The 9' table blues...

A

Ak Guy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have been in 20 states in the last couple of months and it is painfully clear the 9' table is disappearing. I found some at Fast Eddies in Shreveport and at Michigan State University and Break room Billiards in Rapid City South Dakota where some of the trophies SVB has won are on display.

The 3 pool halls in Iowa where I was born are long gone. The one close to Seybetr's closed long ago. The Break Room had a half dozen good 9" tables and I was the only one playing on one. A big league was playing on the 7" tables there.

I spoke with an Iowa pool hall owner when I visited Pat Diviney and he was selling a 9' Diamond to make room for more 7" footers.

I was surprised at the lack of them in Michigan where my buddy belongs to a family of pool shooters and friends that shoot and have their own 7' tables. I made numerous attempts at locating 9' tables on the trip with out success.

I guess 7' tables are the wave of the future. Fortunately The Palace in Anchorage still holds their 2 yearly tournaments on 9" Diamonds and I can travel to them in 3 hours. I really don't like the 7' trend, but at least it's pool and maybe I should embrace them.

I am not knocking those that like them and also know one can only play on what a business offers.
 
Ak Guy said:
I have been in 20 states in the last couple of months and it is painfully clear the 9' table is disappearing. I found some at Fast Eddies in Shreveport and at Michigan State University and Break room Billiards in Rapid City South Dakota where some of the trophies SVB has won are on display.

The 3 pool halls in Iowa where I was born are long gone. The one close to Seybetr's closed long ago. The Break Room had a half dozen good 9" tables and I was the only one playing on one. A big league was playing on the 7" tables there.

I spoke with an Iowa pool hall owner when I visited Pat Diviney and he was selling a 9' Diamond to make room for more 7" footers.

I was surprised at the lack of them in Michigan where my buddy belongs to a family of pool shooters and friends that shoot and have their own 7' tables. I made numerous attempts at locating 9' tables on the trip with out success.

I guess 7' tables are the wave of the future. Fortunately The Palace in Anchorage still holds their 2 yearly tournaments on 9" Diamonds and I can travel to them in 3 hours. I really don't like the 7' trend, but at least it's pool and maybe I should embrace them.

I am not knocking those that like them and also know one can only play on what a business offers.
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I dont think it is just 9 footers disappearing. I think it is pool as an activity shrinking in north america. Instead of going out to play pool it seems people are more 'going for drinks' or 'out for wings' and play a few games.

When the audience is less serious pool players and more bangers who dont care if they play on a 9 footer it makes sense to fit more smaller tables in the same space.........or the same amount of smaller tables and then have extra space for more restaurant seating......etc.

That is my take on it anyways.
 
caff3in3 said:
I dont think it is just 9 footers disappearing. I think it is pool as an activity shrinking in north america. Instead of going out to play pool it seems people are more 'going for drinks' or 'out for wings' and play a few games.

When the audience is less serious pool players and more bangers who dont care if they play on a 9 footer it makes sense to fit more smaller tables in the same space.........or the same amount of smaller tables and then have extra space for more restaurant seating......etc.

That is my take on it anyways.
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I agree wholeheartedly.

Except for APA 8 ball tournaments, I have never played on anything but a 9 foot table and have no interest in playing on smaller tables. I am fortunate to have a 9 foot GC at home.
 
Similar story

I've been travelling around the country for the last year and a half and I've come to the same conclusion as the OP.

HOWEVER...

Pool in general and 9' pool specifically are alive and well in Florida. Maybe it has something to do with the generally older population, but whatever it is, pool is just fine here in Florida.

I spent the last twenty years or so in the Cleveland/Akron area where one pool room after another closed up. Now I'm in the Tampa Bay area and there are apparently healthy pool rooms every few miles. And almost without exception, they all have 9' tables exclusively.
 
Simple economics. In a business, square footage is X amount of money. More 7' tables (X) =$. Same thing with bar stools and tables. Two small dining tables with 4 chairs each instead of one 9' pool table.

