tight pockets bad for pool?

From my beginners standpoint, I love the tight pockets on the tables at the club where I play. I know it makes me a better player. When I'm across town playing on their tables, and I start making multiple long cut shots, I say to myself "if I can do this here, these must be big pockets!"

Of course, the reverse is much more fun. When we play league matches at our club versus teams from the room across town, it's truly a chuckle to hear them whine and complain about the pockets. It really is a home field advantage. We can all play with the big pockets in their room, but they sure have a challenge with the smaller pockets at our place.

I've never measured the pockets, but two balls can jam together and not fall. We were joking and laughing about that one league night, and our captain saw the opportunity to point out the rule about it at the time. Damned if it didn't actually happen later that night! :) (Haven't seen it happen again since, and I play there a few nights a week...)

After playing on 9-footers like we have, going to an 8-foot barbox with buckets in the corners is a MAJOR change! :grin:

I like having the tighter pockets, myself.
 
Madatmoney said:
What were you playing.....3 ball:confused:
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nobody that has a table at their house with pockets that tight is playing 3 ball.

we were playing 9 ball. he's done it to me 2-3 times so far. he almost made it to 4 racks once.

after you get comfortable playing on his table everything else feels way easier
 
it forces them to realize how they really play[/QUOTE]

Good point. Nobody likes to be told or shown that they aren't as good as they believe they are.

It's like a fat chick that thinks she's hot. She doesn't want to go to the bar, walk in the door, and have the bartender say...."ma'am, we are already over the weight limit here, you're going to have to go!"
 
Antfarm said:
it forces them to realize how they really play
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Good point. Nobody likes to be told or shown that they aren't as good as they believe they are.

It's like a fat chick that thinks she's hot. She doesn't want to go to the bar, walk in the door, and have the bartender say...."ma'am, we are already over the weight limit here, you're going to have to go!"[/QUOTE]

that's where i come in. i offer the fat girl a ride home:eek:
 
Yeah, I wait till she walks outside and then sneak out to talk to her. I don't want my friends to know!
 
Personally, as I've gotten older I prefer the tighter pockets that force me to shoot with accuracy as well as precision. Granted, IMO they can make 14.1 even more challenging since you have considerably less room for "cheating" the pocket to get shape, but I'm truly growing to love tables that are tight and fair, e.g., Golden Fleece in Kenmore.

The more I play, read, and talk about tables with tight pockets REALLY makes me want that nine-foot Diamond in my house!

But do tighter pockets actually hurt the growth of pool? I don't think so but that's just my opinion and nothing more.
 
Measle Ball said:
Personally, as I've gotten older I prefer the tighter pockets that force me to shoot with accuracy as well as precision. Granted, IMO they can make 14.1 even more challenging since you have considerably less room for "cheating" the pocket to get shape, but I'm truly growing to love tables that are tight and fair, e.g., Golden Fleece in Kenmore.

The more I play, read, and talk about tables with tight pockets REALLY makes me want that nine-foot Diamond in my house!

But do tighter pockets actually hurt the growth of pool? I don't think so but that's just my opinion and nothing more.
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the growth of pool? i think they might. i like the way hardtimes in belflower has their room set up. 1 side for the players and 1 side for the people just looking to kill time with their friends
 
I prefer tight pockets but too much of anything can be bad.

Whenever my friend and I go to the poolhall we wanna get the tight table so it forces us no to be sloppy but that friend of mine has a bad attitude sometimes and whenever he has to play on the bucket table, he feels like he should never miss. When he does, he gets mad.

Everybody can run racks on bucket tables...the tighter ones show the real players IMO. It forces you to give the respect the shot deserves.
 
IMO pro tournaments on tight pockets aren't a bad thing. Many of these tournaments have the players competing on tables with new, clean cloth and clean balls. These factors keep play from being excruciating. But I don't want to see them get any tighter than 4.25 inches. Pool is not snooker and it's not supposed to be.

Where I get a little sick of tight pockets is when I'm playing on filthy equipment with tight 4.25 - 4.5 inch pockets. It shouldn't be tougher to pot a ball down the rail on pool table than a snooker table.

