Start playing pool?

[Lux]

It depends on what pool you are talking about. Blackball pool has some similarity with snooker by way of the table and pockets, but the game's odd foul rules immediately put an end to those similarities.

Well i do agree with 'Mr O', if u were talking about american pool, then you will be simply a great player, because u have an experiance in playing snooker, the pockets in US pool tables are just too big, you'll find ur self potting balls.

Not quite.

I recently began playing competitive American 9-ball pool for the first time after playing only snooker. The cloth is very fast napless fabric, so you can't rely on the cloth to control the cue ball length. The cue ball is larger and heavier than the object balls. Large, tapered pockets mean that it is much easier to foul the white. A smaller table with larger balls makes American 9-ball pool quite difficult due to overcrowding if you don't have a well-practiced break-off technique (playing for cue ball shape and driving with maximum cue power is not easy). There is only one on-ball to play positioning for at a time and fouls are unforgiving ball-in-hand's, so your strategy is no longer playing for choice of reds in an open area like you would in snooker.

I just want to correct the European misconception that American pool is easy. A lot of these misconceptions could be defeated instantly the very moment a snooker player plays competitive pool. It leads me to believe that most players here are either young or are still driven by the fantastical image of potting and higher breakbuilding in snooker. Coming from a snooker background, being able to pot well in pool guarantees little more than a run of only two or three decent balls. The smaller 8-feet tables are more difficult to play for positioning on, while the standard 9-feet tables are more difficult to pot on.

[Watford]

I play more UK pool (World rules rather than Blackball) than anything and snooker players think that that must be easy. Well potting is if you play snooker but you have to be able to clear the whole table and then play good safety if you don't, so from what I've seen snooker players can take a little time to get to grips.
Having said that I think snooker is the best game to start in and that grounding can serve you well in any cue sport. I think easier to go from snooker to 9 ball than vice versa.

Oh and as for the European misconception about how easy American pool is I know what you mean but remember we have lots of American spec tables here so have played on both.

[Mr O]

So in summary. American pool = easier to play/pot balls- yes, easier to win games/matches- no
Lux, would have to disagree that 9ft tables are difficult to pot on, it's ridiculously easy to cut balls in along the rails, even the length of the table the pocket swallows them. These key shots are ten times harder at snooker

[Lux]

Oh and as for the European misconception about how easy American pool is I know what you mean but remember we have lots of American spec tables here so have played on both.

Aye, but the rash inference that pool, or its players, are inferior was something that had me miffed. Cue sport, and indeed snooker, is a gentleman's game and not a superiority competition.

[pjl83]

It really is a completely different game, I have to agree with what people have said above about potting. If I play snooker and then go straight onto a pool table (9 ball or 8 ball) potting is easier, but you still gotta control the white and this isn't the same as in snooker. You have to view different types of pool and snooker as completely different sports :snooker:

[pjl83]

So in summary. American pool = easier to play/pot balls- yes, easier to win games/matches- no
Lux, would have to disagree that 9ft tables are difficult to pot on, it's ridiculously easy to cut balls in along the rails, even the length of the table the pocket swallows them. These key shots are ten times harder at snooker

you can hit the cushion 6 inches or more away from the pocket on a 9 ball table and still roll the pot in. Potting in itself is far easier.

[Slh]

I apologise in advance for my bad english.
I have read the entire 3d and i must say there are really ignorant people here. TheRowdyOne and Vex_147 in particular.
I prefer snooker than pool but i must say pool is a great game.
Pool is a more complex game than snooker, the knowledge involved in pool is huge. In snooker the knowledge is very important but less than pool..
When you play pool you must be good in doubles, safety, kicks, kick safe, jump, break..
in snooker is harder to pot a ball due the smaller pockets and bigger table. Clearly if you are good enough in break building you should have only short shots due the better cueball controll. So the bigger table is not that kind of a problem. They are not playing always long shots.
About pool buckets. Lately they changed the pockets and they made the pockets smaller, the old tables have 5 inches pockets, now the new diamond tables have 4,4 inches. A pool ball is 2,25 inch and clerly you can't fit 2 ball in. Along the rail is easier to pot due the looser pockets. We must say in snooker when a ball is near the cushion it will probably stops the break.
About safeties... The safeties in pool are a LOT tougher than snooker due the small table and looser pockets. In pool you can almost pot from everywhere. In snooker you send the cueball in the top of the table and only the distance made the shot a lot tougher..
If we must talk about pockets what about russian pyramid? The size of the balls is 68 mm, and the pockets are 72mm. It means only 4mm of margin error. Those pockets make snooker pockets like buckets. So russian pyramid is harder than snooker? Clearly not because snooker is a much more complex game.

