Howcome I'm so lousy on a bar box???

pwd72s

pwd72s

recreational banger
Silver Member
Today, Cindy & I went to Salem, just fun 8 ball on 9' Brunswicks at our favorite hall. I did well...by my standards.

Then we went to a local bar (For food) that focuses on league pool, it has quite a few well maintained Valleys.

Cindy suggested we play some, so out came the quarters.

She clobbered me! My aim was pathetically off, easily 1/4 diamond from the pockets.

I'll confess to feeling claustophobic on a bar box...everything seems so close, with no "room".

But it might have been the bar itself? Rap on the Juke, people talking loudly, people milling about. It was a bear to concentrate.

Anybody else have this problem? Any suggestions on how to oversome it?
 
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Distractions is probably the reason..if you play nice smooth pocket
speed on big boxes then simply shorting your bridge and move
forward on your cue a little to shorting your stroke as well..and above
all use firm strokes and aim for the inside rail of the pocket everytime
you can..use very little english..mostly stun a little follow and some
draw for positioning..this has worked for me on unfimiliar tables and
tables that are far from perfect..in a bar inviroment dont try to concentrate..
just be decisive and have a couple of drinks..:thumbup:
 
Hmmm....usually for me it's the opposite. I've noticed that I play a lot better after going from a big table(usually regulation in pool halls) to a bar table. This is because the pockets on a bar table are bigger and there's generally less clothe.

Sometimes if you go from an atmosphere such as an open pool hall to maybe a smaller bar full of more people, it can be distracting and throw you off. Lot of pool halls I frequent are quieter than the bars I visit as well.

I recommend throwing some money in the jukebox before playing, and pick something you like. Works for me most of the time. ;)
 
A couple of things, some bar tables have a larger than normal cue ball which is also heavier. Also, hard to play position since the balls tend to cluster more.
 
I was the same way. It took me a lon gtime to get comfortable on a bar box. I still don't play great on one, but much much better now.

For me it was the larger heavier cue ball, dirty nappy cloth and the fact that the balls are never cleaned. They throw much more than my Cent's.

Then there are the distractions...........

Regardless, I have had alot of fun playing bar box for some beers!!

Russ..
 
When you play bar pool you need to think more about where you put the cue ball. On lots of shots you just need to be near the center of the table. On other shots you need perfect position.

Remember, the smaller the table the less error for position.

Keep position play as simple as possible and think about the order to shoot the balls before you start.

Bill Stroud
 
a big break on a bar box is huge, its pretty hard to run out with a bad break unless your very good at shot selection and break outs. Choose your balls wisely after the break and move the cue ball around the table very very slowly and only moving other balls when you have too.
 
Big cueball is the main reason you're missing. Also, focus on shooting only hard enough to make the balls and limit your two and three rail leaves (one rail or no rail works better) until you sight it all in; it will limit your margin of error on aiming. Running a rack of 8 ball on a bar box is delicate work, not a lot of room, so less it a lot more. Center ball and light follow work much better than drawing all the time. Best barbox players I've seen usually keep the whitey parked in the center of the table as much as possible and limit the number of stroke shots needed.
 
I have the same problem going from shooting well on a 9' Diamond and going to a 7' Diamond in the SAME pool hall (same equipment, state of cleanliness, same cueball, etc.). I can be shooting normally at my level or better on the bigt table. I am really prefer the larger tables. I am shooting 14.1 and One Pocket on the larger tables. Then go to 9-ball APA on the smaller ones. I can't figure out why my game goes downhill on the 7 footers.
 
Do you think Cindy adjusted faster to a barbox than you did? What I'm saying is, being closer to the pockets made it easier for Cindy to make shots, and the slower cloth made it harder for you to make position.
 
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pwd72s,

I hear you. I recently complained about a recent bar box experience I had here

My solution was to buy my own bar box to go along with my 9' Diamond Pro table. It was a great decision, especially for the low price of $100. Sure, the table is 30 years old with junk cloth and chipped balls, but it really mimics the dive bars that league play focuses on.

I'll probably put new rubber and Simonis 860 on it eventually. It will be like putting silk panties on a $2 whore...
 
I'm fairly comfortable getting around the table playing 9-ball at my favotrite pool hall which has a 9' Brunswick with 4" pocket. But when I switch over to barbox 8-ball, I get clobbered on a regular basis. This made me wonder what's happening.

I believe there are several things that are throwing me off - the distractions around the bar, dirty balls, inconsistent rails and a lot more clusters to deal with. Plus, I've learned that my 8-ball stategy just plain sucks. I'm on the barbox a bit more now because of league, so things are getting marginally better.

Edit to add - slow dirty cloth also adds to my frustration. All too often I'll softly shoot a ball toward the pocket and it will roll over a fly turd or something then veer off. Just pisses me off!
 
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8ballEinstein said:
I'm fairly comfortable getting around the table playing 9-ball at my favotrite pool hall which has a 9' Brunswick with 4" pocket. But when I switch over to barbox 8-ball, I get clobbered on a regular basis. This made me wonder what's happening.

I believe there are several things that are throwing me off - the distractions around the bar, dirty balls, inconsistent rails and a lot more clusters to deal with. Plus, I've learned that my 8-ball stategy just plain sucks. I'm on the barbox a bit more now because of league, so things are getting marginally better.
Click to expand...

Perhaps you should consider changing your AZB handle? Just kidding.
 
West Point 1987 said:
Big cueball is the main reason you're missing.
Click to expand...

Around me, there aren't tables with big cueballs any more.. That is a thing of the past for this area, maybe a different story where the OP was playing..

I play better on a big table too.. FYI
 
I'm going to go with the lack of concentration opinion on this one.
Lunch with a lovely lady. Cocktails. Slim Whitman singing in the background. C'mon. Pool's the last thing a guy would be thinking about. :)
 
"Howcome I'm so lousy on a bar box???"


Maybe the pockets were tighter on the bar box? I have seen many brunswicks that have a deep shelf but wider pockets than a bar box. In my exp that allows more balls to rattle out when shot with speed but slower shots have a higher chance of dropping.
 
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