Correct pocket size
- Thread starter flyers
- Start date
Well, I don't know a whole lot about table mechanics so we might need some of our experts here to chime in, which I am sure they will. But I think you would need to take up the cloth in order to re-shim them, which would cost lots.
Everyone has different definitions of beginner (I have heard A players refer to themselves as beginners
), but if you are a complete beginner stick with what you've got and then once you can pot 10 consecutive balls then shim them down to 4.5. I'm not so sure it's a good idea to go less than 4.5 as you have to practice what you play on.
Everyone has different definitions of beginner (I have heard A players refer to themselves as beginners
), but if you are a complete beginner stick with what you've got and then once you can pot 10 consecutive balls then shim them down to 4.5. I'm not so sure it's a good idea to go less than 4.5 as you have to practice what you play on.
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Keep it as it is
I agree with Cameron...just keep playing with what you have. The first table I ever had in my house had 5 1/2 " pockets! But I could play all the time at my leisure and there were plenty of pool rooms to play on other equipment. The best learning experience you can have is to adapt to the next table you play on.
I agree with Cameron...just keep playing with what you have. The first table I ever had in my house had 5 1/2 " pockets! But I could play all the time at my leisure and there were plenty of pool rooms to play on other equipment. The best learning experience you can have is to adapt to the next table you play on.
My 7 ft. bar table is quadruple shimmed.
Corner pockets: 3 3/4"
Side pockets: 3 7/8"
Before I shimmed my table I would play on a regular bar table. When I pocketed balls, frequently the balls would just barely make it. They would frequently wobble into the pocket. Also I would do practice drills and the balls would hit the left or right facing on the pocket and rarely go into the pocket dead center.
After I shimmed my pockets and tried playing on my table, I could not make any shots! I totally needed to learn how to aim. How to aim accurately that is. After a few months I got to where I could pocket balls fairly regularly.
And now after a few years of playing on my table, when I go play on a regular table, my balls go into the pockets dead center frequently. Also I see a *lot* of extra space for my shots into pockets. The pockets look like the Grand Canyon to me. So a straight in shot is no longer straight in. I can easily cheat the pocket - shoot to the left or right side of the pocket and get a little angle on my shot.
So I feel after several years of playing on a tightly shimmed table that it has been the best thing I could have done for my game. But I am a determined player who is willing to practice shots I am not good at for months or years even though it is frustrating.
The downside of having tight pockets is that it is frustrating. It will wreck your confidence at first. Also some people will not want to play on your table. Balls tend to get stuck in front of the pocket and with two balls in front of a pocket you can't shoot one ball past the other like you can on a regular table. You can't bank a ball off of the area of the rail where the pocket is shimmed as you will hear a dull thud and the ball will die. (Although you would not be able to do this on a regular table and should not be shooting there anyway.) So a tightly shimmed table will play differently than a regular table in some respects.
Also if you have a 9 ft. table, I would not shim the pockets as tight as I have mine. Maybe triple or double shimmed. You have longer distances with a larger table.
Corner pockets: 3 3/4"
Side pockets: 3 7/8"
Before I shimmed my table I would play on a regular bar table. When I pocketed balls, frequently the balls would just barely make it. They would frequently wobble into the pocket. Also I would do practice drills and the balls would hit the left or right facing on the pocket and rarely go into the pocket dead center.
After I shimmed my pockets and tried playing on my table, I could not make any shots! I totally needed to learn how to aim. How to aim accurately that is. After a few months I got to where I could pocket balls fairly regularly.
And now after a few years of playing on my table, when I go play on a regular table, my balls go into the pockets dead center frequently. Also I see a *lot* of extra space for my shots into pockets. The pockets look like the Grand Canyon to me. So a straight in shot is no longer straight in. I can easily cheat the pocket - shoot to the left or right side of the pocket and get a little angle on my shot.
