Things to Consider When Buying a Used Pool Table

Although we are in the business of selling new pool tables, occasionally we have customers who are interested in purchasing a used pool table. After many years of servicing all makes and models of pool tables as well as dismantling, moving and re-assembling used pool tables, I can easily say that when you think you are getting a good deal on a used pool table you probably aren’t. Here’s why:

1. First of all, if you are buying a used pool table that has somehow ended up online or in the newspaper this means that the person selling the table doesn’t have any friends or family members who wanted it. This could be for one of two reasons – either the seller wants too much for it or it is not in very good condition. In either case, you have to wonder if this is a good buy for yourself. If the seller wants too much for it, could you purchase a similar table new and have it custom made to your specifications plus have new cloth and accessories included? Probably! If it is in rough condition, do you really want it anyway, even if it was really cheap? If you just finished renovating your game room and spent time and money to make it look amazing, do you really want to put a crummy looking table in? Probably not!
2. Next is the table itself. We have dismantled many a table that had cracked, chipped, broken or mismatched slate pieces which the buyer and even the seller were unaware of before it came apart. This is important because you will probably have to replace the slate, which will include replacing all 3 pieces. If the table is already apart, it will be very difficult to verify all the hardware is still there in order to put it back together. Some pool table manufacturers have specialized hardware which is only available from the company that made the table. It won’t help if that company is no longer in business! Another thing to consider is that just by looking at a jumble of pieces, can you tell if everything is really there or what kind of condition its in? We have had situations over the years of missing rail pieces and once a missing leg piece!
3. When you are buying a used pool table, you never know what might have happened to it before it comes to your house. If the homeowner was a smoker, the smell will get into the wood and the cloth and will continue to smell for months if not years. If the seller had pets, it is entirely possible that the funky smell emanating from the table is cat or dog pee (yes, we have seen that as well). Cloth can be replaced, but replacing a leg that is damaged will be much more difficult. Especially if the manufacturer has gone out of business.
4. The hidden costs of purchasing a used pool table can sometimes make buying one more expensive than getting a new pool table. You will need to dismantle, move and re-install it at your house (read my article “Moving A Pool Table Yourself” to get more information on moving a pool table). If it needs new cloth, you will also need to purchase that and have it installed. If the table is not an Olhausen Billiards pool table, you may need to replace the rubber cushions as well. You may also need to purchase new pool cues, balls, triangle, rest, cue rack or light, depending on what the seller is including.

When you buy a new pool table, you get to choose exactly how it will look. You choose the table itself (traditional, modern, ornate, simple design) plus you choose the cloth and table finish to match your decor. It will come with brand new accessories and pool cues that aren’t warped plus Hot Shots includes the delivery and installation of you new Olhausen Billiards pool table. Easy and simple and depending on how much the used table you’re looking at, it could be close to the same price!

I’m not saying there aren’t some good deals to be had out there! Just be cautious when thinking about purchasing a used pool table and make sure you know all of your costs up front!

Moving A Pool Table Yourself: The Pros & Cons

At this time of year, we often receive many calls for pool table service work. People are buying a new house and want to move their pool table, they’ve bought a new house and want to sell their current table because they don’t have space, they want to move their table to the cottage; so many different types of services are available.

Lately I’ve heard many customers tell me they want to move their pool table themselves (or have their moving company move it) and just have us put new cloth on and re-level the table. Here is what is involved in dismantling and moving your pool table yourself:

1. Labeling all of the parts and keeping track of all of the screws, nuts and bolts. When our installers come out to dismantle a pool table, they have a system so they don’t loose any parts and so the table will go back together, they will often label the pieces as they come apart. We once had a customer who had to purchase all new hardware for her pool table because the moving company she used discarded all the screws, nuts and bolts for her pool table. This was incredibly frustrating for her since we had to order a few things in that couldn’t be found at the local hardware store.
2. It is important to wrap all of the pieces to ensure that nothing gets scratched or damaged during transport. Our installers have large blankets which they roll up the rails and legs in and also protect the frame itself.
3. Removing the cloth can be tricky – especially if you want to re-use it when the table is re-assembled. Our installers can remove the cloth in such a way that it can be re-used when the table is put back together. Installers that simply cut the cloth off the table only do that if it is in really bad shape or they are too lazy to remove the staples. There is no need to replace the cloth unless you no longer like the colour or it is not in good condition. If you are planning to replace the cloth, now is the time to do it since the table is already apart and will need to be re-leveled anyway.
4. Properly dismantling a pool table requires not only the legs to come off the bottom and the rails to be unscrewed from the slate, it also requires the slate to be unscrewed from the frame and removed a piece at a time. Most standard 8 ft or 9 ft pool tables have 3 pieces of slate which are joined by either wax or putty and are attached to the frame of the table in some way. You will damage your pool table or the slate if you try and move it with the slate still attached.

