Big pockets

[cazmac1]

Is it just me or are the pockets i.n this years UK like buckets. They seem to be going in off both knuckles. This table is not as tight as the table I play on at my club.

[Inoffthered]

I think the players are THAT good. Also, the tv camera angles can make them look bigger.

[snooks1000]

I've always thought pro pockets play fairly generous if the balls dropped dead weight at em.Thats my experience anyway, which is why i find Judds style of play amazing, the speed he pots balls at consistently

[Neil Taperell]

The camera angle is deceiving in my opinion . I believe they are that good with the pace of the ball as well .

Trust me Peter , the pockets are tight . When you get down to meet me next i will give you a game on The Star Table....tight

[tornado taylor]

I'm convinced they are not set all the same in every tournament i've seen some balls brush the side rail and still go in off the angle wouldn't do that on some club tables i've played on. Probably still not big enough for me though lol

[Deepscrew]

Some do go in when for all the world they look like they should stay out.

One thing i noticed is club tables the cushions are cut into the pockets at quite an angle. THis means that if its hits the knuckle it srpings back at quite an angle and can stay out.

I played on a proper match table (albeit it an old BCE steel block one) last week and the cushions seem to slope in to the pocket gradually which helps the balls go in as the balls dont bounce at such an angle. The actual wideness of the pocket however is tighter than normal tables.

Prehaps Geoff Large et al could comment on the cut of the rubbers into the pockets.


I saw some balls stay out last night that looked in for all the world. They are tight bags for sure.

[The Statman]

I'm convinced they are not set all the same in every tournament i've seen some balls brush the side rail and still go in off the angle wouldn't do that on some club tables i've played on. Probably still not big enough for me though lol

I think they are probably cut the same in every tournament but there are other factors which affect the performance of the pocket.

Humidity and anything else which affects the speed of the table will make a difference, especially when a ball approaches the pocket at a slow speed. The exact fineness of the cloth is another factor.

Nevertheless, I'm sure the television camera does exaggerate things. Except for the very borderline ones which drop after a lot of wobbling, players never seem to be in any doubt that a ball is going in. It is usually balls approaching the pocket from roughly a 45º angle which are the ones that look odd, and of course more leeway is available from the open table.

[tornado taylor]

Yeah I can see what your saying and I agree.. I've seen alot of massive bounces off the cushions where they've come off twice as fast as they've hit and sliding off the cushions. Its like kicks I suppose you can never guarantee 100% perfect playing conditions.

[The Statman]

The other thing of course is that, with faster cloths, the player's playing habit changes. If it is seldom necessary to hit balls hard, then a greater percentage of shots will be played softly, which means of course that they are more likely to slide in.

At a club, you will get the impression that a lot of your balls stay out so the pockets must be smaller; the reality could be that you tend to hit balls harder, and that gives less leeway for the slightly off-aimed shot.

[Deepscrew]

agree with that. They seldom have to hit balls hard as they can just brush the white around the angles so easily.

[Terry Davidson]

One huge difference is the pros are always playing on brand new cloths where the balls will slide easier into the pockets. Those of us who play in clubs can only get this experience on the day the tables are re-clothed but believe me it makes a huge difference as to how tight the pockets seem.

Those of you that have access to a Star table or even a BCE/Riley tournament table where the cloth has been on for a little while will find those tables will play very tight however as has been said I would think the tables at each pro tournament are set up CLOSE to the standard every time but there will be very minor differences

Terry

[CoachGavin]

Must admit I think they are playing slightly easier this tournament as I have thought a few have missed only to see them go in. Matthew Stevens thought he had missed a pot yesterday and looked as surprised as anyone when it dropped. People say that the camera angles make it look different but dont forget the camera angles are the same each tournament so that is not a variable.

[The Statman]

Yes true, but I was thinking camera angle versus one's own experience at the club.

Having said that, some production companies do have different approaches and have the cameras sited differently - a camera very close (such as has to be the case at the Crucible due to lack of space) with a wide angle will give a different impression from that of a camera sited further back but zoomed in more.

[missneworleans]

the tables in proffessional tournaments are way better than in our clubs...if pros would play on our tables, the standart wont be any close to what it is now
btw very many kicks in this tournament aswell...

[Gerry Armstrong]

the tables in proffessional tournaments are way better than in our clubs...if pros would play on our tables, the standart wont be any close to what it is now
btw very many kicks in this tournament aswell...

John Higgins was in our club for a visit very recently and while there played 3 frames against one of our up and coming young players who has already been in the final of the European Under 19's, has played in a number of international events for Scotland over the last few years, has had a 147 in a practice match, plays as an amateur in the PTC's etc. so is quite a handy player.

John made 3 consecutive centuries, never missed a ball.