So I feel after several years of playing on a tightly shimmed table that it has been the best thing I could have done for my game. But I am a determined player who is willing to practice shots I am not good at for months or years even though it is frustrating.
The downside of having tight pockets is that it is frustrating. It will wreck your confidence at first. Also some people will not want to play on your table. Balls tend to get stuck in front of the pocket and with two balls in front of a pocket you can't shoot one ball past the other like you can on a regular table. You can't bank a ball off of the area of the rail where the pocket is shimmed as you will hear a dull thud and the ball will die. (Although you would not be able to do this on a regular table and should not be shooting there anyway.) So a tightly shimmed table will play differently than a regular table in some respects.
Also if you have a 9 ft. table, I would not shim the pockets as tight as I have mine. Maybe triple or double shimmed. You have longer distances with a larger table.
flyers - I would reccomend keeping your table the way it is, wider pockets are great for practicing on, I think if you shim them down, your poisition play may start to hurt and your confidence may decline. I know of many pros who prefer to practice on a table with wider pockets, I think you may regret shimming them down, but what ever you think will help you the most you should go do, good luck! (shoves a mcdonalds double cheeseburger in his mouth) mmmmm....
flyers said:
Hey Guy, the BCA standards are 4-7/8th or larger for corner pockets, and 5-1/4 or larger for side pockets.
In the old days Pro-events were held on 4-1/2 in corners and 5 t0 5-1/8th sides.
Then in the middle 90's they opened the corners back up to 5in and the sides to 5-1/4 or 5-1/2.
I think that 4-1/2 in side pockets and 5 in corner pockets are great for a home table. With pockets this size where ever you go to play will be larger, which will increase your confidants and you will make more balls.
Last, you will not have to have the entire table recovered to have the pockets shimmed.
Most table mechanic have lots of rail cloth laying around.
It would most likely cost you around $150 to have the job completed, this however, may not be the cheapest price. But when you have pockets shimmed, you want a very good mechanic to do it not just anyone or you will be disappointed.
Have you ever played on a table were the ball hits a big piece of rubber and just dies, nothing is more frustrating.
Craig
FoodEater said:
I was watching a game on tv and the guy had position on a ball where he had very little angle to get to the next ball. But he had some. I thought he should hammer it and use what little angle he had. But he didn't. He hit it fairly hard, but not as hard as he should have. His next shot was a tough cut.
I saw further examples of conservatism throughout the match, and have seen this often even among the elite players. I think safety play is exciting, so I'm not complaining. I also realize that no matter the pocket size, the dominant players will prevail. But I have wondered at times if there might not be a point where the pockets get so small that they detract from the entertaining aspects that come with turning the cue ball loose.
I learned how to play on tables with sloppy pockets. When I moved to Hollywood, the poolroom I hung at had sloppy tables. My play becamse a bit sloppy because of it. I'm not saying that would happen with everyone. But it happened to me. When I'd go out to places with tight pockets I'd miss shots I thought I was going to make. This was not good for my confidence. I am not blaming the pockets. I blame myself for not easily adapting. I think in the end, regardless of pocket, the better player will emerge. But, can there be a point where the pockets get so small as to make the game too exact, requiring perfect angles on every shot, and if you don't get the perfect angle you must play safe. I guess that's the ultimate idea of the game, for it to be as tough as possible. But I think there's a point where ultra tight pockets can inhibit the urge of a player to cut the cue-ball loose once in a while, which brings a valuable and entertaining aspect to the game of pool.
Tommy Joe
It seems to me that we can only dream about uniform pocket dimensions in pool. Every pool room you go to will have different pockets. It is best to practice what you will play on. But that isn't always possible.
Tennis is complete opposite to pool. You basically play on the same courts as the top players. The surface, court dimensions, net height...it's all the same. You always know what to expect.
Tennis is complete opposite to pool. You basically play on the same courts as the top players. The surface, court dimensions, net height...it's all the same. You always know what to expect.