Diamonds are Popular Tables, What Table is Most Popular Right Now?

I vote for diamonds (9 ft of course).

The only way I see diamonds turning off customers, is if you have a few decent players
who are easily fazed by the tight pockets, or brunswick fanatics who flat out hate diamond rails,
or tournament blue cloth, or whatever.

In my experience there aren't that many people in either group.
Bangers and most intermediates won't know or care.

At the same time, you will draw a few extra serious players who like diamonds specifically because
it's what they see the pros play on in events like the US Open, Mosconi Cup, and TAR matches.
I've known players who go out of their way to go to a room with diamonds even if other rooms are closer.
Those serious players may insist on diamonds when they gamble, and if they bring action,
you draw people who want to sweat the matches.
 
Hey, CJ - I think a question worthy of asking and addressing would be what KIND of pool room are you"planning" or thinking of opening soon? For leagues? For training or instruction? For video production? For family fun? For bar atmosphere and food? For a personal hobby business? And so on.

The answer(s) to those questions will point you, IMO, to the tables necessary to realize the business "plan" - for a start anyway.

What is missing from "the pool room business" is PASSION and VISION and an AMBASSADOR of the game. On a global scale! The US is the melting pot of culture - and what venue can bridge all cultures and all languages - by sight alone most often? Why, numerous interesting and novel games played with balls on slate, that's what venue.

I'm talking your obvious "Diamonds vs GC" crowd. That's a given. But let's step into that VISION and PASSION arena for a moment and let's these tables blind you when you first step in: an actual 3x6 or 3.5x7 English Blackball table - with balls of course! A snooker table - 5x10 or if you dare, the 6x12. A Russian pyramid table with the 68mm Aramith balls and russian racks to match. A HEATED carom table you ask? Of course! And what makes these tables soooo different you ask? Everything. The specs are all different - the rail heights and bed heights. The ball weights and colors and diameters and RULES of play. The look and feel of pocket billiard games from worlds and eras most haven't even heard of. That makes the game exciting! New - adventurous - challenging - and stimulating both the intellect and the curiosity. Baseball team sets that can be checked out to play one another like the Rangers vs the Cardinals in a final game 7 rematch for example. Or the Cowboys vs whomever. THAT is fun. Vintage ball sets and game sets from across the globe. Anyone for Scratchball? The 21-ball old school numbered baseball set and large rack? The ARAMITH poker set. The Crown Games poker set. The ARAMITH Shark and Camo sets that can be checked out and exciting new games played. Oh - and all the rules and references anyone would need to play these wonderful games.

VISION.
PASSION.
An AMBASSADOR of the game.

One man's vision. And thoughts on which tables - and why. Hope that ignites a few sparks.

K2Kraze
 
I like GC and a Diamond about the same, I think today you need to go with Diamonds. Solid, well built playing table and their name is out there more than Brunswick for anyone that goes to or watches major tournaments. Good luck with the room when you open it. I'm sure with your name on it in Texas and your past of owning rooms you'll do just fine. Johnnyt
 
I would restore Gold Crown 2's with a nice paint job and re-chrome the metal pieces. The tables would look brand new and you would only be into it about $2500 a table setup with new Artemis Rails cut the way you like it. I Restored my gold crown by myself for about $1700 total cost (I was able to pick up a Gold Crown 2 for $225), I would also find as many Valley as I can and charge .75 a game. Good luck to you. If you are ever in the Bay Area I would love to play you some $100 Sets race to 4 one pocket even up on my table. Jesse
 
barking4action said:
I would restore Gold Crown 2's with a nice paint job and re-chrome the metal pieces. The tables would look brand new and you would only be into it about $2500 a table setup with new Artemis Rails cut the way you like it. I Restored my gold crown by myself for about $1700 total cost (I was able to pick up a Gold Crown 2 for $225), I would also find as many Valley as I can and charge .75 a game. Good luck to you. If you are ever in the Bay Area I would love to play you some $100 Sets race to 4 one pocket even up on my table. Jesse
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No wonder you chose your username. :eek: :D

Is your table one of them keno things?
 
