The BIG cueball, ugh...

Lance Link

Lance Link

Banned
Traveling bar league...

One bar in particular uses the BIG cueball.

Now, I understand that there are some ball return tables that are designed so that the cueball must be larger for it to return to the proper chamber (at the headstring). But...

My team had a f*** of a time last night trying to work big fat whitey around the table. And the amusing part was, so did the home team !!! And it's thier bar !!!
Why not just collect the table money from the players and open up the trapdoor (the table is owned by the bar, so there's no 'vendor' cut) so that the regulation ball can be used without the issue of it returning to the correct spot ?
When pressed about it, the response was, "Well, it's our bar, so it's our choice of which cueball to use."
Sure, I'll buy that. That's thier choice... but the big ball didn't help them last night either.

Ok... on to the Q & A...

A) Is there a way around this big cueball crap ? Is there a 'retrofit' cueball for these tables that's the 2.25 (standard) size, but designed to return to the headstring deposit box ?

B) Why would anyone want to play with the big ball ? If the home team could execute with big whitey, I could see thier point. But they had as hard of a time as we did. At least two of thier team are high-caliber players, and they're the ones that REALLY had a rough time !!

If there's a legitimate reason to support the big ball, please, I'm all ears...
 
Lance Link said:
Traveling bar league...

One bar in particular uses the BIG cueball.

Now, I understand that there are some ball return tables that are designed so that the cueball must be larger for it to return to the proper chamber (at the headstring). But...

My team had a f*** of a time last night trying to work big fat whitey around the table. And the amusing part was, so did the home team !!! And it's thier bar !!!
Why not just collect the table money from the players and open up the trapdoor (the table is owned by the bar, so there's no 'vendor' cut) so that the regulation ball can be used without the issue of it returning to the correct spot ?
When pressed about it, the response was, "Well, it's our bar, so it's our choice of which cueball to use."
Sure, I'll buy that. That's thier choice... but the big ball didn't help them last night either.

Ok... on to the Q & A...

A) Is there a way around this big cueball crap ? Is there a 'retrofit' cueball for these tables that's the 2.25 (standard) size, but designed to return to the headstring deposit box ?

B) Why would anyone want to play with the big ball ? If the home team could execute with big whitey, I could see thier point. But they had as hard of a time as we did. At least two of thier team are high-caliber players, and they're the ones that REALLY had a rough time !!

If there's a legitimate reason to support the big ball, please, I'm all ears...
Click to expand...

one answer, there is money to be made with a big ball, at least in san diego there was. if it helps console you, i never could "get" those balls down either. if u get the last 2 from world beaters and live in SD, you maybe could make 20 bucks a week, play good with a big ball though, and that goes up to about 200 a week, haha. either way your screwed.
 
Lance Link said:
Traveling bar league...

One bar in particular uses the BIG cueball.

Now, I understand that there are some ball return tables that are designed so that the cueball must be larger for it to return to the proper chamber (at the headstring). But...

My team had a f*** of a time last night trying to work big fat whitey around the table. And the amusing part was, so did the home team !!! And it's thier bar !!!
Why not just collect the table money from the players and open up the trapdoor (the table is owned by the bar, so there's no 'vendor' cut) so that the regulation ball can be used without the issue of it returning to the correct spot ?
When pressed about it, the response was, "Well, it's our bar, so it's our choice of which cueball to use."
Sure, I'll buy that. That's thier choice... but the big ball didn't help them last night either.

Ok... on to the Q & A...

A) Is there a way around this big cueball crap ? Is there a 'retrofit' cueball for these tables that's the 2.25 (standard) size, but designed to return to the headstring deposit box ?

B) Why would anyone want to play with the big ball ? If the home team could execute with big whitey, I could see thier point. But they had as hard of a time as we did. At least two of thier team are high-caliber players, and they're the ones that REALLY had a rough time !!

If there's a legitimate reason to support the big ball, please, I'm all ears...
Click to expand...

Well, here we go again, but what the hell, I'm out of Bourbon!!
When Texas Express came along and they quit using the big ball, I think a big part of me died. The big ball was the Nuts and you could do a lot with that ball that you can't do with the peanut. Double kissing balls since became a lost art and it was a shot that came into play often.
You could have a ball frozen on the long rail 12 inches from the pocket and the cue ball on the spot or there about, hit it smooth with center ball and it danced around like it was shot from and gun.
The break? A whole other world. YOu could line up center table, elevate the butt end of the cue slightly and with a little practice, the owner needed and good supply of light bulbs.
That was pool back when you actually needed a Stroke and some creativity to play this game.
Combine that with a nice tight Fisher
table and the BCA Leagues would take 12 months to run off in Vegas!
I would love to watch some of the youngsters try and draw that ball around. I garuntee th first thing most would do, is to jack up. Take 57 warm up strokes and then watch the ball fo airborne!!
Gotta go, the liqour store delivers!
 
the search key is your friend . . .