Some 10 ft and 12 ft tables will have up to 5 pieces of slate and each piece will weigh anywhere from 250 to 350 lbs. If it is one piece of slate, it could weigh anywhere from 800 lbs and up. All of these factors effect the price of moving your pool table if we provide that service for you. We have a minimum of 2 technicians, but will use more if the job requires it. They are used to lifting slate and can do it properly without hurting themselves. Our installers also have a vehicle which will accommodate the weight of that much slate plus the weight of the pool table itself. Don’t forget – if you chip, crack or break a piece of slate, it will need to be replaced and you will need to purchase all new slate. The pieces are matched to each other and you won’t be able to replace a single piece.

A note on moving companies – often they are used to moving furniture, but not something as heavy and awkward as a pool table. Our installers are used to lifting, carrying and moving slate, maneuvering pool table frames through doorways and up stairs and know what’s involved when taking them apart. Pool table mechanics are specialists, the same as for a piano (yes, you should use a specialist to move your piano too!). They are also insured in case they break or damage anything during the move.

If you decide that you can move the table yourself but don’t want to put it back together, it is wise to simply move all of the pieces into the room it’s going to and leave the rest to us. Often a pool table which has been half put back together will have to be taken apart and re-assembled from scratch. We once had a situation where the customer put the table back together, but the cabinet was upside down with the slate on it!

I will say that I caution people who tell me they are moving their table themselves or having a moving company do it for them. Our crews have experience with all makes and models and will get the job done right the first time. Have you ever moved your pool table? What was your experience like?

Rack ’em: Don’t Be Gaffed

Amazingly one of the most important aspects of a game of 8 ball or 9 ball happens before the break shot is ever executed. Racking the balls is important, not only in how you rack them, but the order of the balls themselves.

8 Ball Rack

Let’s start with the most popular game – 8 ball. All 15 balls should be racked in the triangle. There are 7 solids (numbers 1 through 7) and 7 stripes (numbers 9 through 15) plus the 8 ball and of course the cue ball. You want the 8 ball to be in the middle of the 3rd row. Other than that, almost anything goes. The rules state that each bottom corner must be opposite each other (a solid in one corner, strip in the other). In order to get a good mix of balls once they have been scattered by the break, you might want to alternate stripes and solids through the rack.

9 Ball Rack

Moving on to 9 ball, the rack of these balls is slightly different. You can use either a 9 ball rack or a traditional triangle rack and tighten the balls with your fingers. Either way will work. The game of 9 ball is played with balls numbered 1 through 9 and racked in a diamond shape. The rules state that you must always hit the lowest numbered ball first, so the 1 ball should always be racked at the head of the diamond and the 9 ball should be racked in the middle. During competition, you will often see players rack with the 2 ball at the bottom of the diamond, with the 7 and 8 balls in the 4th row. This is because when the balls break, often the 1 ball comes back towards the middle of the table, where as the 2 ball will shoot back towards the foot rail. Sometimes depending on the break, it may be more difficult to go from the 1 ball to the 2 ball if the balls are scattered like that. It puts the odds in the favour of the racker!

Racked 9 ball rack with space between the first ball and the next row

When racking the balls for either 8 ball or 9 ball, it is important that you make sure that all the balls are touching each other. If you have ever make a break shot that should have scattered the balls into next week and the balls didn’t move nearly that far, probably what has happened is that the first ball in the diamond or rack wasn’t touching one or both of the balls behind it (possibly the balls further into the rack weren’t touching either, which is why it’s important to not only check the front balls, but also the middle and both back corners as you remove the triangle or rack). In the billiard world, we call this a gaff rack. A legal break is made when either 4 balls hit a rail cushion or at least one ball is legally pocketed. If neither of these things happens, the breaker can ask for a re-rack.

Have you ever broken a bad rack of balls? Did you know why it happened? Comment below and let me know your thoughts on how easy it is to rack a perfect rack of balls!