Diamonds

No doubt about it , I would set up all Diamonds.In 2001, I decided to get a new table , at the time I had a Gandy Big G limited. I did the same thing then you are doing now, but I did it in person at the US Open and Derby City. I asked every player I could what table they most liked playing on and the vast majority said Diamond.I bought a brand new Red Lable Diamond , with light and matching chairs. I just recently had the Red Lable converted to a Blue lable.They are great playing tables,- American made, and promote the industry . The room I use to play in had 12 Diamonds and 8 Gold Crowns the Diamonds received way more playing time.
 
Me, personally, I like the looks of the Gold Crowns better than the Diamonds.

Playability--doesn't really mater between these two at my level of play.
 
Table

A pool room should have commercial grade pool tables that be maintained at a tournament degree of cloth,ball,cue/equipment care.
The only - few tables hold up to continued abuse of pool rooms are the gold crowns,diamonds and a small batch of others. Pool tables get serious abuse in commercial pool rooms. Proper care is very inportant.
Carrom and snooker tables are a different page.
Definitely have some valleys for the bangers to push coins / amusement play,

Get ahold of Shane johnson in DFW' he will keep your tables up to par.

-
Rob.M
 
If you get the gold crowns set up by a very good mechanic like Ernesto, go with the gold crowns. If you are just going to go with stock specs, go with the Diamonds (or gold crown 5s if you are made of money)
 
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I would get one Black GC V and one New Blue Label Diamond 9. Charge a premium for these two and emphasize they are for action or top players working out. I would fill the room with Wood grain GC II or GC III's. I would by those used from a pool room closing at a discount, and have them shipped from wherever. I agree with getting a top rated installer to put these together, because saving money on the install is not what you want for playability. I'd use all Gold Crown 4 lights to match the table color, and a Diamond light for the Diamond table. This way you get the best bang for your buck, and the two best tables for your players.

I also find Diamond 9's to be more popular on the east coast, and Gold Crowns more popular out west. A few Valley coin ops or Diamond bar boxes should be consider, they attract the weaker players and they often spend more on average than a local regular. I find most places rent the diamond 9's by the hour vs. coin op by the game, and I'd suspect the coin op tables bring in more on the bar boxes.
 
ososlow said:
Diamonds . Rails are dent and burn resistant. The leveling system is the best out there. Tables can be moved, releveled without removing the cloth or rails. Now the best part...You can buy TWO diamond proams for the cost of one goldcrown 5 ! :thumbup:


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Retail on a Gold Crown and what you'll pay per table to fill a pool hall is a huge difference. When my pool hall bought new GC 4's around 6 yrs ago they were around $3, 400 each.
 
Diamond by far

Diamond, Diamond, Diamond!!! 9 footers of course.

I love Brunswick as much as the next guy, but Diamonds are a pool players(took out the word girls from this famous quote) best friend. I'm talking about tight 9' Diamonds.

Knowing your reputation CJ. I would think this may be a pretty big room. You could have a few sections with different tables(Diamonds I hope).

One section could/should be Diamond bar tables(not a big fan of bar tables myself, but you'll probably need them for league players and a handful of nits that refuse to play on the bigger tables).

The next section could be the apprentice tables, 9' Diamonds with bigger pockets. This will suit the players who don't enjoy tight pockets.

Then the next section would be the master tables. Tight 9' Diamond Pros. I assume this is where most of the action would be.

Finally you could have 2 or 3 shimmed to hell and back 9' Diamonds like they had in Conyers, Ga.(heard the place closed down and that sucks). This section would be the most challenging and would make the best players in the world cringe.

If you do all of the above with a nice bar and food. you'll have the best room in the country and I'll have no choice but to quit my job and move to the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

Dream room here CJ and all the credit would go to you and Diamond, of course.

