Pool on 7' tables

[Still_Learning]

This weekend, some of the world's best players will be battling on 7' Diamond tables at the Great Southern Billiards Tournament. Now I'm not trying to start a fight, but I'd love a strong debate about small tables. I, personally, feel that pool played on 7' tables isn't really pool. I'm not sure what it *is*, but--again, to me personally--pool is a game played on 9' tables. Even oversized 8' tables disappoint me little.

It's different if a 7' table is all you have room for. But other than cases where having enough room is an issue, does anyone want to defend 7' pool? Or even argue that it's BETTER than 9' pool?

 

[Jude Rosenstock]

This weekend, some of the world's best players will be battling on 7' Diamond tables at the Great Southern Billiards Tournament. Now I'm not trying to start a fight, but I'd love a strong debate about small tables. I, personally, feel that pool played on 7' tables isn't really pool. I'm not sure what it *is*, but--again, to me personally--pool is a game played on 9' tables. Even oversized 8' tables disappoint me little.

It's different if a 7' table is all you have room for. But other than cases where having enough room is an issue, does anyone want to defend 7' pool? Or even argue that it's BETTER than 9' pool?

The BCA Championships in Las Vegas are also played on 7' Diamonds so I've seen what you're about to see. I have to say, you'll definitely be pleasantly surprised. Smaller equipment requires players to be very creative with their position play. Pocketing is practically a foregone conclusion so players have to be absolutely certain they can keep control of the cueball. It's different but definitely fun. I think you'll like it a lot.

 

[IA8baller]

Argue it's better? That would be a wasteful argument for both sides.

I love to play on 9' tables, but the reality is most of the tables you will find nowadays is 7', with some 8' ones around as well. If I had to give a % breakdown of the tables that I can play on within a 100 mile radius of me I'd say that 70% of them are 7', 20% are 8', and 10% are 9'. It's just the way it is nowadays.

It mostly comes down to sq. footage issues of the smaller tables vs. the larger ones to bar/room owners. You can fit mor 7' tables in and generate more revenue.

I wish I was able to say all pool was played on 9' tables, but guess what, all the wishing in the world aint gonna change the current pool environment.

Playing on 7' tables is definitely a different beast than playing on 9' tables.

 

[Flettir]

I wont say it is better, but I also wont say it is worse. It is different.
On 9' tables you need a longer stroke and precise shot making.
On 7' tables you don't need as long of a stroke and you aim/shotmaking does not have to be as precise.
On 7' tables you need better precision on you leaves because of the heavy traffic you have to work around and through and better bumping ability because you have more clusters to break open and still control the cb and object balls to get good leaves and maintain your run.
I am not saying you don't need the leave and bumping skills on a 9' table, you just need to use them more and better on a 7' table.

 

[Cornerman]

Now I'm not trying to start a fight, but I'd love a strong debate about small tables. I, personally, feel that pool played on 7' tables isn't really pool.:

Considering that this is brought up at least twice a year, I for one hope you don't get a strong debate out of this one.

What I"d really like to see are all the people who thought like you, but have then gone on to see the Las Vegas BCA event,, watched a Shane Van Boening, Jason Kirkwood, etc., gone to the Valley Forge event, and changed their mind to have a post.


I'm sure people who grew up playing 14.1 on a 10' table think you're not playing real pool either.

Fred

 

[RunoutalloverU]

Considering that this is brought up at least twice a year, I for one hope you don't get a strong debate out of this one.

What I"d really like to see are all the people who thought like you, but have then gone on to see the Las Vegas BCA event,, watched a Shane Van Boening, Jason Kirkwood, etc., gone to the Valley Forge event, and changed their mind to have a post.


I'm sure people who grew up playing 14.1 on a 10' table think you're not playing real pool either.

Fred

Ive always thought playing 14.1 on a 10 foot table was misleading, considering in 14.1 most the time your only using half of the table.

 

[Derek]

If you're having to play with one of those crappy 10 pound balls for a cue ball -- I call it a "mud ball" cause that's what it feels like -- then the 7 foot tables aren't very enjoyable. I saw somewhere, read it or watched it, that some pro -- and he probably hasn't been the only one -- called small tables the "great equalizer". I would have to agree considering some players who beat me on a small table I can't seem to find them anywhere on a big table.

I also remember some announcer or pro make a comment that Americans would start lagging behind the rest of the world because so many pool halls and bars only equip small tables.

People might feel different, but players really aren't forced to learn a good stroke on a small table. Position play "yes", but no demanding strokes for draw, follow, or english. Understandably, big tables are hard to access for a lot of players and they just grow up playing on small tables. Please just don't puff out your chest we you run a rack on a small table because it's no great accomplishment.

And another thing, most small tables aren't very well maintained and play like crap. I watched some guy in Valley league the other night sit on an empty table for most of the night. Man, I wanted to clobber him. Literally. I catch you doing that at my house and some appendages are coming off.

Personally, I hate small tables. Now if somehow all small tables converted over to the Diamond brand then I might appreciate them a little more. Also, just my opinion and feeling, but any strong player who shies away from playing on a big table is a pussy in my book.

 

[trob]

I would say they both have there challenges. Here in York with the closing of Ivory billiard room you can't play on 9 foot tables unless your a member of a private club. In fact last year one local club got kicked out of a local 8 ball league because it was deemed an unfair advantage that they played on 9 footers. I kind of agreed now that there is literaly no place to go localy to play on them. Although not to the exstent I wanted them kicked out of the league.

What I have learned with the small tables not that they all have tournament cloth on them that a different stroke is needed. It just seems in those conditions that you end up shooting alot of kill shots and that stroke realy hurts when I stop at the club and play on the gold Crowns. On the other side of that if I spend a few days on the gold crowns I run everything I see on the 7 foot tables.

It also depends on the game I'm playing..8 ball to me is better on a 7 foot table. It takes great q control and a good understanding of breaking clusters. On a 9 foot everything is open and it's just a matter pocketing balls. 9 ball is a joke on 7 foot tables. Theres no real clusters and you don't have very far to go to get shape on your next ball. At least on a 9 foot table there is a lot of qball movement which makes the game more difficult. I'm not even gonna bother with straights on a 7 footer. It's a complete waste of time to play on anything but a 9 foot table.

One last thing. A friend made a nice observation this week about 8 foot tables. He said that bad thing about 8 footer is on 7 footers you have tight position and clusters. On 9 footers you have long stroke shots and alot of q ball movement. On 8 footers it's just big enough that you don't have many clusters but small enough that you really don't have long stroke shots either. So that makes them easier to play on.