Opinions needed on pockets.

mnorwood

mnorwood

Moon
Silver Member
I am going to have my 9 foot gold crown resurfaced soon. Currently the pockets are 5 inches if you measure from the outermost part of the pockets. I want to reduce the size of the pockets but I am undecided on how much. Should I go to 4.5, 4.25 or 4?

If I go to 4.25 will cut shots down a rail at speed be completely impossible?

Thanks,
Marcus
 
4.5 I believe

Unless you want to make things less than realistic I think 4.5 is the smallest I would go. Although there is some benefit to practicing sometimes on tiny pockets when you spend too much time playing on a super tight table your game adapts to that table. You might be king on that table but you will be outplayed by someone on a more normal table that plays the other table regularly.

For my own table, I want either exactly the same as I play on in public or slightly tighter. I don't want a vastly tighter table unless I play on it and the looser tables both most days.

Hu


mnorwood said:
I am going to have my 9 foot gold crown resurfaced soon. Currently the pockets are 5 inches if you measure from the outermost part of the pockets. I want to reduce the size of the pockets but I am undecided on how much. Should I go to 4.5, 4.25 or 4?

If I go to 4.25 will cut shots down a rail at speed be completely impossible?

Thanks,
Marcus
Click to expand...
 
4.5 is just right. less than that and you are taking away some elements out of the game. too small and you won't be able to cheat the pocket which is essential in playing position.
 
I would go with 4.5, these is really no need to go smaller then what is in use in pro tournaments.
 
I personally like 4.25 but that's on a diamond smart table I don't know how GC pockets play at varying widths. but with 4.25 you still have pocket to cheat but at the same time you build accuracy I've found I make a lot more balls on 4.5 after practicing on 4.25. but I do nothing but have my feelings hurt on 4 in pockets.
 
When you do this, make sure you have the subrails extended. Don't just shim the pockets.

Whether balls will fall when shot up the rail largely depends on what the depth of the shelf of the pocket is.

The BCA/WPT specifications for these can be found on a "sticky" in the mechanics forum. Personally, I prefer 4.5" pockets with the shortest shelf within the specified limits. That way, balls that make the jaws usually fall.
 
here, here on the subrail extensions

Couldn't get better advice.

I have my 4.5 x 9 Brunswick Sport King set-up with 3 5/8" pockets (subrails and rails extended - 1 shim) as a practice table - one-pocket mostly. I can say that an average player finds them too tight and pretty quickly looses interest/concentration.

I disagree with the idea that a player loses any competitive advantage playing on a tight talble if you already know how to "cheat" pockets. I have found that when I play on a normal table it seems effortless to pocket balls.

Pay close attention to maintain the original angle of the pocket cut and undercut of each side of the pocket.

JMO...you be the judge

Andy Bruce
 
more to the game than pocketing balls

HittMan said:
I disagree with the idea that a player loses any competitive advantage playing on a tight talble if you already know how to "cheat" pockets. I have found that when I play on a normal table it seems effortless to pocket balls.

Andy Bruce
Click to expand...


Andy,

You are absolutely right that playing tight or super tight tables will increase your ball pocketing skills. However only playing on a tight table or playing the vast amount of time on a very tight table will affect your shot selection and pattern play.

I shot two to three hours a day on a very tight snooker table set up for golf for several years. No idea how tight it was however it was so tight that I routinely went with cross banks to improve the angle going into the pockets instead of cutting many shots. After several hours on these tables every day I was the magic man shooting on regular tables or particularly barboxes when it came to shot making. However I also found myself choosing patterns and shots on the easier tables that I would have chosen on the snooker table. My safety play was off also because what was safe on the snooker table wasn't safe at all on a bar table!

It worked for me over time because I still played two or three times as much on other tables as I did on the snooker tables but if a person is going to spend most of their time on a practice table I strongly believe it should be very close to or the same as the ones you play on. The issue is that you will play the same way you practice over time especially under stress when you most need to be playing to suit the table that you are playing on, not the one you play on the most.

Ideally I would have a 6x12 snooker table, a nine footer, and a barbox at my home to practice on. Failing that I would choose pretty standard pockets.

Hu
 
mnorwood said:
I am going to have my 9 foot gold crown resurfaced soon. Currently the pockets are 5 inches if you measure from the outermost part of the pockets. I want to reduce the size of the pockets but I am undecided on how much. Should I go to 4.5, 4.25 or 4?

If I go to 4.25 will cut shots down a rail at speed be completely impossible?

Thanks,
Marcus
Click to expand...
I can cut down the rail on my snooker table and the pockets are way smaller than 4.25 so i would say no.
 
ShootingArts said:
Unless you want to make things less than realistic I think 4.5 is the smallest I would go. Although there is some benefit to practicing sometimes on tiny pockets when you spend too much time playing on a super tight table your game adapts to that table. You might be king on that table but you will be outplayed by someone on a more normal table that plays the other table regularly.

For my own table, I want either exactly the same as I play on in public or slightly tighter. I don't want a vastly tighter table unless I play on it and the looser tables both most days.

Hu
Click to expand...

I am in complete agreement here. 4.5" is a very good size no matter what. Anything tighter would be overkill...unless you plan to compete on tables tighter than 4.5".
 
ShootingArts said:
Unless you want to make things less than realistic I think 4.5 is the smallest I would go. Although there is some benefit to practicing sometimes on tiny pockets when you spend too much time playing on a super tight table your game adapts to that table. You might be king on that table but you will be outplayed by someone on a more normal table that plays the other table regularly.

For my own table, I want either exactly the same as I play on in public or slightly tighter. I don't want a vastly tighter table unless I play on it and the looser tables both most days.

Hu
Click to expand...



that makes sense to me
 
mnorwood said:
I am going to have my 9 foot gold crown resurfaced soon. Currently the pockets are 5 inches if you measure from the outermost part of the pockets. I want to reduce the size of the pockets but I am undecided on how much. Should I go to 4.5, 4.25 or 4?

If I go to 4.25 will cut shots down a rail at speed be completely impossible?

Thanks,
Marcus
Click to expand...

Marcus, when you say you are going reduce the size of the pockets, unless you are having the rubber replaced you are going to have them shimmed. When pockets are tightened by shimming, the rubber backing which is the facing at the opening of the pocket is replaced with thicker Rubber. Now the rubber used in most cases is not the same as the as the rail, it more like the material used in a tire. Its purpose is to protect the edge of the rail from impacts of balls going into the pocket.

I would not go smaller at the pocket mouth than 4 1/2 inches, this way all shots on the tables can be made with a good hit. The thicker the facing added the more the facing will cause ball deflection upon contact. The facing will deaden the impact but, it will also cause balls to jaw up or bounce out.

What ever you decide to do good luck!!!
 
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