Many people have only a vague sense that billiard table fabrics can differ greatly. Sure, that bar table around the corner seems to drag balls to a stop within inches, but that's just age and old beer, right? In fact, that table was mostly likely hardly playable from the day it was first installed.

Bad cloth is probably the single most irritating bugaboo of low quality tables, just after non-level surfaces. Playing on flannel or cotton blends is the quickest way to rob the game of its greatest nuance: the use of spin on the balls. When friction and uneven pile keep the ball from breaking the way you want, you might as well be playing shuffleboard instead.

Better Entries

The very best pool table cloth usually comes in 21 oz. weights and sports worsted techniques to keep stray threads to a minimum. If you have ever visited a good pool hall, you have likely seen the stuff. It looks and feels far smoother than anything you'll find in a tavern, and the balls seem to just keep rolling forever.

This is the stuff the pros use, and any serious student of the game will insist on professional cloth when he gets a home table. Anything less and you could find yourself learning the a different game as you contend against forces that rightly should not be part of the game. The best cloths are a little more expensive, but the improvement they bring to the game can literally be measured in years of consistent play.