I believe of the "modern" pro's, Allen Hopkins had a 10' Connelly practice table in his house for years when he was a top pro.
Practice table size 9’ or 10’
- Thread starter Dwalk70
- Start date
Rarely disagree with any of your posts, naturally I pick one that I at least want to clarify a bit. A seven foot Diamond isn't a bar box as I am sure you know. It is basically a shrunk down nine footer. Identical pockets, top quality slate, and cushions. A look underneath shows very similar construction. If you have the dollars but not the room it is a pretty good substitute to practice on for nine foot play. Might make the pockets slightly tighter to adjust for the shorter shots. I don't know about that, speculation on my part.
I had a seven foot valley at my last home. The cushions had been changed and simonis installed too. It banked about like it should and played decent. Then hurricane Ida dumped hundreds of gallons of water on it. Blew one side out but immediately afterwards it didn't look too bad. Then all the waferboard melted and I was left with four legs and slate. It looked like a cut out of a pool table, no frame at all.
Just a side trip here to point out to others looking for a table that a Diamond isn't a barbox, more particularly, a barbox doesn't compare to a Diamond. I played on a seven foot Diamond and a seven foot Valley that were almost side by side at Buffalo's old place when I was thinking about a barbox tournament. No comparison and both tables were well maintained.
Hu
Nice post SA....interesting/understructure.
But growing up in the Chicago area, we NEVER saw a bar table in the pool rooms of the 50's 60's they were in barzzzzzzzah.
Even the bowling alleys (Brunswick, Bristol WI) had 9 footers.
I had played for 13 yrs on 9' when I first saw this box in a bar.
Yep that 7' table is the real deal.
Comparable to a PGA par three course IMO.
Only other table that Played like a tough Diamond 7' was the Irving K.
Was a pool room Full of em in Lincoln NE.
But growing up in the Chicago area, we NEVER saw a bar table in the pool rooms of the 50's 60's they were in barzzzzzzzah.
Even the bowling alleys (Brunswick, Bristol WI) had 9 footers.
I had played for 13 yrs on 9' when I first saw this box in a bar.
Yep that 7' table is the real deal.
Comparable to a PGA par three course IMO.
Only other table that Played like a tough Diamond 7' was the Irving K.
Was a pool room Full of em in Lincoln NE.
I have played since 1966 and have seen one 10 foot table. That place is gone and was never near enough for me to play on a 10 foot table regularly.
If I had the choice I would have a 9 foot table made by Mark Gregory with 4 inch corner pockets and 41/2 inch side pockets. I would not purchase a Diamond due to the pockets being cut poorly. Seen way to many with pockets that are inaccurately cut...
If I had the choice I would have a 9 foot table made by Mark Gregory with 4 inch corner pockets and 41/2 inch side pockets. I would not purchase a Diamond due to the pockets being cut poorly. Seen way to many with pockets that are inaccurately cut...
MurrayNevada
Well-known member
And he is still thinking of getting the Olhausen. Can a person just cancel a Diamond order and not lose money?
MurrayNevada
Well-known member
Understand.
These threads make me not want to buy a table at all. My only option here is a new table as getting a good used GC is almost impossible and if you did its impossible to get anyone to rework the subrails without shipping them across the border.
I was thinking a Diamond Pro-Am with 4.25 pockets but after some of these threads I question it. I don't like Rasson or the new Predator as I've heard of problems as well. And new GC are way over priced only available in 4.75 or 4.5 pockets and the QC on them aren't great from what I've seen.
I was thinking a Diamond Pro-Am with 4.25 pockets but after some of these threads I question it. I don't like Rasson or the new Predator as I've heard of problems as well. And new GC are way over priced only available in 4.75 or 4.5 pockets and the QC on them aren't great from what I've seen.
Nyquil
Well-known member
What's your concern with a diamond?
You got a couple of guys on here that say they bank funny and not consistent and another guy saying the pockets being cut poorly. Then you got Trent on here bashing Diamond as well.
I'm still leaning towards Diamond but I've got a while to decide unfortunately.
Nyquil
Well-known member
The blue labels bank fine.That pocket comment is the first I have ever seen around the pockets not being cut right. From someone that owns one they are worth it, play great, and hold their value very well. The only nuisance with these pro am's is the liners do mark balls. Factor a polisher into your pricing. It will be cheaper anyway to ship with the table. Prices are climbing so get your deposit it soon if you are gonna to pull the trigger on one imho.
Brent
I have a 10 foot snooker table. I also have a 10 foot pool table that is broken down which I never could sell. Growing up we had an 8 foot Sears Roebuck fake slate table that got a ton of use. Playing on that crappy $500 table which was a lot of money for us at the time is what made me the player I am today. That and my grandpa who was a very good player. I got the original 5x10 in 1999. I love playing on big tables primarily for games other than 8 ball or 9 ball. I did not get either to get better at league and truthfully they are a double edged sword. They help with long shots but they are zero help for a bar box. As a league player, which I am, I would say if improving in league was my sole motivation, I would get whatever you contest on. My pool hall has Valleys and Diamonds. The Diamonds have bucket pockets in this place. I would get a tight Valley or a very tight Diamond to approximate the Valley and the traffic you will face on a smaller table. Playing snooker is lots of fun but it has changed my game not for the better LOL. It is verrrry difficult to hit a long rail shot and other than barely pocket speed and with rounded pockets it is like playing basketball with nothing but net counts! Everything rattles if the ball touches anything. I love my current table. The pockets are 4 inches so well below 2 ball width. Most people would find it frustrating as shot selection is very different. It does not matter to me. Also be advised very few mechanics will move them or set them up, even if all of the parts are in the room. It will likely cost more. Like to move setup and re-cloth cost as much as the table.
