the diamond tables got me again
- Thread starter D-Rock
- Start date
After getting my a$$ handed to me about a half dozen times playing on one I decided to go whole hog and buy my own. I figured that I would practice, practice and practice some more until I learned to kick the Diamonds a$$. Well its been about 3 years and it is still whoopen up on me
.
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It happens. I'm looking forward to playin on some this weekend. Maybe this time I win instead of the table.
Good luck sir
Good luck sir
I live here in Korea and all we have are 98% Hollywood pieces of junk. The pockets are huge and even on a 9 footer, it really isn't that big of a chalange. The other 2% are small tables or a few Brunswicks if you can find them. Those are the good tables.
Well, long story short... I had a friend the other night say that he would like trying to play on a Diamond (don't exist here). I just had to laugh. I've been playing on those a lot over the past 5-6 years in the D.C. area before I moved here and I just had to laugh when he said that. He doesn't know what he is asking!
You are right, unless those are the tables you are used too, they will kick your ass! Everything about those tables is completely different. Don't get me wrong, I like them. But, I prefer a good Brunswick Gold Crown any day of the week.
Well, long story short... I had a friend the other night say that he would like trying to play on a Diamond (don't exist here). I just had to laugh. I've been playing on those a lot over the past 5-6 years in the D.C. area before I moved here and I just had to laugh when he said that. He doesn't know what he is asking!
You are right, unless those are the tables you are used too, they will kick your ass! Everything about those tables is completely different. Don't get me wrong, I like them. But, I prefer a good Brunswick Gold Crown any day of the week.
my little bit about the newer Diamonds
I played on a couple of very old ones and either from differences in materials or age they played much more like a GC. The new ones bank a little differently than a GC, enough to make the transition awkward if you spend all of your time on only one of them.
High humidity makes the Diamonds want to spit balls a little bit and if a table mechanic is a little sloppy putting them together after recovering them some pockets can become very tough. Excellent tables, I thought they played fantastic in Dallas. They play better than anything else in the New Orleans area that I have found but I have to admit I'm not quite as thrilled with them here for a few reasons.
Bang for the buck and if it is decently maintained the Diamond is a great table. One thing I like, in New Orleans even nine ball isn't the string rack game it can be sometimes. You may get a few racks ran on you but you will get a chance in a tournament set. Ten ball, short races to seven or nine the cream still usually rises to the top. A lot more that I like about the Diamonds than I dislike. They don't tolerate much slop from a player or a table mechanic but it is hard to complain about either of those things.
Hu
I played on a couple of very old ones and either from differences in materials or age they played much more like a GC. The new ones bank a little differently than a GC, enough to make the transition awkward if you spend all of your time on only one of them.
High humidity makes the Diamonds want to spit balls a little bit and if a table mechanic is a little sloppy putting them together after recovering them some pockets can become very tough. Excellent tables, I thought they played fantastic in Dallas. They play better than anything else in the New Orleans area that I have found but I have to admit I'm not quite as thrilled with them here for a few reasons.
Bang for the buck and if it is decently maintained the Diamond is a great table. One thing I like, in New Orleans even nine ball isn't the string rack game it can be sometimes. You may get a few racks ran on you but you will get a chance in a tournament set. Ten ball, short races to seven or nine the cream still usually rises to the top. A lot more that I like about the Diamonds than I dislike. They don't tolerate much slop from a player or a table mechanic but it is hard to complain about either of those things.
Hu
Ah, you hit on the secret to playing winning pool on a Diamond. Speed!!!!! Nothing I enjoy more than watching a "hero" hitting balls about twice the speed necessary to pocket it. Most every shot I take on a Diamond is "paced" to the pocket. Just hard enough to make the ball AND get position. Doing one without the other is crazy unless you're Dennis Hatch!
Then again, perhaps the OP should re-evaluate his game! Might not be as good as he thinks. Diamonds, especially deep shelf tables, can make you do that. As a fall back position, practice, practice, practice! JMHO
Lyn
Diamond Tables Kicking Your Ass / Solution
I have had three Diamond tables in the past five years, starting with a seven foot and then going to a nine foot pro and now with a nine foot pro-am. Yes, they are tough to get used to, especially if you are accustomed to easy pocket tables like some Brunswicks and Vikings I have played on before going to Diamonds. I believe there is no finer table for a true roll tan a Diamond however, having said that, I would be the first to say there is a bit of an adjustment one needs to make in their approach to pocketing balls to really enjoy playing a strong game on any Diamond table, regardless of size....
