You have a ~14x18 room: 7, 8, or 8+ table?
- Thread starter sellingboe
- Start date
If a 7-foot was numbered by the same system as 9- and 10-foot tables, it would be
3.5*12-4 inches wide, nose-to-nose = 38 inches
twice that many inches long, nose-to-nose = 76 inches
So the smallest 7-foot table in Pat's list follows that sizing scheme.
I've got my 9' Gold Crown I in a small detached two car garage measuring 18' square. I've got plenty of room on the width but it's a little short on the length. I have a nicely weighted and balanced 48" shorty with a nice shaft, ferrule and tip for the 15% of the time a ball gets frozen on one of the end rails. One of my playing partners uses a 4" extension (Predator). Every so often, he has to remove it for a shot. IMO, the infrequent inconvenience is worth having a nicely setup 9' Gold Crown in an insulated, carpeted and air conditioned room detached from the main house. Obligatory pic just for you ThinSlice:
Last edited:
Tough one. I can understand the desire to try to squeeze in an 8' table but I think it would be cramped. I'd recommend going with a 7' but getting a nice diamond bar table. Jerry Johnson at CR Billiards in Coon Rapids, MN, can get you one delivered and installed. PM me if you want his number.
As for me, I have a room that is 15 x 20. I put in a 9' Diamond. This is workable. Anything less wouldn't be. The 20' on the length is ample and I never have any issues. The 15' on the width is snug. When shooting perpendicular off the side rails you get to use your full length cue but have to take calm practice strokes. People who play with extensions have to take them off any time they're near the rail.
I don't mind this during play, I occasionally bump my cue against the wall and just calm my strokes down. But it is enough to where I don't like to practice from off the side rail which I used to do more often (One of my favorite shot making drills was putting a ball on the spot and the cue ball on the 2nd diamond on the side rail even with the ball, then alternating between shooting it in the corner and the side. The money ball is often in the rack area and for the win you often have to back cut it or even go to the middle pocket so I liked this practice. Not anymore.).
So in all I am totally fine with a 9', but if it was 1-2" narrower I would start being irritated and if it was 4" narrower it wouldn't work for me. Like Bob said some might be ok with it. For me it wouldn't work. I am a minimalist and don't need much in my life, but a nice pool table is non negotiable.
As for me, I have a room that is 15 x 20. I put in a 9' Diamond. This is workable. Anything less wouldn't be. The 20' on the length is ample and I never have any issues. The 15' on the width is snug. When shooting perpendicular off the side rails you get to use your full length cue but have to take calm practice strokes. People who play with extensions have to take them off any time they're near the rail.
I don't mind this during play, I occasionally bump my cue against the wall and just calm my strokes down. But it is enough to where I don't like to practice from off the side rail which I used to do more often (One of my favorite shot making drills was putting a ball on the spot and the cue ball on the 2nd diamond on the side rail even with the ball, then alternating between shooting it in the corner and the side. The money ball is often in the rack area and for the win you often have to back cut it or even go to the middle pocket so I liked this practice. Not anymore.).
So in all I am totally fine with a 9', but if it was 1-2" narrower I would start being irritated and if it was 4" narrower it wouldn't work for me. Like Bob said some might be ok with it. For me it wouldn't work. I am a minimalist and don't need much in my life, but a nice pool table is non negotiable.
Nyquil
Well-known member
I have a rectangular room 14.3 by 28 feet long. Your comment makes me nervous. Heath did say it would be tight in some areas but should still play comfortably in most cases. I guess we will see next week when the 9ft table comes.
I bought a 7ft for a room that was 17x 12. It played fine but there were a small number of shots where I had to jack up or use a shorter cue to have a backswing. I've since moved to a house with about 22 ft on the long side and 18 on the short. I've thought about swapping my table for an 8 or even a 9 but now appreciate just how good it is to be able to play, play, play. Moving to a 9ft is no problem at all - I've found that home practice is all about stroke, stroke, stroke - and while I'm sure my long potting % would be higher on a 9ft if I practiced on one, any dip is more than made up for by consistency and pattern knowledge.
I've done a 360 on this. Whichever decision you make, think of it as the right one and all will be fine. Pros and cons of bigger and smaller.
I've done a 360 on this. Whichever decision you make, think of it as the right one and all will be fine. Pros and cons of bigger and smaller.
Last edited:
PracticeChampion
Well-known member
My room is 14x25, obviously plenty of length but width wise a 7' is perfect. I can get a 8' in but any rail shot will be jacked up or using a short stick and I didn't want that and nobody in tournaments uses 8' tables around here. Either 7 or 9.
I take that back, there is one small bar tournament that has 3 - 8 footers
I take that back, there is one small bar tournament that has 3 - 8 footers
Get whichever table you like best and then do this …
(It works great and I am sure Scott will happily give you guidelines about how to do it)
Thread 'Big pool table, small room. Could this be the solution we've been waiting for.'
https://forums.azbilliards.com/thre...be-the-solution-weve-been-waiting-for.530251/
(It works great and I am sure Scott will happily give you guidelines about how to do it)
Thread 'Big pool table, small room. Could this be the solution we've been waiting for.'
https://forums.azbilliards.com/thre...be-the-solution-weve-been-waiting-for.530251/
This is a great point. Will you be playing lots of one pocket?
sellingboe
Active member
Never played OP, but I plan on playing it in addition to 9 ball and 8 ball. Looking forward to playing games I've never played before, but mostly just looking forward to shooting on a regular basis after a few decades.
Much as I hate switching to a shorter cue, I guess I could do it if it was only from time-to-time. But if had to do it often on an end of the table where I was spending lots of time, that'd certainly suck.
