How do you define "Player's Room"?

Tom In Cincy

Tom In Cincy

AKA SactownTom
Silver Member
Is it a pool hall that caters to players?

Offers decent amounts of added money to monthly and weekly tournaments?

Offers great playing conditions? (new cloth, tight pockets, players only tables?)

Offers HUGE added Yearly events? bringing in the PROS?

All of the above?

Or do you have a different definition?
 
players room

players room:

Plenty of action
great equipment - tight tables at least three.
practice for cheap
great hang out (place to tell war stories)
low music
plenty of space between the tables

Most important is everyone respects that people are gambling. When people are betting their money, the owner has everyone in line on how to behave in his poolroom.

Also, players let players learn their lesson No knocking action. If someone is out of line let them find out for themselves, even if it is me.:eek:
 
Great answer, but exactly how is a room owner suppose to make any money out of this? Or, maybe there is a separate room just for the "players"?


GMAC said:
players room:

Plenty of action
great equipment - tight tables at least three.
practice for cheap
great hang out (place to tell war stories)
low music
plenty of space between the tables

Most important is everyone respects that people are gambling. When people are betting their money, the owner has everyone in line on how to behave in his poolroom.

Also, players let players learn their lesson No knocking action. If someone is out of line let them find out for themselves, even if it is me.:eek:
Click to expand...
 
Tom In Cincy said:
Is it a pool hall that caters to players?

Offers decent amounts of added money to monthly and weekly tournaments?

Offers great playing conditions? (new cloth, tight pockets, players only tables?)

Offers HUGE added Yearly events? bringing in the PROS?

All of the above?

Or do you have a different definition?
Click to expand...

Any/all of the things you mention sound great. And, kudos to you and your place for the things you do.

However, I'm easy. Not living in a big city, any establishment that backs a league team and/or has tournament nights works for me. So, to me the minimum standard is that a place sets aside certain times of the week for pool players only (and the regulars who don't want to compete become railbirds only).

IMHO, the next level up on the food chain would be a dedicated pool hall (as opposed to say a bowling alley) that always has separate defined areas for different levels of players and an employee directs arrivals to the appropriate areas depending on skill level and desire for action. Ideally there would be a separate room but not needed as long as the areas (i.e., groups of tables) are separated somehow.

All the things mentioned in the quote above are just frosting on the cake.
 
counting the unsatisyingly unquantifiable.

I think there's a problem with counting. It's so easy to count how much money comes in on a bar tab or just beer sold on a Friday night. Easy to count how much they spent on food, or how much those pool tables COULD have brought in on an hourly rate if there wasn't a tournament at all, or if it was limited to a certain small number of tables.

It's hard to count how much time a player spends in a room or how many friends they bring in- either to play, or to a tournament. It's hard to count how much food or beer was bought specifically to be eaten while sweating a good money match, or the dollars spent from people who came in from other places in town or out because of a room's reputation and the players known to always be there. It's even hard to count the number of people who came in for a tournament, or to see a friend, and then kept coming back because they enjoyed themselves, the community, and the atmosphere. It's also hard to count the number of players who stop coming in regularly, too. Or the friendships and matches that have suffered just through that absence.

You can use a calculator for the first paragraph, but not for the second. Roomowners tend to focus on the calculator.

I agree with the second poster- that it's a lot about community, money games, and the respect and encouragement the roomowners and staff foster by outlining and enforcing rules of behavior, and by relaxing a few other rules for the regulars (dollar- at- the- door and letting me bring my frou- frou coffee drink in are two things that make HT nice for me on that score).

It's a fine line, requiring a good sense of balance from everyone... See you tonight (if I can leave work and get there early enough).
 
you didn't ask that

Tom In Cincy said:
Great answer, but exactly how is a room owner suppose to make any money out of this? Or, maybe there is a separate room just for the "players"?
Click to expand...

The reason so many players rooms are out of business is because my business model doesn't work. You just asked what I wanted in a players room.
 
Good food at a decent price.

Knowledgable and friendly wait staff (knows how to work around the players)

Good equipment in excellent condition.

Specials that allow for inexpensive practice. i.e. certain times of the day etc. (understanding that there are peak hours for table time)

Plenty of tournaments, leagues, and friendly environment for competition (gambling)

Plenty of seating and spectator space

House pro - cue repair - lessons

Music or TV's not played loudly
 
No bar, no pinball machines, no bowling alleys, just pool... nothing else.

sorry...............couldn't resist!!

Mike
 
WoodyJ said:
Any/all of the things you mention sound great. And, kudos to you and your place for the things you do.

However, I'm easy. Not living in a big city, any establishment that backs a league team and/or has tournament nights works for me. So, to me the minimum standard is that a place sets aside certain times of the week for pool players only (and the regulars who don't want to compete become railbirds only).

