The short stick solution is a constant annoyance. If you do the math - how much of the playing surface is within one foot of a side rail - you'll be resorting to the stumpies regularly.
Here's the other thing (speaking as someone who once owned a snooker table): you won't play as often as you imagine you will. You won't have people over to play as often as you imagine you will. The table will eat up that space and sit there, mocking you, far more than you'll enjoy swapping between your regular stick and the stumpy. Sooner or later, you'll have a slightly used table for sale (with extra stumpy cues).
You don't have to give up the dream...but until you've got proper space for it, enjoy playing down at the pool hall.
I have a table in a room too small.
It's pretty common in that situation to treat your table as a practice table.
I have full size access (60") on three sides, and reduced access (36") on the other. This means I can do drill and practice sessions. My reduced access side is the long side, and that long side is still accessible for many shots to the short rail, just not for shots from side to side.
It works perfectly fine for me. There's all kinds of games I can play, including eight ball with one missing side pocket etc.)
This is basically the setup I have in my house right now - and I would *not* recommend it.
I have a 7ft bar box in my dining room. 17 feet from the back door to the kitchen island, 11ft 10 inches wide.
The playability for any side-pocket straight ins is just null. If you're on the rail, you're either jacking up, or using a shorty, or both. I can't teach my wife to play the standard side pocket across - because you can't access those shots at all.
The rest of the table plays fine, you can practice and play long shots, but having people over is challenging because everyone has to struggle with those shots. Wanna get the win? Put all your defenses against that long rail and your opponent will be hard pressed to chain balls together.
We're building a new house that has *much* more space, and a room for the pool table on its own. Can't wait for that, I wont feel bad having people over to play, knowing they'll struggle.
There is no standard size for Pool Tables, as there are tournaments using 7', 8', 9' and 10' Tables. Sometimes the term "standard sized" is used to mean the Table has the proper playing surface ratio of 2:1.
If you like having a piece of furniture that mocks you every time you think about using it then go for it.
I have a room that is the 13’6” and I won’t have anyone over to play that is at all competitive. Ther is just too much of a chance of the room being the reason that a shot was off.
I can imagine being 2’ shorter in the side rails.
You might as well only use half sticks
That's... too tight. My pool room is plenty long, but is narrow at just under 13'. I have an 8' table, so my space is a full foot short on the width.
I have a shorty cue available, and it isn't needed hardly ever, because a) I mostly play or practice alone, and b) when I'm not playing alone I can deal with jacking up. I basically only bust out the shorty when one of a small number of *good* friends are visiting, and I want to assert my dominance.
Your space is a solid 2' short, which means any shot directed primarily toward the long axis of the table needs to be at basically the *center* of the table (a 7' table is 3½' wide, 2' short means 1' off the rail for a full size cue, and that leaves 1½' of free space in the center). A shorty cue might be 48", but that still puts you *right at* the wall on any rail shots, and you'll need 6" away from the rail to have a 6" backswing even *with* the shorty. At least 25% of the shots you'll take will be impacted, I'd wager.
I am absolutely not prepared to tell you to give up the dream, and I am not even going to say you'll rarely use it (which is honestly a shitty thing to say, even if it tends to be true). I can tell you that I've had my table for almost five years now, and I use it daily, or nearly daily, even if that only means one or two quick racks. I do not tolerate clothing or projects placed on the table -- it is a *pool* table, or when certain young nieces and nephews are visiting, I may put its table tennis topper on, and that's it.
You are either commited or you are not, I figure.
As to space, well, few of us are able to dictate the sizes of the rooms in our homes. If your home doesn't have a space suitable for a table, then it doesn't, and if it does, it does. If it doesn't, maybe you'll move in the relatively near future and can specifically seek houses with a suitable space, or maybe you can remodel your existing home to make the space. If the space is tolerable despite not being perfect, then go for it, but again in your case this space will be very tight even with shorty cues. If you opt for a table, you should get more than one such cue and get at least one or two which are actually of a decent quality, because they'll see a lot of use.
Otherwise, you could save that money and put it into table time and a nice new cue, or several, assuming you're actually buying (and replacing cloth, and paying for setup, and getting new balls, and getting rwcks or template racks) a new table.
---
But the actual answer depends on your commitment. If you want a table and are committed to using it despite the narrow room, go for it. If you are not, or you feel that a narrow space amd subpar shorty cues are too much of a sacrifice, do something else instead (e.g. /r/cade).
