Those with home tables, but no one to play with.

G

gxman

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Do you get bored playing/practicing by yourself. How many hours a week are you at the table alone?

I got a few brothers/cousins that play, but they are far too busy or live in another state. Acquaintances from the pool hall that I wouldn't invite over. A few coworkers that play some, but they're just not into pool as I am.

I dont have a table yet, so just thinking aloud.
 
there was a time i played maybe an hour or two each day

now I have the best table in the world,Brunswick kling

and I play alone and I no longer enjoy it
i like to play one pocket,and that requires competition

if you like 9 ball or straight pool you will probably enjoy yourself

so its hard to say if its worth it to you or not

I would say buy an old gold crown
they

play great and you can sell them for what you pay

best wishes
dean
 
My home table is my single greatest purchase and I have been enjoying it for 11 years and counting. I fell in love with the game and knew that I had to have one, period. Paid $3100 for a used 9' diamond pro and it's my second love after the missus. So yeah, highly recommend a home table. We also like to entertain, and the table is a hit with the guests. I work too much to play as regularly as I did even three years ago, but I still fit some time in five or ten hours a week. Some weekends my old pool buddies stay over and we Pound balls into the rails for hours on end and the fun we have during that time is priceless and represent some of my happiest time on planet earth.


So yeah, I say go ahead and get a home table. :grin:
 
I enjoy having a table regardless if I practice drills or whatever. Rather have a table than not have one. I only invite someone over if... I have met them a few times or they are family friends/neighbors and will respect the table. Do I get bored....only when I'm not at the table.
Every time I pass the table the cue jumps up. If I shoot 10 shots, a rack or two...does not matter how much time I spend on it. I love every minute of it. Buy the best you can afford. You are thinking about. You know you want one. Get it. I would have had one at my shop but I would not get things done. I met a guy in Florida..had a GoldCrown in his business/warehouse. Cool as heck.
This is my second table. Had a Gandy Hustler in my first house. Worlds greatest toy.
 
I've got a 9' Diamond Blue Label ProAm for about 8 months now...I put in 3 hours per day on week days and either two 3 hour sessions or one 6 hour session Saturday AND Sunday, if I'm not out of town. Even out of town, I'll find a room for a 3 hour session.
 
I can't imagine ever getting tired of playing alone. I could spend hours every day hitting the same shot over and over again. I personally believe that if you are going to have a home table that it's main purpose should be for drills, drills and more drills.

Clearly, if you have company, then by all means play and have fun, but (in MY opinion) if you get tired of playing alone, then maybe you don't love this game as much as you think. :thumbup:
 
BColbert69 said:
I can't imagine ever getting tired of playing alone. I could spend hours every day hitting the same shot over and over again. I personally believe that if you are going to have a home table that it's main purpose should be for drills, drills and more drills.

Clearly, if you have company, then by all means play and have fun, but (in MY opinion) if you get tired of playing alone, then maybe you don't love this game as much as you think. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

---Ditto---
 
pab said:
---Ditto---
Click to expand...

Double Ditto! Aside from position drills most of my time is spent playing the Nine Ball ghost ... until just recently. The only game I ever played decades ago was straight pool. I, like many, drifted away from the game and played mostly rotation games. I just recently racked 14 balls and set up a good break ball and started shooting 14.1 again. I'd say to myself, OK this is the last rack and then after setting up a great break ball along with good position I couldn't quit and racked the 14 and kept going. I would say that if you find yourself getting stale by playing alone change up what you're doing. We all love the game so reinvigorate yourself.
 
Table

I hope I never have to live without having my own table. I currently have a 9 ft Diamond Blue Label and spend an average of an hour a day on it. Sometimes I am really focused in and sometimes I am just playing as a form of relaxation . I play mostly 9 ball but when that gets stale will switch to straight. I also collect cues and it gives me a chance to play with all of them .
 
Usually I'll play alone at home, I like playing alone though, sometimes 5 hours will pass before I know it. But I prolly wouldn't play alone if I didn't have a few leagues and weekly tournaments to look forward to
 
9ft olhausen , i can get some to play sometimes, im big on 14.1 and one pocket

10ft soren sogaard, cant get ANYONE to play billiards, its ok, i dont need anyone to play billiards to have fun nor 14.1

but i do need a victim to enjoy one pocket

week days not much more than 1 hr

weekend days 5hrs or more a day
 
beneath_the_sur said:
but i do need a victim to enjoy one pocket
Click to expand...

I have repeated stated this to various members.. I'm sorry we're not neighbors.

