Tips on playing the bar box please

W

WestBeardsley

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I don?t have a bar box to practice on, and always find myself playing tournaments on the small table, after practicing on a 4.5 x 9.0.

Any one care to share some tip on playing, and winning or the small tables.
 
Try not to use a lot of english and try not to move the cue ball around so much unless it is necessary. JMO.

BVal
 
BVal said:
Try not to use a lot of english and try not to move the cue ball around so much unless it is necessary. JMO.

BVal
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That's it in a nutshell. When moving from the 9' to the bar box, I have to tell myself to put the stroke away.
 
  • Learn the table fast. Many barboxes have poor rails which is mostly due to misuse by non-playing clientel.
  • Ensure you are getting a good rack as that so many bangers enjoy pounding the head ball and surrounding balls into place.
  • The biggest key in playing well on a bb is to have a solid break and try not to move the cue ball much.
  • Play as many stop shots as possible.
  • Pattern play on a bb is imperitive.
  • The side pockets can be very tight on off angle shots so get used to playing for balls up the rail into the wider corner pockets.
  • Shorten your stroke a bit as you do not need as much english as on a 9 foot.
 
WestBeardsley said:
I don?t have a bar box to practice on, and always find myself playing tournaments on the small table, after practicing on a 4.5 x 9.0.

Any one care to share some tip on playing, and winning or the small tables.
Click to expand...


Only one way I know of, and I made the transition many times. You MUST practice on the bar tables. There is no short cut. It is a little easier to go down than to go up.
 
This list is only half in jest:

There is no such thing as safe when playing bar table 9 ball.

NEVER slow roll anything.

Forget about the side pockets. Really.Seriously.

Always check out the table before you play. If it is a bar table by Federal Law it must have at least 1 dead rail and be 1.5 bubbles off level. If you find one that plays good please call the proper authorities.

If you ever find a new Diamond 7' Smart Table with new balls and the good cueball, whatever you do, don't play on it. If you do and you have to go back to beat to sh!t Valley's with the state of the art "Beer Coaster Leveling system" you will be as bitter as me.

:D :D
 
jay helfert said:
Only one way I know of, and I made the transition many times. You MUST practice on the bar tables. There is no short cut. It is a little easier to go down than to go up.
Click to expand...

I have found the opposite to be true, at least for me. I grew up on 8 and 9 footers, but have played most of my playing life on Bar tables. I find 'gearing up' is not hard for me to do. Most of the 'trick' is knowing cue ball control, and being able to do it.

Bigger shape windows on big table, table is usually faster, rails usually livlier, longer shots are harder though, safeties are a little harder except for the ole 'send down to the end rail and let him long bank it' safety

I once jumped from $200 sets on a Bar table to $400 sets on a big table when I hadn't played on a big table for 2 years, and my opponent, Crazy Billy (used to be backer of Gabe) told me I broke harder on a big table than a Bar table ...... LOL
 
One thing you might do when practicing on your big table is practice your small position play. Search the net and you can find a lot of different drills for this. I was going to try and PM you, but you must either have a certain number of post for the feature to work or you have that feature disabled.
 
Snapshot9 said:
I have found the opposite to be true, at least for me. I grew up on 8 and 9 footers, but have played most of my playing life on Bar tables. I find 'gearing up' is not hard for me to do. Most of the 'trick' is knowing cue ball control, and being able to do it.

Bigger shape windows on big table, table is usually faster, rails usually livlier, longer shots are harder though, safeties are a little harder except for the ole 'send down to the end rail and let him long bank it' safety

I once jumped from $200 sets on a Bar table to $400 sets on a big table when I hadn't played on a big table for 2 years, and my opponent, Crazy Billy (used to be backer of Gabe) told me I broke harder on a big table than a Bar table ...... LOL
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Yes, longer shots are a little harder aren't they. And they do come up, like every rack! :)
 
You have to deal with the obvious.

Barboxes are inherently going to have more traffic than what you're used to dealing with so your cueball has to be air-tight. If you want to be successful, always look for solutions that involve minimal cue-ball movement AND/OR predictable cue-ball movement.

