Buying a pool table for your home is one of the most fun purchases you can make to entertain your friends and family in your own home.

However, it can be difficult to work out which is the right pool table for you when there are so many choices on the market. There are several considerations to bear in mind when choosing the right pool table:

1. What is your playing ability, amateur looking to improve or professional?

2. Do you want an English Pool table or an American Pool Table? What are the differences between the two?

3. What makes a great pool table?

We will answer these questions in this blog 

1. What Are The Different Types Of Pool Tables?

English or American Pool Table?

The English Pool Table 

• Played in pubs and you're probably already familiar with them. They come in 6 foot or 7 foot sizes and they use 2 inch ball sizes.
• They use a napped cloth which means it has a furry surface. 
• One piece slate
• Deeper cabinet for the ball return mechanism  

The American Pool Table

• Found in bowling alleys or some clubs. They come in 7, 8 or 9 foot sizes and they use larger 2.25 inch balls and larger pockets
• Napless cloth or a "speed cloth" which means it is much faster speed than an English cloth
• Sectional slate which comes in 3 pieces. 

What are the pros and cons of each type?

The American Pool table is easier to play as it has larger balls and pockets and a faster cloth. If you want to really improve your potting skills this may not be ideal. You will also need more space for them as they're bigger and once you install it you can't move it as it generally comes in sectional 3 piece slates. 

The English Pool Table will offer you more scope to improve your game with the smaller pockets and ball sizes. Tournament tables have even smaller pockets than your standard pub table making them harder to play on. You will need less space for English Pool table as they are smaller. 

 2. Coin Operated Or Freeplay?

Coin operated tables by the likes of DPT give you that authentic pub pool table feel, and if you like to enter coins and hear the sound of pool balls whooshing down the line, then this is for you.  

However, the most popular choice for home playing is the free play English Pool Table. 

3. Choosing The Build And Finish of Pool Table 

Laminate or wood cabinet?

On the lower end of the price range, MDF is used with a laminate finish and this is the most popular build. It still plays very well depending on the cloth, cushions and slate.

The higher end pool tables have a solid wood cabinet which makes them more expensive. They are more luxury and look like a real piece of furniture. Typical woods used are solid oak, walnut or a combination of the two. 

Solid wood cabinets are the luxury end of pool tables and start at around £2000 upwards

. 

Outdoor Pool Tables

These tables are great for the summer months when you are entertaining in the garden or patio space in the shade. Why not have a BBQ followed by a game of pool with friends? You'll be very popular in town :)

Plywood is also used in commercial grade tables at the higher end, for example, some American Pool Tables used in bowling alleys. 

Painted Finish?

You can get a high gloss white painted finish which is generally used on Beech wood on which you can have many coats of gloss paint. This can give you 100's of paint colours to choose from to match your room. 

4. What pool tables match your playing ability?

Tournament pool tables used by professionals tend be 7 foot size and have smaller pockets to make match playing more challenging.

Amateur pool tables tend to be either 6 foot or 7 foot and have bigger pockets. If you want to improve your pool playing, you could try one of the pro tables.

5. What Size Room Do You Need For The Standard English Pool Table?

Now that you know the type of pool table you want, make sure you choose the right size to fit your room. 

Click here to check out the room size guide to ensure that your pool table and cues fit your room.