# What size pool table should I buy? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 1, 2004, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-pool-table-should-i-buy/277449 "2004-12-01T04:15:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Plan\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Plan\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plan_B)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-pool-table-should-i-buy/277449/1 "2004-12-01T04:15:30Z")
We’re almost finished renovating our basement. We’ll have an area which is 10 feet wide by about 15 feet long for a pool table. A quick Google search tells me that we don’t have enough room for a regulation size table. Any suggestions? Use the shorter cues? Find a smaller table? Buy the big table and it’s just part of the game that shots from the side are done with cues at an angle? ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-pool-table-should-i-buy/277449/2 "2004-12-01T16:16:03Z")
> [@Plan B](#): > > Any suggestions? Use the shorter cues? Find a smaller table? Buy the big table and it’s just part of the game that shots from the side are done with cues at an angle? Buy a standard size, it will have resale value that a non regulation will not. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-pool-table-should-i-buy/277449/3 "2004-12-01T16:26:48Z")
Go measure a barroom pool table’s size, **inside the cushions.** Then lay out that size on your pool room floor. Now see if a cue will fit between the line and the wall. If not, either you have to buy some short cues, or give up the idea of having a pool table at home. You can buy short cues cheaply, so that’s not a problem. Your friends might be dissappointed that they can’t use their own cues, though. Anything smaller than a barroom table would feel like toy pool, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-pool-table-should-i-buy/277449/4 "2004-12-01T16:36:02Z")
By the way, the only thing “standard” about table size is that the length must be twice the width, cushion to cushion. I’ve played on 3.5’ X 7’, 4’ X 8’, and 4.5’ X 9’. The angles are always the same. ---
**Author:** ![Rock\_n\_Roach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Rock\_n\_Roach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rock_n_Roach)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-pool-table-should-i-buy/277449/5 "2004-12-01T17:25:32Z")
Smaller cue sticks? BLAH, yuk!! No, I won’t come over and play with you. ---
**Author:** ![Rock\_n\_Roach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Rock\_n\_Roach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rock_n_Roach)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-pool-table-should-i-buy/277449/6 "2004-12-01T17:27:02Z")
I’ll accept that I have to use a smaller cue ONCE in a while. But for all of my side shots - No thank you. ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-pool-table-should-i-buy/277449/7 "2004-12-01T17:32:29Z")
Don’t you dare buy new / retail! :dubious: I’m at the same exact point in my basement renovation and though the business establishment I have is too small for a table, my jukebox vendor hooked me up. I’m getting a gently used coin-op table at a fraction of the price of a new table @ retail. ---
**Author:** ![Rock\_n\_Roach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Rock\_n\_Roach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rock_n_Roach)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-pool-table-should-i-buy/277449/8 "2004-12-01T17:34:45Z")
All side shots done on an angle? You’re not a serious pool shooter, are you? This is a big investment that should last you a long time. Get a size that you and yours will want to play on. Go to a pool hall or a bar and play a couple games with either a small cue or the stick angled for many shots. If you don’t mind it then by all means go with the bigger table (ooo, I can’t believe I just said that) Would you be angle the table to cut down on the number of short stick shots? ---
**Author:** ![Rock\_n\_Roach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Rock\_n\_Roach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rock_n_Roach)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-pool-table-should-i-buy/277449/9 "2004-12-01T17:37:16Z")
Isn’t regulation 5 x 10? Or were you looking at 4x8. If you are questioning the 4x8 size (most bar room sizes) then think about the angling idea? ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-pool-table-should-i-buy/277449/10 "2004-12-01T17:40:17Z")
Buy a bigger basement. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-pool-table-should-i-buy/277449/11 "2004-12-01T18:50:33Z")
I’d think anything smaller than a bar table is a waste of time. If a bar table doesn’t fit would you consider a different type of game? You probably have room for a darts board and an Air Hokey table. ---
**Author:** ![Plan\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Plan\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plan_B)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-pool-table-should-i-buy/277449/12 "2004-12-01T21:22:58Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > By the way, the only thing “standard” about table size is that the length must be twice the width, cushion to cushion. I’ve played on 3.5’ X 7’, 4’ X 8’, and 4.5’ X 9’. The angles are always the same. How was it playing on the 3.5’ x 7’ ? I think that would work. That gives me 40" on each side. When you figure that almost every shot is at an angle, and you have the vertical angle, and I could have some smaller cue sticks available, just in case, that might be the best. While we’re at it, where do I buy a 3.5’ x 7’ table? ---
**Author:** ![Plan\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Plan\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plan_B)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-pool-table-should-i-buy/277449/13 "2004-12-01T21:24:53Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > I’d think anything smaller than a bar table is a waste of time. If a bar table doesn’t fit would you consider a different type of game? You probably have room for a darts board and an Air Hokey table. I have my heart set on a pool table. I’ll go with the bigger basement idea before I give in. ---
**Author:** ![aaslatten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f14d63/32.png) [@aaslatten](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aaslatten)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-pool-table-should-i-buy/277449/14 "2004-12-01T21:50:02Z")
Just don’t buy a bumper pool table. Those things are goofy. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-pool-table-should-i-buy/277449/15 "2004-12-01T22:05:32Z")