Stops shots are king. Don't hesitate to play the shortside if you KNOW you can gain shape. Also, it's okay to position a little longer than you normally would since distance is rarely an issue. Unlike 9-foot play where distance is important, on barboxes it's all about angle management. Always look for the easiest solutions to manage your angles even if it means shooting long shots.
 
Shoot real hard as there are six pockets on that small sucker and you never know when one will get in the way of a traveling ball:-)
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
You have to deal with the obvious.

Barboxes are inherently going to have more traffic than what you're used to dealing with so your cueball has to be air-tight. If you want to be successful, always look for solutions that involve minimal cue-ball movement AND/OR predictable cue-ball movement.

Stops shots are king. Don't hesitate to play the shortside if you KNOW you can gain shape. Also, it's okay to position a little longer than you normally would since distance is rarely an issue. Unlike 9-foot play where distance is important, on barboxes it's all about angle management. Always look for the easiest solutions to manage your angles even if it means shooting long shots.
Click to expand...

Great points. All I would add is the position play is a lot different on bb on most shots. I usually double-out of a corner versus playing one rail shapes like on a big table to slow the cue ball down. Lot more interference on a small table.
 
Big Table vs. Bar Table

I grew up playing on a bar table and I think there is no substitute for experience. You have to put your time in on a bar table and get used to the pattern play. I agree with a lot of the other comments about the cue ball control and not trying to force to much. Another big thing with a bar table is taking a harder shot or leaving bad shape is not always a bad option. Bar tables are pretty forgiving thus making hard shots easier.

I now have a 9'er that I play on all the time and love moving to the bar box. The long shots seem to be much easier and I feel much more confident.
 
For me there are three main things:

1. Can I get out on this table? Knowing my ability etc, I have to honestly evaluate do I want to try to run it, or not (this is dictated by the break in many cases for me).
If Yes - pick a key ball for the 8 and work backwards to you have a 'pattern'.
If No - pick a ball where I am going to duck/play a safe.
If you run 5-7 balls, you will lose against good players 85%+ of the time

2. Problem balls... identify them as soon as you come to the table and try to break them out early in your run. Waiting to break it out when you have no back-up balls that you can make will lead to huge problems.

3. Sort of goes with #1... you better work on your break if you are going to compete with the better players. Break and Runs are common and you have to be able to do it. There is no better weapon then a big break (assuming you can run a relatively open table). Check for a tight rack, and create a break with a good spread.

(all other advice is good in this thread, stop shots, tight position play, think 3 balls in advance, get on the correct side of the ball, avoid side pockets when possible, don't slow roll, etc...)
 
are you serious? after playing on 4.5 by 9 ft'rs the bar box is a cake walk. big pockets closer to you. no real long shots to speak of. just try to use follow a little more instead of drawing for possitoin and you should be fine(heavier cueball and all).
 
If you like to read and also play a lot of 8-Ball, pick up Phil Capelle's book, Play You Best Eight Ball. I found one on amozon.com for $12. Also, The Eight Book Bible is suppose to be pretty good. I just ordered it last week and and still waiting to get it.
 
poolplayer2093 said:
are you serious? after playing on 4.5 by 9 ft'rs the bar box is a cake walk. big pockets closer to you. no real long shots to speak of. just try to use follow a little more instead of drawing for possitoin and you should be fine(heavier cueball and all).
Click to expand...
Not all barboxes have a heavier cue ball and the transition is not the same for everybody.

BVal
 
Just beat the shit outta the balls and play a bunch of hackers. Only run four in a row when you have to and you'll make more cash than most pros.
 
on a good bar table(nearly impossible to find) it's like shooting fish in a barrel.

Most bar tables suck, plain and simple. Listen for dead rails, notice table curves and USE them for your advantage or adjust for them(like you would on a putting green). Don't be afraid to play your game and don't be afraid to play it safe. And be weary of bad side pockets.
 
If you're playing 8 ball, don't ever lose by pocketing the 8 by mistake, or by scratching on the 8. Lot of times I'll bank the 8 off the short rail rather than cut it into the corner, especially if the concrete cue ball is hard to control.
 
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