Everything's bigger in Texas

MSchaffer said:
Recently moved to the Great State of Texas, and have been frequenting a local pool hall.

Great place, plenty of quality tables and really close to where I'm staying right now, but the pocket size...wow. I checked them all...same size on all of 'em. Pretty sure they are just a bit over 5".

Also...what is the fascination with the 8 ft table out here?
20+ tables, and all 8' with only three 9'. I'm almost always the only one playing on the 9' tables...

Is it this way anywhere else?
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That picture shows the standard pocket size pretty much all tables had for decades. They have just been tightening them up for the last twenty years or so.
 
cueman said:
That picture shows the standard pocket size pretty much all tables had for decades. They have just been tightening them up for the last twenty years or so.
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Tight pockets aren't responsible for killing pool but they certainly aren't helping.
 
skip100 said:
Tight pockets aren't responsible for killing pool but they certainly aren't helping.
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Kinda agree here. IMO most good rooms should have a couple tight tables for higher level players but for Joe/Jane Public recreational players all they do is kill business. Place i play has 10 GC4's, four have 4.5" corners and the other six are even tighter. It was a bad move and told the owner so. He is not a pool guy and was talked into it by a few of the gamblers. Its brutal to watch casual players on them. Can't be any fun.
 
cueman said:
That picture shows the standard pocket size pretty much all tables had for decades. They have just been tightening them up for the last twenty years or so.
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That's exactly what I was going to say. Also I've noticed with the down tick in the economy and labor shortage I've seen less table maintenance. I'm sure its a cost concern for larger halls.
 
garczar said:
Kinda agree here. IMO most good rooms should have a couple tight tables for higher level players but for Joe/Jane Public recreational players all they do is kill business. Place i play has 10 GC4's, four have 4.5" corners and the other six are even tighter. It was a bad move and told the owner so. He is not a pool guy and was talked into it by a few of the gamblers. Its brutal to watch casual players on them. Can't be any fun.
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"Pool is too easy!"
- Said no one ever
 
I'll give Stixx and Stones a try...a little further away, but seems more like something I would enjoy more than my current choice.
 
While an 8 footer is smaller then a 9 footer, when that is all that's in the room you almost don't even notice. Most people are perfectly content to play on 8 footers. I have played in room tournaments with both when they needed all the tables to play. One match may be on an 8 foot and the next on a 9 foot. No real complaints.
Just as a side note, I went through Texas some years ago and saw a lot of good bar table players, many were Mexicans. It got to where if it was a bar table the the guy was a Mexican you better be careful.
 
I live in DFW area but don't recall seeing many 8' in any room. I frequent Rusty's in Arlington. The do have a couple 8' tables, a slew of diamond 7' and 3 diamond 9' with 4.25" pockets. They still have 2 or 3 9' Brunswick tables.
 
CJH said:
I live in DFW area but don't recall seeing many 8' in any room. I frequent Rusty's in Arlington. The do have a couple 8' tables, a slew of diamond 7' and 3 diamond 9' with 4.25" pockets. They still have 2 or 3 9' Brunswick tables.
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They used to but they finally got rid of them. 8ft's used to be all over down there. Most places have gone to Diamonds. First time we went down to DFW in the mid-late 80's/early 90's all the action was on 8ft's and 3x6 Valley's with the big cueball. TJ Davis used to be real tough to beat on 8ft he knew like the back of his hand.
 
CJH said:
I live in DFW area but don't recall seeing many 8' in any room. I frequent Rusty's in Arlington. The do have a couple 8' tables, a slew of diamond 7' and 3 diamond 9' with 4.25" pockets. They still have 2 or 3 9' Brunswick tables.
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This is at the Billiard Den in Richardson.
Really nice place…nothing bad to say about it, just commenting that it is almost exclusively 8 footers and large pockets….something I never saw in socal.
 
garczar said:
They used to but they finally got rid of them. 8ft's used to be all over down there. Most places have gone to Diamonds. First time we went down to DFW in the mid-late 80's/early 90's all the action was on 8ft's and 3x6 Valley's with the big cueball. TJ Davis used to be real tough to beat on 8ft he knew like the back of his hand.
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He still is.
Plays like burning hell for $5 a game, or a $10 tournament 💪💪💪
Spent many a yr around him.
God bless you TJ, you sorry ass MF 😂😂😂😂.
 
skip100 said:
Tight pockets aren't responsible for killing pool but they certainly aren't helping.
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I agree at the amateur level. When it gets to the pros, they need the tight pockets to stop endless break and runs. Then numbskulls like me want to try to play on the same table as the pros. How many sports can an amateur play on the same equipment as the best in the world? The basketball court at the park doesn't look like the NBA courts. Most racetracks have club races but I don't get to drive a Formula 1 car. Some of the nicer tennis courts are probably equivalent to hard courts but I don't know if clay or grass is available to the public. Bowling alleys, pool, and a couple of golf courses. And pools. I'm pretty sure the water I swim in is about the same a what Michael Phelps swims in.
 
tomatoshooter said:
I agree at the amateur level. When it gets to the pros, they need the tight pockets to stop endless break and runs. Then numbskulls like me want to try to play on the same table as the pros. How many sports can an amateur play on the same equipment as the best in the world? The basketball court at the park doesn't look like the NBA courts. Most racetracks have club races but I don't get to drive a Formula 1 car. Some of the nicer tennis courts are probably equivalent to hard courts but I don't know if clay or grass is available to the public. Bowling alleys, pool, and a couple of golf courses. And pools. I'm pretty sure the water I swim in is about the same a what Michael Phelps swims in.
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God forbid players break and run and put together packages. No one wants to see that. :rolleyes:
 
skip100 said:
God forbid players break and run and put together packages. No one wants to see that. :rolleyes:
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It's kind of boring when nobody doesn't run out.

Watching Mike Sigel run 150 is impressive but watching Immonen and Melling each get several opportunities in a match to 150 had me on the edge of my seat.

 
skip100 said:
Tight pockets aren't responsible for killing pool but they certainly aren't helping.
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Almost every where I travel to around the country, if the room only has one or two tight tables the young beginners or the guys that can’t run three or four balls are playing on the tight tables. Two of the most recent examples happened in New York and Stixx and Stones, but it’s pretty common everywhere.
 
MSchaffer said:
I'll give Stixx and Stones a try...a little further away, but seems more like something I would enjoy more than my current choice.
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Nice room. The first 9’er is the tighter one. But good luck playing on that one, it’s the most popular table in the room.
 
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skip100 said:
God forbid players break and run and put together packages. No one wants to see that. :rolleyes:
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watching the two most recent american 14.1 tournaments, played on diamonds, might be advisable. the big guns still run out, faily frequently and easily. it's a whole different level of play now. going back to bucket tables on the pro circuit wouldn't be good for anyone imo.
 
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