I have a 9' GC in my basement. I play whenever I want and don't have to put up with smoker's, drunks and assholes. Win-win.
 
I also travel extensively and it seems East and West Coasts tend to be more oriented towards having big tracks with most everything in the middle inundated with bar boxes. There are exceptions, some places, but few and far between
 
Buzzard II said:
Simple economics. In a business, square footage is X amount of money. More 7' tables (X) =$. Same thing with bar stools and tables. Two small dining tables with 4 chairs each instead of one 9' pool table.

I have a 9' GC in my basement. I play whenever I want and don't have to put up with smoker's, drunks and assholes. Win-win.
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Do you get much competition in your basement? Use to love the guys with home tables coming into the room.

That aside. I too lament the demise of the 9 footer. I am fortunate also in that in a 40 minute drive radius from my home there are 5 poolrooms each outfitted with many 9 footers Gold Crowns. From what I read in the forums it looks like America is a 7 foot nation anymore.
 
We have a special wildlife preserve here in Chicago where the free-range 9footers are still allowed to roam wild and free. Its glorious to see them run in herds like they used to.
 
Buzzard II said:
Simple economics. In a business, square footage is X amount of money. More 7' tables (X) =$. Same thing with bar stools and tables. Two small dining tables with 4 chairs each instead of one 9' pool table.

I have a 9' GC in my basement. I play whenever I want and don't have to put up with smoker's, drunks and assholes. Win-win.
Click to expand...

I guess I'm not coming to your house.
 
Plenty of 9 footers in the area. Probably more 8 ft than 7ft., but they are on the rise.

I wish there were more 10 ft.:(
 
In Milwaukee we have 1 hold out which is Romines Hi Pockets, I think they have close to 50 Gold Crowns, a mix of 9's and Pro 8s. Even though its an hour drive for me and I have a Gold Crown in my basement I go there occasionally just to support them. It is the best pool establishment I have been in so far, although playing for only 5 years and counting I have not seen many real pool halls yet.
 
New York City must be the other sanctuary for 9' foot tables. Unless you're in a bar with 1-2 tables, then all you will encounter at the regular poolhalls are 9 foot tables.
 
Of the two places in Wichita I play most often - one has 3 9' tables and the other has 6. However, there are many more bar boxes everywhere. I guess that's where the $ is; so if they stay so will the 9 footers.
 
philly said:
Do you get much competition in your basement? Use to love the guys with home tables coming into the room.

That aside. I too lament the demise of the 9 footer. I am fortunate also in that in a 40 minute drive radius from my home there are 5 poolrooms each outfitted with many 9 footers Gold Crowns. From what I read in the forums it looks like America is a 7 foot nation anymore.
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Being one of those "basement players" myself, I'm curious about what is you love about us walking into your room. My question is not meant to be provocative......really! I'm just interested.
 
His Boy Elroy said:
Being one of those "basement players" myself, I'm curious about what is you love about us walking into your room. My question is not meant to be provocative......really! I'm just interested.
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A lot of guys, not all, that play only at home learn to be good shot makers but never learn to see the table because they only play with friends and such, not better players which is usually needed for an education to elevate one's game. These guys used to come in thinking they were exceptional players but had never been tested. They would come in thinking they would gamble and take everyone's bankroll. I've seen it more than once.
 
Table

Ak Guy said:
I have been in 20 states in the last couple of months and it is painfully clear the 9' table is disappearing. I found some at Fast Eddies in Shreveport and at Michigan State University and Break room Billiards in Rapid City South Dakota where some of the trophies SVB has won are on display.

The 3 pool halls in Iowa where I was born are long gone. The one close to Seybetr's closed long ago. The Break Room had a half dozen good 9" tables and I was the only one playing on one. A big league was playing on the 7" tables there.

I spoke with an Iowa pool hall owner when I visited Pat Diviney and he was selling a 9' Diamond to make room for more 7" footers.

I was surprised at the lack of them in Michigan where my buddy belongs to a family of pool shooters and friends that shoot and have their own 7' tables. I made numerous attempts at locating 9' tables on the trip with out success.

