I have a 9' Gold Crown at home. When family and non pool playing friends come to play they ask if my table is bigger than a bar table. I tell them it is but it in no way deters them from playing, not even with the tight 4 1/2" pockets on my table. Someone mentioned that you can do whatever you want to your table and it will never play like a Diamond, I think if you could hide the rails on my table you would have a hard time telling it apart from a Blue Label Diamond short of my side pockets being slightly smaller. Some say that a 7' table will ruin your game, I also do not think that its true. Its just a different game between a 9' and a7', different enough that I have a bar box to go with my Gold Crown. If I were you I would take a hard look at modifying your table with extended rails for tighter pockets. The one thing that is a must is a reputable mechanic with references for doing this specific job so he can let you know the pros and cons of modifying your table.