Pocket Size and the Pro's

the chicken

the chicken

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
It recently occurred to me that, at some point in time, pocket size was reduced to further the enjoyment of fans by making the game more difficult.

Does anyone know when pocket size was first reduced for tournament play?

What are the size ranges currently in use for pockets for tournament play?

Who determines what pocket size will be used for a given tournament?

When Earl the Pearl was inducted into the Hall of Fame, what was the average pocket size for tournament play?

I'm asking these questions because it seems that today's pro players are under more pressure compared to days past when pocket size was larger.

Thanks in advance for any info you may have on this subject and, Shoot Safe!

Regards,

John
 
the chicken said:
I'm asking these questions because it seems that today's pro players are under more pressure compared to days past when pocket size was larger.
Click to expand...

Pocket size is irrelevant. The way the pocket is cut now and the shelf distance, is different.
 
I've been to several pro tournaments spread out over the last 20 years or so and pockets make a difference. I've seen tournaments where the pockets were like gaping black holes (yes, I'm exaggerating), but seriously, they were very large. I've also been to tournaments where they were the polar opposite. I don't know if they have a standard they try to use these days. I'm sure there probably is for the 'world' style tournaments, but most tourneys are played at whichever establishment is sponsoring/hosting the event, so whatever their tables are set to, is what they end up playing on.
 
I posted something from an article about the Johnston City tournaments a while ago. They changed the pockets to, I think, 4 1/4 or something. This was after they decided too many people were running out their 14.1 matches or something to that effect.. maybe it was too many 100+ runs? Found it while scouring newspapers.com for some info.
 
Tournaments are often played in pool halls, where they don't adjust the pocket size for the pros. Even in a single room there are different sizes and setups, usually in a good room you will find a few tables with 4.5" or less corners for the real players, while some others have 5" or close to that for general use.

The tournaments where they have equipment trucked in for setup have been on Diamond tables where the standard size is 4.5"

I am pretty sure the old setups and even some other tournaments have been on 4.75" or larger pockets.

It really depends on the tournament and equipment sponsor.

I am sure most top players would want a 4.5" pocket or maybe a bit less if given the choice.
 
Pocket size has changed throughout the decades. Pockets at one time (early 1900s) were even narrower. The standard was changed so more people could make more shots, hence greater enjoyment and more players. This in part was partially a contributor to the surge in pool in the 40s & 50s.
See attached for earlier. Want to play some pool?
 
the chicken said:
It recently occurred to me that, at some point in time, pocket size was reduced to further the enjoyment of fans by making the game more difficult.

Does anyone know when pocket size was first reduced for tournament play?

What are the size ranges currently in use for pockets for tournament play?

Who determines what pocket size will be used for a given tournament?

When Earl the Pearl was inducted into the Hall of Fame, what was the average pocket size for tournament play?

I'm asking these questions because it seems that today's pro players are under more pressure compared to days past when pocket size was larger.

Thanks in advance for any info you may have on this subject and, Shoot Safe!

Regards,

John
Click to expand...

Your initial premise is incorrect. Remember the cliche about assume? The current
fascination with "tighter" pockets had nothing to do with fans enjoying the game. BTW,
Pool is the worst 'Spectator Sport' in history. Have you been to many tournaments?

The boom in Japan following "The Color of Money" is what kicked off the march to
smaller pockets. Gandys had what today the nits describe as 'buckets', from the time
they started making tables. Post Japan boom, they were significantly tighter than GCs.

Inside info was you couldn't sell tables with easy pockets to the Japanese.

Dale(who can't make a ball in a big pocket either)
 
Last edited:
pdcue said:
Your initial premise is incorrect. Remember the cliche about assume? The current
fascination with "tighter" pockets had nothing to do with fans enjoying the game. BTW,
Pool is the worst 'Spectator Sport' in history. Have you been to many tournaments?

The boom in Japan following "The Color of Money" is what kicked off the march to
smaller pockets. Gandys had what today the nits describe as 'buckets', from the time
they started making tables. Post Japan boom, they were significantly tighter than GCs.

Inside info was you couldn't sell tables with easy pockets to the Japanese.

Dale(who can't make a ball in a big pocket either)
Click to expand...

As I mentioned above, even back in the 60's they were tightening the pockets to slow down the big runs for competitions. Not sure the scene in Japan really has any impact on pool here in the U.S. now or before.
 
Banks said:
As I mentioned above, even back in the 60's they were tightening the pockets to slow down the big runs for competitions. Not sure the scene in Japan really has any impact on pool here in the U.S. now or before.
Click to expand...

I don't think so. Some rooms had tight pockets because many money players wanted
them. But GCs were the standard.

I attended the PPPA world 14.1 tourneys in the late 70s. They played on regular Gandys.
I could even have run a rack or two.

Dale
 
neonlight said:
Pocket size has changed throughout the decades. Pockets at one time (early 1900s) were even narrower. The standard was changed so more people could make more shots, hence greater enjoyment and more players. This in part was partially a contributor to the surge in pool in the 40s & 50s.
See attached for earlier. Want to play some pool?
Click to expand...
Those are "narrow" lol!!
 
Was just reading thru a book today, from 1893, which included a long schpiel about why the "tight pocket " issue is rather silly, and the pro level pocket should be 3 INCHES across. The amateur pocket should be 3.5

Hello Dolly.

Fortunately for us, that was in London, while in the U.S., 4.5 " pockets had been the standard since the 1880's when continuous pool took off.
 
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