> [@Plan B](#): > > I have my heart set on a pool table. I’ll go with the bigger basement idea before I give in. [A useful site](http://www.pooltableplans.com/Room%20Size.htm). They recommend a 13’8" x 16’10" room for a 3.5" x 7" table, and a 14’2" x 17’10" room for a 4" x 8" table. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-pool-table-should-i-buy/277449/16 "2004-12-01T22:54:32Z")
Well if you mount the table on a smoothe rotating disk you will only need a room 7’10’’ wide and 12’10" long. Is that lateral thinking or what 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-pool-table-should-i-buy/277449/17 "2004-12-01T23:56:46Z")
> [@Plan B](#): > > How was it playing on the 3.5’ x 7’ ? I think that would work. That gives me 40" on each side. When you figure that almost every shot is at an angle, and you have the vertical angle, and I could have some smaller cue sticks available, just in case, that might be the best. > > While we’re at it, where do I buy a 3.5’ x 7’ table? 3.5’ x 7’ is a pretty common bar table size. Keep in mind we’re talking about the playing surface, not the outside dimensions. It’s the only size a lot of people ever play on. Even a short player will rarely have to make a crutch shot on this size. You can get cues and such cheaply from catalogs. Mueller is the one I have used. Here’s a link. [http://www.poolndarts.com/store.cfm/cat/3.cfm?STLCMPID=1802&engine=overture!1995&keyword=cue+pool](http://www.poolndarts.com/store.cfm/cat/3.cfm?STLCMPID=1802&engine=overture!1995&keyword=cue+pool) ---
**Author:** ![MrO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@MrO](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrO)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2004, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-pool-table-should-i-buy/277449/18 "2004-12-01T23:59:19Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > [A useful site](http://www.pooltableplans.com/Room%20Size.htm). > > They recommend a 13’8" x 16’10" room for a 3.5" x 7" table, and a 14’2" x 17’10" room for a 4" x 8" table. Whoa. I just got out of bed, but I’m thinking that a three and a half inch by seven inch pool table wouldn’t even be big enough to rack the balls on. Are you sure you meant inches? 😉 I sometimes play pool in a local bar that doesn’t really have enough room for a table. Two of the corners are too close to the wall. Once I stepped off the space on the comfortable parts of the table, to see what the minimum clearance would be. My conclusion was that I needed 5 clear feet on all sides of the table, but that maybe 4 would do in a pinch. I hate to bear bad news, **Plan B** , but by my calculations, you can have a pool table 2 feet wide, if you don’t mind being a little crowded. **bordelond** ’s link seems to support this. 3.5 feet plus 10 feet (5 on each side) is about 13’8", and 7 feet plus 10 feet (5 on each end) is about 16’10". You’d be almost all right on the length, but pretty tight on the width. Then again, like you said, most shots aren’t right off the rail and perfectly perpendicular. If you keep a short cue handy for those tight shots (or just use the front half of a regular cue, like we usually do), it might be that most of the time you’d have plenty of room. ---
**Author:** ![Plan\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Plan\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plan_B)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-pool-table-should-i-buy/277449/19 "2004-12-02T02:21:22Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > Well if you mount the table on a smooth rotating disk you will only need a room 7’10’’ wide and 12’10" long. Is that lateral thinking or what 🙂 Love this board! I’ll talk to the contractor tomorrow. Any ideas on how to do this without spending more than it would cost to buy a new basement? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-pool-table-should-i-buy/277449/20 "2004-12-02T04:47:56Z")
Check any of the pool table manufacturer’s websites; they all have room dimension charts. We had a 4x8 at home when I was a kid, and the room was a tad too small on 2 sides; they put the table off center in the room to leave enough room for a seating area in one corner. VERY bad idea. Along one long and one short rail you were always short-stroking if the cueball was within 2" of the rail. You can’t really angle the cue up enough to gain much distance, trig being what it is and all; it takes a good 25-30 degrees to gain enough to cover a normal stroke length. We used kids’ cue sticks on the short side. Pain in the ass. Had all 4 sides been that way we’d have never used the damn thing; a 4’ square bumper pool, finky though it is, would have gotten more use. In one sense it was just part of the local idiosyncracies, like Boston’s Green Monster. OTOH, pool is supposed to be played on a regulation perfect environment. My advice would be that you can maaaybe skimp a bit versus the manufacturer’s charts, but not more than a couple of inches. After all, they’re trying to sell tables, so I bet they’ve skimped a bunch already. If it won’t fit, don’t force it; you’ll be sorry if you do. Buy a bigger house when you can. p.s. I share your pain. I played competitively for a few years (real 14.1 pocket billiards, not bar-room 9-ball.) For decades now I’ve been promising myself a 4.5x9 tournament table. I finally have the perfect 18’x25’ room for it. Except for the steel post in the center which holds up the upper floors of the house. DAMN. Maybe I can get a structural engineer to come up with a plan to move the post without collapsing my house. It’s only money and after all, we’re talking about a pool table! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-pool-table-should-i-buy/277449.md?page=2)