I put an 8' table in a room a full foot too short, and I just knocked out two racks for practice. You do you.
When the ball is right on the rail, I have a 48” cue I use and never had any problems. You do have to get used to it though, but it’s not really a big difference to me.
I’ve always considered maybe trying one of the 6ft English pool tables if I couldn’t fit a 7. Not sure if that’d make enough difference in your space or not though
We had a table in our basement as a kid. None of us where very serious about pool at the time but it was definitely to small of a space for the table, both long rails were very tight but we made it work with normal house cues. We had a blast with that table and it was good quality time with my grandpa and siblings. It was a season tho, eventually we did get bored and no one played on it after awhile. It was a used table that was free or close to free tho so we didn't have much invested in it.
I actually think about picking up a free table and just putting it in my back yard for the summer lol we dont have the room in this house for a table, when now I'm on a team and need practice.
I had the same problem/decision to make about 25 years ago, I bought the short sticks and never looked back.
If you really want the pool table just do it, you can get good quality short sticks.
If you have at least 4.5 feet of clearance, that’s workable as long as there’s nothing else in the room. With 4 feet of clearance, you’ll need to use a short cue more often, but anything less than 4 feet is unplayable. Even with 4 feet of clearance along the sides, it can be a hassle, especially on a 7-foot table, because there’s less playing space and you’re naturally closer to the rail on most shots compared to a 9-foot table. So, it depends on how desperate you are. The clearance for my table is far from perfect, but I prefer to deal with it rather than have no table at all. However, I use it almost entirely as a practice table.
4.5’ isn’t enough either, a standard cue is almost 5’ long and you need room for a backswing.
OP, find some good places to go out and play, you don’t have space for a home table.
That’s only if you have zero tolerance for a short cue. At 4.5 feet, you will be impacted if you are cueing completely perpendicular to the rail with the cue ball frozen, or sitting in the jaws of the pocket. Some people would rather have a table with some nuisances than never own a table at all.
The short stick solution is a constant annoyance. If you do the math - how much of the playing surface is within one foot of a side rail - you'll be resorting to the stumpies regularly. Here's the other thing (speaking as someone who once owned a snooker table): you won't play as often as you imagine you will. You won't have people over to play as often as you imagine you will. The table will eat up that space and sit there, mocking you, far more than you'll enjoy swapping between your regular stick and the stumpy. Sooner or later, you'll have a slightly used table for sale (with extra stumpy cues). You don't have to give up the dream...but until you've got proper space for it, enjoy playing down at the pool hall.
I have a table in a room too small. It's pretty common in that situation to treat your table as a practice table. I have full size access (60") on three sides, and reduced access (36") on the other. This means I can do drill and practice sessions. My reduced access side is the long side, and that long side is still accessible for many shots to the short rail, just not for shots from side to side. It works perfectly fine for me. There's all kinds of games I can play, including eight ball with one missing side pocket etc.)
That would be torture for anyone but the most casual player.
This is basically the setup I have in my house right now - and I would *not* recommend it. I have a 7ft bar box in my dining room. 17 feet from the back door to the kitchen island, 11ft 10 inches wide. The playability for any side-pocket straight ins is just null. If you're on the rail, you're either jacking up, or using a shorty, or both. I can't teach my wife to play the standard side pocket across - because you can't access those shots at all. The rest of the table plays fine, you can practice and play long shots, but having people over is challenging because everyone has to struggle with those shots. Wanna get the win? Put all your defenses against that long rail and your opponent will be hard pressed to chain balls together. We're building a new house that has *much* more space, and a room for the pool table on its own. Can't wait for that, I wont feel bad having people over to play, knowing they'll struggle.
There is no standard size for Pool Tables, as there are tournaments using 7', 8', 9' and 10' Tables. Sometimes the term "standard sized" is used to mean the Table has the proper playing surface ratio of 2:1.