Racked balls that are all touching

Olhausen Pool Table: A Leggy Look

When shopping for a pool table you want to purchase one that goes with your personal style and design concept. What you choose is up to you. Some people prefer a square leg table for a more modern look, some prefer a shapely or Queen Anne style leg for a more elegant or traditional look and some people go for a really modern looking table with a different design for the legs entirely.

When looking at an Olhausen Pool Table, it is easy to see the way that just by changing the leg, you can change the entire look of the table. They have a “Build Your Own Table” application which allows the user to make a trillion changes to the table they are viewing.

Lets start out with a Santa Ana Pool Table by Olhausen Billiards without any changes made:

Santa Ana Pool Table by Olhausen Billiards shown in Traditional Mahogany

You will notice the graceful lines of the table and how well the legs go together with the cabinet.

Sometimes though I have a customer who really likes the look of the cabinet but isn’t crazy about the Rams Head leg style. This is the same table shown in the same Traditional Mahogany finish on solid Maple but this time with August legs:

Santa Ana Pool Table with Augusta Leg Style by Olhausen Billiards

See how it totally changes the look of the table? Still a great looking table! It appears much more substantial than with the regular legs and yet it’s basically the same table. As well, although this modified Santa Ana appears to look the same as the Augusta, you will notice that the routering detail on the cabinet is more detailed on the Santa Ana.

Santa Ana Pool Table with Wentworth Leg by Olhausen Billiards

Here is the Santa Ana shown with the Wentworth leg. Again, it has totally changed the look and feel of this table. Instead of giving a “heavy” look like with the Augusta leg, the Wentworth leg gives it a more traditional look and feel and yet still gets away from the “curvy” Rams Head leg.

That is the great thing about purchasing an Olhausen pool table. No matter which table you choose, there are probably 10 different leg styles to choose from, if not more. Plus you have the option of about 20 different finishes and all of the other customizable details you can add. When you add an Olhausen pool table to your game room, you are truly adding a family heirloom which will last for generations to come!

Which pool table do you like the best? Curvy legs or straight legs?

“Wood” You Know The Difference?

When it comes to choosing a pool table, one of the first things you notice is the wood type or grain pattern. Each species of wood offers a distinct grain pattern and each comes with it’s own pros and cons.

Maple Wood Species: By far our most popular choice. The grain pattern is subtle and most if not all finishes look good on Maple wood. The wood tends to be lighter and more uniform in colour and appearance. Olhausen Billiards uses North American lumbered Maple for its line of Signature and Select Series pool tables. The wood that Olhausen Billiards uses hails from the Northeastern States – that climate makes the difference. The colder winters here in North American slow down the growth of the trees leading to a harder, more compact and tighter grain. In terms of building a pool table, the harder the wood and the tighter the grain, the better it will hold not only the finish applied but also the detail in the carving of the designs. Many pros for this wood species, can’t think of any cons!

Oak Wood Species: A popular choice for lighter finishes or mission style pool tables such as the Coronado or Monterey. The Augusta pool table is another one that really lends itself to the Oak wood species (although it also looks great in solid Maple as well). Oak wood offers a more distinct grain pattern and is a hard wood as well. I will mention that you should try and only choose Oak wood species if you already have Oak in the room where your pool table is going. To introduce another wood type with a grain pattern as unique as Oak would be a risky decor move. Better to stick with either Maple or Poplar which are more subtle.

Poplar Wood Species: Available on all Portland Series pool tables by Olhausen Billiards. Poplar wood is still considered a hard wood, it just isn’t as expensive as either Oak or Maple. As well, the grain pattern is more distinct on Poplar than on Maple, but not as distinct as on Oak. This won’t make much of a difference if you choose a darker finish or for example the Blackhawk pool table by Olhausen Billiards. In that case you won’t even see the grain pattern!

Veneer Wood: This option is slowly being phased out by Olhausen Billiards. The process is to use a plywood or MDF backing and apply 1/2 inch to a full inch of solid wood on the outside to make the table look like a solid wood table. Of course it can be finished in the same way any solid wood table can, but you give up on the design of the table as Veneer tables tend to be much plainer. A Veneer wood option is usually used on less expensive pool tables and won’t really offer anything as far as carving designs. In most cases Veneer pool tables can be made in either solid Maple, Oak or Poplar with only a small upgrade price.

