it last night and we are happy with the table. My only problem with it is the cheap cues that came with it but other than that, its all good. I also have enough room to play. The only thing I gotta move is the treadmill thats in the background. God I love playing this thing.

Oh and don't mind the cardboard covering part of the glass door in the background lol. Here are some pics.





And maybe someday I'll get a better pool table...... when I get a better house and a bigger living room lol.
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I have never seen pockets that big in my life what are they 6 inch
 
5ballcharlie said:
I have never seen pockets that big in my life what are they 6 inch
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They can't be any bigger than yours Charlie :D . You goin' goin to Louisville. I'll be up there the 11, 12, and 13th.
 
I currently have an 8" brunswick, however, when I did not have enough room or money for a nice table, I bought a table like this one from k-mart because I just wanted to be able to play some pool. The cloth obviously was not real cloth, the nails that held the bed down came up a little, and it was difficult to keep consistently level. However, I totally enjoyed the time playing on the table. I was definately able to learn draw, angles, english, and work on my stroke. I was able to play games like I wold on a nicer table. I was in a room that was too small also, but I had small sticks to compensate for those shots that needed it. The cues that came with the table were unuseable though. Definately buy a few decent cues to use. The table is better than nothing, and can help your game, and allow you to have fun! I certainly would not compare it to my current table, but all in all, I would buy it again if in the same situation. Of course I may have looked for a used slate table first, but if I were you, I would be happy with the opportunity to play pool whenever you want.
 
I think the reason the pockets look so big is because the rails are a bit shorter. and the (slate) in the pockets are short too. just look at the cut of the slate.
 
StormHotRod300 said:
I think the reason the pockets look so big is because the rails are a bit shorter. and the (slate) in the pockets are short too. just look at the cut of the slate.
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cool I see now
 
Get the basic Aramith balls. They are the best, and have a lifetime warranty. If you want the better balls, you can get the super aramith pro balls. Of course whatever table you eventually get after this one, theballs can go with. I would just buy the basic aramith set though.

That is not slate that is cut too short. It is an MDF board or something along those lines.
 
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