A few weeks ago I posted a story of my stumbling upon a pool room in Seoul, thread linked below. I updated the post to include a description of pool playing adventures in Hong Kong (including pics of a great players room with heated pool tables).
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=419499
I am now posting this to report on Manila, while killing time in an airport lounge on the way back home). By way of backstory, this trip started when a Pinoy born Torontonian asked me if I wanted to get out of our frigid city and join him on a trip to the Philippines. I tacked on the Seoul /HK part (where I was solo) and joined my buddy and one of his buddies in Manila.
Now, having friends to hang out with also meant that I wasn't just looking for pool action, so I didn't see as much as I might otherwise have. That said, here is my report.
Pool is everywhere in Manila, in some shape or form. Many bars (maybe even most) have one table. Every table I saw was a 9 foot table (no bar boxes). The bars have a challenge board, maintained by a staff member whose job it is to maintain the list, rack the balls, act as referee, and keep a list of games played. The losing player gets charged (in the bars I played, it ranged from 20 pesos to 30 - say $0.40 to $0.60). One bar had an interesting twist - if you won 5 games in a row, you got a free drink, but also got kicked to the bottom of the challenge list - a good way to keep one player from dominating the table for too long. Same place also used a challenger breaks format.
When I say it is everywhere, I mean it - from regular sports bars to girly bars where scantily clad young women want you to buy drinks. The bars I played in were mainly ex-pat/foreigner bars, although there would be Pinays there with their western boyfriends (and the girls could play well). One bar had quite a few Pinoys there as well. We asked the Pinoys were to go to see action and good players.
On Saturday night, we took advice and went looking for Star Paper Billiards. We leave our hotel at 11 p.m. It is long cab ride (and rush hour in Manila last forever). About 1/2 hour into the cab ride, we hear a "bang" - a motorcycle has run into the side of our cab. The passenger is thrown off the bike and injured. We sit for two hours waiting the investigator, who talks to us for 2 minutes and tells us we can go (in other cab). We finally find the place (it is in the middle of a barrio) at 2:30 a.m. - as we pull up, the security guard is closing the gate - they just closed! So close!
Frustrated, we go back to the ex-pat bar and pay until 6:30 a.m. The sun is up when we leave. We are told that there is a pro tournament at Robinson's in Malate the next day and Bata himself is scheduled to play. My buddy cannot go, so I go. Robinson's is the name of a mall - inside of which is a pool hall and bowling alley owned by Puyat sports. I find the place - no sign of a tournament.
Young college kid tells me it was yesterday (doh!). Maybe 15 guys hanging out, and few tables going. They see an unknown white dude with a pool cue, and the sharks start circling. Do I want to play? I say "I'll play for table". No, just a small bet...
I avoid the sharks and play with the college kid, Jeff. We play for table. Tables are AMF commercial tables. 10 ball is the game of choice in Manila (all the other tables are playing 10 ball). [Edit: 8 ball is all I saw played in the bars, with varying house rules]. They charge by the hour for the table, but still have staff rackers. If it is not busy, they will watch your table and rack automatically when you are finished a rack. If it is busy, the players call out "Set! Set!" (run together like SETSET) and the racker comes running. I lose two sets to one to Jeff - I can't tell if he taking it easy on me, but since I'm not about to start betting, that's okay. I pay for the table and buy the kid lunch in the mall - Filipino fast food.
We return and there is a money match going on. Two amateur players playing for 4,000 pesos (about $90). One player is maybe an A player. If the table is open he's generally out. He is spotting his opponent the 8 and 9. The A player wins. Second set, he's now giving up 7, 8 and 9. Wins second set - opponent pulls up. Jeff tells me for this kind of money, the players are betting their own.
Photos of hall and the A player, below.
Second part to come.
Gideon
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=419499
I am now posting this to report on Manila, while killing time in an airport lounge on the way back home). By way of backstory, this trip started when a Pinoy born Torontonian asked me if I wanted to get out of our frigid city and join him on a trip to the Philippines. I tacked on the Seoul /HK part (where I was solo) and joined my buddy and one of his buddies in Manila.
Now, having friends to hang out with also meant that I wasn't just looking for pool action, so I didn't see as much as I might otherwise have. That said, here is my report.
Pool is everywhere in Manila, in some shape or form. Many bars (maybe even most) have one table. Every table I saw was a 9 foot table (no bar boxes). The bars have a challenge board, maintained by a staff member whose job it is to maintain the list, rack the balls, act as referee, and keep a list of games played. The losing player gets charged (in the bars I played, it ranged from 20 pesos to 30 - say $0.40 to $0.60). One bar had an interesting twist - if you won 5 games in a row, you got a free drink, but also got kicked to the bottom of the challenge list - a good way to keep one player from dominating the table for too long. Same place also used a challenger breaks format.
When I say it is everywhere, I mean it - from regular sports bars to girly bars where scantily clad young women want you to buy drinks. The bars I played in were mainly ex-pat/foreigner bars, although there would be Pinays there with their western boyfriends (and the girls could play well). One bar had quite a few Pinoys there as well. We asked the Pinoys were to go to see action and good players.
On Saturday night, we took advice and went looking for Star Paper Billiards. We leave our hotel at 11 p.m. It is long cab ride (and rush hour in Manila last forever). About 1/2 hour into the cab ride, we hear a "bang" - a motorcycle has run into the side of our cab. The passenger is thrown off the bike and injured. We sit for two hours waiting the investigator, who talks to us for 2 minutes and tells us we can go (in other cab). We finally find the place (it is in the middle of a barrio) at 2:30 a.m. - as we pull up, the security guard is closing the gate - they just closed! So close!
Frustrated, we go back to the ex-pat bar and pay until 6:30 a.m. The sun is up when we leave. We are told that there is a pro tournament at Robinson's in Malate the next day and Bata himself is scheduled to play. My buddy cannot go, so I go. Robinson's is the name of a mall - inside of which is a pool hall and bowling alley owned by Puyat sports. I find the place - no sign of a tournament.
Young college kid tells me it was yesterday (doh!). Maybe 15 guys hanging out, and few tables going. They see an unknown white dude with a pool cue, and the sharks start circling. Do I want to play? I say "I'll play for table". No, just a small bet...
I avoid the sharks and play with the college kid, Jeff. We play for table. Tables are AMF commercial tables. 10 ball is the game of choice in Manila (all the other tables are playing 10 ball). [Edit: 8 ball is all I saw played in the bars, with varying house rules]. They charge by the hour for the table, but still have staff rackers. If it is not busy, they will watch your table and rack automatically when you are finished a rack. If it is busy, the players call out "Set! Set!" (run together like SETSET) and the racker comes running. I lose two sets to one to Jeff - I can't tell if he taking it easy on me, but since I'm not about to start betting, that's okay. I pay for the table and buy the kid lunch in the mall - Filipino fast food.
We return and there is a money match going on. Two amateur players playing for 4,000 pesos (about $90). One player is maybe an A player. If the table is open he's generally out. He is spotting his opponent the 8 and 9. The A player wins. Second set, he's now giving up 7, 8 and 9. Wins second set - opponent pulls up. Jeff tells me for this kind of money, the players are betting their own.
Photos of hall and the A player, below.
Second part to come.
Gideon
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and since you have 8,000,000 posts it would taake me forever to find it.