opinions on tight pockets and table speed

[Egg McDogit]

So do you all prefer playing on tight pockets, buckets, or somewhere inbetween? Why? Do you like fast/medium/slow tables?

personally, I like medium size pockets (double shimmed) and medium speed tables.

 

[vapoolplayer]

So do you all prefer playing on tight pockets, buckets, or somewhere inbetween? Why? Do you like fast/medium/slow tables?

personally, I like medium size pockets (double shimmed) and medium speed tables.

i'll play on anything. for practice i prefer a medium speed and double shimmed pockets. makes it alot easier to adjust one way or the other when you practice on a nuetral table.

worst combinations are fast cloth and tight pockets, as you'll rattle alot of balls. or medium cloth with buckets........it will turn a c/b player into an A player for that set.

VAP

 

[CaptainJR]

By the time I'm 67 years old I want the standard to be 6 in. pockets, 3' by 6' tables, using bed spreads for cloth. Then if I need to I can lay my head down on the table for a couple seconds and take a little nap before each shot.



Don't know, it just seems like the table gets longer, lower and the pockets get smaller and smaller each year.

 

[Mike Templeton]

worst combinations are fast cloth and tight pockets, as you'll rattle alot of balls.
VAP

VAP,

I have a little better luck with tight and fast than I do with tight and slow. At least with fast cloth, you don't have to shoot as hard to get to the other end of the table, and the slower speed makes the tight pockets accept the balls a little easier.

Mike

 

[ccriderone]

VAP,

I have a little better luck with tight and fast than I do with tight and slow. At least with fast cloth, you don't have to shoot as hard to get to the other end of the table, and the slower speed makes the tight pockets accept the balls a little easier.

Mike

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760 makes you develop more touch and feel. pro cut, 4 3/4 is all you need. Any thing tighter than this, is no longer pool but now snooker. You lose the ability to make the power follows and draws off the rails.

 

[SonjaBlue03]

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760 makes you develop more touch and feel. pro cut, 4 3/4 is all you need. Any thing tighter than this, is no longer pool but now snooker. You lose the ability to make the power follows and draws off the rails.

I prefer fast tables with pockets being anything but buckets. As said above, it can turn the worst player into an A player.

Amanda

 

[the scorpion]

I hate the tables in my club as they are really unpredictable because you could play one day and the cloth is fast and then the next day it is slow and horrible, as for the pockets they are very tight so the only shots that I have to play is the slow roll when pocketing balls which is not good for my game as I don't have any experience in playing power position shots when needed or the balls will rattle in the jaws.

 

[SkippyFL]

My favorite table to practice on is a GCIII that is double shimed and covered with simonis 860.

skippy

 

[hustlefinger]

So do you all prefer playing on tight pockets, buckets, or somewhere inbetween? Why? Do you like fast/medium/slow tables?

personally, I like medium size pockets (double shimmed) and medium speed tables.

What I prefer? Hmmmm, I guess what I’m familar with, ….triple shims and slow cloth.

 

[Jude Rosenstock]

So do you all prefer playing on tight pockets, buckets, or somewhere inbetween? Why? Do you like fast/medium/slow tables?

personally, I like medium size pockets (double shimmed) and medium speed tables.

Okay, I'll be perfectly honest here. I LOVE big pockets and fast cloth. Every time I get the chance to play with equipment like this I immediately call Fedex. However, I enjoy slow cloth against weaker players because I feel they'll be required to address the cue-ball with more spin and like tight pockets against better players because it should offer more exchange.

No matter what I play on, I don't think about it overwhelmingly. The same questions apply, I just get different answers according to what the equipment is all about. Can I make this? y/n Can I get the cue-ball to point A? y/n If not, what should I do? Same stuff.

 

[vapoolplayer]

VAP,

I have a little better luck with tight and fast than I do with tight and slow. At least with fast cloth, you don't have to shoot as hard to get to the other end of the table, and the slower speed makes the tight pockets accept the balls a little easier.

Mike

with the slower cloth, its usually easier to control your pocket speed. on very fast cloth, its very easy for a medium stroke to send a ball into a pocket facing faster than expected. thats why i said tight and fast can be a bad combo. when i say tight, i'm talking tighter than my table. which is double shimmed, two balls go into the pocket edges, but won't drop. anything tighter than that, and you have to really be careful not to overstroke a ball on fast cloth.

on slower cloth i don't have to hold back and i can play "power pool" and just let me stroke go.

VAP

 

[sonia]

Double Shimmed

So do you all prefer playing on tight pockets, buckets, or somewhere inbetween? Why? Do you like fast/medium/slow tables?

personally, I like medium size pockets (double shimmed) and medium speed tables.

Why doubled shimmed pockets? That does not make anyone more accurate and consistent than if there were ten inch pockets. Personally I like to shoot every ball in the center of the pocket, no matter the size of the pocket.

