How do you handle really crummy tables?

[Fastolfe]

I went play a local tournament today. The place wasn't a poolhall so much as a bar with two tables that were completely spent (to stay polite). The better one had a cloth with holes like if mites had had a field day, stains that looked very much like dried blood, was coming off at the pocket edges, and the rails seemed made of chewing gum. The tables were sitting on a raised platform made of old pallets and covered with carpeting, so that when the players walked on it, both tables shook like if there was a earthquake in progress. As for the balls, they were chipped, and the cueball had so many blue dots it looks like it had acne. The rack was similarly unimpressive.

I had paid the 12 euro entry fee before I could see the disastrous equipment. I wanted to cancel my entry, get my money back and go away, but the bar owner refused, so I figured I might as well do what I could.

To make a long story short, the tables were unplayable. Slow shots? Forget it, the cueball was swerving right and left around crud spots, and it looked like someone had left the handbrake anyway. Hard shots? completely inconsistent, and the ballls would jump out of the pockets half of the time. I played two games, then finally forfeited and packed. Playing was a semi-random affair at best, and there was just no way to play position, let alone build any kind of strategy. I felt overwhelmed by the crappiness of it all.

So, how do you handle that sort of situation? When I have to play on bad tables, I usually forget about any clever cueball control, adopt a hard, short, dry stroke, and I favor stop shots. But even that wasn't enough in this case. Do you know another "emergency playing mode" that can be used to control the game a bit and do a bit better than the local patrons?

 

[greyghost]

next time buy a road map


I used to smash everyone at a bar tourney that was in a bar on a warf on the river. The thing shifted at will, I seen a friend shoot a cut on the eight into the side the cue was in on the spot with the 8 sitting next to the side hole. The 8 drops and the cue ball hits the short rail almost in the middle....the cue ball then starts to curve and MASSE's right back into the side where he made the 8!


Completely brutal....my best advice is to play power pool, big power with small movements, and follow the ball more than you draw it, as I find it harder to control backspin than run on a hellish roll off table(but thats just imop) I always liked my chances over any opponent on a garbage table, its all about the immediate adjustment.

Grey GHost

 

[mamono]

Fire you shots in, this makes the influence of the table's uneven level have less influence on the shot. Some would say shoot hard and then pray, maybe it'll go in.

 

[8Ball48043]

Break your stick down, and politely walk out!

 

[Majic]

I have had similar experiences playing bar pool. Usually you have to have to roll the cueball for position so gettng the right angle is important. Shots usually have to be struck firm to avoid table roll. Not much you can do about the cheeseburger in the middle of the corner pocket though.

 

[sfleinen]

Stop/stun shots to minimize effects of the table

Fastolfe:

Methinks you've already received, in the majority of replies thus far, the best technique to overcome any rolls on these tables -- play the shots hard (but not so hard that they hit the back of the pockets hard enough to bounce back onto the table!). The trick is to get the speed of the table as quickly as you can -- perhaps you can play a few practice games on it before the matches begin?

Another thing -- throw all concept of "running out" out the window. It's very rare on tables *this bad* that you'll be presented the opportunity to do so. (But when you do, make sure you execute on the opportunity -- it's not often that the rolls go the way of a runout on this type of poor equipment!) Instead, look for two-way shots at every opportunity -- shots where if you make it, great, you'll have another shot, but if you don't, you leave your opponent safe. At least you can try -- like you mentioned, it sounds like cue ball position cannot be relied upon, so perhaps leaving your opponent long shots with the cue against a cushion (so he/she can only hit the top of the cue ball without any kind of control) might be best.

One thing's for sure -- no slow-rolling on this table! The only spin you can rely upon is no spin at all -- stop/stun shots. A sliding (not rolling!) cue ball is best. If you can manage to play position where you have stop/stun shots at every opportunity, you minimize the chances of a bad table roll getting you. (Don't get me wrong; bad table rolls will come into play, but at least with firm inertia on the cue ball, you minimize it the best you can.)

Hope this helps!
-Sean

 

[sr 9ball]

i would say use all roll shots. use natral inglish for shape using the 30 deg tag. line. dont force nothing. but dont hit super light hits either. stay away from draw as much as possible. the only hard stroke is the stop shot.
boy my spelling is great today

 

[Patrick Johnson]

How do you handle really crummy tables?

