About Pool Tables

straight_shooter526 asked:


Do the coin-op pub pool tables in England have the rounded, snooker-style pockets, or the American style pockets with corners?

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Derek N asked:


I bought a used Mizerak Prestige pool table, and I want to replace the felt. I can’t figure out what all I need to take apart in order to do it. I cannot find any contact information for Mizerak anywhere on the internet. I thought maybe they could tell me what all I needed to do to take it apart so I can put new felt on it. Can anyone tell me how to get hold of Mizerak?

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Matt Jackson (bullz) asked:


Talk to the pool purist or even the avid novice and most will tell you that the question of whether the best pool table is a slate table or a wood table isn’t a question worth asking. Anybody that has played on both variants of table will know the difference between a smooth running slate bed table and a less reliable wooden one. While other factors such as the levelling of the table also play an important part, high quality slate bed tables give a true and straight roll to the ball every time you play a shot.

Slate Beds

When we talk about the use of slate or other materials in pool table construction, we’re referring to the bed that sits under the felt and on top of the table construction. It is essentially this bed that the billiard balls will roll across when you play your shot so it is important that it is straight, flat, and level. Any deviation can lead to the ball rolling away from the true line. This deviation becomes even more pronounced as the ball rolls slower but may also be noticeable during hard and fast shots.

Consistently Straight Shots

Consistency is the key to a good pool or billiards game. Slatron, a synthetically made material, is the most common slate replacement for pool tables. While it is more affordable than a large and flat slate bed it is still of considerably lower quality. Not only do Slatron beds and beds made from other non-slate materials mean your shots will be more prone to inconsistency but they are also much more likely to dip, warp, and generally disfigure over a period of time. Slate is a strong and robust material that won’t suffer the same disfiguration.

Warping And Disfiguring In Non Slate Tables

Non slate beds are also more prone to environmental and atmospheric conditions. Slatron and wood based materials are certainly more prone to the damp and even to excessively low and high temperatures. Some of the lower quality pool tables that don’t use slate can warp very quickly. While slate pool tables can work out to be more expensive than their non-slate counterparts you do need to consider how long each will last and how well they will withstand the pressure of being used and of not being used.

Considering The Weight Of Slate

Slate is a heavy material and not only is this a consideration during the construction of a pool table but it may be worth considering when buying too. Hardwood cross frames are usually required in order to ensure that the pool table is able to hold the weight of the slate bed and this can add further weight. However, while this may be an issue for shipping and moving the table, it shouldn’t be an issue in most home billiard rooms.

Other Factors That Determine The Quality Of A Pool Table

How level the table itself is will also be a factor that will determine the consistency of shots played. A well crafted table on a level surface that uses good quality slate will play the best shots and it will continue to do this consistently over its life. In contrast, a poorly crafted table, one with substandard non-slate bed material, or one that is not properly levelled, will inevitably lead to poor shots and an unpredictable roll from the balls.



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MJ Marks asked:


Now, I have to admit my ignorance, but I had no idea that you could get a pool table without the pockets. The game of pool (or billiards) is just one of many games in what is know as cue sports. One subcategory of cue sports are carom billiards, also know as carambole billiards or just carambole. These types of games are played on a 5’ x 10’ pocketless pool table. Most carom games have three balls: two cue balls (one plain white, the other white spotted) and a third ball that ball is traditionally red. The basic object of most carom games is to score points by rebounding (caroming) your own cue ball off of your opponents cue ball and the object ball in one shot. This unusual form of billiards originated in France.

There are a handful of games that are played on a pocketless pool table, and many others that derived from those games. Some of the prevalent games are:



Straight rail

Cushion caroms

Artistic billiards

Balkline



Let’s take a more detailed look at each of these games.

Straight Rail

The other name for this game is carom billiards, though it is also sometimes referred to as straight billiards, the three-ball game, and the carambole game. It is believed to have originated in the 1700s by the French, so was originally referred to as French caroms. The object of this game is fairly simple: you score one point when your cue ball makes contact with both object balls (our opponents cue ball and the third ball) on a single stroke. You play to a predetermined number or “count”. As long as you score a count, your turn continues until you miss.

This originally sounded difficult, but it did not take long for players to discover “cheats” that allowed them to score many points in a turn. One was to “crotch” the two balls in a corner. Trapped there, you can gently hit them both over and over again without knocking them out of the corner. By 1862 it was ruled that a player could only score three points by crotching before one of the balls had to be knocked away from the corner of the pool table.

Cushion Carom

This game, also known as the indirect game, originated in Britain in the 1820s. It is very similar to straight rail, but your cue ball has to rebound off a side rail (or “cushion”) of the pool table after it hits the first ball, but before it strikes the second one. Scoring is the same as above, except you lose a point if you fail to hit either of the object balls. An earlier version of this game was played on a pocketed pool table and was called the doublet game. A ball had to be banked off a cushion before being pocketed.