. . . .cuz I'm pretty sure I had this discussion with Kicken'Chicken just a few months ago .
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=197529&highlight=muddy
First , it is their bar , it is their choice .
Second , maybe their 2 'big guns' didn't have a handle on it - because , like you , they've been playing with the red circle . . . .but how did their lower handicaps play it ?
A lot of bar bangers are used to it - it's the ONLY ball they've ever played , and they resent the idea of it being taken away from them .
Third , you call yourself a pool player ? But , apparently , you can only play under "ideal" conditions . MUST HAVE Simonis 860 ! MUST HAVE Aramith balls ! Getcha on a barbox covered in an army blanket , shootin' at clay balls with Big Muddy , and it's a whole different game ! If you're REALLY GOOD , you should be able to make the adjustment .

Don't go into their house and expect them to change the rules / equipment to suit you . . . .
 
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Hey, ridinda9...

Did you read ANY of the original post, or did you just see the title and roll your eyes ?

Lance Link said:
My team had a f*** of a time last night trying to work big fat whitey around the table. And the amusing part was, so did the home team !!! And it's thier bar !!!
Why not just collect the table money from the players and open up the trapdoor (the table is owned by the bar, so there's no 'vendor' cut) so that the regulation ball can be used without the issue of it returning to the correct spot ?
When pressed about it, the response was, "Well, it's our bar, so it's our choice of which cueball to use."
Sure, I'll buy that. That's thier choice... but the big ball didn't help them last night either.
Click to expand...

I've learned that older tables tend to have the bigger cueball to accomodate the weight/size system designed to return the cueball to the trap at the headstring (and not to join the pocketed balls in the channel). My question was whether or not there is a retrofit ball.


Now onto your drama...

First , it is their bar , it is their choice
Click to expand...
...like I stated in my original post. And my team adjusted accordingly.

Second , maybe their 2 'big guns' didn't have a handle on it - because , like you , they've been playing with the red circle . . . .but how did their lower handicaps play it ?
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Frankly, even the lower hcp's played crappy with it. I've seen these guys play at OUR bar, and they shoot better with the regular CB.

And the above two answers pretty much covers the rest of your post.

I've played on a Gold Crown with Simonis 860, I've played on a bar box with an iron-on patch near the corner pocket and duct tape on one rail, and just about everything in between (including tables with the big cueball).

I'll make the adjustment.

MY point (in case you missed it) was :
Why would anyone want to play with the big ball ? If the home team could execute with big whitey, I could see thier point. But they had as hard of a time as we did. At least two of thier team are high-caliber players, and they're the ones that REALLY had a rough time !!
Click to expand...

If it was working for them, then so be it, it's thier bar. But if THEY are having difficulty maneuvering the big ball, at least change up and give THEMSELVES a fair chance.

Pay attention and read the entire thread before you answer.
 
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Played in a tournament once in a two-table bar that had a small, light cueball on one table and a big heavy one on the other table. Not only was this ball big, it felt like it had a plutonium core. God help you if you got straight in, cause you were gonna need a Mike Massey stroke to get that ball to back up. And just about the time you got used to drawing the big ball, you'd have to play a match on the other other table, and you're first couple of "stop" shots would get you about a combined 30 feet of draw.

Aaron
 
did somebody pee in your Post Toasties ??

Lance Link said:
Did you read ANY of the original post ?
Pay attention and read the entire thread before you answer.
Click to expand...

Yep , read the whole damm thing !
Thats why there was a 'question mark' after "how did their lower handicaps play it"
I also read the part that said "my team had a **** of a time trying to work big fat whitey" , so I guess you DIDN"T really make the adjustment . . . . .
See , the thing is , you didn't really want an answer to :

"B) Why would anybody want to play with the big ball ? "

The answer is , because it is an equalizer . Yes , maybe their lower handicaps had a 'problem' controlling "Big Muddy". But they are low handicaps - maybe their control isn't great to begin with . By playing with "Big Muddy" , they brought you down to their level , and turned your expected "blowout" into a streetfight . . . .:bash::duck::thud:

Now , did you FOLLOW THE LINK that was provided , and READ THE ENTIRE THREAD before your answer ? :speechless:

Because that thread , which is only two months old ,provides you with all the specifications on alternate cue balls for use in the different types of tables , and advice on how they play .
Err , was that your "retrofit" question ??
Ask a question around here , and you'll get answers . You might not like 'em , but you'll get 'em !!:poke:

Apparently , you're not "all ears" -you're mostly MOUTH !
 
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when I play with the big ball, I just aim a hair outside and I mean a HAIR. I can't consistently draw, but it can be done. Just train with it and you wont have a problem.
 
The point I was trying to make in my original post was 'why would guys who play better with the small ball (including those specific lower handicapped players) choose to play with the big one ?'

