Tight Pockets!

[CrownCityCorey]

Amen!!! (Shooters in Riverside comes to mind)

Also:

Family Billiards in San Francisco
HardTimes in Sacramento
Hollywood Billiards in Hollywood
Golden Cue Billiards in South El Monte
Las Vegas Cue Club in Las Vegas

to name a few.

 

[skins]

you're probably going to have problems pocketing balls ~ 1" off the rail using draw.

not really. the pockets are tough but i still can make all the types of shots and run racks i just have to pay more attention to the little things that can take you out of stroke and away from being as perfect as you can in execution. these pockets leave very little room for "cheating" but have raised my level of play greatly. after playing for a month on this table i took a stroll down to a local hall owned by a touring pro and played on his "playing" table. the results were very possitive and i took away any thoughts i might of had about having the table modified in the first place.

 

[alstl]

I'd hate to be the guy that has to make that determination.


We have very tight tables at my local social club. Everyone who plays there regularly has difficulty when switching to a bar table. They focus so much on shotmaking (which they all have to be tremendously good at) at home, but their position play suffers horribly on smaller tables.

That's just my experience. I like tight tables, but I think too tight has its own set of downfalls. Tight but fair is how I like them.

Fred

Interesting comment. My table doesn't have particularly tight pockets but it has a deep shelf on the pockets. Balls will be partly down in the pocket and walk back out if you hit the ball too hard. The result is that I tend to slow roll a lot of balls. It's definitely different from a bar box.

 

[HittMan]

congratulations

That pocket looks like it will force you to actually aim. I think it will also force you to actually learn how to pocket balls. All real handy to know if you want to actually learn how to play this game.

But my real reason to post is about technique. When I tighten a table that much, I have to replace the rubber to get it "that" good looking. Did you?
I got tired of hitting the double/triple shim when I bank in close so I made that decision for my personal table and recommend it to my more discriminating clients.

Two things happen...
1) Not many people run rack after rack, so you are protected somewhat...why do you think there is a gaff table in most quality rooms.
2) If you make this your home table, when you go to a regular table the pockets will look like wash buckets to you...puts balls on your game.

This drive for excellence will pay off.

just my opinion...you be the judge

Andy Bruce

 

[Cornerman]

I haven't heard of <40%. Here is what it states in the rules (note the narrower openings):

Bumping this because I was hoping for an explanation of what the "<40% must drop specification" is.

-Andrew

I'm not sure all of the details, but when Diamond and the PBTA formed specifications for the pockets (Diamond Tables), one of the specifications concerns how far the ball can go into the pocket before it falls. That is, some table manufacturers' pockets can eat up a ball yet won't let it fall. Then, it's too deep into the pocket.

Diamond uses a 40% rule. If you sight down the cushion, and place a ball in the corner, say, up against the near face, the ball should fall once you can see less than 40% of the ball.

40% Sighting

I think it's this type of specification (among many other specificaitons) that truly set Diamond Tables apart from the rest.

Fred

 

[skins]

That pocket looks like it will force you to actually aim. I think it will also force you to actually learn how to pocket balls. All real handy to know if you want to actually learn how to play this game.

But my real reason to post is about technique. When I tighten a table that much, I have to replace the rubber to get it "that" good looking. Did you?
I got tired of hitting the double/triple shim when I bank in close so I made that decision for my personal table and recommend it to my more discriminating clients.

Two things happen...
1) Not many people run rack after rack, so you are protected somewhat...why do you think there is a gaff table in most quality rooms.
2) If you make this your home table, when you go to a regular table the pockets will look like wash buckets to you...puts balls on your game.

This drive for excellence will pay off.

just my opinion...you be the judge

Andy Bruce

the rubber was replaced also but the trick is top quality rubber shims that once installed are then shaped and sanded to be perfectly flush with the rail rubber and react just like the rail rubber, a Tony Morris trait.
if i understand your comments, yes other rooms "tight table" pockets look like buckets and yes it does pay off.

 

[Cornerman]

I don't know a heck of a lot when it comes to this subject. But wouldn't all Olhausen tables have the same angle cut(s).

I have definitely played on different Olhausens that had different pocket cuts. Many of the pool halls in my area use Olhausen home tables. They're tough, but not nearly as tough as our social club Olhausen. A friend of mine has an Olhausen in her living room. Pretty easy pockets on hers.

I do not by any means have tight pockets, but I rattle a lot of balls. More so the the gold crowns at the local PH. If I decided to tighten my pockets, I am a fraid I'd never make a shot again.

Here's a common shot that I rattle a lot. Straight in 3/4" off the rail. I even experiment and toss the CB with my hand, and I still rattle it.

WEI

START(
%AI6D2%BL7P8%CJ5O4%DL7N1%EM7P1%FK6P1%GK6N8%HM7N8%IL7O4%JK6M5
%KJ5P7%LJ5N2%MK6Q4%NJ5R0%OJ5M0%PO0D2%WD0D0%XH8D1
)END

Ditto on our social club tables. It shouldn't be like this.

Fred

 

[pete lafond]

Two balls stuck

If two balls are stuck deep inside the poket and they will not go in no matter how hard hit, what is the ruling? This happens once in a great while on one of our shimmed tables.

 

[unknownpro]

If two balls are stuck deep inside the poket and they will not go in no matter how hard hit, what is the ruling? This happens once in a great while on one of our shimmed tables.

I had this happen playing Nick Varner. I shot a combo, hung both balls together at CJ's in Dallas. He was about a foot away from them with the cue and hit the ball 90 mph with draw to try and force it in. They all flew straight back at him and he wound up scratching. So I guess the rule is you're just out of luck? He could've just tapped the ball and been safe.

unknownpro

 

[skins]

I had this happen playing Nick Varner. I shot a combo, hung both balls together at CJ's in Dallas. He was about a foot away from them with the cue and hit the ball 90 mph with draw to try and force it in. They all flew straight back at him and he wound up scratching. So I guess the rule is you're just out of luck? He could've just tapped the ball and been safe.

unknownpro

your right. to me the pockets are meant for one ball at a time so any other situation doesn't matter, deal with it. this is the beauty of practicing on tables like this. your prepared for something that you won't see on the majority of tables. it's funny, Tony told me he's had allot of players ask to tripple-rubber shim their table and some asked him to come back and remove a shim because they couldn't make a ball. if only these players realized that if they gave the table a chance their game on other tables would improve greatly.