What I have found to be quite effective is to learn how to spin more balls in the pocket than you might ordinarily do. In other words learn to shoot like Jose Parica. When the object ball goes into any of the four corner pockets, it will have a higher liklihood of "potting" if it has the proper side spin. It does not need a lot of side spin. It is more important to transfer the correct spin as opposed a lot of spin. Side pockets I find to be very forgiving. In fact, there are a couple of neat shots one can play off the tips with a fair amount of consistency if the table is properly covered.
IMHO
Cross-Side-Larry
"Learn from the best, and beat the rest"
I have had three Diamond tables in the past five years, starting with a seven foot and then going to a nine foot pro and now with a nine foot pro-am. Yes, they are tough to get used to, especially if you are accustomed to easy pocket tables like some Brunswicks and Vikings I have played on before going to Diamonds. I believe there is no finer table for a true roll tan a Diamond however, having said that, I would be the first to say there is a bit of an adjustment one needs to make in their approach to pocketing balls to really enjoy playing a strong game on any Diamond table, regardless of size....
What I have found to be quite effective is to learn how to spin more balls in the pocket than you might ordinarily do. In other words learn to shoot like Jose Parica. When the object ball goes into any of the four corner pockets, it will have a higher liklihood of "potting" if it has the proper side spin. It does not need a lot of side spin. It is more important to transfer the correct spin as opposed a lot of spin. Side pockets I find to be very forgiving. In fact, there are a couple of neat shots one can play off the tips with a fair amount of consistency if the table is properly covered.
IMHO
Cross-Side-Larry
"Learn from the best, and beat the rest"
Diamonds bank shorter, which means they kick shorter, and you have to ajust for playing shape because of this. They jump off the rails. I also believe the rails are higher. You don't need much of a angle to get anywhere, unlike anyother table. Diamonds are played with finese because there is seldom any need to shoot hard. Diamond barboxes play much easier than a valley with nap cloth because of how easy it is to make balls on the break, bucket side pockets and no need to shoot hard which makes you more accurate because of no nap that causes the ball to roll off. I'll take a shimmed Goldcrown and Valley with 860 cloth over a Diamond any day.
Larry,
One of the things drummed into my head by each of my mentors from Crane to Casanzio is "use angles to get from shot to shot. The more spin you use, the more chance there is of missing". I understand the concept of using spin to "throw" the ball into the pocket. My choice is hitting the ball into the center of the pocket. Then you don't have to worry about missing. Of course I miss (from time to time
) but the strength of my game is making balls. Guess we just see things differently. For the average player out there, spin is a negative. JMHO
Lyn
One of the things drummed into my head by each of my mentors from Crane to Casanzio is "use angles to get from shot to shot. The more spin you use, the more chance there is of missing". I understand the concept of using spin to "throw" the ball into the pocket. My choice is hitting the ball into the center of the pocket. Then you don't have to worry about missing. Of course I miss (from time to time
) but the strength of my game is making balls. Guess we just see things differently. For the average player out there, spin is a negative. JMHOLyn
rackrunner8ball
Registered
I can't stand 7' Diamond tables. Its not pool. Its TAP pool. You barely have to hit the ball, no stroke, all stun shots! I like pool when you have to work the cue ball with a good stroke, not barely hit the dam thing and have it roll in. And the rails are a freakin joke! You should not pick up 10-20% speed after hitting a rail with the cue ball. Yes the pockets are nice and tight and they are beautiful tables.
9' Diamonds on the other hand are the nutz.
9' Diamonds on the other hand are the nutz.
I'm guessing that those particular 7' tables have league-cut pockets. They are rather forgiving. The ones with the pro-cut pockets would be more to your liking.
I would kill to have 9' diamonds to play on. I hit shots all the time that would go on a diamond, but don't on the Gandy or neglected Brunswick that I usually play on. When I get a big enough house and my own table, it will be a tight 9' pro-am.
