Recent Taiwan Pool Halls trip

joyren

joyren

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
1355049214.jpg

1355049240.jpg


i just recently visited Taiwan's Pool hall and to my surprise, these are how the table pockets look like, i visited 3 pool halls and they all have the same pockets for all of their players to practise, but sad to say, unlike our pool halls here are night(Philippines), there are less people playing, most of the players practise in the afternoon, pool halls are open 24 hrs
my observations, tables are very clean, balls are very shinny, not dirts at all, house cues are very straight with proper tips installed
 
Table

I think that table was worked by RKC when he was over seas in the war 50 years ago....:)
Just a poke at glen.

LoL
 
There are typically 2 to 3 different pocket size tables at a pool hall in Taiwan.
The tight tables are for players who are a bit more serious. The pocket in the picture is a typical 1.8 ball width. That's the typical size the pros would practice or gamble on. Some players go as narrow as 1.6 ball width. It's pretty frustrating to play 1.6.

The balls are always polished and the cloth are really clean. This mean the tables play extremely fast and the cbs really grab the cloth. Plus the halls are always air conditioned, so humidity is low.

Of all the countries I've played pool at, Taiwan has the best playing conditions.
 
Here in Xiamen the conditions are similar to Taiwan because most of the room owners are Taiwanese and most of the house pros are Taiwanese. The tables are generally of a similar ratio with at least one super tight one up front, several decently tight ones and many easy ones for the bangers.

Tables and balls are cleaned after every use. I guess the only thing that bugs me is that people are allowed to smoke and drink over the tables and occasionally the cloth is discolored because of that. I don't remember seeing that in Taiwan.

Also our house cues are generally two piece cues with irish linen wraps,pro tapers and properly shaped tips.
 
dontlitethat said:
I think that table was worked by RKC when he was over seas in the war 50 years ago....:)
Just a poke at glen.

LoL
Click to expand...

Naaa, the pockets posted have had thicker facings added to tighten them up, no sub-rail extensions on them buddy. The pocket shown on that GC3 has also been stapled out at the end of the rail which is why you can see such a void at the end of the facing and the end of the rail....just like most of the rag tag GC's here in the states, worked on by hacks...LOL the rails are not even lined up with the pocket casting, and the miter angles are to wide, which means they were never corrected from the factory settings to adjust for trying to tighten the pocket up.

Glen
 
I agree with RKC, the tables are tight but not accurately tight.

It's good to see that they take good care of their cloth, balls and cues. My first reaction was "I wish pool halls in the US would take better care of their own equipment" But after a little thought I think it's more of the public's fault for the bad equipment\ than the owners.

So, were you able to make a rail shot on that table? It looks possible but I would guess the ball better be moving fairly slow.
 
realkingcobra said:
Naaa, the pockets posted have had thicker facings added to tighten them up, no sub-rail extensions on them buddy. The pocket shown on that GC3 has also been stapled out at the end of the rail which is why you can see such a void at the end of the facing and the end of the rail....just like most of the rag tag GC's here in the states, worked on by hacks...LOL the rails are not even lined up with the pocket casting, and the miter angles are to wide, which means they were never corrected from the factory settings to adjust for trying to tighten the pocket up.

Glen
Click to expand...

I can't speak about the tables in Taiwan but the tables here are quite often not set up correctly. I have gone around tables here to find that each opening is a different size AND the angles on the pockets are different from pocket to pocket.

I have thought about hiring someone to come here and teach them how to properly do the tables but I think that there is no market willing to pay for it. Over here in China it costs about $50-$80 to get a table recovered and sometimes that INCLUDES the cost of the cloth.
 
realkingcobra said:
Naaa, the pockets posted have had thicker facings added to tighten them up, no sub-rail extensions on them buddy. The pocket shown on that GC3 has also been stapled out at the end of the rail which is why you can see such a void at the end of the facing and the end of the rail....just like most of the rag tag GC's here in the states, worked on by hacks...LOL the rails are not even lined up with the pocket casting, and the miter angles are to wide, which means they were never corrected from the factory settings to adjust for trying to tighten the pocket up.

Glen
Click to expand...

-
Sorry glen' . I didn't look to closely to the pic. Just seen tight pockets and thought of u'
-WOW John! I have heard stories of silly cheap labor but like glen has talked about, you pay for what u get when it comes to a real pool table set up properly.
Those guys over there would fall over if they hit a single ball on table with a set of rails set to glens specs. Yeah' they play that good>Knock ya rite off ya feet!
-
Rob.M
 
dontlitethat said:
-
Sorry glen' . I didn't look to closely to the pic. Just seen tight pockets and thought of u'
-WOW John! I have heard stories of silly cheap labor but like glen has talked about, you pay for what u get when it comes to a real pool table set up properly.
Those guys over there would fall over if they hit a single ball on table with a set of rails set to glens specs. Yeah' they play that good>Knock ya rite off ya feet!
-
Rob.M
Click to expand...

Don't kid yourself the players in China and Taiwan can play SUPER STRONG on any table. The labor rate is low here but that does not mean that the work done is all bad. Just because they don't have the depth of knowledge or experience that Glen does doesn't automatically mean that they are bad mechanics. Of course we all know that hardly anyone can meet Glen's standards anyway but that is a different discussion.

If the players here played on one of Glen's tables they might never miss a ball.
 
In another couple of years, I might consider traveling to other countries to teach other mechanic's this trade as I know it, as I've had plenty of offers to go to many other countries already:D
 
realkingcobra said:
In another couple of years, I might consider traveling to other countries to teach other mechanic's this trade as I know it, as I've had plenty of offers to go to many other countries already:D
Click to expand...

Personally I think that this is a good idea. There should at least be someone in each country who understands the craft at the highest level.
 
So are there any Diamond tables in Taiwan? I haven't seen any, but then again I've only been to a handful of poolhalls in Taipei...
 
One thing I'd like to add about equipment in Taiwan is that the balls are waxed after each use. The way the balls play change throughout the session and its quite obvious when the wax is rubbed off.
 
JB Cases said:
Don't kid yourself the players in China and Taiwan can play SUPER STRONG on any table. The labor rate is low here but that does not mean that the work done is all bad. Just because they don't have the depth of knowledge or experience that Glen does doesn't automatically mean that they are bad mechanics. Of course we all know that hardly anyone can meet Glen's standards anyway but that is a different discussion.

If the players here played on one of Glen's tables they might never miss a ball.
Click to expand...

-
I did not mean that all of there work is bad..I'm just saying that the rate of the table labor there is low...
I don't see how anyone could take pride or put any kind of craftsmanship in there work on a table for such low pay..
-
Rob.m
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top