I never called them dead money but if you think a snooker player will win the UK Pool Open you can bet what you like. I will give you all of them and I will bet on only the poolplayers. You can name the bet!
Not only that, but we also have to realize that a big part of it is just that that is what we are used to. Ten foot tables apparently used to be the standard table size. I can guarantee that during the transition time all you were hearing was "nine foot tables aren't real tables, those are kiddie toys, real men play on ten foot tables, nine foot tables are going to ruin the game, what a joke those tiny easy nine foot tables are..." until nine foot became the new norm and the ten foot guys died out, and so it will continue. Now here we are with nine foot table guys saying the same about eight foot tables because nine foot was the standard they grew up on and were used to, even though those same nine foot guys were a complete joke to some previous generation.
While your annology does make sense. The smaller tables are usually refered to as "Bar tables". Often tables of poor quality just set up in bars as something to do while drinking.
For the longest time that was the case. I hustled bars and the equipment you would run into was unbelievable. Rarely did they even have a light directly over the tables.
The tables just occupied some dead space in the bar often not even with enough room to play. At some point the bar leagues were developed and the pool tables came out of the dark corners and achieved a place of prominence in the bars.
Players began to care about the game again, buying their own cues and actually practicing. The tables themselves got better. They were no longer just a piece on vending equipment like the jukebox or cigarette machines.
We don't need to go through the entire evolution but here we are today. Without those "Bar tables", I doubt pool would still exist to any degree at all.
I can only speak for from the 60s through today from what I personally experienced. I remember bowling alleys with 30 table pool rooms filled with players. I also remember those same bowling alleys turning those rooms into meeting rooms and banquet rooms practically giving the tables away.
How did that happen? How did pool go from what it was to almost extinction. I honestly don't know. It seemed to happen right before our eyes. I bought one of the oldest pool rooms around for little more then the value of the equipment. I basically saved it and it is still open today. I'm a little proud of that.
There seems to be some underlying theme that the smaller tables breed lesser players. I don't think that is true at all. What it does do is introduces new players to the game. I bet many on here the first time they played pool was on a small home table or bar table.
Pool is fun and it doesn't take much to get the bug. It does however take exposure. An awareness of the game and the opportunity to play it.
An old mans ramblings.