Specialty Wood Species: Olhausen Billiards offers a wide selection of exotic wood species. You can choose either a top rail option in an exotic wood such as Birdseye Maple or Bubbinga or you could have your entire pool table made out of an exotic wood species such as Zebra Wood. Each exotic wood species offers its own unique and distinctive grain pattern and can be a real showstopper in your game room! If you can dream it, Olhausen Billiards can make it and source the wood species you desire!

So there you have it. There are many options out there when choosing to purchase a pool table. One of the most important aspects is to make sure that the wood species a manufacturer uses can be relied on not to chip, bubble, crack, warp, come unglued or have the finish wear off. You want to make sure that the wood species used was purchased from a part of the world that allows for slow growth trees to allow for a tighter grain pattern and lower moisture content. This will ensure that for the lifetime of your pool table, it will look the same as the day you bought it!

Kelly’s Hot Game Room Thought: The Value of Good Rubber

This past weekend the Hot Shots Trio went to Nashville to the Olhausen factory for sales training and to get product knowledge. Scott & I went to the Sales Training in San Diego back in 2005, so it was interesting to see how much has changed and how many things have stayed the same.

One thing that hasn’t changed is the quality of the products that Olhausen makes. One of the biggest factors when I sell an Olhausen pool table is pointing out that they offer the best warranty in the industry. The warranty includes the rail rubber, which no other pool table manufacturer in the world offers. Accu-Fast Cushions are formulated from a pure gum rubber base that doesn’t contain any of the inexpensive clay or silica fillers in import cushions used by other manufacturers. This means that eventually you will have to replace the rubber cushion on any other table, but not on an Olhausen. They back it by a 100% lifetime warranty. In the past 15+ years that Olhausen has been offering the Warranty on the cushions, they have never had to replace the rubber on one rail. Not once. Pretty incredible if you as me!

To give you a bit of information about Accu-Fast Cushions, they are 100% surface bonded to the rail. All import rubber features a “groove” in the back of the cushion. The reason for that is that antique tables were made with a “relief groove bead” that the cushion sat on, making it 100% bonded to the rail back then. It turned out it was easier to make the sub-rail flat but they left the groove in the cushion. These days, the groove is filled in with glue which reduces the bonded area up to 40%. This means that eventually the glue dries out which means that either the cushion will fall off the rail or that you may have whats called a dead cushion response.

A dead cushion response means this: have you ever played on a pool table, and when you hit the cue ball to the rail, it either doesn’t bounce back at all or the way you think it will? If this happens, it is time to replace the cushion rubber. The average table will have to have the rubber replaced every 3 to 5 years, depending on usage. This will happen on any table except an Olhausen. All Accu-Fast Cushions are 100% American Made and are the only cushions that can be backed with a true Lifetime Warranty. The costs associated with replacing the rubber could be anywhere from $450 to $800, depending on the job. Don’t forget, you will also have to replace the rail cloth at the same time, which means you will also have to replace the bed cloth so that everything matches. Imagine having to do that every 3 to 5 years. Now imaging owning an Olhausen and never having to think about it!

Walked into the Olhausen factory…

and we find Donny Olhausen working on a 18′ Waterfall Shuffleboard Table for one of our great customers in Collingwood!

The Game Room Expert Kelly: Shedding Some Light

A pool table light finishes off your game room. It makes your game room area look like a billiard area. The light also removes shadows from the playing surface. And yet the pool table light is the most overlooked accessory. Most people figure that the pot lights they installed when they finished the room are enough. As a pool player, I can tell you that pot lights don’t offer enough light, nor do they offer the proper type of light. They are too far away and throw odd shadows from the balls at the ends of the table. There will be a certain amount of shadows cast by the balls at the ends of the table, but you want the shadows to be consistent all the way across the table. Amazingly enough, shadows do effect your aim, so when a ball casts too much shadow (or not enough) you may miss your shot. So let’s look at the different types of lighting available.

For pool tables sized either 7 ft, 8 ft or 9 ft, any 3 shade pool table light will do. You don’t need any more than three shades, but it shouldn’t be any less either. For the canopy style light, I would recommend about 48 inches in length (a little more or a little less is ok too). For snooker tables sized either 10 ft or 12 ft, I would recommend either a 4 shade or 5 shade light.