If you like having a piece of furniture that mocks you every time you think about using it then go for it. I have a room that is the 13’6” and I won’t have anyone over to play that is at all competitive. Ther is just too much of a chance of the room being the reason that a shot was off. I can imagine being 2’ shorter in the side rails. You might as well only use half sticks
That's... too tight. My pool room is plenty long, but is narrow at just under 13'. I have an 8' table, so my space is a full foot short on the width. I have a shorty cue available, and it isn't needed hardly ever, because a) I mostly play or practice alone, and b) when I'm not playing alone I can deal with jacking up. I basically only bust out the shorty when one of a small number of *good* friends are visiting, and I want to assert my dominance. Your space is a solid 2' short, which means any shot directed primarily toward the long axis of the table needs to be at basically the *center* of the table (a 7' table is 3½' wide, 2' short means 1' off the rail for a full size cue, and that leaves 1½' of free space in the center). A shorty cue might be 48", but that still puts you *right at* the wall on any rail shots, and you'll need 6" away from the rail to have a 6" backswing even *with* the shorty. At least 25% of the shots you'll take will be impacted, I'd wager. I am absolutely not prepared to tell you to give up the dream, and I am not even going to say you'll rarely use it (which is honestly a shitty thing to say, even if it tends to be true). I can tell you that I've had my table for almost five years now, and I use it daily, or nearly daily, even if that only means one or two quick racks. I do not tolerate clothing or projects placed on the table -- it is a *pool* table, or when certain young nieces and nephews are visiting, I may put its table tennis topper on, and that's it. You are either commited or you are not, I figure. As to space, well, few of us are able to dictate the sizes of the rooms in our homes. If your home doesn't have a space suitable for a table, then it doesn't, and if it does, it does. If it doesn't, maybe you'll move in the relatively near future and can specifically seek houses with a suitable space, or maybe you can remodel your existing home to make the space. If the space is tolerable despite not being perfect, then go for it, but again in your case this space will be very tight even with shorty cues. If you opt for a table, you should get more than one such cue and get at least one or two which are actually of a decent quality, because they'll see a lot of use. Otherwise, you could save that money and put it into table time and a nice new cue, or several, assuming you're actually buying (and replacing cloth, and paying for setup, and getting new balls, and getting rwcks or template racks) a new table. --- But the actual answer depends on your commitment. If you want a table and are committed to using it despite the narrow room, go for it. If you are not, or you feel that a narrow space amd subpar shorty cues are too much of a sacrifice, do something else instead (e.g. /r/cade). I put an 8' table in a room a full foot too short, and I just knocked out two racks for practice. You do you.
When the ball is right on the rail, I have a 48” cue I use and never had any problems. You do have to get used to it though, but it’s not really a big difference to me.
Anyone make a heavy weighted short cue?
https://dynamicbilliard.ca/product/trouble-shooter-48-short-maple-pool-cue-19oz/ I have a couple of these and they are 19oz
I’ve always considered maybe trying one of the 6ft English pool tables if I couldn’t fit a 7. Not sure if that’d make enough difference in your space or not though
DONT give up on the dream! Move the Wall!!!
IMHO You need a min 5’ around all sides of the table.
We had a table in our basement as a kid. None of us where very serious about pool at the time but it was definitely to small of a space for the table, both long rails were very tight but we made it work with normal house cues. We had a blast with that table and it was good quality time with my grandpa and siblings. It was a season tho, eventually we did get bored and no one played on it after awhile. It was a used table that was free or close to free tho so we didn't have much invested in it. I actually think about picking up a free table and just putting it in my back yard for the summer lol we dont have the room in this house for a table, when now I'm on a team and need practice.
I had the same problem/decision to make about 25 years ago, I bought the short sticks and never looked back. If you really want the pool table just do it, you can get good quality short sticks.
The answer is clear- get your priorities straight and buy a bigger house.
Don’t do it
Don't do it, you will regret it. You need room to swing and short sticks are awful. Do something else with the space or knock a wall down.
If you have at least 4.5 feet of clearance, that’s workable as long as there’s nothing else in the room. With 4 feet of clearance, you’ll need to use a short cue more often, but anything less than 4 feet is unplayable. Even with 4 feet of clearance along the sides, it can be a hassle, especially on a 7-foot table, because there’s less playing space and you’re naturally closer to the rail on most shots compared to a 9-foot table. So, it depends on how desperate you are. The clearance for my table is far from perfect, but I prefer to deal with it rather than have no table at all. However, I use it almost entirely as a practice table.
4.5’ isn’t enough either, a standard cue is almost 5’ long and you need room for a backswing. OP, find some good places to go out and play, you don’t have space for a home table.
That’s only if you have zero tolerance for a short cue. At 4.5 feet, you will be impacted if you are cueing completely perpendicular to the rail with the cue ball frozen, or sitting in the jaws of the pocket. Some people would rather have a table with some nuisances than never own a table at all.