WPC and Pocket Size

[Paul8ball]

Is it just me or does anyone else think the pockets on the tables at all the past WPC's are way too big? So many times I've seen a player hit a ball so incredibly bad the ball wouldn't even rattle on a normal table but they make it on those tables. I think this allows for too many flukes and prevents the most skilled players from rising to the top. 95% of the players who compete in the WPC have top gears where they don't miss a ball, especially on massive pockets like that. If Joe Nobody can keep Efren in his chair the whole match because he can't miss on huge pockets, Efren can't win. I think the pocket size should be 4"1/2. What do you think?

I agree that the pockets are too loose. Most tables today have 5" pocket openings. The Diamond Billiards Pro Cut pockets have an opening of 4 9/16". This was arrived at from feedback of the professional players. Then Diamond went one step further and made a specification for the angle of the pocket opening (Pro Cut is 142 Degrees). By opening the angle, it makes shots down the rail play tighter as those shots hit the pocket facing at a more oblique angle. On shots that rub the rail on the way in, it tends to make them jaw up.

New cloth only permits balls to slide in for one or two days of continuous play. It might be a good idea to allow tournament players to practice for free 1 to 2 days prior to a tournament to allow the cloth to tighten up prior to the event.

 

[waikiksnowman]

POCKET OPENINGS & MEASUREMENTS

Can somebody explain why there is a difference between WPA and BCA rules :

Corner Pocket: Mouth Between 4 7/8" minimum to 5 1/8" maximum (BCA)

And the WPA rules say:

Corner Pocket Mouth: between 4.5 [11.43 cm] and 4.625 inches [11.75 cm]

Does this mean that Pool Tables used in competitions in the USA should be governed by the BCA rule - if so this means that the US Open is inviolation.

Or does this mean that competition organizers can choose either one of these

Very confused

 

[CaptainJR]

BCA rules


POCKET OPENINGS & MEASUREMENTS (Cloth covered rails):
Pocket openings are measured from tip to tip of the opposing cushion noses where direction changes into the pocket. This is called the mouth.


Corner Pocket: Mouth Between 4 7/8" minimum to 5 1/8" maximum
Side Pocket: Mouth Between 5 3/8" minimum to 5 5/8" maximum
The angle at the corner pocket entrance on each side of the pocket is 142o (±1o).
The angle at the side pocket entrance on each side of the pocket is 103o (± 2o).
Vertical Pocket Angle: 12o minimum to 15o maximum.
Shelf: The shelf is measured from the center of the imaginary line that goes from one side of the mouth to the other where the nose of the cushion changes direction to the center of the vertical cut of the slate pocket radius.
Corner Pocket:
1 5/8" minimum to 1 7/8" maximum
Side Pocket: 0" minimum to 3/8" maximum
Drop Point Slate Radius: The pocket radius measured from the vertical cut of the slate to the playing surface.
Drop Point Slate Radius 1/8" radius min. to 1/4" radius max.

 

[Boro Nut]

BCA rules....
The angle at the corner pocket entrance on each side of the pocket is 142o (±1o).

They don't make them like they used to. I can remember when they were no more than 142° (±1°), back before Alt+0176 fell out of fashion.

Boro Nut