Here’s a run-down of the key differences and why the American pool table might be the thing for you:

Bigger Size

The traditional English table is usually around 7 foot (although they can even come down to as little as 6 foot in some cases) whereas the American comes in at an 8 foot standard, with a whopping 9 foot length serving as the standard for American tournament play. You may be wondering the reason for this. Well, it’s all to do with things being bigger in America; in this case, their bars. A 9 foot American pool table is larger than the front room of many traditional English pubs but is perfect for a diner or saloon.

Larger Balls

Keeping with the size theme, the American pool balls tend to be a half inch larger than their English compatriots – partly this is to compensate for the size of the table as it can take some real elbow-grease to get from one end to the other with English size billiards.

Faster Play

Like with the balls, the considerably larger size of the American pool table needs to be compensated for if your game of pool is going to move quickly and easily. Whereas the English table will typically have a woollen cloth – that being a plentiful material on the British Isles – an American pool table will tend to have a woven material of cotton or synthetic fabric lining its surface. The key difference here is in something called the “nap” which is what gives the English game its distinct speed through increased traction. Without this, the American game runs far quicker with less effort needed to convey the balls around the table.

Ball Colours

Perhaps the most distinct difference between English and American pool tables is the colour of the balls that sit on them. Traditionally there have been three colours only on an English table – red, yellow, and black – where the Americans have a whole rainbow of colours separated into the “spots” and “stripes”. The American balls also come with numbers such as the well-known “8 ball” black. The function of these numbers differs between the states, with different rule variations available to the player seeking variation. Even with the standard “UK pub rules”, however, the American pool look certainly adds a touch of Hollywood pizazz.

Bucket Pockets

This is where the “simpler” aspect comes in to the discussion, although perhaps unfairly. The standard American pool table has pockets much larger than the Standard English model, with well-defined corners that allow for rapid potting. Where the rail-lining runs in to the pocket on an English table, the American often has rubber buffers for increased impact absorption – allowing for faster and harder impacts. However, the right-angled American “bucket pockets” do present a much harder challenge in the event of narrow-angled pots, so it’s not all amateur hour!

The big differences between traditional English and American pool tables come together to make the American game go much faster and on a larger scale. For the beginner this can make the American pool table a great choice as you get all of the fun of English pool without as much of the frustration. For the advanced player it can also offer a satisfying speed of play great for trick-shots, tournament play and impressing your friends.

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A good, simple way of improving your positional skills at the snooker table is to set up easy-looking pots with one ball and the cue ball. Make these as tricky or as easy as you like, in terms of where the balls are placed and the distance. The key here is to see where the cue ball ends up after you have potted. Use screw, spin and side on the cue ball to make it go where you want to.

Practice making the balls go to certain areas of the table after you have potted.

To take your practice up to the next level, set up more complex situations and try the same thing. One good drill is to place two red balls in good potting positions at each pocket of the table, one above the pocket and one below. Leave the bottom left pocket free of reds and place the black ball there. Start this drill with the cue ball on the spot where the black usually goes.

The object of the drill is to pot the black and play to get position on one of the reds. If you then pot the red, it stays in its pocket, while the black and the cue ball are replaced in their original positions. You then repeat the process until you have potted all of the reds.

After each pot, remember to replace the cue ball and black back in their original positions, as this will allow you to use the cushions to create spin and angles to set up good table position for the cue ball.

Increase the Challenge

When you have got to grips with this drill, you can increase the level of challenge by adding the colours to the reds and black. This time you place all the colours, including the black, on their spots, while keeping the reds in their positions around the pockets.

The cue ball can be placed anywhere on the table, although between the pink and black is a good place. You then try and pot reds followed by colours, then the colours in order, following the conventional rules of snooker.

These drills are easy to set up and can be used to improve your performance in all cue sports. Always remember that practice and discipline are what separates the good from the great when it comes to sport.

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