Is it reasonable to thrive with a certain cue and table and not with others?

[-Blade-]

This is a question which has always eluded me and had me interested.

I seem to struggle playing at my top form with a rubbish cue and on poorly maintained tables, like is the case at my uni, but when playing at a club, my game is better. When playing with a mate's cue, which has got a real tip, I play EVEN better.

All the advanced players I know at uni can play excellent despite the conditions yet I struggle and I feel I am bottlenecked.

Is it reasonable or even common for anyone here to have the same sort of problems? Or is it just me? Most players I talk to about this say that I am just being naive/stupid/etc.

[RaNeN]

Well, I have noticed that I play better on the Pro Tables then the club ones.
The tables in the tournaments are so very good. You just get your best out.

[Cessy143]

I certainly think the quality of the cue is far more important than the condition of the table. Don't get me wrong, it's a lot better to play on a proper match table, fine cloth, more responsive cushions etc (although it can take some time to adjust to tighter pockets).

IMHO though, a quality cue is a must. Even very good players struggle using poor club cues.

I enjoy playing on championship tables more as it makes the game much more effortless, but I dont always play better on them!!

It can be tricky adjusting to different tables, the ideal is to play and practice on a chamionship table.

[-Blade-]

Some good replies here.

I feel the best thing to do is to play at the lowest common denominator so that you're used to playing anywhere. I.E. play with a rubbish cue, rubbish table, etc. That way, you're used to playing anywhere else.

I'm glad I'm not alone on this one. Poor conditions don't get the best out of me.