Why no 8-foot tables in major tournaments?

Maniac

Maniac

2manyQ's
Silver Member
It's either 9-footers or bar boxes. Why never on regulation/oversized 8-footers?

Almost exclusively in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area our poolhalls are mostly filled with the oversized 8-footers. Some places have a couple to maybe four 9-footers, but the majority is easily 8-footers. In the bars is mostly where you find the 7-footers, but some pool halls have a few I guess either for people that don't want to pay-by-the-hour or for those that may want to practice on them to prepare for league/Vegas-like tournaments, or maybe for beginners that are intimidated on a table any bigger...I don't know. Is this a regional thing or is it like that in other parts of the country?

Why not put the bar box tournaments to bed and start playing US Open 8-9-10-ball tournaments that are bar boxes on the 8-footers instead? I've watched plenty enough streams of bar box tournaments to fully grasp that the 7-foot table is hardly a challenge for the upper tier/next level players.

Comments?

Maniac
 
I think a lot of bar box tournaments are either put on by people that supply (and own) a lot of bar boxes plus they can fit more table (and teams/players/matches) in the same space. Overall I think it’s more profitable in many (most? Not all) cases.

My experience has been that 8’ is more commonly associated as a home-sized tables for people wishing they were on a 9’ but didn’t have the space for it. I haven’t seen an 8’ out in public yet. But I don’t get out too often.


Respectfully, Matt
(I don’t take myself too seriously. I hope you can return the favor.)
 
Maniac said:
It's either 9-footers or bar boxes. Why never on regulation/oversized 8-footers?

Almost exclusively in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area our poolhalls are mostly filled with the oversized 8-footers. Some places have a couple to maybe four 9-footers, but the majority is easily 8-footers. In the bars is mostly where you find the 7-footers, but some pool halls have a few I guess either for people that don't want to pay-by-the-hour or for those that may want to practice on them to prepare for league/Vegas-like tournaments, or maybe for beginners that are intimidated on a table any bigger...I don't know. Is this a regional thing or is it like that in other parts of the country?

Why not put the bar box tournaments to bed and start playing US Open 8-9-10-ball tournaments that are bar boxes on the 8-footers instead? I've watched plenty enough streams of bar box tournaments to fully grasp that the 7-foot table is hardly a challenge for the upper tier/next level players.

Comments?

Maniac
Click to expand...

Texas has the worst pool rooms in the country. Hardly any 9’ers to play on. Seems like when I want to play some all the big tables are taken and you can throw a hand grenade on the 8 food side and not hurt anyone, at least in the afternoon. Come evening you have no choice but to play on some pos 8 ft. table.

If you really love pool, Texas is the worst for big tables.
 
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8-footers were everywhere when I started playing but have disappeared locally in the last 20 years. I loved playing on the oversize Steepletons.
 
Maniac said:
It's either 9-footers or bar boxes. Why never on regulation/oversized 8-footers?

Almost exclusively in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area our poolhalls are mostly filled with the oversized 8-footers. Some places have a couple to maybe four 9-footers, but the majority is easily 8-footers. In the bars is mostly where you find the 7-footers, but some pool halls have a few I guess either for people that don't want to pay-by-the-hour or for those that may want to practice on them to prepare for league/Vegas-like tournaments, or maybe for beginners that are intimidated on a table any bigger...I don't know. Is this a regional thing or is it like that in other parts of the country?

Why not put the bar box tournaments to bed and start playing US Open 8-9-10-ball tournaments that are bar boxes on the 8-footers instead? I've watched plenty enough streams of bar box tournaments to fully grasp that the 7-foot table is hardly a challenge for the upper tier/next level players.

Comments?

Maniac
Click to expand...

If i weren't for Texas no one would even make 8 footers-Why is the EVERYTHING BIG State fond of smaller tables?-you got me but it has been that way forever.
 
Maniac said:
So....it IS a regional thing, huh?

Maniac
Click to expand...

YEP- i havent taken surveys but i only knew of one 8 footer in my area (NY) and that was to squeeze in an extra table in a pool room where another 9 footer wouldnt quite fit..
 
Maniac said:
So....it IS a regional thing, huh?

Maniac
Click to expand...
8 ft event

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In my local APA league we play primarily on 8ft tables. We play mostly in fire halls that have just one table and it is almost always an 8 ft table. I live in western pa.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
The home size 8 foot table is easier than a 7 foot or 9 foot table. Everything spreads out easier than the 7 foot and shots are easier than the 9 footers.
 
Many of the older poolrooms in the Midwest had 8' tables in them. I used to play on them from Minnesota and Wisconsin in the North all the way down into Kentucky and Tennessee. Mostly over sized 8'. The newer rooms usually had 9' tables.
 
My personal opinion from my experience 8 footers are just easier then bar box or 9 foot tables. They aren’t that much longer for distance to matter and they are just big enough that it seems you don’t get clusters playing 8 ball and don’t have as tight of areas to work through like a bar box. Compound that with most of your home 8 foot tables have huge pockets it just feels way to easy.
 
Maniac said:
So....it IS a regional thing, huh?

Maniac
Click to expand...

Almost every bar I played league out of in North Central Mass had (has) an 8’ bar table. i assume it was the local entertainment company’s choice.


Freddie <~~~ loves the 8 footer
 
trob said:
Compound that with most of your home 8 foot tables have huge pockets it just feels way to easy.
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Every 7-foot table that I personally have ever played on (almost exclusively Valleys) had buckets for pockets.

My standard 8-foot home table came with huge (5") pockets that are going to get shimmed when I have it recovered next year. That said, the angles of the facings can play hell on some shots that aren't near-perfectly placed. You should have seen some of the looks C.J. Wiley was giving my table after he jarred quite a few balls one night.

Maniac
 
jtompilot said:
Texas has the worst pool rooms in the country. Hardly any 9’ers to play on. Seems like when I want to play some all the big tables are taken and you can throw a hand grenade on the 8 food side and not hurt anyone, at least in the afternoon. Come evening you have no choice but to play on some pos 8 ft. table.

If you really love pool, Texas is the worst for big tables.
Click to expand...

Guess I am lucky in that Skinny Bob's is my home room. Fourteen 9' Gold Crowns, eight 7' diamonds and a 5x10 three cushion table.
 
nine_ball6970 said:
Guess I am lucky in that Skinny Bob's is my home room. Fourteen 9' Gold Crowns, eight 7' diamonds and a 5x10 three cushion table.
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You are truly blessed! Skinny Bob's is the best room in the state of Texas.

Maniac (wish I lived closer to it)
 
Cornerman said:
Almost every bar I played league out of in North Central Mass had (has) an 8’ bar table. i assume it was the local entertainment company’s choice.


Freddie <~~~ loves the 8 footer
Click to expand...

I don't know if it's this way any more, but years ago ALL the bar tables in the Northwest were eight footers. I loved it the first time I went up there!
 
nine_ball6970 said:
Guess I am lucky in that Skinny Bob's is my home room. Fourteen 9' Gold Crowns, eight 7' diamonds and a 5x10 three cushion table.
Click to expand...

That’s one room I haven’t been in. They have a great mix of tables unlike most of the other rooms in Texas. I had planned on a 1P tournament there but work got in the way.
 
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