Ideally I think if the tables are going to dirty or poorly maintained 4.75 inches is fine. Well maintained equipment, 4.5 inches.
 
Tight Pockets bad for pool

People want instant gratification more and more each day. Now even Hold Em is too slow they are going to play Rush and get in 5 times as many hands an hour. Someone needs to invent a pool shot game like horse on a with all kinds of insane cuts, banks, stroke shots, kicks and the person who performs the series of shots the best wins. That also eliminates most of the luck factor. Shim those babies up to 3.5 inches and see what the pros can do. No coin tubes or sticks or other junk on the table that isn't there when you play. All legitimate shots using just the cue ball and a 1 ball.
 
Jimbojim said:
I prefer tight pockets but too much of anything can be bad.

Whenever my friend and I go to the poolhall we wanna get the tight table so it forces us no to be sloppy but that friend of mine has a bad attitude sometimes and whenever he has to play on the bucket table, he feels like he should never miss. When he does, he gets mad.

Everybody can run racks on bucket tables...the tighter ones show the real players IMO. It forces you to give the respect the shot deserves.
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pool's so mental it's crazy. i went to a pool hall not too long ago with a friend and tried to get one of the tight pocket tables. they gave me the table with buckets and i was so frustrated i couldn't make a ball. a few hours later i got one of the tighter tables and started getting out
 
poolplayer2093 said:
pool's so mental it's crazy. i went to a pool hall not too long ago with a friend and tried to get one of the tight pocket tables. they gave me the table with buckets and i was so frustrated i couldn't make a ball. a few hours later i got one of the tighter tables and started getting out
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If you can hit a nats a$$ at 20 paces...how in the hell do you miss a BARN at 10?...:p:D
 
smaller targets equal greater accuracy. Dr. Bob Rotella preaches this to many golf pros. "Aim for a leaf 300 yards out and you will hit the green every time!"
 
Combination of factors...

I remember watching 9-ball on ESPN in the late 80's/early 90's and it was much more common to see the world-beaters lay down some scary packages ... I'd still rather see that

Rules have changed in regards to the break, the spot the balls must be racked upon, allowances for tip types, number of available cues etcetera.

Overly-tight pockets are just one more field-levelling equalizer. (sort-of)
To qualify this, the player (or select few players) that are "hot" in a particular tournament will likely still make balls on the break and will be unlikely to hang balls and it will seem like most of the field is stuck in the mud; but stuck "together" in the mud.

I think that 4-3/8" at the mouth (corners) is correct for championship play (snug, yet 2 balls should not hang up together); any tighter and it's a problem. Much looser and we really just get a break contest. I stipulate this on a shallow pocket-shelf. Diamonds seem to have a deeper shelf and maybe 4-1/2" is good there...

I think this would be good for all "shooting games" 8-ball, rotation games and 14.1, tighter pockets are ok for 1-P ...

All of this is just my opinion, fwiw.

-Ivan
 
The tighter, the better!

The only way to test the skill of any player is to make the conditions of the table as tough as possible.

To those that speak about the popularity of the game is not important to anyone but the pool players. Yes, it is terrible that the game is not as popular as other sports out there, but to make the game even easier than it already is so that it can draw a larger crowd to watch is ridiculous! I am speaking for myself but I hope others will back me; the game is for the pool players and pool players only.


The true test of a players skill is the adversity at the table with table conditions of tight pockets, springy rails and fast or slow cloth. For example, within those conditions you would have two great players playing on the tightest, toughest table ever constructed; and have them duel it out until one is on top. That one player has shown that he has the skill and knowledge of the game to play his best pool on the toughest table. This example shows who the best players are! If each of us play on these tables we will find out are skill level and knowledge of the game. We will be able to find a way to better whatever faults we have.

Those tight tables out there like the Diamonds should be placed in all pool halls. Its the only way to test a players true talent and skill.


The tighter, the better!
 
Further more.......

Further more I feel that the game of 9 ball and 10 ball should go back to the old rules of call shots and called money ball. To be honest I have had my share of luck in tough games where I broke the money ball in on the break and won the set or kick at a ball and somehow the money ball when into a pocket. I think the game should throw out all the luck it possibly can so that the true skill of the player wins instead of a lucky roll or two!
 
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