not as good on bar box than 8 and 9 fters?

seanjonsean

seanjonsean

Otanisan Cues
Silver Member
why does it seem to be that on a bar box i cant play as well as on the bigger tables ?i thought it would be easier,im in transition from being nrevous to being able to relax and play the table and not the person , this wed i had to win 3 times against a person who had to win 2 i won but only had one table run except for the eight , i own an 8 ft amf table that i play on evryday for 2 to 4 hours , i love banking and kicking but cant seem to do that on the bar box , what do u guys recc i do? parctice more on smaller tables?
 
seanjonsean said:
why does it seem to be that on a bar box i cant play as well as on the bigger tables ?i thought it would be easier,im in transition from being nrevous to being able to relax and play the table and not the person , this wed i had to win 3 times against a person who had to win 2 i won but only had one table run except for the eight , i own an 8 ft amf table that i play on evryday for 2 to 4 hours , i love banking and kicking but cant seem to do that on the bar box , what do u guys recc i do? parctice more on smaller tables?
Click to expand...

Bar box 8-ball...harder than 9' 8-ball?? yes. Harder than 9' 9-ball?? yes. Harder than bar box 9-ball?? yes.

There's so much traffic on the bar table that it makes 8-ball one of the toughest games to play. If you don't run out, your opponent might. I've learned the best way to play this game is to look not 3 balls ahead, but 8. See your run before you shoot the first shot. Stun and stop shots are absolutely vital. NEVER attempt 3 rail shape and be wary of 2 rails or 1 rail. As soon as you know you can't get out, or if you foresee tough shape in 3 shots, play safe. Don't be scared to make thin cuts or banks because these are easy shots. It's better to leave yourself a longer shot than try to get perfect. ABOVE ALL, ALWAYS KNOW WHERE YOUR ROCK IS GOING!! If you have any doubts, you're likely to end up hooking yourself. You have to learn your carom angles and use other balls to slow your momentum.

Drill 1: Rack the balls and break. Don't scratch. Remove 3 stripes that aren't tying up solids. Run the solids out.

Drill 2: Rack the balls and break. Don't scratch. Run out the balls straight pool style without hitting a rail. This one is tough as hell. Work with it until you can do this 5 times without a rail and without missing. It's fine to use 1 rail only for rail shots but only on rail shots.

Drill 3: Play straight pool. It's tougher than you think.

Drill 4: Do this one on a 9' table or a snooker table. Set up various shots with the cb frozen to the rail. Learn to never miss these again.

Drill 5: This is for safety play. Practice various shots and roll the cb in the jaws of a corner pocket. This is a very useful skill in bar box 8 ball. Don't scratch and try to get as deep as you can in the pocket.

Drill 6: Practice the long banks religiously. After you can make these consistently, you'll have no more fear of missing balls on the bar box.

EDIT: Play leagues...RUN OUT RUN OUT RUN OUT...You'll notice that league players like to exaggerate safety play. Why? Because it's easy. This gives you great opportunities to practice running out. Don't play safe...just run out. Excellent practice for 7 bucks a week.
 
Last edited:
Drew had some great advice on here. Here is hopefully some more good advice..

When Drew said stun shots are vital, he means stun draw and stun follow shots as well. Become comfortable with hitting firm shots with just above and just below center ball for controlled follow and draw stun shots.

Also, be VERY aware of where center ball is. Learn how to apply 1/4, 1/2, and 1 full tip of english, and learn EXACTLY what these amounts do on different shots.

Shortening up your bridge length is something I see a lot of good bar box players doing. Helps with cue ball control.

Do what Efren does on the big table. Set up a cluster of two or three balls on the table, and set up a shot that should allow you to break out the cluster. Practice playing position on one of the cluster balls during the breakout. Absolutely critical for bar box 8 ball.

Good luck!

Russ
 
Drew is on the money as far as I can tell. On the bar box you have the same amount of ball traffic on a playing surface that is somewhere around 16 square feet smaller if my crayon math is correct.

Shot making is not the problem most of the time. You must control the cue.

You are not alone in the kicking and banking boat. It is a nightmare for me too.

I guess we both need to practice.:)

DRawls
 
Drew, Russ and Drawls are all correct.