One man's opinion, but I love having space around my table for things like a weight bench, etc that aren't in the way because they're below the rail height of the table. I'd happily go down to a 7 ft Diamond if I needed to, to keep that.
It's a big decision. Might be worth mocking up a model with cardboard boxes or 2x4s on sawhorses maybe.
sellingboe
Active member
This is a dedicated billiard room, no extraneous crap getting in the way. I will probably have a dart board in the lane opposite the television in the opposite upper corner, but nothing else unrelated to playing pool. On a regular 8' my guests using 57" house cues will have 6" to draw the cue straight back on a rail frozen CB at the ends. Jack up at a very slight angle and another inch or two is gained. On an 8' Diamond it's 5" which is still plenty. I'll have a 52" cue for anyone who can't handle it, but the table is first and foremost for me. If I decide to wait for a GC4 I may buy an 8' furniture table on the cheap and get a real feel for things for 6 months or so. I'll lose $500 probably on the move/set-up but I suspect I may be able to break even if I buy right. Or, I'll give it to my one of my kids.
We struggled with this dilemma for 5-years. When we built our house the dining room was designed to accommodate an 8' table. Somewhere along the way the builder failed to realize that the room dimensions were based on the inside and built it on the outside dimensions. Complicating matters they used 2"x10"s to frame the outside walls, all of this leading to a room too small to comfortably house an 8' table. Neither of us wanted a 7' table, but after 5-years of only playing at neighbors houses we finally relented and settled on a 7 footer. We are only casual players and we don't really miss the bigger table and it hasn't been a difficult transition when playing on neighbors 8 footers.
Another point to consider that almost never comes up in room sizing, and is in none of the room sizing charts, is room for your rear foot in your stance. If you are tall, your rear foot will be considerably further out than the butt of your stick. I'm 6' 3" tall, and my rear foot is about 12" further than the butt of my stick in my normal stance.
I'd recommend either a standard size 4x8 table or better yet a Diamond 7'. You don't have enough room for a 4 1/2' x 9' table imo. No room for chairs along the side and do you really want to play with a 52" cue on many shots?
For people who are grotesquely tall, like over 5'10", femur reduction surgery (FRS) is now available at reasonable cost. Also, you will be able to fit in airline seats.
But you're right. It's really hard for anyone here to say how a particular person is going to feel about being crowded. That's why I keep telling people to try out various levels of crowding to see how it feels to them. Some people may like to have furniture around the walls.
sellingboe
Active member
It's a dedicated billiard room. I know I don't have room for a 9er, but I won't get a 7 even if it is a Diamond. It may be the nicest 7 out there, but it's still a 7. Since the table is for me, first and foremost, I can live with 3-5 inches straight back on a CB frozen to the rail. I'll have a 52" cue for others who need more space.
BTW, your comment in my GC, Anniversary, Diamond thread was very interesting. Clearly you have a lot of experience with both and don't really have a horse in the race unlike so many others who want to extol the virtues of their table and ignore or gloss over its imperfections. I will end up with a table that will not be perfect, so I'm trying to prioritize what I care most about. I'm looking for a GC but I also know where I can get a Sport King. I like the look but I read that they didn't quite hold up over time. Sounds like you liked yours and that there are virtues in tables other than GC or Diamond. Thanks.
Sport Kings are solid tables that should last forever if well taken care of. A buddy of mine has an early 9' version at his house and it plays well. If you want a Gold Crown, hold out for a Gold Crown but there is nothing wrong with a properly setup Sport king.
I have an 8' Gandy and the rails are 5 1/2" from tip to edge. The room is 212" (17' 8") and I play with a 58.5" long (including bumper) and I have about 3-4" of back swing when the CB is stuck on the rail, it's tight, but it's doable. If you do the match - the tip of the cushion is 62.25" away from the wall, my cue is 58.5", that leaves 3.75" of back swing (with a level cue). Going from an 8' to a 9' would take up 6" (playing surface is 12" longer in total) so even a 56" cue would leave you zero backswing. Out of luck, I bought this table when I did but that is one of the reasons I didn't search out a 9' table when I decided to really start practicing, it just wasn't worth it.
Doing the same on the side, my room is wide enough (15'?) but there's a bar shelf that sticks out to roughly 14' for half the length of the table, the other half of that side is open so it's moot. From the wall my table is 59 1/2" to edge of table and 65" to the tip of the cushion at 87" to center, with a 14' wide room you'd have to go to 84" to center. On my table that leaves 6.5" of back swing with my 58.5" cue. Losing 3" from going to 84" center and 3" for going to a 9' would leave about 1/2" for a back swing. That's a bit tight but nothing a 57 or 56" cue couldn't fix.
If a local deal for a nice 9' GC came up I'd buy it in a heartbeat, am I going to go spend a ton of money for a fancy new table, nope.
Hope this helps.
Doing the same on the side, my room is wide enough (15'?) but there's a bar shelf that sticks out to roughly 14' for half the length of the table, the other half of that side is open so it's moot. From the wall my table is 59 1/2" to edge of table and 65" to the tip of the cushion at 87" to center, with a 14' wide room you'd have to go to 84" to center. On my table that leaves 6.5" of back swing with my 58.5" cue. Losing 3" from going to 84" center and 3" for going to a 9' would leave about 1/2" for a back swing. That's a bit tight but nothing a 57 or 56" cue couldn't fix.
If a local deal for a nice 9' GC came up I'd buy it in a heartbeat, am I going to go spend a ton of money for a fancy new table, nope.
Hope this helps.