Matchroom events pocket size

[hang-the-9]

A lot of standard breaks have the CB in the air most of the way from the cue tip to the head ball. {you can see this in the cloth wear after the tournament is completed.}

Should this also be outlawed ?

Seems to me if CB leaves the bed of the table even a 1/100 of an inch it should be considered a jump shot. {This is basically the same analysis as the double hit.}

If not then you are only discussing how high off the table CB is allowed to go before becoming a foul.

If the jump shot in general is made illegal, it's pretty easy to know when one is played. It's like the scoop jump which is illegal and an accidental miscue. Anyone that is not trying to be an ass on purpose and knows how to play would be able to know one from the other.

I do feel that the jump shot, without a jump cue, is a sufficiently skilled shot to execute that I don't see any issues with having it in the game. And I would much rather see that happen than this push towards 4" pockets and messing with the break rules at every other tournament. I mean look what happened with that horror of a 3 point rule, there were perfectly good decent speed breaks where a ball or even two were made, and the player had to go sit because some other ball hit the point of the side and did not go past the line.

 

[336Robin]

Very true. Put a quarter a few inches in front of a cue ball and jack up very slightly. You'll hop right over it with very little elevation.
No chance will they outlaw jump cues, jump shots can be creative and crowd pleasing. It adds another element to the game which the average person can appreciate.

Agreed and having upstart players beat the top 20 with a bit more forgiving pocket ranks right up there also.

 

[Island Drive]

My perspective.
The PGA has standardized the hole size on ALL putting surfaces.
MR, and the WPA and any other organization that wants to promote the PRO sport SHOULD HAVE exact same size HOLE requirements, for any major or event that is allowed to give out points to the players that need it for seeding.

 

[franko]

They are killing the ability of the lower tier of pros to be competitive, there are quite a few players around the 750 Fargo rating that miss on the 4" pockets. 4.25 would be ideal unless the goal is to only have the top 20 players world wide ever finish in the top 8.

I still think the best way to raise the skill bar in pool is to get rid of jump cue use in pro events and keep the pocket size a more normal size where it does not take ungodly skill to make a ball and play position at the same time over several rails. 4.5 may be a tad too large, but 4" is too unforgiving.

 

[franko]

I agree with all you have written, and add that viewers want to see offense and run outs.

 

[skip100]

Players from 675ish and up won't be bothered by tighter pockets. What is a problem is poolrooms that tighten all their tables to these specs. The place i play at has 10 nice GC4's and all are too tight for recreational players. Have a couple for the better players and leave rest at 4.5"(or bigger) for your normal rec. crowd.

It’s so brutal watching people just trying to have a fun night out take 30 minutes to play a game of 8 ball. And ultimately self defeating for pool halls that go out of business because the normals don’t want to go there any more.

The recent 10 ball event with a 10% runout rate is a poor omen for the future if pockets get too tight.

 

[Rocket354]

I agree that 4" pockets are too punishing. Even if players can sink shots, it detracts from the game because it limits getting shape. Hitting with any speed down the rail is about impossible, and cheating the pocket to get the correct angle is much more severely limited, both of which make the game less interesting to watch. Pool is a lot more than just target shooting, but with ever-smaller pockets it risks becoming little else.

 

[Cameron Smith]

It will change things enough were they can still have a better chance vs having everything stacked against them. Not only do you have to fade guys not missing for 5 racks, now when you are at the table you have to get past shooting into tiny pockets as well. I don't think that should be the case where the setup of the event is built to accommodate the top 20 in the world vs say top 50 or even 100. It would be like the NBA saying "the best players are dunking too easy, let's raise the net another 6 inches", sure that will stop those guys a bit, but it will really really stop the tier of players under the top ones even more from playing as good as they can.

Since the top players will still very likely be on top with tighter pockets or larger pockets, all that smaller pockets do is shrink the size of the player base that can compete. With more normal size pockets for pool we could see some other players get deeper in the field instead of making it so we see the same few players in the top 8 or top 16.

I’m not convinced that 4.25” pockets with brand new cloth is all that tight. If anything players are wilting under the pressure of the tv lights and having a top pro firing back at them. But once all the lower level players are out of the tournament, we end up with top players shooting at buckets.

It appears that these events are filling up pretty quickly, so I don’t think people are put off by the pocket size. I expect they’d still sign up for 4” pockets just for the chance to play in a matchroom event. Their best chance at cashing will always be a good draw, not easier equipment.

 

[Island Drive]

Rocket 354.
Good perspective. It then becomes more of a gamblers trap table 4''.
And when they wear in, tons of safety play must happen as the conditions become even more difficult.

 

[hang-the-9]

It’s so brutal watching people just trying to have a fun night out take 30 minutes to play a game of 8 ball. And ultimately self defeating for pool halls that go out of business because the normals don’t want to go there any more.

The recent 10 ball event with a 10% runout rate is a poor omen for the future if pockets get too tight.

If you were talking about the Predator Ohio event, I was there, the pockets did not seem very tight, but the players could not make balls on the break. I think a majority of breaks were dry, or with no shot after the break. What I found odd is that there were no break rules there past standard rules, and the players were mostly breaking from the side by the rail, where the known good 10 ball break is from the middle.

 

[garczar]

I agree that 4" pockets are too punishing. Even if players can sink shots, it detracts from the game because it limits getting shape. Hitting with any speed down the rail is about impossible, and cheating the pocket to get the correct angle is much more severely limited, both of which make the game less interesting to watch. Pool is a lot more than just target shooting, but with ever-smaller pockets it risks becoming little else.

Agree 100%. The game gets turned in to 'cinch pool' when pockets get so snug. The game loses all sense of 'flow' imo. I think the ProCut as used by Diamond is a good compromise, tight without being too snug.

 

[TrxR]

If you were talking about the Predator Ohio event, I was there, the pockets did not seem very tight, but the players could not make balls on the break. I think a majority of breaks were dry, or with no shot after the break. What I found odd is that there were no break rules there past standard rules, and the players were mostly breaking from the side by the rail, where the known good 10 ball break is from the middle.

I believe the Predator tables are 4.25" pockets.