This past weds, on my APA8ball league, I played about 90% of my shots going 1 rail and back out to the middle of the table. I think I had one shot, where I really power'd the CB cuz I was trying to break out a ball, and ended up missing the original shot lol.

But! I killed the guy I was playing against 5-2, us both being SL6's. Now God only knows why I wasnt playing like this before lol, but playing it this way really made the game almost way too easy. I won my first 3 games, in one inning.

The other thing I did was instead of playing for that perfect shape, which is normally what I try, I just played for the "area" where I know I can make the ball and goto the next ball.

Another thing with banks on a BB table is, softer is better lol. I see alot of people try to power a bank, and miss the shot, because they are trying to go several rails for shape.

I personally try to never bank in BB 8ball unless its needed because alot of times you end up with the CB bumping into other balls and either scratching or getting hooked.

Working on those soft touch shots, and slow rolling balls is a good way to get better at BB 8ball.
 
From a different perspective, I think his problem is the oversized cueball used on many if not most barboxes. Some of the newer ones use a magnetic CB which is standard size, but most use the big ball.
The big ball is harder to control because it is heavier than normal, and the size difference between it and the other balls can effect the shot outcome. Because its bigger the contact point on the OB is higher than normal, and the extra weight of the CB makes speed control vital. The big ball will just roll and roll.
Just this barbox bangers two cents

McCue Banger McCue
 
Man, this thread is making me actually want to spend some time on a barbox. Probably because there are none in Korea. Grass is always greener on the other side of the ocean...
 
thanxz drew and evryone else ,ure right bout thr traffic and the cluster that i hate, in order to run out u have to have a sofet touch and i did keep hooking myself or ended up playing out of position and i kept telling myself whats going on? i did great at home lol . dont get me wrong i have been able to play good but then i run in to a slump and thats wat worries me y do i fall in a slump? like i sed once before i was practicing on a bb a few weeks ago and the opposing team was there and i ran out my practice game and wen it was time to play i stank! i overheard the other guys saying i was sanbbagging man that burned me up , i hate sanbagging and i never do it but it was the darn bb table . than u guys for the awesome tips i will parctice these drills today ...
 
Yep

Yea a bar box is a totally different concept than a good 8' or 9' table. The bar box may have a little wider pockets, and the table may be a little shorter. However it usually has cheaper crappier cloth, so that may mess you up. It normally has more traffic as everyone mentioned above. Most bar tables even have a thinner slate cause the owner only cares about getting it in there. The owner isn't concerned how great the table plays most times. So there are very few in bars that have 1" slate or thicker. Most have 1/2" slate. This will cause the balls not to roll as true. Also, and I know everyone has seen this. Most bar tables aren't perfectly level. Due to people sitting on them, banging the balls into the slate, etc, etc. Most 8' and 9' tables are in pool halls, and in most pool halls they expect you to respect the tables. That is why it normally cost more in a pool hall. Hell they have spent so much on the tables they want you to take care of them. And yes some of them have oversize cue balls to boot! But it has been my experience that most bar boxes use the magnetic cue ball now. I hardly ever see the bowling ball cue ball anymore. Also, and I don't know if this is true, but the magnetic and the big cue ball weigh more than the other balls. Therefore it may make it harder for you to control the cue. (Again not sure if that is true or not.)

I know when I started playing on a bar league it took me about 1/2 the season to get comfortable playing on bar tables again. I was so used to the open 8' and 9' with fast cloth. So it was an adjustment. Now I am pretty used to it and can switch back and forth effortlessly now.
 
Last edited:
Korea!

arsenius said:
Man, this thread is making me actually want to spend some time on a barbox. Probably because there are none in Korea. Grass is always greener on the other side of the ocean...
Click to expand...


I spent 14 months in Korea, and every table I played on over there was a 9' table! I loved it, and I killed in most bars over there. The best part was the no charge to play. They just want you in there to spend money. So everyone puts their name on the list to play, and the winner calls out the next person. You don't show they move your name to the bottom of the list again. I loved playing over there.

I found that most Koreans were better at Carom than 8 or 9 ball though.

Are you Korean? Or military?

