Stealing cueballs

M

mohrt

Student of the Game
Silver Member
We have a problem with people stealing cue balls from the local bar tables. They will swap out a crappy cue ball for the Aramith tournament magnetic cue balls that are supplied by the vendor. They are worth about 20 bucks a piece, so I'm not sure if people steal them for their home table, or if they resell them. Probably the latter, and I'll bet most of the thievery is from one person. There is one place I play that has four tables, and every week I go in at least two or three have "mud" balls in them. This certainly must frustrate the vendor that keeps replacing balls. I know I could bring my own cue ball, but I don't really want to deal with carrying one around either.

So my question is, any ideas how to address this problem? I wish we could catch them in the act.
 
mohrt said:
We have a problem with people stealing cue balls from the local bar tables. They will swap out a crappy cue ball for the Aramith tournament magnetic cue balls that are supplied by the vendor. They are worth about 20 bucks a piece, so I'm not sure if people steal them for their home table, or if they resell them. Probably the latter, and I'll bet most of the thievery is from one person. There is one place I play that has four tables, and every week I go in at least two or three have "mud" balls in them. This certainly must frustrate the vendor that keeps replacing balls. I know I could bring my own cue ball, but I don't really want to deal with carrying one around either.

So my question is, any ideas how to address this problem? I wish we could catch them in the act.
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The place I play at has 3 of the heavy ones and one logo ball. For a while, I just left a spare red circle with the bartender so that my friends and I would have one around if we wanted to use it. The heavy ones break like nobody's business, but take too much to get them to do anything but move forward. The logo ball plays a little light, or so I think.

There are some pretty cheap camera set-ups out there nowadays. You may even be able to find one used or on Living Social/Groupon. The other thing that could be done is having to leave an ID to check out a cue ball, which I've seen at a few places.
 
If its $1 per game, the bartender or responsible person can take $1 and an ID for the ball set. Play thereafter with quarters, as normal, and in the end the quarters are put in to get the balls out to turn in. Bartender can verify presence of a correct set of balls, and returns the ID and the $1 (for the ball-retrieval quarters used).
Worked pretty well at the navy base bowling alley.
 
Banks said:
The place I play at has 3 of the heavy ones and one logo ball. For a while, I just left a spare red circle with the bartender so that my friends and I would have one around if we wanted to use it. The heavy ones break like nobody's business, but take too much to get them to do anything but move forward. The logo ball plays a little light, or so I think.

There are some pretty cheap camera set-ups out there nowadays. You may even be able to find one used or on Living Social/Groupon. The other thing that could be done is having to leave an ID to check out a cue ball, which I've seen at a few places.
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Even with a camera it would be tough to track down, not? It gets pretty busy, you'd have to watch a lot of footage to find someone swap the cueball, then you have to identify them. Then you have to approach them about it. You would really have to catch them in the act.
 
DallasHopps said:
If its $1 per game, the bartender or responsible person can take $1 and an ID for the ball set. Play thereafter with quarters, as normal, and in the end the quarters are put in to get the balls out to turn in. Bartender can verify presence of a correct set of balls, and returns the ID and the $1 (for the ball-retrieval quarters used).
Worked pretty well at the navy base bowling alley.
Click to expand...

Actually all you would really need to do is keep the cue balls up at the counter and check them out with an ID card. I don't think they have problems with the other balls gettings stolen. I'll mention that.
 
I always thought that Aramith should make cue balls with RFID chips in them so that if someone did steal them it would set off an alarm when you walked through the door, just like the clothing stores do.

You could insert it when the ball is being made.
 
Cdryden said:
I always thought that Aramith should make cue balls with RFID chips in the so that if someone did steal them it would set off an alarm when you walked through the door, just like the clothing stores do.

You could insert it when the ball is being made.
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It would be pretty tough to make the cueball balanced at high tolerance with a RFID chip, no? If not, heck put a GPS locater in there. :grin:
 
mohrt said:
It would be pretty tough to make the cueball balanced at high tolerance with a RFID chip, no? If not, heck put a GPS locater in there. :grin:
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Maybe but they can make those chips extremely small these days, I bet someone could do it.
 
mohrt said:
We have a problem with people stealing cue balls from the local bar tables. They will swap out a crappy cue ball for the Aramith tournament magnetic cue balls that are supplied by the vendor. They are worth about 20 bucks a piece, so I'm not sure if people steal them for their home table, or if they resell them. Probably the latter, and I'll bet most of the thievery is from one person. There is one place I play that has four tables, and every week I go in at least two or three have "mud" balls in them. This certainly must frustrate the vendor that keeps replacing balls. I know I could bring my own cue ball, but I don't really want to deal with carrying one around either.

So my question is, any ideas how to address this problem? I wish we could catch them in the act.
Click to expand...

We have this same issue! The woman in the blue is about to swap out the baby with a crappy one that cries all the time, you can tell she's up to something no good.

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Cdryden said:
I always thought that Aramith should make cue balls with RFID chips in them so that if someone did steal them it would set off an alarm when you walked through the door, just like the clothing stores do.

You could insert it when the ball is being made.
Click to expand...

Why make it trigger an alarm?

Igniting an explosive makes a much more dramatic statement. :D


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Chopdoc said:
Why make it trigger an alarm?

Igniting an explosive makes a much more dramatic statement. :D


.
.
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Ya know what, you're right. Preferably something that will cause instant castration. Assuming of course that it's a male stealing it. :cool:
 
hang-the-9 said:
It would have to not only be small but perfectly balanced as well or you'll have one of those "drunken" trick cueballs.
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Even if you could balance it, the force of hitting the cueball then hitting object balls will constantly be barreled through that chip. Not sure how it would hold up.
 
Real simple. Like one poster already kinda said...Anytime someone wants to use a table they have to leave a valid ID or Credit Card just like for a tab, to get the cueball. When they bring the SAME cueball back, they get their collateral back.
 
Is this like on a coin op table?

I'd say just don't leave the CBs on the table. Have 'em leave an ID at the bar in exchange for a CB to be returned after.
 
mohrt said:
Actually all you would really need to do is keep the cue balls up at the counter and check them out with an ID card. I don't think they have problems with the other balls gettings stolen. I'll mention that.
Click to expand...

that's what bare here started doing
 
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