Needing some thoughts on what size table to buy.

boogieman

boogieman

It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping.
I am at a bit of a loss on which size table to get.

Here in Southeast Iowa I have to travel 100 miles to even find a 9' table, I am deep in the heart of bar box land, meaning anywhere I play anyone, is will be on a bar box.

I really like an 8' bar box table I play on at the local pool hall, but honestly am at the point I need tighter pockets because wide ones make me lazy where I don't even aim. It just doesn't feel challenging enough to pay attention to aiming.

I talked to a few people and they think I should get/would like a 9' table. I made a trip to Corner Pocket in Ames, and played on a 9' GC. (only was able to play 30 minutes cause my 16 yr old nephew couldn't come in and had to wait in the truck...:( ) Much faster cloth and tighter pockets than I am used to. I have to admit, even being used to the 8', the 9' was intimidating as hell :embarrassed2:

I got a few runs of 3-4 balls, so I could make some but the table made me feel like a real noob. I ran a rail shot about 7', which felt awesome, but saw lots of my shots hit the lip of the pocket and dribble what I swear to be around 20 times even at slow speed and turn into hangers. I know that 30 minutes of play time isn't really enough time to know if you like a table or not, we (my wife and I) plan on going back up in a few weeks and giving it a few hours.

My wife really wasn't impressed with the 9'. She is shorter than me, but not really short or anything, and was having problems reaching shots and such. I realize position play and such would help this, but there are some things you don't say to a woman lol :p . She has been playing for only 6 months or so, so it is understandable. She is still working on fundamentals (aren't we all?) and while she is getting better all the time, position is pretty much guesswork. Anyway, she was getting terribly frustrated with the 9'. She is a BIT of a perfectionist, usually picking up things with ease. It's hard to get her to understand that pool isn't like most things in this aspect. She will most likely be who I am playing pool with, my nephew, some friends, but that's about it. It is important to me that she has a good time playing (and others too).

At this point I am thinking about an 8' with tighter (than a bar box) pockets. I want everyone playing to have fun, while I am a hardcore pool addict and a sucker for punishment, it won't be any fun for anyone else with a punishingly difficult table... I guess it may be a weird personality thing, but I think the hard table adds to the fun. I hate to miss but it's sort of amusing seeing "crazy" stuff happen. If a table has buckets who cares if you make it? If it has tight pockets you feel like you are really doing something when you make a shot.

One person thought I should get either a 7' or a 9' as those are the sizes any tournament or match games are played on. To be honest, I am not going to travel 100 miles to play someone on a 9' in a tournament and to me a 7' seems like a toy. A 9' sounds great, but I don't really see an 8' being bad either.

Does anyone have thoughts or sage pool wisdom on this?
 
I live where there is basically only 7' Valley tables in our bars and leagues as well as tournaments. I have had a 8' Olhausen table for 5 years, I like it but I really wish I would have just bought a 7' Valley bar box. Reason being that the balls are tied up so much more on the 7' and they aren't on a 8'. I run more racks on my 8' table than on 7' tables, but never get much practice at all the clusters that can show up on the bar boxes. JMO Good Luck!
 
I'm thinkin ... if smaller is better, then too small must be juuussst right! I'd go with a 6 footer. :thumbup:
 
My thought: move closer to bigger tables :)

If you play on barbox's all the time then that's what you should get. I think 8' tables are easier than both 7' and 9'. They are big enough to not cluster but small enough that there aren't any real distance shots.

Get a 7' and put tight ridgeback rails on it. With 4" pockets, you will have to concentrate and when you go to the tables you compete on it will help.
 
You're surrounded by barboxes, so I'll hazard a guess that you already know how to play on them. A 9' will help with your pocketing and control of the CB while doing so. Besides, if you use it enough, you go out and don't have as much problem with any 'long' shots on the boxes. Why would you want a barbox at home when you've got them all around? Unless you're short on $, go with the big table.
 
I went with an 8 foot with tight pockets about 4 years ago. im in the process of selling that table and setting up a 9 foot table now.

the decision is yours.
 
I've never been a bar box player, having always spent my time in pool halls rather than bars. Having said that, the only way I would settle for less than a 9 footer is if I didn't have the room.
 