Don't worry about wanting to play on a bar box. If I have my choice I would rather play on 9' tables all day long. They play more true, and they are more fun.

Well most the time they play more true, I saw in Korea several times where the 3 slates didn't match up on being level. Talk about a wild game then!
 
Lots of great advice here and it even makes me want to go play some barbox as it has been awhile.

I can switch between big tables and bar tables with ease and agree with everything said here from the drills listed to accepting the fact that table/enviroment conditions will most likely be worse on a bar table. I was playing league one time in a bar and the table was right next to the side door. It was raining all night and they left the door open for the fresh air. Well, everyone was complaining the table was playing slower then usual and frusrated. Heck, even the chalk turned to puddy. "Dumbbutt's, you left the side door open all afternoon/evening, humidity/moisture in the air will affect the table and any wood products". They never realized that and closed the door quickly. As if that would solve the problem right away.

I agree on stun shots. Agree on the ability to slow roll the cueball. I agree on keeping things simple and keeping a couple safe's in your pocket. But I also encourage BB players not to be afraid to move the cueball around. Especially if it is a regular size cue ball. Don't by any means get it in your head that you need a soft stroke because it's a BB. There is less green on a BB but sometimes, you will need to bring a shot with serious english perhaps with a couple rails. These shots will "stun" your opponent as many people don't expect to see "fancy" english shots on a bar table, but it happens and it's a beautiful thing when they are pulled off. So don't be afraid to pull the trigger and make the cueball dance.

I 1000% agree with learning to play straight pool on a BB. When I play BB 8-ball and see clusters or playing someone that is slow. I start thinking in a straight pool mentality. "This game may take awhile, and I may have to chip away 1 shot at a time, but I can win because I know how to play straight pool on a BB" is what I tell myself. I will actually say that outloud.

Banks, I encourage playing the game of banks on a BB. Especially a short rank (9-ball rack) first to 5 banks wins. Playing banks on a BB can leave you hooked, that is very true and frustrating, but again, many people who play avg BB pool can't bank so if you can, you are 1+ and if you can bank AND get shape on next shot, you are even better. And if you can position/set into a bank shot, make the bank and get shape on your next shot, you are even stronger. And lastly, one of the most opponent crushing moves you can pull in a BB game is make your last ball and position/set into a bank shot on the 8. Bank it and win verses trying to get perfect shape where you could miss your last ball shot anyways. It takes nuggets to play into a bank on the 8-ball but it will boost your confidence and crush your opponents. Do I encourage it for everyone? Nope, but you are practicing for a reason, put it to work.

Also about banks. You have to get a feel for the table. Hit a few balls around before your match or watch the match before yours and see how balls respond coming off the rails. They dead, they full of energy. If the table is in good condition, banks are usually played with a soft but firm stroke. As you should expect to get more action off the rails and newer/cleaner cloth. Opposite is true with worn down cloth or rails. A lil more punch in your stroke may be needed to compensate for lack of quality cloth/rail reaction.

ez
 
Last edited:
Bar 8

Hey, who says there's no banking in bar 8? :eek:

Like ez said, if you can bank for shape then you're in a much better spot for playing bar 8, with the clusters and things being in the way all of the time. Sometimes it makes things much easier if you can pick off an easy bank for a better run out instead of having to play more position and break outs to get it. You must also be able to judge the rails for angles, but hard and soft banks have their places in different situations. I can play better position and break outs than most people I play with, so I love bar box 8. :D Actually got 5 straight playing with a broomstick against a friend the other night. :eek: It all comes down to what Drew said.. run out run out run out. This is how the higher level players play, which to me says that its the way the game is meant to be played. A league captain that got me started always stressed defense.. bah humbug. Which do I want, the other guy shooting or myself? If I can't run out, sure I'll defense him if, but if I see it I go for it, breakouts and all.

Try to pocket excess balls around clusters before opening them up. The last thing you want is to knock the excess ball into a bad spot or have it get mixed up with the cluster you just broke. Use extra power in breakouts if you can't knock your ball clean out, this prevents leaving the cue ball stuck in the pack. Just practice playing, since random things always come up. Rack after rack after rack, keep breaking and shooting. If you run into a weakness, work on it. That's pretty much how I've gone along. :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top