Simonis Pool Cloth: Snooker Table vs Pool Table, Rush Orders, and Real Advice

The short version: there is no universal answer

If someone tries to sell you a single "best" Simonis cloth setup, they're ignoring the variables that matter. The right choice depends on whether you're covering a snooker table vs pool table, how much time you have before the cloth has to be playable, and whether the end user is a tournament director or a home player. In my role coordinating cloth orders for table manufacturers and repair shops, I've handled 200+ rush orders in six years, and the pattern is always the same.

Before you order or recommend any Simonis pool cloth, sort yourself into one of these three groups:

• The event deadline is non-negotiable. If the cloth doesn't arrive in time, the event doesn't happen.
• The table is due for a scheduled refresh. There's no panic, but there is a room full of tables that need to stay consistent.
• The customer isn't sure what they need. They may not know the table type, the tournament requirements, or the difference between snooker and pool cloth.

Scenario 1: The tournament clock is already ticking

This is the one I get called about at 9 PM. A tournament organizer or a table dealer realizes the current cloth is worn, stained, or damaged, and the event starts in 48 hours. Normal turnaround for a custom cut is seven to ten days. That doesn't work.

In March 2024, I had a customer call at 10:30 PM about a snooker table versus a pool table mix-up. They had ordered what they thought was Simonis 860 Tournament Blue for a pool table, but the table was actually a snooker table. We had to find a different cut, pay $220 in emergency freight, and still get the cloth installed by noon. The lesson wasn't about freight. It was about verifying the table type before quoting a cloth order.

If you're in this scenario, my advice is simple:

• Confirm the table type first. Snooker tables are larger and use different cloth dimensions. You can't fake that.
• Use a known cloth spec. For most tournament pool events, that means Simonis 860 Tournament Blue. If the customer doesn't specify, ask.
• Ask the vendor what's included. I've learned to ask "what's NOT included" before "what's the price." If a rush fee shows up on the invoice after the order is already placed, that's a red flag.

The vendor who lists all fees upfront—even if the total looks higher—usually costs less in the end.

And yes, include the Simonis X1 pool table cleaner in the emergency kit. A clean surface matters as much as new cloth if the event runs for multiple days.

Scenario 2: The scheduled refresh

Most commercial table owners are smarter than I gave them credit for early in my career. They plan ahead. They know that a room with worn Simonis cloth costs them bank because players notice.

For a scheduled refresh, you have room to choose between Simonis 760 and Simonis 860. The 760 is a durable option that plays fast and holds up under heavy use. The 860 is the tournament standard and the one I recommend for venues that host league nights or competitions. If you're a dealer, stock both. If you're a repair service, ask the venue what their players expect. Don't assume.

If anyone tells you to use 860 everywhere, push back. The 760 is not a downgrade for every venue. For a busy bar with a mix of casual and league play, 760 can actually be the better call. It's more forgiving, and it still plays properly when paired with the right cloth care routine. The "860 everywhere" thinking comes from an era when dealers stocked one cloth to simplify inventory. That's changed.

This is also the time to talk about maintenance. I suggest pairing every cloth order with Simonis X1 pool table cleaner. It's not just an add-on. It's how the cloth stays playable past the first few weeks. In Q3 2024, we followed 12 tables from three venues that used the same cleaning routine, and the difference in cloth life was obvious. I don't have a lab study to show you, but the venues that skipped cleaner were the same ones calling us for a repeat recover eight months earlier.

If you're scheduling a refresh, give yourself a 48-hour buffer. Our company policy now requires that buffer because of an incident in 2023 when a freight truck showed up with the wrong crate. The crate was correct on paper, but the table type was mislabeled. That's when we implemented a "verify before you cut" rule.

Scenario 3: The customer who isn't sure what they actually need

This is the most common scenario for dealers. A customer walks in or calls and says they want "the best Simonis pool cloth." Then they mention wireless headphones, reverse barbell curl, and ask whether they should get a snooker table vs pool table—sometimes in the same conversation.

Don't dismiss that. It sounds scattered, but it's actually a sign the customer is taking the game seriously. They've been watching videos, reading about forearm strength for cue control, and building their idea of a home practice setup. Wireless headphones for listening to shot tutorials, reverse barbell curls for grip endurance, and a table with good cloth are all part of the same project. Your job is to help them focus on the table part.

There's also a legacy myth that snooker cloth is just pool cloth with a different name. That was closer to true decades ago, when table makers used whatever they had. Today, the cuts and playing surfaces are different. Don't skip the table type check.

Here's what I tell them:

• If you have a pool table: Simonis 860 is the default recommendation. It's tournament-grade, available in Tournament Blue, and will make a good table play better.
• If you have a snooker table: You need cloth cut for a snooker table, not a pool table. The dimensions and playing surface are different (meaning the playing surface is bigger, the pockets are tighter, and the cloth cut is not interchangeable). This is where the "snooker table vs pool table" question actually matters.
• If you don't know which one you have: Measure the playing surface before ordering. A snooker table is usually 12 feet long; a pool table is typically 7, 8, or 9 feet.
• Get the cleaner. Simonis X1 pool table cleaner is worth adding to the cart. It keeps the cloth from turning into a dust magnet.

I also tell them that reverse barbell curls won't fix a bad cloth. Strong forearms help with stroke control, but no workout makes a worn nap play faster. The cloth is the foundation.

How to figure out which scenario you're in

If you're reading this because you have a Simonis cloth question, here's a quick way to sort it out:

• Is the table needed for a specific event with a fixed date? If yes, go to Scenario 1.
• Is the table currently in service and just due for new cloth? Go to Scenario 2.
• Are you still deciding between a snooker table vs pool table, or trying to figure out what cloth to recommend to someone who isn't technical? Go to Scenario 3.

There's no shame in being in any of these groups. I've been in all three. The important thing is to be honest with yourself about the deadline and the table type before you call a supplier. A 15-minute phone call with measurements and a clear delivery date saves more money than any discount code.

Why honesty matters more than the lowest quote

I'll get off the soapbox with this. In the rush-order world, transparency isn't soft. It's survival. When I started coordinating these orders, I was afraid that quoting a realistic price and timeline would push clients away. I was wrong.

It took me about 150 orders to understand that vendor relationships matter more than vendor capabilities. The vendor who picks up the phone, tells you the real freight cost, and admits when a cut is out of stock is worth more than one who promises the world and adds fees later. That lesson came from a painful experience in 2022: we tried to save $240 on a bulk cloth order, the shipment arrived late, and we missed a client's installation window. We lost the follow-up contract. The $240 savings ended up costing us roughly $6,000.

Looking back, I should have charged an explicit rush fee and refunded it if we delivered early. At the time, I thought it would scare off the client. It wouldn't have. In fact, it would have shown them exactly what they were getting. That's what I mean by transparency: the customer sees the real number, the real timeline, and the real options. Then they can decide.

The bottom line

Simonis cloth is one of the few products in this industry that consistently lives up to its reputation—as of January 2025, at least. But the product only helps if you match it to the right table and the right situation. Figure out whether you're dealing with a snooker table vs pool table, know your deadline, and don't pretend a vague quote is a complete quote.

And if the customer asks about wireless headphones or reverse barbell curl while you're writing up the order, that's fine. Just make sure the cloth spec is correct before you hit send.