Diamond Tables Got me again
I was talking to a pool legend at a tournament some years ago who I won't name because he may have some affiliation with them now and he was disappointed that with a combination of the 860 cloth and the Diamond tables you didn't need a stroke to run out. I am ok with the tables other than I spent many hours learning how to kick and bank with precision on GC's. Diamonds play so different I feel like there must be a secret everyone knows but me. Another thing I have noticed in my area is that the first thing that happens when a room gets a Diamond table is that they shim the pockets, usually per a pro or semi pros request, which probably helps that 1 or 2 players have an edge and makes the rest of the clientele scratch their heads in wonder. It may be that I am just old and crabby, I eagerly await the verdict.
I was talking to a pool legend at a tournament some years ago who I won't name because he may have some affiliation with them now and he was disappointed that with a combination of the 860 cloth and the Diamond tables you didn't need a stroke to run out. I am ok with the tables other than I spent many hours learning how to kick and bank with precision on GC's. Diamonds play so different I feel like there must be a secret everyone knows but me. Another thing I have noticed in my area is that the first thing that happens when a room gets a Diamond table is that they shim the pockets, usually per a pro or semi pros request, which probably helps that 1 or 2 players have an edge and makes the rest of the clientele scratch their heads in wonder. It may be that I am just old and crabby, I eagerly await the verdict.
Diamond tables are well built tables but they do play differently that most other brands. They bank short and the bank angle shortens quicker with the addition of speed compared to other tables.
The speed off the rail is very fast. The angle that you would normaly play on a position is too large when planning on coming off the rail on the next shot. This leads to having to dink balls around the table to prevent over rolling positions.
I believe that the Diamond bar box game is extremely different than every other 7 ft table. I think it's amazing to watch someone like Bowman, McMinn, or Hennessy play on a Diamond stringing racks together and rarely slow rolling a ball.
The speed off the rail is very fast. The angle that you would normaly play on a position is too large when planning on coming off the rail on the next shot. This leads to having to dink balls around the table to prevent over rolling positions.
I believe that the Diamond bar box game is extremely different than every other 7 ft table. I think it's amazing to watch someone like Bowman, McMinn, or Hennessy play on a Diamond stringing racks together and rarely slow rolling a ball.
That is my problem. The speed ratio bed:rail is off for me. Makes no sense in me head!
Speed and accuracy too, Lyn.
If you graze the side rail on the way to the corner pocket, you will get "diamondnized". Gotta hit em clean. The good news is that if you do hit em clean, the pockets will accept a power shot, unlike a triple shimmed GC, which might spit the ball out, even though you hit the far pocket facing without touching a rail!
Eric
Same Thing but Different
I LOVE DIAMOND TABLES!!! Those Brunswick Gold Clowns get me every single time. My local house has Gold Clowns and I can not master them to save my life. I play like a world champion on DIAMOND tables but put me at a Gold Clown and I almost want to give up pool and join a knitting class. I can't tell you how many times I have changed my stroke, stance, bridge, banking technique trying to adjust to those God awful Gold Clown tables. Fats said that pool is the greatest toy ever created but GC makes you just want to cry. As soon as I can get enough money I am buying a DIAMOND PROFESSIONAL table. Now that table is a thing of rare beauty, a true work of art. A GC is like drinking bad beer all your life and someone hands you a micro brew and you say it taste funny. Send all those GC's to the crusher and the pool world will be a much much better world to live in.
I LOVE DIAMOND TABLES!!! Those Brunswick Gold Clowns get me every single time. My local house has Gold Clowns and I can not master them to save my life. I play like a world champion on DIAMOND tables but put me at a Gold Clown and I almost want to give up pool and join a knitting class. I can't tell you how many times I have changed my stroke, stance, bridge, banking technique trying to adjust to those God awful Gold Clown tables. Fats said that pool is the greatest toy ever created but GC makes you just want to cry. As soon as I can get enough money I am buying a DIAMOND PROFESSIONAL table. Now that table is a thing of rare beauty, a true work of art. A GC is like drinking bad beer all your life and someone hands you a micro brew and you say it taste funny. Send all those GC's to the crusher and the pool world will be a much much better world to live in.