7-foot Diamond Smart Table with 4" pockets. You may even be able to get a used one after the BCA Nationals. Those tables play SWEET.
 
Nothing wrong with an 8' Diamond Pro Am. It's got 4.5" pockets. The smaller table size is also good for games like 8-ball as it leads to more congestion and clusters. Also clutters up 9-ball a little bit.

7' is too small, unless all you will ever play on is bar boxes.


Most people, myself included would recommend to get the biggest table you have room for. A 9 footer will help build shot making skills and much more.

But there's one thing a 9 footer doesn't do...it's not at all helpful with practicing or training for the clusters and congestion of a bar box. Maneuvering on a small table is tough. People underestimate the precision needed to play top level on a small table.


There's some videos of world champions playing on 7' tables shooting 8-ball. It's a different game on a small table. If that's all you'll be competing on, I wouldn't get a 9' table. 8' at the most. I wouldn't even get a "pro" 8 which is 8.5' ...
 
Bola Ocho said:
Nothing wrong with an 8' Diamond Pro Am. It's got 4.5" pockets. The smaller table size is also good for games like 8-ball as it leads to more congestion and clusters. Also clutters up 9-ball a little bit.

7' is too small, unless all you will ever play on is bar boxes.


Most people, myself included would recommend to get the biggest table you have room for. A 9 footer will help build shot making skills and much more.

But there's one thing a 9 footer doesn't do...it's not at all helpful with practicing or training for the clusters and congestion of a bar box. Maneuvering on a small table is tough. People underestimate the precision needed to play top level on a small table.


There's some videos of world champions playing on 7' tables shooting 8-ball. It's a different game on a small table. If that's all you'll be competing on, I wouldn't get a 9' table. 8' at the most. I wouldn't even get a "pro" 8 which is 8.5' ...
Click to expand...

If I had the space, I would have both a 9-footer and 7-footer. I think the two games are almost entirely different. I wouldn't get an 8-footer since it pretty much leaves everyone unhappy. Just my humble opinion.
 
I am liking the responses so far. I look forward to more thoughts on this. I need to spend some quality time on the 9' tables and like I was saying plan to go up in a week or two to play on one again.

I do know a few things, I do want drop pockets, not a ball return system. I know I don't want a bar box. I am really just sick of them. We have them coming out of the ears here. I do like messing with clusters (and fabricating them for my opponent MUHAHAHA!) but I imagine we will be playing a lot of straight pool, meaning we will have some clusters to deal with anyway. I know it's basically a decision I will have to make, long shots requiring crazy good aim, or the tight groups of a smaller table.

So, I am assuming on the 9' the initial intimidation will go away, hand eye coordination will step up to the challenge and after practice it's not really so crazy? I loved it, it was challenging as heck, but again, the Mrs. whom I will be playing against mainly was really not digging it.

I just wish I had room for all 3 sizes! :D
 
Get the 9. Its for you not anybody else. When you go out it'll be sweet with all the simple shots.

Here's the deal. Bar tables are usually slooooooooow. If you like that you can do it with cloth selection. If you want to learn the game, maybe play bigger tournaments get the 9'.
 
Go for the 9' GC.
As you get older and start playing one hole, you'll be thankful.
There is no better game on a pool table.
 
I bought a 9' table this year and had it set up with 4.5" pockets. As far as the intimidation thing... well, the table starts to look smaller, and even for a half-ass player like me it's made me focus on not only shot making, but position play to avoid the awkward reaching shots. Now the 9' table looks totally manageable and normal, and when I play on a 7' table it feels and looks tiny. For you and you only, I'd say the 9' would be something you like.
On the other hand, you said your wife started playing recently and will be enjoying the table with you. If she's not happy playing on the 9', it's going to get boring playing alone, and if she's not having fun then typically you won't be either. Get some serious playing time with her on a 9' table. See if she adjusts at all and slowly gets used to it. If she still hates it, I think the 8' table might be what I'd suggest. There's a world of difference even between a sloppy barbox and a diamond 7' table. Playing on the 8' table will still afford you longer shots than you'll routinely see, and with properly set-up rails and pockets it will make a challenging table while still being fun for your wife.
Good luck with your shopping!
 
