Recently I realized from reading here on the forum and comparing some balls on the tables where I play a lot, that when the CB and OB's are different sizes that I don't play as well as when I am playing with a matched set. In fact, it can be a struggle. Last night I played in a bar box tournament where I am pretty sure the CB's were a lot newer than some of the sets of OB's. This is a decent pool room, and they recently put new cloth and cushions on all there bar boxes. What do you do to compensate for this? I ususally use as little spin as possible, unless its for a specific reason to play position.
What do you do when the CB is bigger than the OB's?
- Thread starter lstevedus
- Start date
Standard pool balls are 2.25". Over-sized cue balls are 2.375". So, dividing 2.25 by 2.375 equals 0.9474. So, in order to properly compensate for the difference in size, whatever you would normally do, only do 94.74% of that.
Ha! I'm kidding.
You said it exactly right: Stay closer to the center of the cue ball than you normally would. Use less English unless you absolutely have to. Use thinness and thickness of cut shots to move the cue ball around instead of English. Get back to the basics.
If you regularly play on a table with an over-sized cue ball, bring your own magnetic cue ball.
Ha! I'm kidding.
You said it exactly right: Stay closer to the center of the cue ball than you normally would. Use less English unless you absolutely have to. Use thinness and thickness of cut shots to move the cue ball around instead of English. Get back to the basics.
If you regularly play on a table with an over-sized cue ball, bring your own magnetic cue ball.
Was this tournament held in a cave?
I didn't know anyone in the world still used over-sized cue balls.
I didn't know anyone in the world still used over-sized cue balls.
I think he's just talking about a difference in size because the CB is new (not worn down) and the OB's are older (smaller/lighter from wear).
Basically the larger CB wants to go forward.You want to hit the ball lower for draw shots.Sidespin is not really effected exept for the aim point.If you have a very large CB it can be tough to cut balls down the rail when they are frozen.
OH...
I've never heard of object balls being any smaller because they are older than the cue ball. I have a hard time believing there is even a negligible difference but what do I know.
I remember this 1 bar that used to get a lot of balls taken and they would replace them 1 at a time.Some of the older balls were noticably smaller then others.They had a 3 ball that was so tiny it made the other balls look like those gigantic cueballs you used to see on bar tables.They also used an oversize CB when not playing league or tourneys.When you shot the 3 ball with the big CB it was like a softball hitting a golf ball.
Over-size cue-ball tend to over-cut......
...and learn to play position using follow instead of draw.
New cue-balls with older object balls is just a gentler version of this....
...same thinking applies but to a lesser degree.
It's a competitive edge to recognize different object balls.
...and learn to play position using follow instead of draw.
New cue-balls with older object balls is just a gentler version of this....
...same thinking applies but to a lesser degree.
It's a competitive edge to recognize different object balls.
Bar boxes have heavier bigger cue balls so they can be retrieved if you scratch without having to put in more quarters.
Go to the AIMING FORUM - maybe they have a scientific solution :rotflmao1::rotflmao1::rotflmao1::rotflmao1:
Sorry to be so cynical, as I don't believe in aiming methods. Back in the day when I was young I would play on the 9 footers in the daytime and go to the bars at night to win beers and drink all night long. The 'big rock' NEVER phased me. It's a feel thing (using the ghost ball of course). Maybe the rocket scientist Dave can drum up a solution for you
Bigger (heavier) cue balls like what we occasionally see used on barboxes are best played using a 'follow-for-position' style of game.
Go with the flow rather than fighting against it and you'll have much more success.
And, yes, stay much tighter to center ball on your side spin shots.
best,
brian kc
Go with the flow rather than fighting against it and you'll have much more success.
And, yes, stay much tighter to center ball on your side spin shots.
best,
brian kc
How heavy are say, aramith pro cup balls?
I offered to take my local bars pool balls home and polish them in my polisher once. They were really cheap crappy balls and I weighed them.
They all weighed between 175g - 183g. Never weighed a set of aramith balls but the CB in this particular set was 183g and felt really heavy to shoot.
I offered to take my local bars pool balls home and polish them in my polisher once. They were really cheap crappy balls and I weighed them.
They all weighed between 175g - 183g. Never weighed a set of aramith balls but the CB in this particular set was 183g and felt really heavy to shoot.
This is what I am asking???
One place I play you can actually see the difference in size the balls are so worn down. I am talking about using the Aramith green logo bar box CB with old sets of super pros. Thanks for all the replys so far.
One place I play you can actually see the difference in size the balls are so worn down. I am talking about using the Aramith green logo bar box CB with old sets of super pros. Thanks for all the replys so far.
weight and size
there is a ton of difference on the break,the cue ball tends to fly off the table easyer.
draw
cue ball weighs more then the object ball. kills the law off equal and opposite reactions thus making draw that much harder . and you get more follow.
also a draw shot the cb is bigger than the object ball the cue ball is deflecting upward off the table .
(rail shots) need to shoot more into the rail than the ob .
and you need too shoot hard enough that the cb will sink into the rail enough
so the right contact points can line up.
best is to play on a table that doesnt have the big cb.
I also think a bigger and heavier cue ball changes the angle of cue ball deflection.
because the cue ball is hitting the object above dead center you get less deflection or angle of deflection. and because the cue ball is heavier it tends to have more follow .
MMike
there is a ton of difference on the break,the cue ball tends to fly off the table easyer.
draw
cue ball weighs more then the object ball. kills the law off equal and opposite reactions thus making draw that much harder . and you get more follow.
also a draw shot the cb is bigger than the object ball the cue ball is deflecting upward off the table .
(rail shots) need to shoot more into the rail than the ob .
and you need too shoot hard enough that the cb will sink into the rail enough
so the right contact points can line up.
best is to play on a table that doesnt have the big cb.
I also think a bigger and heavier cue ball changes the angle of cue ball deflection.
because the cue ball is hitting the object above dead center you get less deflection or angle of deflection. and because the cue ball is heavier it tends to have more follow .
MMike
I do see a lot of CB's flying off tables on the break.
Where I play they have 20 bar boxes. They have lots of tournaments and leagues. Recently the owner told me he spent 7k for new cloth and cushions. The cloth is fast and the cushions lively, but I think the OB's are a lot older than the CB's on these tables, because he had another pool room before this one with 10 bar boxes, and I would bet these are the same balls off the tables at the other place. They have a ball polisher and keep them looking good.
Where I play they have 20 bar boxes. They have lots of tournaments and leagues. Recently the owner told me he spent 7k for new cloth and cushions. The cloth is fast and the cushions lively, but I think the OB's are a lot older than the CB's on these tables, because he had another pool room before this one with 10 bar boxes, and I would bet these are the same balls off the tables at the other place. They have a ball polisher and keep them looking good.
Happens quite often. The older the balls get the more they wear out. Also most object balls are made from phenolic, which will evaporate over time.
randyg
People used to steal the 8 ball at a bar I used to play at... when you racked the balls, the 8 ball looked like the peak of a mountain in the middle of the rack. Well, not that bad, but you could notice the difference. The cue ball was also larger, not sure if it was from wear or just because the coin op table used a mud ball.
Anyways... I would use shot speed and follow for position, don't try to draw the ball if you can use follow and a rail or two to get where you need to be. Shame that the equipment takes certain shots out of your arsenal, but stuff happens.
Anyways... I would use shot speed and follow for position, don't try to draw the ball if you can use follow and a rail or two to get where you need to be. Shame that the equipment takes certain shots out of your arsenal, but stuff happens.