The recommended height to hang the light is anywhere from 28 inches to 32 inches from the playing surface. Even by raising the light by an inch or two will eliminate the shadows at the ends of the table. Most lights will come with ceiling chain as well as a ceiling canopy to hide the wiring. All lights should be hard wired into the ceiling (using a professional electrician of course) and centered on the pool table. As far as I know, you can use any light bulb in the light. We use CFL’s (Compact fluorescent light bulbs) in our showroom, in part because they are on all the time, in part because we do our best to be good to the environment! The recommended wattage is usually between 100 to 150 watts (or the equivalent).

When looking at the three shade lights, there are a few basic styles that are generally available. The first and usually the least expensive is a basic metal shade. They will come in a variety of finishes and are usually painted white on the inside in order to better reflect the light down on to the table. They offer the least amount of light into the room, but depending on what other types of light are already there, it shouldn’t be too dark.

The next type is a metal shade, but offers some glass, usually on the top of the shade. Good examples of this type of light are the Liberty and the Metal & Halophane lights. This type of light will allow for some light to shine into the room. The metal rim will be painted white so that what light isn’t shining into the room will be reflected down on the table.

As we go up in price, all glass shades are available. They will usually have a shade all one colour which is usually a lighter finish so as to shine light into the room as well as down on the table. Also available are Tiffany style shades. A good example of this type as well as one of our most popular lights is the Taliesin. This will allow your creativity to come though and will offer more decorating options. There are more colour options within a Tiffany style shade, so it is easier to match up to your decor. There are many other designs available as well, to compliment any game room decor!

The other type of pool table light is the canopy style. This style of light was more popular 20 years ago, and will only suit certain types of game rooms. Usually they are only available in the Tiffany style, usually with some sort of design on them. There aren’t many available any more for the larger 10 ft and 12 ft snooker tables, and we don’t happen to carry any. But you may recall them – they often had a ‘fringe’ that would hang down from the light!

So there you have it! Hopefully this has shed some light on the subject of lighting up your game room!

Kelly’s Hot Game Room Thoughts: Top 5 Reasons to Buy a Pool Table

With Christmas just around the corner, I wanted to let you know my top 5 reasons for buying a pool table! So here goes!!

1. Family Time: When you purchase a pool table to put into your home, you are inviting a wide range of possibilities for friends and family to get together with you and spend some quality time doing something that doesn’t involve the TV or eating food. Playing pool is a great way to have a conversation with that hard to reach teenager because they become distracted by what they are doing and will talk more freely. It works the same way with the rest of the family too – don’t be afraid to include the little ones as well as the grandparents! You may be surprised at their skill! When it comes to teenagers, it’s also a great way to keep them in the house (where you know where they are!) instead of the mall or somewhere where they might get up to no good! Having a pool table will be a great way to have all the kids come over to your house on a Friday night!
2. Party Time: Having a pool table is a great entertainment piece when you throw a party. Everyone is always interested and it will become the focus point of the evening if you let it! Especially if you have some cool games on hand such as Billiard Golf or Poker Pool. Both of these games can be played with many players (not just 2-4) and will invite some friendly competition!
3. Stress Relief: Have a high demand job? Playing pool is a great stress reliever! First off is the break, where you hit the cue ball into the pack as hard as you can! Next is having to think about your shots and the out come. Before long, you will stop stressing and start thinking. There is a rhythm that can develop – stop, stroke, shoot, get up, walk around, stop, stroke, shoot, win! It’s also a great way to unwind with a spouse or friend and be able to talk about your day in a relaxing atmosphere.
4. Teaches Skills: Your kids might moan and groan, but it will teach them hand to eye coordination, just as much as any video game will – and they will actually have to interact with you! It’s a good skill for adults young and old, and you don’t have to be physically fit in order to play. Playing pool is the great equalizer because it doesn’t matter if you are a girl or a boy, young or old, tall or short – what matters is being able to make your shots and string enough of them together to win the game!
5. Furniture Piece: When you have a large great room or family room it’s sometimes difficult to find that perfect piece of furniture to put there. After all a pool table does take up quite a bit of room! When you already have a bar in the area or other games such as darts, shuffleboard or foosball, a pool table makes a great accompaniment! Especially when you have a room that offers a view of the table – you can purchase a table that offers a work of art, beauty and functionality.

So there you have it – my top 5 reasons to purchase a pool table. I’m sure there are many more and I would love to hear your reasons for buying!