Again, thanks for the replies so far, they have been really helpful.

Getting a 9' for one pocket sounds good. I have never played but everyone seems to have good things to say about it. I plan on getting into straight pool and one pocket once I have my own table. Also, good point on why get a bar box if they are everywhere around... I can play several games for 50 cents in "king of the hill" play.

To be honest, I don't really care about competing much out in public. I guess I am kind of an introvert and get more enjoyment watching balls roll around than competing with others. With our better local players we tend to get "specialists" who will only play X game on X table. I am not great by any means but after 6 months of getting back into the swing of things I would say I can beat (or go 50/50 with) 90% of players in town. There are only a handful that I would have a problem with or learn anything from. That's one reason why I am glad my wife is getting into pool so much. Like I said, she is a perfectionist and if I get here competitive/angry on the table I am lucky to get anything to shoot at. If she gets her game face on I can look forward to kicks, banks and multiple rails for the rest of the game just to get to an object ball :D

Well, it's almost 3 am so I better try to get some sleep.

Thanks!
 
i play on 8ft diamonds and i bought a gc3. had it set up by jzmechanix and could not be happier. no places to play on a 9ft table around here, everything is 8fters with the smaller bars having a 2 barboxes.
 
We went and played at Opie's Billiards in Kirksville, MO last night. We had a great time and are leaning towards a 9'.

Corner Pocket's tables were a really dark green cloth, which made it very hard to see/aim. Also, it was very dark in the hall, with the table lights VERY low. Their lights seemed to be a foot lower than on any pool table I have seen. To line up a shot you had to stand WAY back, or almost duck.

Opie's was way better, they had the electric/tournament blue cloth, lights at the correct height, and the ambient light in the room was much better. We started out pretty bad, but after about 4 hrs playtime we improved a lot. We weren't up to full speed but were adapting quickly to the larger table. At this point I think we will go with a 9', and the electric blue cloth is pretty much a must.
 
boogieman said:
We went and played at Opie's Billiards in Kirksville, MO last night. We had a great time and are leaning towards a 9'.

Corner Pocket's tables were a really dark green cloth, which made it very hard to see/aim. Also, it was very dark in the hall, with the table lights VERY low. Their lights seemed to be a foot lower than on any pool table I have seen. To line up a shot you had to stand WAY back, or almost duck.

Opie's was way better, they had the electric/tournament blue cloth, lights at the correct height, and the ambient light in the room was much better. We started out pretty bad, but after about 4 hrs playtime we improved a lot. We weren't up to full speed but were adapting quickly to the larger table. At this point I think we will go with a 9', and the electric blue cloth is pretty much a must.
Click to expand...

You will not regret a 9 footer so long as you have enough room. On the cloth though, be clear which color you are looking for because if you are talking about Simonis, they have both a Tournament Blue and an Electric Blue - they are not the same color:

http://www.simoniscloth.com/simonis-styles
 
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I am one of those guys that until recently had little respect for bar tables. However, because of the lack of tournaments on 9 footers in my area, I've been forced to play in bar table tournaments, and as a result have developed a new respect for bar tables and the players that play them well. That said however, it's still my belief that the better players are generally going to be the ones that can play a good game on the 9 footers. Most of the players I associate with are big table players that play well on both. However, when it comes to some of the bar table events or leagues that I've been exposed to, I often run into very good bar box players that HATE the big table, Fear the big table, and CAN'T PLAY on the big table.
I'm not saying that a big table player will always have the advantage over a BB player, but in my personal experience, I've found that pure shot making skills will be better with the big table player. Often times when playing bar tables, I overhear people saying "wow, that's a tough long one" or "lotta green" but for myself, I've never felt like there was "a lotta green" on a bar box.
All said and done, I think if you do your practice on the big tables, the conversion to a bar box will be much easier than the jump from a bar box to the big table. You'll struggle a bit with traffic and clusters, while at the same time, you won't need to park the cb on a dime and can settle with position without having to thread the cb through traffic at times, 'cause with a bar box, if you can see it, and it has a straight path to a pocket, you'll feel better about your chances.
dave
 
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