Hope you make it happen, but I wish you success no matter what table you choose, Jerry
 
Support the companies that support pool

CJ:

As the title of this post says, support the companies that support pool. Here's a question for ya -- when was the last time you saw a Brunswick rep at a pool event, or even an event sponsored by Brunswick? I know they did in the distant past, but we're talking lately -- i.e. after their sell-out of manufacturing to China (where, ironically, these "Authentic American" tables are now made).

I know there's a lot of sentiment towards Brunswick because e.g. we were all raised (pool-player-wise) on them. Heck, one of my favorite rooms up here in NY -- Jack N Jills Billiards Cafe in Brewster, NY -- is a very old room from the early 1960s with original Gold Crown 1s that are in excellent shape and play great. But I have to be honest, once I played on Diamond tables, I switched allegiance.

Greg Sullivan & crew have, and continue, to do a ton for pool. In one way, shape, or form, many of the top-flight pool events of today benefitted by Diamond either directly (e.g. sponsorship monies, loan of tables) or indirectly (e.g. inspiration from another Diamond-sponsored event). And, for the first time in gosh-we-don't-know-how-long, a company has DARED to re-introduce a product that the industry hasn't seen in more than 50 years -- 10-foot tables!

The way you help the pool industry, is by helping those that help the pool industry. That company is Diamond. It's a beneficial cycle that hopefully will grow.

And I hope that you'll help feed this cycle.

Best of luck to you in your decision, and of course, to your room when you open it! I visit the Dallas/FW area on occasion, and I'll make it a point to drop in and say "hi!" when I do!

-Sean
 
Cover all the bases. I assume this will be a large room. Diamond bb for league and tourneys, maybe 12 or 16. Three 9 ft. diamonds for one hole and action. A few GC 9s for those folks. Throw in some Valleys for the bangers and kids. One 3 cushion table. Two 10 ft. Snooker tables. And the biggest money maker IF you can get the golf players coming in, would be a 12 ft. ( hard to find) maybe 10 ft. tight snooker table. These games will generate $50 minimum per game x 2 or 3 games a day!! Preferably in a closed off room so you don't have to listen to all the *****ing this game produces. GC can be Diamonized as you know. I believe Hardtimes in Belflower has all GCs? I think they are successful.
 
Diamonds take my vote. If it were me starting I would use Diamond tables with the Dymondwood rail option. Having a few Gold crowns that were set up right would be a good option.
 
That is great news CJ! If your new room is anything like the rooms you have owned in the past, it will be First Class no matter what tables you decide to use! I hope it is on the northwest side of Dallas County, will be close for me, but I will be there regardless!

As to tables, my heart has always been with the 9' Gold Crowns, but I am happy to bang around on anything that is level and has nice cloth! :wink:
 
My dream room would have all new GC V tables. I like their style, the way they bank, pocket angles and the shelf. I agree much more with the balls that are accepted/not-accepted by the pockets on a Gold Crown tournament table as compared to the Diamond tables.

I also agree with a previous poster in looking at the local demographics. Is the room more likely to be frequented by good pool players that like 4 1/2" pockets, or people who would more enjoy the standard pocket sizes? Or a mixture of both? My local rooms have either all diamonds, and/or all GC tables. But there is one room that has both, and in that room, the Gold Crown IV tables are always the ones being used the most, by most of the regular players, and certainly by the general person who just comes in and hits some balls.

Buying a home table is a bit different than for a billiard room, as they see so much more play. So you must also ask yourself which tables do you think will last the longest period of time per money spent (as it is also a business decision, and not just a preference thing).

But regardless of the brand of table used, a nice classy place with good maintenance and upkeep is far more important imo in keeping people coming back.

PS, I just don't think it gets any sweeter than this,,,
FSnfsBr.jpg
 
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I hate going to a tournament in a place that has different table types. You never know what you are gonna get and maybe it is just goz I am one dum, but I invariably step on my winkie soonere or later, flipping from one to another.

Diamond or GC...can't really go wrong with either, IMO. Unless you go with new GC's, you'd have to be mad at your money to do that.

Not sure if Brunswick has a similar offer, but Diamond wants in:
http://www.diamondbilliards.com/index.php/about/no-excuse-financing
 
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