As to fast, medium, or slow tables, amateur players prefer slow tables because they have trouble adjusting cue ball speed, and therefore tend to get into poor position for the next shot.

Sonia

 

[SonjaBlue03]

Why doubled shimmed pockets? That does not make anyone more accurate and consistent than if there were ten inch pockets. Personally I like to shoot every ball in the center of the pocket, no matter the size of the pocket.

Sonia

You always shoot the ball into the center of the pocket?

 

[Jude Rosenstock]

Why doubled shimmed pockets? That does not make anyone more accurate and consistent than if there were ten inch pockets. Personally I like to shoot every ball in the center of the pocket, no matter the size of the pocket.

As to fast, medium, or slow tables, amateur players prefer slow tables because they have trouble adjusting cue ball speed, and therefore tend to get into poor position for the next shot.

Sonia

I agree to a certain extent but for different reasons. I don't think tight-pockets makes you more accurate simply because there ends up being more exchange. You see, even if you refuse to play a safety, you're going to miss more. Once you start missing more, you end up playing more safeties.

When the equipment is easy, YOU HAVE TO GO FOR IT most of the time because you know there are no distance safeties and if you leave a window, your opponent is out.

Lastly, you cannot play everything center pocket. A good poolplayer knows how to manipulate the cue-ball's path simply by aiming to a side of the pocket. We call it "cheating the pocket". Tight-pocket players become less and less familiar with these shots. Even though they may know about them and play them quite a bit, they may not be as familiar with the extremes of the shot as a player who is accustomed to playing on standard equipment.

I think tight equipment is fun. I think there are certain games that it's best for but I wouldn't choose to play on it the vast majority of the time.

 

[sonia]

Split All Pockets

You always shoot the ball into the center of the pocket?

Yes, I always shoot a ball into the center of any sized pocket. Why not? I do not want the object ball to touch the side of a pocket and therefore miss the shot!


Sonia

 

[SonjaBlue03]

Lastly, you cannot play everything center pocket. A good poolplayer knows how to manipulate the cue-ball's path simply by aiming to a side of the pocket. We call it "cheating the pocket".

That's why.

 

[sonia]

Cheating Pockets

I agree to a certain extent but for different reasons. I don't think tight-pockets makes you more accurate simply because there ends up being more exchange. You see, even if you refuse to play a safety, you're going to miss more. Once you start missing more, you end up playing more safeties.

When the equipment is easy, YOU HAVE TO GO FOR IT most of the time because you know there are no distance safeties and if you leave a window, your opponent is out.

Lastly, you cannot play everything center pocket. A good poolplayer knows how to manipulate the cue-ball's path simply by aiming to a side of the pocket. We call it "cheating the pocket". Tight-pocket players become less and less familiar with these shots. Even though they may know about them and play them quite a bit, they may not be as familiar with the extremes of the shot as a player who is accustomed to playing on standard equipment.

I think tight equipment is fun. I think there are certain games that it's best for but I wouldn't choose to play on it the vast majority of the time.

I do not have to cheat pockets for any reason whatever. My object ball goes into the center of the pocket, and my cue ball will go off at any angle I choose. An accomplished player applies, what we call in our trade, back-hand english. Therefore, there is never any reason why I should not spliit the pocket on any and all shots.

Sonia

 

[SonjaBlue03]

I do not have to cheat pockets for any reason whatever. My object ball goes into the center of the pocket, and my cue ball will go off at any angle I choose. An accomplished player applies, what we call in our trade, back-hand english. Therefore, there is never any reason why I should not spliit the pocket on any and all shots.

Sonia

Even when you are dead straight in?

 

[Jude Rosenstock]

I do not have to cheat pockets for any reason whatever. My object ball goes into the center of the pocket, and my cue ball will go off at any angle I choose. An accomplished player applies, what we call in our trade, back-hand english. Therefore, there is never any reason why I should not spliit the pocket on any and all shots.

Sonia

Okay, now you're just silly. Really, when I read posts like this, I really wish this was a poolroom discussion and not an internet one. That poolroom discussion (which is dancing through my head, ever so fondly) would begin with something like, "You've got the Orange Crush for as much as you'd like. Let's go!"

 

[ccriderone]

Why doubled shimmed pockets? That does not make anyone more accurate and consistent than if there were ten inch pockets. Personally I like to shoot every ball in the center of the pocket, no matter the size of the pocket.

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Exactly. On every shot, I teach my students to say on every pot, middle, right or left side. You train to hit the centers like the pros. If they touch a long rail or a point coming in, I make them consider it a miss and shoot it over and over until they pot perfect. It all about training and discipline and not just banging balls around with out a plan or purpose.

I used to begin my day on the 5x10 snooker table, I would toss out 15 pool balls and play until I potted 60. That would have my aim super tight for the day. When I went over to the pool 9' table the pro cut pockets then looked like bushel backets.