[ace man]

... The safeties in pool are a LOT tougher than snooker due the small table and looser pockets. In pool you can almost pot from everywhere. In snooker you send the cueball in the top of the table and only the distance made the shot a lot tougher..

This may be true if you play snooker against bad players who can't pot long balls nor score breaks over 20 and at the same play pool against good pool players. Higher level snooker players will punish loose safeties severely, either with their own safety, or with big break. Have you ever played against really good properly coached snooker players?

Personally I find snooker safeties extremely tough, especially when the distance between cue ball and object ball increases. My previous pool experience and all that creativity does not help all that much. For example, a safety might require a fine cut on the red ball 3 and a half metres away from the cueball. Too thick or too thin a hit, and it won't be a good one. I think that to execute those kind of shots properly, you need superb precision...lots of it...almost like it is a long pot, sometimes even more.
What if you need spin also? Judging amount of deflection and/or swerwe from nearly 4 metres away is dreadfully difficult...
What about escaping from tight snookers? Same as in pool, but no jump shots allowed. Smaller balls, bigger table, less margin for error...to me it is bloddy hard...

[Slh]

This may be true if you play snooker against bad players who can't pot long balls nor score breaks over 20 and at the same play pool against good pool players. Higher level snooker players will punish loose safeties severely, either with their own safety, or with big break. Have you ever played against really good properly coached snooker players?

Personally I find snooker safeties extremely tough, especially when the distance between cue ball and object ball increases. My previous pool experience and all that creativity does not help all that much. For example, a safety might require a fine cut on the red ball 3 and a half metres away from the cueball. Too thick or too thin a hit, and it won't be a good one. I think that to execute those kind of shots properly, you need superb precision...lots of it...almost like it is a long pot, sometimes even more.
What if you need spin also? Judging amount of deflection and/or swerwe from nearly 4 metres away is dreadfully difficult...
What about escaping from tight snookers? Same as in pool, but no jump shots allowed. Smaller balls, bigger table, less margin for error...to me it is bloddy hard...

I don't say snooker safeties are easy, are really hard in reality.
But i think if you miss a safety in pool is much worse, if you play a bad safety you probably lose the rack because a pool cleareance is simple. In snooker if you leave a long shot you are not really lost because that kind of shots are hard even for pro players. Remember in pool after you contact the object ball, the ob or the cueball must hit atleast one cushion.. this make safeties harder..

[jazsarl]

Ive played in many pool tournaments and played in a team also. potting balls on a pool table might be easy, but if thats all someone is doing they are missing the point of pool. English pool is a very technical and tactical game, much more so that snooker. with four years of snooker play behind you, you should find it relitevaly easy to pot, but learn the other aspects of the game without this knowledge you will lose against a good pool player each time. In pool you should only attempt to pot a ball if it is giving you a tactical advantage ( very rare ) or if you can pot all your balls in one go, therefore like snooker you have to plan several balls ahead. Hope this helps.

[totlxtc]

With four years of snooker play behind you, you should find it relitevaly easy to pot, but learn the other aspects of the game without this knowledge you will lose against a good pool player each time. In pool you should only attempt to pot a ball if it is giving you a tactical advantage ( very rare ) or if you can pot all your balls in one go, therefore like snooker you have to plan several balls ahead. Hope this helps.

Very good post that and could'nt agree more.