I guess 7' tables are the wave of the future. Fortunately The Palace in Anchorage still holds their 2 yearly tournaments on 9" Diamonds and I can travel to them in 3 hours. I really don't like the 7' trend, but at least it's pool and maybe I should embrace them.

I am not knocking those that like them and also know one can only play on what a business offers.
Click to expand...

-

There are 3 nine footers at sharkys billiards in Davenport Iowa and leisure time across the river has a nine footer as well.

The reason the nine footer was taken out of the room you are talking about is because the rooms has many tournaments on the 7 foot tables and when the tournaments are going on the standing and seating area is limited so the owner would put the cover over the 9 footer and set up seating around the table for on-lookers.~ 9 footer making no money while covered....
So the owner seen the light and sold the 9 footer and replaced with two 7 footers and now his tournaments have two more 7 tables that it needs because of the long lists of tournament players that has grown.

Makes cents'





Rob.M
 
philly said:
A lot of guys, not all, that play only at home learn to be good shot makers but never learn to see the table because they only play with friends and such, not better players which is usually needed for an education to elevate one's game. These guys used to come in thinking they were exceptional players but had never been tested. They would come in thinking they would gamble and take everyone's bankroll. I've seen it more than once.
Click to expand...
It is interesting. I grew up playing with my friends. We all started around the same time and a few of us are decent b players but never had anyone show us how to improve. I was really missing some core skills and didn't even know it. I was never one to think I was great at pool because I can beat my friends but I can see how some would fall into that trap





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caff3in3 said:
It is interesting. I grew up playing with my friends. We all started around the same time and a few of us are decent b players but never had anyone show us how to improve. I was really missing some core skills and didn't even know it. I was never one to think I was great at pool because I can beat my friends but I can see how some would fall into that trap





Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk
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You can be the fastest horse in a one horse town and not realize it. ;)
 
Here in Quebec it is almost only 9 footers that we have! Most bars have 1-2 9" and at best 1 7", pool rooms are usually 5-12 9" and 2-4 7"
 
Ak Guy said:
I have been in 20 states in the last couple of months and it is painfully clear the 9' table is disappearing. I found some at Fast Eddies in Shreveport and at Michigan State University and Break room Billiards in Rapid City South Dakota where some of the trophies SVB has won are on display.

The 3 pool halls in Iowa where I was born are long gone. The one close to Seybetr's closed long ago. The Break Room had a half dozen good 9" tables and I was the only one playing on one. A big league was playing on the 7" tables there.

I spoke with an Iowa pool hall owner when I visited Pat Diviney and he was selling a 9' Diamond to make room for more 7" footers.

I was surprised at the lack of them in Michigan where my buddy belongs to a family of pool shooters and friends that shoot and have their own 7' tables. I made numerous attempts at locating 9' tables on the trip with out success.

I guess 7' tables are the wave of the future. Fortunately The Palace in Anchorage still holds their 2 yearly tournaments on 9" Diamonds and I can travel to them in 3 hours. I really don't like the 7' trend, but at least it's pool and maybe I should embrace them.

I am not knocking those that like them and also know one can only play on what a business offers.
Click to expand...

Don't know if it is true but i heard that the 9 footer came about as a compromise between the 10 and 8 footers , the 10 footer was the table in the northeast and 8 footers in the south . I only remember 8 footers and OS 8 footers where i grew up in Texas just north of Dallas and 10 foot snooker tables , usually just one. When i moved to the Dallas in mid 70's only 1 room had a couple of 9 footers. I think the lack of support for pool rooms are the cause of their demise .

Plus various states had different combinations . Visited some cousins in Kansas City about 1970 and there were 8 footers there. Believe the PNW has had predominantly 8 foot bar tables and believe they are switching to 7's. Cost , marketing of pool leagues are probably driving the shift . Wish bars would switch to 8 foot bar tables so that there is less of a transition because in many places bars are the only place that have tables.
 
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