Kelly’s Hot Game Room Thoughts: The Pro’s and Con’s of Cloth

I feel as though cloth is a big choice when buying your pool table. There are so many choices as far as colour and quality. I also feel that the consumer needs more information than what the sales person is usually willing to give! So here I have put together some basic information about cloth!

First we can talk about colour. I would say half of the people I sell pool tables to, choose some sort of green cloth. Most people just can’t get past playing on a different colour of cloth. They feel that it’s unnatural or un-traditional. Pool halls often choose green (what is usually referred to as Tournament Green by most cloth companies) in part because they tend to be dark places with the only light coming from the pool table lights. A bright green gives the place some colour. But this is usually not a good colour option for a home use table. For anyone who is showing a preference for green cloth, I will usually try and steer them towards a dark green or spruce green colour, both of which will satisfy their need for traditionalism and will complement most decors quite nicely.

The other half of the people choose all the rest of the colours. I have done almost every table in almost every cloth. Bright red, electric blue (on a original cherry table no less – come to my showroom and I will show whatthat looks like!) and every shade in between. I have done purple, golden, even orange, but only on the rails, with a blue bed. Interesting look! Right now, the NHL team logo cloth is popular, especially for re-cloths.

On to quality – this is a very broad topic. There are quite a few brands out there. Probably one of the most well known is Simonis. They have cloth on all the tournament tables you see when they play on TV. This is not a cloth that I will recommend for any home use, recreational pool table. Number one, there is an additional charge for it. Number two, it will wear very fast compared to other cloths. This is because when a ball is hit hard across the surface, it sometimes doesn’t just roll. It will ‘skip’ instead, which will cause friction burns between the ball and the cloth. This will cause little white spots on the cloth (and potentially the ball if you are using an economy set). If you ever have the opportunity to inspect cloth on a table in a pool hall, you will notice not only little white spots everywhere, you will also see 2 white lines in the shape of a V which is where the league players are breaking from.

The reason it wears much faster is because it has a higher nylon content. Something to remember when shopping around is that the higher the nylon content, the faster it will wear. Pool halls generally have Simonis cloth, but don’t forget they are usually replacing their cloth every year, if not more often than that. So if you aren’t planning to replace the cloth that often, I strongly recommend that you choose a recreational cloth. Unless you are currently practicing for the World Championships, then Simonis is right for you!

The reasoning behind a customer requesting Simonis or some other tournament cloth is usually because it will play faster. I’m not too sure why they think that this is such a great idea – perhaps faster play will make them a better player?! I will try and explain that faster play isn’t always desirable and that most recreational players will not be able to tell the difference between a recreational cloth which will last 5 times as long and a tournament cloth which might need replacing within the year.

When I have gone to competitor stores and shopped them, the number one thing they always recommend is upgrading to tournament cloth. Don’t forget, the reason for the upgrade (they are probably being paid on commission)! When you shop with me, I don’t recommend an upgrade unless you’re insisting or because it’s worth the extra (you really are practicing for the next World Championships)!

Which leads me to my next point – when it’s worth it to spend the extra on the upgrade. I believe that upgrading to stain-resistant cloth is worth spending the extra on. One of the most well known brands is Accu-Guard by Olhausen which is made for them exclusively by Hainsworth. Stain-resistant cloth can save you money in the long run. Although it has a higher nylon content and will tend to wear faster, any liquid you spill on it will wipe right off. Even water will leave a water mark on regular cloth, including Simonis! And absolutely nothing will take the stain out. Nothing. We have 2 different spray on cloth cleaners, neither of which will work. I had someone once who thought they could take their cloth off and have it dry-cleaned. It would have been less expensive to replace it! And I don’t believe a dry-cleaner could get the stain out! This is pool table cloth, not your dress shirt!

So if you have lots of parties or kids who drink liquids around your pool table, I will recommend upgrading to a stain-resistant cloth such as Accu-Guard. This is a worth-while upgrade! You can spill wine, beer, pop, juice, coffee, water – almost any liquid and it will just bead up and you can wipe it off with a micro-fibre cloth. You can even leave it overnight and wipe it up tomorrow morning! This doesn’t of course pertain to the table itself and I don’t recommend finding out just how much liquid you can spill on your pool table before it starts to seep though and on to the floor! But a little accidental spill will be wiped up easily and you won’t have unsightly stains on your cloth. Or spend your hard earned money replacing your cloth after every party!

So tell me, do you think tournament cloth is worth the upgrade? If you paid the upgrade I would love to hear from you!