I don't play on diamonds very often. I know they bank different, but are there any other shots that are different? Are the side pockets less receptive? Any other tips?
Tips on playing 7 foot diamonds?
- Thread starter longhorns2
- Start date
The older red-label tables bank short but not horrible. Newer blue-label play fine imo. Diamonds have deeper shelves than Valleys. Just aim at the middle.
Side pockets are more receptive. Something to do with the cushion angles, IIRC. There is a wider range of bank angles available, using speed and spin, can be tough to get a handle on. Corners will spit out more shots, especially at speed. As far as tips, try not to end up where you have to hit a difficult shot hard, for position.
My experience with the Diamond tables is in line with what everyone told you here. Down the rail shots require your aim on the OB to be more pure- so that the cue ball is directly in line with the OB contact point and the pocket center- keep that OB off the rail going down to the pocket. Try to get a little more angle for position so that you need less speed to pocket the OB and get shape for the next ball - where appropriate. Play multiple rail positions where you can slow down the cue ball if you find that your stroke is too powerful for the smaller table with fast cushions - most Valley bar tables are much slower from my experience.
Forget a seven foot Diamond is a bar table. In my opinion, it ain't. When I played on nine foot Diamonds regularly I absolutely gobbled up the seven footers. Played exactly the same as Diamond nine footers except kinder to old eyes. The cushions are more likely to be equal to each other, something rarely true on old bar tables due to the common trick of bringing a garbage can full of cushions already recovered to swap out on bar tables and have them shut down for less time.
When you get a chance before play begins practice a few kicks and banks. The cue ball is sorted from the other balls optically and is the same weight as the others. Try long rail and short rail banks and kicks. Since the tables are likely to play more honest you can get away with slow rolling balls more.
Hard to pick a few things to watch for when everything is a little different.
Hu
When you get a chance before play begins practice a few kicks and banks. The cue ball is sorted from the other balls optically and is the same weight as the others. Try long rail and short rail banks and kicks. Since the tables are likely to play more honest you can get away with slow rolling balls more.
Hard to pick a few things to watch for when everything is a little different.
Hu
sonny burnett
Registered
First time my road player and I entered a tournament with Diamonds. He was grinning when he said your not going to be banking balls in on the long rails!
He was spot on! You touch a thread of cloth and you are toast!
After that I hunted tight pocket Diamonds to practice on. My game went up immediately. The Brunswick pockets look like peach baskets after playing on the Diamonds for a while.
Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
He was spot on! You touch a thread of cloth and you are toast!
After that I hunted tight pocket Diamonds to practice on. My game went up immediately. The Brunswick pockets look like peach baskets after playing on the Diamonds for a while.
Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
I'd think the op's question really needed to state what he normally plays on.
If it is a valley, he should tighten up.
If it is a 9', he should get ready to have some fun.
If it is a valley, he should tighten up.
If it is a 9', he should get ready to have some fun.
The newer Diamond bar tables with the tight pockets, are the best table of all for 8 ball, perfect amount of congestion and small pockets.
As are the best 9' Diamonds with 4.5'' pockets used at the US Open 9 ball event.
Perfect conditions and table sizes for each game.
Only other table that played as good as the Diamond bar tables above, were the Irving K's 7', which might of been slightly tighter.
PRACTICE ON THEM! Best advice I can offer. I am serious.
TFT
TFT
Go play on one, reading is not the same as seeing and feeling. We can tell you how it feels like to be smacked with a fish, but you won't really know till it happens to you. You will find out the differences with what you are used to in 5 minutes.
Actually play pool? WTF I didn't think anyone did that here !!
I play almost exclusively on 9‘ and 7’ blue label Diamonds and find them all to bank a bit short. Consistent, but short of what I’d expect on say a GC. A few banks and kicks before playing is a must.
Take care with the side pockets. At more acute angles, they become pretty damn unfriendly. Especially on the 7 footers, I always at least consider the possibility of running down to a corner even if my initial thought is the side if I can accomplish the same result...
I know it sounds silly to have to say it, but @trentfromtoledo is right...
Maybe the biggest thing you’ll have to worry about, is keeping the silly looking grin off your face the next time you play on a Valley bar box!
Take care with the side pockets. At more acute angles, they become pretty damn unfriendly. Especially on the 7 footers, I always at least consider the possibility of running down to a corner even if my initial thought is the side if I can accomplish the same result...
I know it sounds silly to have to say it, but @trentfromtoledo is right...
Maybe the biggest thing you’ll have to worry about, is keeping the silly looking grin off your face the next time you play on a Valley bar box!
Yes, 7 foot Diamonds with Simonis cloth play extremely fast, particularly the cushions. It’s best to keep your run out patterns simple with a minimum of cue ball movement as speed control can be an issue until you have adjusted to it. Our 7-foot Diamond has Andy Pro cloth, which is even faster than Simonis. It’s very tricky to adjust after playing on our 9 foot tables with Simonis.Wouldn't a 7 foot diamond be real slippery?
they play so fast, for how small the playing surface is, that is why they have the black Diamond K55 and not Artmis Intercontinental 66, they would play beyond ridiculous with those!
TFT
Yep, controlling the cue ball can be a bit eye opening at first. I generally play nine footers, and moving to the seven footers for league takes a few racks!
I have a 9 foot A E Schmidt with the same deep shelves as a Diamond. I'm too cheap to replace the rubber - I'd rather spend the cash on a gold crown - but over time the inside of the rail in the pockets have become concave. They reject balls like a hillbilly spitting tobacco.