I have played extensively on 8.5, 9 and 10 footers. The biggest problem you will notice is the reach factor on the 10 footer. You will start playing patterns on the 10 footer that you would never play on a 9 footer because its impossible to reach the shots you would play on the 9 footer. Sure on the 10 footer you will be shooting longer harder shots and need to be able to stroke the ball harder and speed/direction control is less forgiving but the reach is definitely the biggest difference. The same thing can be said when going from the 8.5 footer to the 9 footer: You can reach almost everything on the 8.5 footer where on the 9 footer its not the case and you have to be more careful where you play position to, however, the patterns are basically the same.
I would recommend buying a pro-cut 9 foot diamond and skip the 10 footer unless you already have extensive experience on a 9 footer and are an A player or close to.
Its all about the reach. There are some 1 rail shots that are impossible to reach so they are no longer viable. Also, when you are shooting a ball down table, you will have to position the cue ball about a diamond further up table just to be able to reach it. Basically if you dont play close to A speed its going to be a very humbling and frustrating experience with missed shot after missed shot and needing the bridge or extention all the time. If you do choose to buy it I highly recommend simonis 760 and nothing slower or else its going to be that much harder to move the ball on.
When its time to go play at the pool hall you want to play on the same size table all the time so you will have an idea of what you can reach and what you cant reach. This is going to cost you games on the 9 footers if its not second nature.
I agree completely with your sentiments. I too wish there were many more 9 foot tables around. But there's not. Its not going to happen. So I satisfy myself on 7 footers. When we met, my wife was hoping I had a 10 inch penis, but she made a 7 work just fine!
Everything is getting smaller as time goes on... the cars we drive is a good example. Even the above mentioned penis is getting smaller.
Living in the past and wishing things were like they used to be is a waste of time. You know what they say.... Wish in one hand and shit in the other, which one will fill up first?
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I'm a decent player, 7 and Masters when in league. I was in your position a few years ago and Mark Gregory, an amazing table mechanic in GA and a former serious road player, had some great guidance. 1. Yes a larger table may improve your game if you have the room and are very strong player, but the downsides are probably not worth the upsides for most people. 2. You can improve your accuracy at the pool hall with tighter pockets on a 9ft at home. 3. Very few of your visitors will want to play on a 10ft because of it's difficulty, 9ft will be challenging for most people so for me the advantage was for a 9ft. My guests are still intimidated by the table and find it difficult. 4. Pattern play changes, Mark explained that most people have to adapt their game because the reach on a 10ft forces too many bridge shots. Keep in mind I'm 6'4 and still occasionally need a bridge on a 9ft. It wouldn't be fun to take one out regularly. 5. Resale is awful for 10ft. There's not enough room and they're too difficult for many players so getting your money back is likely impossible. 6. You want to "want to play" on the table. Mark explained that many times playing on a 10ft table it always feels like work because it's so challenging. He said that a lot of folks end up going back to 9ft because they want to enjoy both playing and can also work on practice drills.
I'll also add that as a professional in your middle years that you may find you begin having less time to practice as your business grows. It's easier to return to a 9ft after a brief lapse in play than it is to a 10ft. I added kids to the mix and there's even less time, lol. I'm very glad I followed Mark's advice and recommend you reach out to him if you want a 9ft with tight pockets or if you want a 10ft. He restores some beautiful tables and my table feels like a museum piece.
Hope that info helps and good luck with your search.
I'll also add that as a professional in your middle years that you may find you begin having less time to practice as your business grows. It's easier to return to a 9ft after a brief lapse in play than it is to a 10ft. I added kids to the mix and there's even less time, lol. I'm very glad I followed Mark's advice and recommend you reach out to him if you want a 9ft with tight pockets or if you want a 10ft. He restores some beautiful tables and my table feels like a museum piece.
Hope that info helps and good luck with your search.
My comment was the truth. I built a sound proofed room for a pool table for a customer in Illinois. The room was underneath a master bedroom addition thus the sound proofing.
That tables corner pockets were inconsistent. We did some investigating and shot a video then contacted Diamond. Diamond agreed with us and sent up an installer from Diamond with new set of rails. Same issue again. On the third set of rails they finally got it right. The whole scenario took almost four months to get resolved.
I have seen the same issue at other pool rooms as well. Some corner pockets will take a ball hit into the corner facing yet others will not and the ball will jaw back and forth and stay on the table.
You can pm if you want more info...
Woodshaft
Do what works for YOU!
This.
Woodshaft
Do what works for YOU!
This, again.
kanzzo
hobby player
for most games just pocketing the balls is the most important thing. So you get away on playing sloppy more often on a loose table.
On a tight table you don't get away with it. So you practice and learn to stay concentrated longer.
You can try to play focused with will power, but will power drains fast and it's not possible (or at least very difficult) for hours. You need this level of precision every time you play a ball on a tight table and this improves your game much faster.
It's like trying to lose weight with willpower or with a stomach reduction operation. Both groups lose weight if they are concentrated and eat little. In the first group the success rate over time is less than 5%. In second group over 80%. Just because they have no choice but eat less.
And "playing to an exact part of a pocket, within 1 mm accuracy": they are so many things to pay attention to when playing, most times I don't notice exactly to what part of the pocket my ball went. I see it sometimes on the way the CB travel and I always notice when I miss. But if I am paying attention on the path of the CB I can not simultaniously pay attention, if the ball went within 1mm accuracy where it was intended.
I played on 5'' pockets for years and I play on 4 1/4'' pockets for years now and the change meant a huge improvement to my game. There are great players who became great playing on big pockets but I think that for the most players the improvement is faster and easier on a reasonably tight table. (I had a 4'' pockets table with an old cloth for 3 years and consider this or smaller pockets unreasonable tight, since it makes draw shots close to the long rail almost impossible to play.)