IMHO, the next level up on the food chain would be a dedicated pool hall (as opposed to say a bowling alley) that always has separate defined areas for different levels of players and an employee directs arrivals to the appropriate areas depending on skill level and desire for action. Ideally there would be a separate room but not needed as long as the areas (i.e., groups of tables) are separated somehow.

All the things mentioned in the quote above are just frosting on the cake.
Click to expand...

Oh nice... According to this and another thread, I don't go to a pool hall, but I DO go to a player's room! Haha! :eek:

I don't really like the idea of a completely separate room, because then you lose the railbirds. Over at Red Shoes, there are four tables on one side of the room designated as the player's tables. There are no snack tables on that side, just a few chairs and stool for the players to sit in and easy access to the coffee pot at the counter. And it's cut off by a long red velvet rope. On the other side of the rope is a long aisle of chairs and snack tables before the next row of tables behind that.

Just last night, there were so many people sweating the action between Ike and Chris Gentile, you essentially couldn't use some of the "public" tables because the railbirds were lined up like crows on a power line.
 
GMAC, sorry ,you are absolutely correct..
but I still like your definition.

GMAC said:
The reason so many players rooms are out of business is because my business model doesn't work. You just asked what I wanted in a players room.
Click to expand...
 
One big room at Hard Times with a kitchen and office separating the front (retail crowd 24 tables) from the tournament room (8 nine foot GC3s) Spectator stadium style seating for about 100 rail birds


BWTadpole said:
Oh nice... According to this and another thread, I don't go to a pool hall, but I DO go to a player's room! Haha! :eek:

I don't really like the idea of a completely separate room, because then you lose the railbirds. Over at Red Shoes, there are four tables on one side of the room designated as the player's tables. There are no snack tables on that side, just a few chairs and stool for the players to sit in and easy access to the coffee pot at the counter. And it's cut off by a long red velvet rope. On the other side of the rope is a long aisle of chairs and snack tables before the next row of tables behind that.

Just last night, there were so many people sweating the action between Ike and Chris Gentile, you essentially couldn't use some of the "public" tables because the railbirds were lined up like crows on a power line.
Click to expand...
 
PLayer's Room

A player's room has to have an old broken down pool player that played really good back when. :D Oh yeah, every now and then he has to be able to catch a flash back. :thumbup:

Oh yeah, there has to be a couple of dead-beats hanging around waiting to make a bite on any newbie testing the player's room waters. :D

A lock-artist extraordinaire has to be a key quality for the pool room.

And every player's room has to have a whale, even if it is the room owner, like Drater or so I've been told. :grin-square: A player's room has to have an oil well pumping to keep it in good shape.

A good instructor who gives the information for free is almost a prerequisite too for a player's room.

I don't like the thieves, but they somehow manage to be a part of most of the player's rooms I have been around. We could do without them but they do keep us on our toes. :wink:

We need some working folk who like to play pool and don't mind paying for their lessons.

Some league players with nice looking, friendly girl friends add an atmosphere that makes it feel like heaven. (They just can't talk too much) If the good looking, friendly girls can play pool, you no longer have a player's room. :oink: :D

JoeyA
 
I like

The feel I get when I walk into Qmasters in VA at the US open is
the way I like to define a players room.Also Blanding billiards in Jacksonville
FL has a good players feel .If you look weak you will be woofed at
at least 3 or 4 times before you get a cue put together in that place.It's
kinda like when Apollo Creed took Rocky to his old gym and told him to
look at the look in there eyes . A few quiet hot women help, low playing
juke box, cash only at the bar, almost dark except the table lights,some
locals settin around looking like they know a secret .
 
I can't help but think this when you said "players" room:

pimp.jpg


PIMP.jpg
 
A player's room is a room other player's travel a great distance just to be part of that particular room. They get the same respect whether they come from that area or they don't. The room owner does everything they can to help promote action and when people match up, the room gets quite. The only business the room owner cares about is the table time they receive, unless otherwise asked. It stays open late if the need arises and you can walk out the door and not worry, if you won the cash.

Along with many of the other things mentioned, this is my player's room.
 
Conditions are king - tables must be high quality, level, with fresh cloth and lively rails. Volume level of music and TV are correct. Mindful staff and management. That's really all you need.

I think a lot of players would show up at a room like this even if there's no repair shop, leagues, extra seating for railbirds, food, pro tour events, or lessons. These are the things that are maybe less important to what I'd consider a player. If I had a room with killer equipment and player-friendly staff, I'd be there every day.
 
A "player's room" to me is one where the equipment and playing conditions are more important than alcohol sales, music, food, etc.

If they do that, the action will come automatically.
 
Players

All of the above....

There are give and takes to consider...


Recreational Players spend more in the Pool Rooms than PLAYERS.... we know that.

The perfect players room would have a section with a few tables for matches that are separate from the rest so action can take place, of course there needs to be a viewing area for the stake horses and spectators alike.

Now for the rest, lots of tables, music and just fun...
 
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