Shoot more firmly.
Use more follow, less draw.
Use the rails less. Avoid sidespin.
Plan more carefully for simple patterns and position play.
Clear balls in groups to minimize travel.

pj
chgo

 

[cueandcushion]

Break your stick down, and politely walk out!

Always vote your wallet. Whining and complaining or just accepting it does not work. I hear complaints all day about a table that never is empty. I know as a business owner the complaints really dont mean anything until they refuse to play on it. Businesses will always pay attention to trends that make them money or lose them money.

 

[Fastolfe]

Always vote your wallet. Whining and complaining or just accepting it does not work. I hear complaints all day about a table that never is empty. I know as a business owner the complaints really dont mean anything until they refuse to play on it. Businesses will always pay attention to trends that make them money or lose them money.

I did try to do that: I went see the guy to get my money back and walk out of the tournament. The guy flatly refused, saying "you've entered the tournament, if you don't like it, forfeit. Nobody here says anything about the table, it's just you, so deal with it." No matter how hard I tried, he didn't budge, and I couldn't really tell him the guys who "don't say anything" don't really know anything about pool either, because they were well within earshot.

But I went back today to complain. I found the sunday employee there who admitted the tables were a shame. I told him I left because I was disgusted with the tables, and he gave me my money back. Too bad I had to drive 40 miles to get 12 euro back :/

As for the "vote with your wallet" thing, it works when everybody agrees to do it. In my usual pool hall, there is one table in really poor condition (but the felt is still in one piece and of a single color though). That table is usually used to train jump shots, and to give to folks the owner of the premises doesn't like, but when there are too many people in the weekly tournament, it is used for matches too.

The table opponents get to play on is drawn at random after each round is completed, but I warned the boss that I'd refuse to play on it, and I'd leave without paying the entry fee, even at the semi-finals or finals. It happened once, and I did leave and didn't pay, and I took the bottle of booze I had already won at that stage. He protested but eventually let me go, because I usually leave a lot of money at that place. But I'm the only one to do it. The boss didn't really care because he really hadn't lost much. As far as his interests are concerned, he can still accept more players in his tournament than he should, he just lost one 15 euro entry fee once, so he comes out on the winning side.

It's like Walmart: if you don't shop there to make a point about their destroying local businesses, but only you (or a minority of people) does it, they really don't give a toss.

 

[cueandcushion]

True points Fastolfe..

It will not become an issue until a majority of the PAYING CUSTOMERS stop PAYING. If 100% of people complained about the table yet 100% of them still payed to play on it...what is the point? Why would the owner do anything when the coin box tells him its not time to make repairs yet. Owners hear an endless stream of complaints. After a while it doesnt matter whether they are legitimate or not. They all sound alike.

I know I have about 18 customers that have made the same complaints for about 20 years. I really am past the point of caring. When a customer that never complains says something...I notice. When strangers make a complaint or comment...I notice. Sorry to say..its just part of business.

 

[12310bch]

from south of the border

Two expressions to use when confronted with the ,"lousy table."

> Esta cabrona mesa

> La pinche mesa
:grin::grin::grin::grin::grin::grin:

 

[genomachino]

Just set up your shots...........

I went play a local tournament today. The place wasn't a poolhall so much as a bar with two tables that were completely spent (to stay polite). The better one had a cloth with holes like if mites had had a field day, stains that looked very much like dried blood, was coming off at the pocket edges, and the rails seemed made of chewing gum. The tables were sitting on a raised platform made of old pallets and covered with carpeting, so that when the players walked on it, both tables shook like if there was a earthquake in progress. As for the balls, they were chipped, and the cueball had so many blue dots it looks like it had acne. The rack was similarly unimpressive.

I had paid the 12 euro entry fee before I could see the disastrous equipment. I wanted to cancel my entry, get my money back and go away, but the bar owner refused, so I figured I might as well do what I could.

To make a long story short, the tables were unplayable. Slow shots? Forget it, the cueball was swerving right and left around crud spots, and it looked like someone had left the handbrake anyway. Hard shots? completely inconsistent, and the ballls would jump out of the pockets half of the time. I played two games, then finally forfeited and packed. Playing was a semi-random affair at best, and there was just no way to play position, let alone build any kind of strategy. I felt overwhelmed by the crappiness of it all.

So, how do you handle that sort of situation? When I have to play on bad tables, I usually forget about any clever cueball control, adopt a hard, short, dry stroke, and I favor stop shots. But even that wasn't enough in this case. Do you know another "emergency playing mode" that can be used to control the game a bit and do a bit better than the local patrons?

