Room between tables

[Scherf]

My Elks lodge is building a new building. We have 5 Valley bar boxes and 1 9' Centenial. My question to you all is, how much rooom do you leave between each table? I know at least how far to keep them from walls and such, but not exactly sure what everyone does between individual tables. Can you experts please help out?

Thanks.

 

[tangent70]

Easy to work out.
If the tables are 7 foot tables. The same distance that is required from the walls is what is required between tables.
I would guess around 5 feet between rails:thumbup:

 

[Scherf]

Thanks for the input. 5 foot is what I've heard. It just doesn't seem like enough. Thanks again.

 

[mikepage]

Thanks for the input. 5 foot is what I've heard. It just doesn't seem like enough. Thanks again.

It's a trade-off. Most people look at the minimum distance for a single player shooting off the rail on one of the tables. One of the ways an adjacent table can obstruct a player is the rear foot going into the other table's leg. So the answer for minimum distance depends on the table. Five feet or a little less sounds about right.

What people often don't realize is the significant value of 6.5 feet over 6 feet, and the significant value of 7 feet over 6.5 feet. With players on both tables the issue is the fraction of shots with a player shooting on the first table for which a player on the second table can (1) walk past the first player, (2) get i a position to see what the current shot or the next shot looks like, and (3) shoot.

 

[Jude Rosenstock]

Easy to work out.
If the tables are 7 foot tables. The same distance that is required from the walls is what is required between tables.
I would guess around 5 feet between rails:thumbup:

That's not exactly the right approach. The distance from a wall is determined by the standard length of a cue (add a few inches for good measure). 5 feet is the bare minimum *for a wall*.

Between tables is different because an adjacent table doesn't obstruct a cue. The problem now is stance and walkway. You'd like to avoid someone sitting on one table while shooting on another table. Ideal distance is more than 6 feet but you can probably work with 4 feet of space.

The bottom line is, if a compromise needs to be made, make it between tables and not with a wall. If you want to test this out, go to a poolroom with a measuring tape and place a stool 4 feet from the table. You'll see most players under 6-feet will have no issues but taller patrons will need to bend their knees. Either way, this is still better than using a short cue because a wall is in the way.

 

[cueandcushion]

I remember reading an article put out by the BCA several years ago geared towards room owners. They suggested 5 foot for 9 foot tables and 4 foot for bar boxes. The logic being that in a bar setting you want to slow the play down in order to sell drinks since money is not being made on pool as much. So people have to wait for space and may interact more with each other. The social aspect of the bar industry trumps the playing conditions of a pool playing crowd. We have between 5 and 7 foot between our tables with a few exceptions because of layout or adjusting tables for support beams.