Excuse the Hijack...saw an opportunity and took it. Back to the regular broadcast.
BUY A TABLE. The beauty is it will be paid for and enjoyed. After the initial expense it's all good.............. but maybe it isn't. You'll be buying pool room stuff...chairs, posters, racks,
quality ball sets, more cues.... Maybe you should forgetaboutit or get a part time job or direct line to Seybert's or whoever. And keep in mind your friends will be envious.
 
Last edited:
I recently got a table after years of not having one. There was a sort of an "oh Sh$t" moment when I realized that now I have a table and not having one cannot be an excuse.

In any event, I studied some pool player interviews to see how they practice. I noticed what better players do when they practice, and there is no doubt that my table made me a better table, because I was smart about how I use it. The following reflects some of what I feel like I learned.

Rather than play games, primarily, I will practice shots. Oddly, I find this to be infinitely more interesting than playing the ghost and as interesting as playing straight pool. The fact is, I think most people do not realize how little they know about certain shots until they set them up 40 times shooting the same shot with follow, draw, inside and outside English. I was amazed at the things I learned.

I spend a lot of time shoot long shots. This helps immensely. It sharpens and straightens your stroke if you have a good PSR. This helps BIG TIME, if you commit yourself to it.

I practice spot shots because I am a one pocket player.

I practice shooting with the cue ball frozen to the rail.

I practice "electric chair" banks and long rail banks.

If I am in a match and I miss a shot, dog it, or recall a situation where I did not know what to do, I set those up.

If you do all of these, you will spend a lot of time on your table and you will improve.

I also use my table to work out PSR issues, and I have found a variation of the PSR in Mark Wilson's book that works really well for me. I highly recommend his book. To me, the price of the book was worth his chapter on setting up a PSR alone. Also, I have been adopting quiet eye theory practices based the suggestion of Scott Lee on this forum, and it has really helped me.

So that is it, most of my pool knowledge in one post.

kollegedave


gxman said:
Do you get bored playing/practicing by yourself. How many hours a week are you at the table alone?

I got a few brothers/cousins that play, but they are far too busy or live in another state. Acquaintances from the pool hall that I wouldn't invite over. A few coworkers that play some, but they're just not into pool as I am.

I dont have a table yet, so just thinking aloud.
Click to expand...
 
You wont get bored playing alone, however, I dont think there is any replacement for competition. I also think you should always make the games worth something. Even if its only a buck a game it makes you concentrate more IMO.
 
I find the worst part about playing alone at home is no one is there to tell me what a fabulous shot I just made. On the other hand, no one is around to see the easy ones I totally mess up.
 
Toxictom said:
I find the worst part about playing alone at home is no one is there to tell me what a fabulous shot I just made. On the other hand, no one is around to see the easy ones I totally mess up.
Click to expand...

best part for me is

no abnoxious hooting
no music i dont like
beer is cheaper
and probably a few other things
:thumbup:
 
I've had a 7' Olhausen for about 15 years now. I practice a couple times a week and before I go out to play league or in a tournament. About a year ago I bought a 9' proline table from the pool hall I play at most often. They removed 3 tables to make room for a fireplace and chairs! It's not set up and I really bought it to save it; plus it was a good deal. I'm working on clearing out the basement so I can have both set up. My wife does not play and I live 20 miles from town; so I'm the only one that plays.

For practice I throw the balls out there and run them off a few times to warm up and then practice shots and work on problem areas.
 
I have a home table and use it quite a bit. Mostly, I play by myself for fun and stress relief. I may play a half dozen racks of 8 (vs. self) or 9 ball (vs ghost) and not be thinking of anything else going on in my life. This is priceless time for me. I will occasionally get motivated to improve and just do primarily drills for a period of a few months. Once that gets a bit much, I go back to enjoying the escape of just playing. I usually have music or TV on and listen to the news or a ball game while playing. I have a few cues and while I have two favorite players, I will play with different cues every few days which also makes it fun.
 
Toxictom said:
I find the worst part about playing alone at home is no one is there to tell me what a fabulous shot I just made. On the other hand, no one is around to see the easy ones I totally mess up.
Click to expand...

Maybe you should get one of those boxes with a button which plays the sound of applause for the first part of your comment. You could use it for the second part also, acknowledging to yourself that for the missed ones the applause is sarcastic. :rolleyes:
 
I have a 9' Gold Crown at home, I enjoy it so much I bought a second table to go with it, a 7' Valley as almost all tournaments up here are on bar boxes.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top