Question Details	Asked By	Asked On
Query on some stuff	YankeesRule	10/02/03
- in 9 ball, after the 1 ball is in front and 9 in middle, does it matter how the rest are racked? i am so used to racking them in numerical order from top to bottom - is 10' the regulation table size? - if u are used to practicing on a 7-9' table, is it much harder to perform on a 10'? - on jump shots, if we dont have the short cues like the pros have, whats the best grip to use, the normal grip but choked up with the right hand (righty) or is it better to invert the right hand and hold it palm up?
Clarification/Follow-up by YankeesRule on 10/10/03 2:03 pm: Ok we have more info here, but let me make sure I got this right, because frankly it is still unclear. (I know I'm sorry, but hear me out and you will see where exactly we are still lacking) By the way both of you knowledgeable experts are reponding, what I conclude is that: - There really is no "official" size for tournaments in 8 or 9 ball. - 8 ball is played on smaller tables more often than 9 ball is (that makes no sense to me btw, since I would think you want a bigger table for more balls, little more space) - There is some high official or tournament director who decides what size table is to be used before a tournament starts - Most major 9 ball championships (like US Open and Nationals) are played on 9 foot tables, and same for 8 ball on 8 footers - 10' table are still made for pool, but offer no purpose for any official use, so are mainly used for practice Now bcaqball implied that it really doesnt matter what size table you practice on to be good, so then my questions are - Why bother making a 10'? who would buy such a table for that much money? - If you are playing a lot of 9 ball tournies on 9' tables, but practice at home on 7' a lot, dont you lose your touch on the long shots, i.e., isnt it always better to play on at least as large a table as your serious games are on? or are there really some top ranked players out there who practice on 7'? Thanks for your help... I think this should clear things up finally. P.S. What does BCS stand for, seems a bit common for your usernames... is it like billiards club of america or something? Clarification/Follow-up by BCA8BALL on 10/10/03 2:20 pm: BCA: does stand for Billiard Congress of America. 10ft TABLES: The game of Snooker is very popular and even more so in Europe and played on the 10ft tables; past Snooker champs have made the strongest and most major 8 ball and 9 ball champions. Since the only difference between the 10 ft Snooker table and a 10ft - 8/9 ball tables is the pocket size, some customers have ordered and purchased 10ft tables. PRACTICE: In my opinion it is better to practice on what ever size table that you shoot on when it counts. For example, I shoot on BCA leagues on 8 foot tables so when I purchased a table for my house I made sure it was 8 foot. Additionally, if you were to play and become proficient on 9 ft tables I strongly believe that it would help you master the smaller tables but not vise versa. At one time I was a great player on the 7 footers then I moved to a larger city and all the pool halls here only have 8 and 9 footers. I lost 15 to 20 percent of my game (just wasn’t making the shots and or shape) and it took about a year and a strong safety game to over come the different tables. 4 years later I am still better on the 7 footers and I strongly believe small tables are easier and becoming a good player on the 8 footers has made my 7 ft game even stronger.
Answered By		Answered On
BCA8BALL		10/09/03
If you go into a Billiard shop and ask to see regulation tables, you will be ask on esimple question Ŝ foot or 9 foot" however, bcaqball is correct when he said that any table that is half as wide as it is long is considered a regulation size. Even the BCA 8 ball Nationals Tournament in Las Vegas is played on 3 1/2 by 7 ft tables while at the same time the pros are playing 9 ball on 9 foot tables in the up stairs ballroom. Typically, if you are watching pool on TV you will see 9 ball on 9 ft tables and 8 ball on 8 ft tables. The 3.5 x 7 are sometimes refered to as Bar Boxes and Valley even made 3x6 ft table from 1963 to 1974. If you are looking into purchasing a table for you home ensure that you refer to the room size charts that are usually links on Billiard table houses websites. The most common home table is a 4x8 but some home owners purchase the 3 1/2 x 7s because of their room size. 5 x 10 foot Billiard tables that are not snooker tables are available but rare. A few high end table manufactures (Diamond for one) make the 5 x 10 in both snooker and standard.

Additional Options and ratings are only visible when you login!