Snooker tables and pool tables on the surface can appear quite different, so is it a good idea to play Snooker on a regular pool table?
Transcript:
"So a lot of customers ask us, "Can I play snooker on my pool table?", and yes, you can. Of course you can. It's a great idea. Lots of customers would likely get two games out of the same table that they bought from us. So here we've got a set of snooker balls on this table, so this is just a standard set of balls. And they're not too expensive, just to add on to your order. You could go for Aramith balls if you wanted to. So there's a set of Aramith balls there, and they're the same, made to the same grade as the tournament specification pool balls that we do from Aramith as well. So a bit more expensive, but if you've gone for a set of Aramith balls to go with your pool table, you may want to be getting a set of Aramith snooker balls to go with it as well. So there's the balls. Now, let's talk you through how you mark your table to play snooker.
So how do you mark out your pool table for a game of snooker? So you need to get a couple of bits of kits. So first of all, you need this little piece of equipment. And this is for marking out the D. So at the end of the table here, we've got your yellow, brown and your green. Basically, you use this to be able to place it on the baulk line. Now, I am using a barrow for demonstration. This baulk line has actually been done in white, and that's using a Tippex pen. So if it's in white on your table, you'll need to get a white Tippex pen. Sometimes, they're marked in black in which case, a black Sharpie does the trick. So just make sure you've got the right pen to do it with.
And either put a pin through there, it doesn't really matter. A pin won't matter going through your cloth there, to hold that steady, and then I'm using a barrow as a demo here, but you put that in the end there, go round, and then that will then mark the D on your table. Clearly, take a lot of care doing it. Don't let it slip out because it could mark your table and then you would be quite annoyed when you've got a big white mark on your table that's in the wrong place. So take care doing it. That's marking your D on there.
If snooker is really important to you, you want to make sure that everything is in the right place, then you could buy yourself a set of spots and then you could spot where these three have got to go. You could spot where your blue is, your pink and your black so that you make sure they're always going to go into the right place. For me though, I wouldn't bother doing that, I think if you're mainly going to be playing pool on your table, you don't want to have your table covered in loads and loads of spots for playing snooker. But it's a personal choice, it's up to you. If snooker's your thing, that's what you're going to play mainly on your table, then get yourself a set of spots, mark it all accurately, and then you've got it absolutely sorted.
One thing to mention is, if you do buy a set of snooker balls from us when you buy your table, we'll mark the D on your table for you,free of charge. So our installers will do that for you or the manufacturers will do it for you. So some manufacturers don't do it. If they don't, then our chaps will do it for you. They'll come along with a kit. They will do the marking. It saves you fiddling about with it, and as I say, we'll do that for you free of charge because you've bought your set of snooker balls from us.
So in summary, can you play snooker on your pool table? Yes, you can. I think it's a great idea. It's particularly good if you may have a friend coming around that maybe isn't that familiar with playing pool but is a big snooker fan, to have that set of balls and go, "Well actually, I have got a set of snooker balls. Let's have a game of snooker." So that's a standard set of balls we've got on the table here. They're not too expensive. I think it's worth adding onto your pool table order. You might decide to go for Aramith balls. So a lot of our pool tables come with Aramith balls as standard. We can upgrade to those. If you want to keep the same standard of balls, might be a good idea to get a set of Aramith ones. They're a bit more money, but they do play really well. They look great, and as I say, they're the same standard as the set of pool balls that you purchased.
Just a quick note for you is if you're buying an American pool table, then you can't really get very authentic game of snooker on there just because of the size of the pockets and the way that they're cut. It's nowhere near like a snooker table is and obviously, a set of two inch balls played on an American table that's designed for two and a quarter inch balls doesn't really work. They don't rebound off the cushions properly because they're not the right size. So I probably wouldn't bother doing that. So if you're an American pool table owner, probably steer clear of getting snooker balls for that.
So hopefully, that's taken you through everything. If you've got any queries about any of the markings, obviously, as I said, if you buy the table from us, we will mark it for you free of charge for playing snooker, or anything else with playing snooker on a pool table, pop down to the showroom or give us a call. We'll talk you through everything you need to know."