Hi there,

I played on the road for years and saw some pretty nasty tables. Most of the time when I was playing on equipment like what you described I was usually laying down anyway.

But regardless you need to get your choice of the balls and move your trouble ball or balls in position so the other guy can't run out. Once he has some of his balls out of the way it will be much easier for you to finish him off.

Then sometimes you have to forget about the way you would normally move around the table and just kind of pretend like you are playing marbles and be real careful.

I was there to get the cash and I could lose a game or 2 and it was OK because there was no limit on time. In fact the longer it went usually the more chance of raiseing the bet there was.

Tournament would be tough but I can't imagine there being too many good players there with those conditions.

In that situation your best weapon is your brain along with the experience of going through this before. Playing like this can be challenging and a good learning experience.

Go back there and try this. It might even be fun........

Have a great day Geno..................

 

[Fastolfe]

you need to get your choice of the balls and move your trouble ball or balls in position so the other guy can't run out. Once he has some of his balls out of the way it will be much easier for you to finish him off.

When I play 8-ball, that's usually what I do anyway, unless the table is wide open and I can plot a plausible course all the way to the 8 ball. But in this case, for instance, I tried to plant one of my balls in front of a pocket, and I failed to even hit a rail because the cloth was so sticky. So I thought okay, a bit harder next time, and the next time, the ball rolled all over the place. So I thought I'd just pocket and forget about position, but no, it didn't work either.

To give you an idea, I tried the standard throw test (you know, two object balls frozen parallel to the long rail near a head corner pocket, hit rear ball at 30 degree angle with medium speed, see where the front ball goes) and half of the balls in the rack ended up rebounding on the side pocket's tip. Wow, that's more than my poor brain can handle...

Go back there and try this. It might even be fun........

Interesting way of looking at things... My idea of fun is equipment that I can rely upon enough to think "I want the cueball HERE" and it stops exactly there. To me, trying to find pleasure in playing at that place again would be akin to cutting off one of my hands for the joy of overcoming my handicap. But then, I'm not much of a road warrior, just an average dude who enjoys the pleasure of an honest game

 

[Kat Anderson]

10. Turn it into a dining room table and serve Christmas dinner on it.

9. Take it apart and turn the cloth and rails into Lady Gagas next couture fashion.

8. Two words-Beer pong

7. Launch it off of building onto Heidi and Spencer.

6. Add wheels, soap box derby wheee

5. Give it to Tiger Woods, for a place to hide.

4. Give it to Tigers wife, much more damaging than a golf club.

3. Huge litter box, just add litter and kitty.

2. Bonfire!

1. Dancing platform for group of naked midgets.

 

[poolplayer2093]

I went play a local tournament today. The place wasn't a poolhall so much as a bar with two tables that were completely spent (to stay polite). The better one had a cloth with holes like if mites had had a field day, stains that looked very much like dried blood, was coming off at the pocket edges, and the rails seemed made of chewing gum. The tables were sitting on a raised platform made of old pallets and covered with carpeting, so that when the players walked on it, both tables shook like if there was a earthquake in progress. As for the balls, they were chipped, and the cueball had so many blue dots it looks like it had acne. The rack was similarly unimpressive.

I had paid the 12 euro entry fee before I could see the disastrous equipment. I wanted to cancel my entry, get my money back and go away, but the bar owner refused, so I figured I might as well do what I could.

To make a long story short, the tables were unplayable. Slow shots? Forget it, the cueball was swerving right and left around crud spots, and it looked like someone had left the handbrake anyway. Hard shots? completely inconsistent, and the ballls would jump out of the pockets half of the time. I played two games, then finally forfeited and packed. Playing was a semi-random affair at best, and there was just no way to play position, let alone build any kind of strategy. I felt overwhelmed by the crappiness of it all.

So, how do you handle that sort of situation? When I have to play on bad tables, I usually forget about any clever cueball control, adopt a hard, short, dry stroke, and I favor stop shots. But even that wasn't enough in this case. Do you know another "emergency playing mode" that can be used to control the game a bit and do a bit better than the local patrons?

no matter how bad the equipment is there's always a way to build a strategy. i've played on the worst equipment in the world and made due.

if it upset you that much you should have told the bar owner to give you 12 euros worth of beer and be done with it