Believe me, I'd get it if they shot well with the big ball, and probably would have reasoned it the same way you did (you're right, that would have been thier way of 'bringing it down to a streetfight').
But that's just it... they didn't shoot well with it.
And I've played these guys before on our turf with a standard size cueball. THAT'S when the lower handicaps shoot well above thier average. They're more of a threat with the SMALL ball than they are with big whitey.

That team has played together for about 8 seasons. Historically, they've taken more points from us with the small ball.

By the third round, we'd pretty much adjusted to the big ball (yet again), so you can throw that thought out the window.

I don't know, maybe you've got a few high-caliber players in your league/tournaments that b**** about the big one, and you figure everybody else HAS to be the same way.

I asked a question, and you ASSUMED it was a one-sided complaint.

Whatever, sport. It's the internet. You can say anything you want behind a computer screen...
 
If the table is an older Dynamo, then there is no way to fix it so that it will accept a 2 1/4" magnetic plug ball or Simonis Green "S" magnetic cueball.

If it is an older Valley table, the magnetic plug cueball should work. All newer Valley and Dynamo tables use magnetic balls.
 
In the 60's and 70's ( when i played a lot of bar pool ), just about every bar table used the big ball. I had Danny Janes of joss cues make me a 13.5 mm shaft ( i play with 13mm ). this made an automatic adjustment for the big ball. Now you do have to change your playing style a bit ( follow the cue more , go multiple rails instead of holding the ball or drawing 1 rail and back , etc ) , but the larger shaft helps a lot
just a thought
gl
 
LOL...ahh the big ball! I used to call that the draw stroke trainer. I loved that thing and could make it dance. In the league I was in it was a major benefit to being able to control that thing well. Most of the guys in the league didn't know what to do with it and if you could handle it you were almost assured your night would go well.

I think they could have used a regular cue ball and opened the side like you stated as a work around since it didn't seem to help them either. I'm not an expert by any means on this but from from what I've gathered in my league days to retrofit a table that differentiates the balls based on size would be hard. If the cue ball is working against a magnetic sensor that directs it to the front of the table then they could easily replace with a 2.25 magnetic compatible cue ball to solve the problem.
 
That thread that Rindinda9 attached to his comments sums up the Mud ball and a work around for changing it to a small ball.

Im not a mechanic, but I do believe there is a kit you can get for the really old Valley/dynamo tables that convert them to a magnetic cue ball.

Our area got rid of the big cue ball about 5 years ago and havent seen one until last night. We had league and the bar just got the tables redone and the mechanic gave them new balls with oversized cue balls that they said came with the new balls. Well it was so funny seeing the players that are used to the small ball or have never played with the big ball try and play. I had a blast because seeing some of there facial expression after they try and play a stop shot and the ball rolls 6 inches before it stops.

Its a complete different game when it comes to that ball, but I like the big ball because that is all I played with for 15 years previousely so it was like reliving the past for me.

I used to have one of those joke, lopsided mud balls that we used to play three ball or ring games, now that was some fun games because you were lucky to get shape within a 6 inch area.
 
Aaron_S said:
Played in a tournament once in a two-table bar that had a small, light cueball on one table and a big heavy one on the other table. Not only was this ball big, it felt like it had a plutonium core. God help you if you got straight in, cause you were gonna need a Mike Massey stroke to get that ball to back up. And just about the time you got used to drawing the big ball, you'd have to play a match on the other other table, and you're first couple of "stop" shots would get you about a combined 30 feet of draw.

Aaron
Click to expand...
I have one of these. I traded a Aramith green "S" ball for it at the VFW. It looks like a cue ball but plays like a bowlingball.
 
Everyone talks about position with the big ball. Yes it takes more stroke to get it around the table but I don't think that is the issue.

If you are accustomed to playing with the small cue ball and then switch to the big cue ball every single cut shot you practiced 1000 times is now different. Since it is larger what you have trained your brain to remember for cut shots is now wrong. You need to hit shots thinner. Its tough. That is my biggest problem with using it.
 
TheNewSharkster said:
Everyone talks about position with the big ball. Yes it takes more stroke to get it around the table but I don't think that is the issue.

If you are accustomed to playing with the small cue ball and then switch to the big cue ball every single cut shot you practiced 1000 times is now different. Since it is larger what you have trained your brain to remember for cut shots is now wrong. You need to hit shots thinner. Its tough. That is my biggest problem with using it.
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You hit the nail on the head, I think.

Actually, cut shots were what cost us the first few games the other night. Combine that with needing a little more 'oomph' in your stroke, and then you're forced to take those cut shots. Took a couple of rounds to really get that down.

Worked out in the end, though.
 
Mueller's had the Aramith cue ball with the green S and some of them also have another green design on it. I think it cost about $20.
 
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