Three-cushion Billiards

If banking off one rail is good, banking off three rails before hitting the 2nd ball is better. In a nut shell, that is three-cushions. Of all the carom billiard games that are played on a non-pocketed pool table, this is the most popular played in the US today.

Artistic Billiards

Also known as fantasy billiards, in this game the players have to execute 76 preset shots. Points are scored based on the perfection fo the execution of the shot. Shots range in value from 4 - 11 points, the total game is worth 500 points. This is a relatively new game with World Title Competition beginning in 1986. Even the simplest shots are difficult, with 427 being the highest score ever achieved in competition. This game is mostly played in France, Belgium and The Netherlands.

Balkline

Blakline is also based off of straight rail, and was originally designed to discourage nursing shots along the rail (very boring to watch, only hitting the two balls a few centimeters at a time all the way along a rail to rack up points). In balkline, the table is divided into regions called balk spaces. The game is played the same as straight rail, but a player can only score a certain number of points in each balk space before the balls must be hit hard enough to knock them into another region. There are many versions of this game based upon the placement of the lines and the number of hits allowed in each blak space. The various games are numbered. The first number refers to how many inches away from the rail the balklines are drawn and the second number indicates how many points are allowed in each space before one ball must leave the region. For example, in 18.2 balkline, the lines are drawn 18 inches parallel to each rail (four lines total) and that only 2 counts are allowed in each balkspace. This game is mostly enjoyed in Europe and the Far East.

So, if you ever come across a pool table that is missing the holes, do not panic! Just grab three balls and try one of the games above.



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propoolbound asked:


valley tables seem to always sell for much more than dynamo tables. thanks
i watch alot of tables on ebay, and at the arcade auction every 3 months for the heck of it. and it always seems valley’s go for alot more. i’ve refelted each, and never thought about it, but never noticed any difference? just a thought i had 4 awhile, and didn’t know why. thanks 4 the answers.

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Matt Jackson asked:


Slate pool tables are widely considered to be the only option when choosing a pool table. Not only do professionals swear by the consistency and accuracy of shots when played on slate beds but most amateurs and home players will choose a slate bed pool table for these same reasons. While the material used for the construction of the playing surface is very important to the overall quality of the table it is far from being the only important factor; many choices in the construction process combine to give the best quality pool table.

Hardwood Tables

The frame and the legs of the pool table are the most visible aspects, along with the felt. While other options, including MDF, exist the use of hardwood materials is generally considered to offer the best looks and the best quality. Wood used in the construction of the table will ultimately depend on the design you choose and will normally be determined by the look that wish to achieve but can include walnut, cherry, and oak. These materials have the benefit of being considerably more robust and better looking than veneers and MDF type products.

Pool Table Frame

A wooden frame is applied above the legs and the more beams and cross beams that exist the stronger and more resilient the table is likely to be. Two beams running down the length of the table and two cross beams offers an extremely robust design that will easily cope with the weight of the slate and the weight of people lying across the table to take long shots. The width of the frame itself is an important consideration and the thicker the better in most cases.

Slate Or Non-Slate?

Next comes the slate or other material for the bed of the playing surface. There really is no substitute for slate if you’re looking for a good quality game and a table that will last. Even under the most rigorous of normal usage, a slate bed will not chip, warp, break, or disfigure but the same can not be said of wooden or synthetic materials. These less expensive but lower grade materials not only warp and bend over time but are prone to damp, the cold, and even regular use.

Modern pool tables tend to use 1” thick slate because this offers the ideal combination of strength and weight. Older and considerably heavier and more expensive tables used slate that was over 2” thick making them incredibly difficult to transport or move. 1” thick slate offers a very high standard of play while trimming some of the excess weight.

Rails And Cushions

The rails are also an important facet in pool table construction. A cushion, a cap, and a sub rail combine to create what many would consider to be the most important part of the table. Live gum rubber is used in professional pool table construction in order to ensure there is no loss of speed or transference of spin when the balls hit the cushion.

Finally The Felt

Finally, the felt should be woollen or a natural material and usually the thicker and the tighter the knit of the material the better the quality it offers. Felt is available in an almost baffling array of colours so that your pool table or billiard table can be designed to match the rest of your billiard room or games room.



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asked:


Why do pool tables have multiple coin slots when they only accept 50 pence pieces, or £1 pound coins?

They have slots for 10’s and 20’s but I’ve never seen one that takes them as they are blocked!!!!

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Basd S asked:


you pot the balls, the balls get taken in, and u have to pay to get em back out.. i was thinking, carrier bags and celetape? but i want one less obvious lol

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