If you have ever encounter one of those coin - operated syndicate tabular array in a place like a eating house or an arcade , then you know that the obvious doubtfulness is , " how the heck does this thing return the pool stick testicle to me ? ? ? " If you look inside the tabular array , there is a system of chutes that tie to the six pockets on the mesa . Each chute post a pocketed lump from the pouch to a collection sleeping accommodation , where the numbered balls are line up single Indian file . These numbered balls remain locked in the chamber , which you’re able to see behind a piece of Plexiglas , until someone wants to play a game and slip in some coins . Of course the cue ball ca n’t get stuck in this bedchamber – If a actor accidentally pockets the cue ball ( ascratch ) , the cue ball needs to come back out .

mesa manufacturer involve a way to allow the cue orb to be turn back to wager , while keeping the pocketed numbered balls locked in the computer storage compartment . Many solutions have been proposed to solve this problem , including :

And so on . For the most part , though , coin - function tables use two types of cue balls that can be easy separated :

The oversized Lucille Ball is approximately 2 3/8 inches ( 6 cm ) in diam , which is about one - one-eighth ( 2 mm ) of an in larger than a normal ball . This slight difference in size allows the discriminative stimulus orb to be severalize before it gets to the storage compartment . The smaller numbered testis are capable to pass off through a gauging mechanism , while the larger cue ball is guide through a 2nd slide , where it falls out into an gap on the side of the table .

For players who dislike using the somewhat enceinte cue ball , there are also coin - operated machines that can use a magnetic musket ball , in which a attracter is built into the core of the cue ball . Magnetic cue balls that go into a sac are part from numbered ball by a magnetic demodulator . As the magnetic ball pass this demodulator , the magnet triggers a block machine that separate the cue testicle and , again , sends it into the opening on the side of the board .

Both the outsize and magnetic clew balls can be used interchangeably on most of today ’s coin - run table , but each has its defect . If you are a beginning pool player the larger ball might not affect your swordplay , but it can disrupt the play of some advanced instrumentalist who are used to playing with the normal 2 1/4 - inch cue ball . Likewise , some player will notice a difference in the belongings of a magnetic ball , which sometimes lack a true roll . Also , because the magnetic testicle has the magnetic stuff inserted into it , it has a greater trend to shatter if devolve on a hard surface .

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