Largest Pool Table Size for my Room Dimensions
8/8/2020 10:16:14 PM
Largest Pool Table Size for my Room Dimensions
Here's a picture of my basement area with dimensions. I am planning on putting a pool table in this room.
Based on these dimensions, what size pool table should I get? Can I get away with a 9-foot pool table?
Source File: drive.google.com/file/d/1t1oagfJzRiKmZzQ2vkxMTQ7Q4boL96ve/view?usp=sharing
Largest Pool Table Size for my Room Dimensions
Replies & Comments
RayMills on 8/9/2020 2:30:31 AMWithout knowing your intentions and history, I don't think a 9-foot pool table is worth the trouble, especially if you're just starting out and have time to do some experimentation.
Are you trying to have serious competitions and parties where playing pool is the focus, or would you be performing drills for practice? Are you going to be in a league (which holds league play on a 9-foot poo table), or going to go pro some day?
I'm guessing the support post is 10" square. I started out with a 7-foot pool table and after a few weeks I was able to estimate how often such an obstacle was going to matter and I rotated the placement of the pool table closer to it. Then, I either had a shorty cue on-hand or decided that I would allow the cue ball to be moved toward the target object ball a few inches as long as no other factors of the shot were changed.
If you are indeed able to experiment, first get a cheap (or "Craigslist free") lightweight pool table (or even plywood on sawhorses) and see how often your cue is affected. The standard assumption for full cue clearance is 5', but of course we don't all have that luxury. So, a 7-foot pool table would need 17' x 13.5', but assuming a 4' all-around clearance would allow you to use the bottom part of your map nicely.
I've had pool tables in my one-bedroom and studio apartments, and sometimes rotating the table 20-degrees in a rectangular room made a big difference in allowing the cues to go into constricted space, such as that to the left of your pole. And remember, 7-foot pool tables aren't that much of a sacrifice on practice realism; Every pocket may be closer to your object ball, but you learn to compensate for more crowded space for the same size of balls!
P.S.: I assume that if you created that map image above, that you also created fully-scaled (paper?) versions of the top views of the various-sized tables and their 5' (or less) clearances. Of course, they would look like rectangles inside rounded-corner rectangles to reflect where the cues would touch the walls, etc.
Vidarious on 8/9/2020 8:07:14 AM
Intention of the pool table is casual play. No tournaments. However I was looking for as professional of an experience as possible within the constraints I have. I will be investing in a high-end pool table right away and won’t be trying any cheap versions first.
The primary game for me is snooker. I’m looking to recreate the experience I had with my grandfather as a child, but I don’t know what type of snooker table (English or American) or the size table he had.
However I live in Canada and looking at the pool table dealers here I don’t see any English style tables so I feel as though he had an American style table but with smaller balls. I also don’t like the thick (fat tip) American-style pool cues and prefer English style thin-tipped cues.
I’m willing to have multiple sized cues available for tighter shots.
- RayMills on 8/10/2020 1:23:05 AM
Before I forget to mention it, be sure and search the rest of this site for previous discussions on room size. I found quite a few examples when I went to the Home Billiard Room Design section, and when I searched for such things as "Cue Clearance" and "Table Sizes".
I thought snooker was usually a game played on 10- and 12-foot snooker tables! I guess that if your grandfather used smaller balls this would make a smaller table possible, but then you would be going down a road where you'd never relate to dimensions used by other shooters. Of course, I have no knowledge of customs in Canada or England (although I am a big fan of the Reds & Yellows ball set), so I'm unable to judge whether a 7-footer is going to be plausible even if you narrow the pocket openings.
I still hope you'll set-up the plywood-on-sawhorses idea and see how it goes.
I setup a super-crude mock up of an 8-foot pool table with replica cue sizes. The one in the first photo is a 58” cue. It’s tight.
Later I moved it to a 7 foot size and it felt a bit better.
I think a 7-foot pool table is my only hope for this basement space.
Here it is again with the post in view:
- RayMills on 8/10/2020 3:33:27 PM
Yay, sawhorses!
If you still have the sawhorses handy, I recommend trying to rotate the frame clockwise. This might prioritize the playable space for shots near the cushions by predicting that you don't shoot from corners toward a side pocket as often. Then again, maybe you'd want to rotate the nearest corner toward the post to utilize that prediction.
Another cheat is to place the pool table so that the racking end has a tad more room (based on the assumption that balls are possibly less likely to travel down-table on break shots).
One of those other forum posts I referenced earlier, Putting a Pool Table in a Small Area, has spreadsheet someone had calculated which showed that 90% of all shots that can be performed with a 48" cue can be made with a 57" cue based on how often the cue ball comes to rest near a cushion. It shows visualizations of the room modeled with all possible playable and unplayable shot angles. See the 2nd reply (the one by user "AIP") for those diagrams. The question shows some original floor plan options and the final reply shows the "after" photos of the pool table in place.
Other questions showed maps of pool tables and variations of using paper cut-outs.
See also: Balancing Playable Areas In A Game Room - Another layout diagram for a tight room with a few problem areas.
Wow. I rotated the mock-up about 30 degrees and an 8-foot pool table seems way more plausible, even with 58" cues most of the time. Thank you so much for the suggestion!
My OCD doesn’t like it because it’s not square with the walls, but I’m totally game with this solution.
billiardsforum on 9/15/2020 5:00:09 AMGreat suggestions by @RayMills. Glad you got it worked out.
Hopefully you'll share some photos of the room once you get pool table installed in the space.
I will indeed! The pool table arrives tomorrow.
- RayMills on 11/11/2021 4:59:29 PM
Well, it's been a year. Do you have some photos for us?
Wow I completely thought I had already posted these pictures. Sorry!!
Here's how it turned out. The cue/ball holder is something I built from scratch.
- billiardsforum on 11/22/2021 10:53:02 AM
Superb! How often do the walls and/or post affect shots?
Surprisingly not very often. I've gone entire games without needing to change from my full size cue. I'm very happy with the setup. I feel confident its as efficient as possible in this space.
- RayMills on 11/22/2021 2:21:50 PM
Yes, looks cool. Did this arrangement help you "lockdown" yourself for the last 20 months? Are you still leaning toward snooker games, even without the rounded pockets? I forgot during our previous discussion that snooker shooters try to avoid balls being on rails, right? That would give you more cue clearance!
Largest Pool Table Size for my Room Dimensions
- Title: Largest Pool Table Size for my Room Dimensions
- Author: Vidarious
- Published: 8/8/2020 10:16:14 PM
- Last Updated: 9/15/2020 2:54:36 AM
- Last Updated By: billiardsforum (Billiards Forum)
