What makes a GREAT pool hall?

JoeyA said:
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I believe what separates a good pool hall from a great pool hall is how the owner treats their customers. Another thing that I like about the pool hall where I play is if a short stop is in town, he's going to get played even if the owner has to bank roll the game. The owner of the pool hall where I play, orders food (from outside) for the whole joint at least a couple of times a week and never asks nor wants a penny, from anyone who chows down. Also the trouble makers are quickly eliminated and the very large sign says, "Everyone is subject to a weapons search at any time!" is mostly a joke but for the ones carrying, they might think about leaving it in their car. And no Smorgasbored, you can't do body searches on the hot chicks.
JoeyA
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Smorgasbored is thinkin about the free food not the girls :) . i agree about the owner part..that's the main reason i left a local pool hall over 2 years ago and bought my own table..i was treated ok but ALOT of others he was just plain ignorant to..
 
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1- Owner

2- Equipment


The place i frequent and play league on weds has dont a big change. The new owner, re-conditioned all the 7ft tables, new rails and cloth, and leveled them too. Added a snooker table, re-did all the billiard tables too. And brought in a new handicap system for the tournaments.

Since this has happend, my game has gone up a level, because of the tables playing better and tighter pockets too.

Plus the new owner is a player too, so he is all about what a pool player actually wants.

He still needs to get some good tournaments up n running for the mid - higher end players.
 
Small... 3 or 4, 9 ft Diamonds or GC's. No alcohol. No smoking. No video games. No juke box. Just pool.
 
I'm going to go with seperation. A great pool hall seperates the ball-bangers from the players. There is a hall around here that has a 4 foot wall surrounding the front tables so that when you walk in the door you cannot walk between the tables and you have to go around and past the counter...this is a great idea. That same pool hall has 8 or 10 (can't remember) Diamond tables in the front half and then there are 6 or 8 GC's in the back.
 
Good owners and a friendly staff - the type that get to know you, that like pool, and make you want to come back.....aggressive enough to force out any bad element and keep the place safe....

Equipment - good, solid equipment, but not the expensive high-class stuff so the prices are outrageous. Staff that carries an array of cues (not too many, but a good mix, and can repair tips/basic stuff.

Long bar that splits the room in half - one side has 7 and 8 footers, a few TV's, music, and maybe some foos.....other side has 8, a few 9's, and a snooker table....good spacing, and some tables on both sides that have accurate seating for leagues and bigger matches.

Pricing - food and drinks that are expensive enough to maintain quality, yet affordable for average folk like me....same with the tables - rates that aren't the cheapest in town, but cheap enough to bring pool to those that really wanna play and pay rent at the same time....

Decent area of town where you aren't afraid your car will get stolen, yet cheap enough where the owner can still turn a profit and stay in business...
 
quite room, with lots of room between the tables.
players area so you dont have to stop every 5 minutes for the patron to walk by.
Cheap beer prices.
And of course, it doesnt hurt to have lots of strippers playing there before and after work.
 
Now if only people were willing to pay what it would cost to create this idyllic pool hall country club utopia we'd have something.



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A great pool has a great owner/manager who loves the place as much as his or her customers, a great bar, great seating, well maintained tables, decent (preferably good) food, tournaments that give everyone a shot but favor the best.

This isn't the same a great place to play pool. I can play pool all day with a training partner in a watehouse/airport waiting lounge type place that sells instant coffee and cheese sandwiches.
 
2 Snooker tables. 4 Chinese 8 ball tables. 4 American style 9’ tables.

Well maintained equipment. Squeaky clean.

Natural Light. Nice decorum. No tacky movie posters of alcoholics and COPD candidates playing pool

No alcohol or food. Separate coffee shop.

No music, TVs.

Ambiance not a tacky game but more of a sport ....table tennis, Slowpitch, ball hockey, frisbee, soccer, etc. Healthy mature people getting together for a recreation activity with good conversation.
 
Precision tables - ultra tight pool pockets, snooker and billiard tables, laboratory grade climate control, and it's open 24 hrs down the street.
right now...
 
lfigueroa said:
I'll mention one big minus:

Running a vacuum while there are customers in the room trying to play.

Lou Figueroa
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I'll add to that- from my viewpoint- playing the same lousy music that they play in my gym. Loud and louder- just not for me.
 
People have differences in preference about how they like things but here goes mine:

A great pool hall for me is when I see,

1- high ceilings, I just like it if the ceilings are too far away up like a classical rooms.

2- Long distances between tables. I really don’t want people to be close to my game.

3- Very low background music. I don’t want to feel that I’m in a bar or disco.

For me these are the majors, I rest I don’t care about. New tables or old doesn’t matter as long as the balls are clean.




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Great owner is my answer.
They will have good equipment.
They will take care of said equipment.
They will have a well trained staff.
They will cultivate a good environment ( players, tournaments, cleanliness, food.)
Cr's in MN would be a great example.
 
Atmosphere.

Good players. Constant action. Tournaments for good players to attract other good players. Clean equipment with good cloth. Reasonable prices.
 
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I would rather watch the superbowl in a garage on a 24 inch tv with no heat or air and sit in a lawn chair so long as it is with a few lively friends that make the experience fun. The same holds true for pool. If you have a 5 star room with all the bells and whistles but no good players who are fun to be around that room really sucks. At the moment my pool table isn't the best and is in my garage but I have jam up players that come by so in my mind I am satisfied with my room. It's really all about the players.
 
that perfect pool room has to be in an area where there are pool players and leagues. and the right owners that know how to run a business. the rest is easy.
 
asbani said:
People have differences in preference about how they like things but here goes mine:

A great pool hall for me is when I see,

1- high ceilings, I just like it if the ceilings are too far away up like a classical rooms.

2- Long distances between tables. I really don’t want people to be close to my game.

3- Very low background music. I don’t want to feel that I’m in a bar or disco.

For me these are the majors, I rest I don’t care about. New tables or old doesn’t matter as long as the balls are clean.




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well, this + tables being 9ft and well groomed is my preferences as well. and no bowling nearby. preferably no air hockey or shuffleboards either, but if there are, it should be in an isolated area. dart, i don't mind.
 
Owners that know pool and pool players. Number 1 on my list. They will provide properly maintained equipment and understand what it takes to establish and maintain their business. I also believe that owners are the biggest reason for failures in this business. Many have no idea what they are doing. JMO!
 
Geosnookery said:
2 Snooker tables. 4 Chinese 8 ball tables. 4 American style 9’ tables.

Well maintained equipment. Squeaky clean.

Natural Light. Nice decorum. No tacky movie posters of alcoholics and COPD candidates playing pool

No alcohol or food. Separate coffee shop.

No music, TVs.

Ambiance not a tacky game but more of a sport ....table tennis, Slowpitch, ball hockey, frisbee, soccer, etc. Healthy mature people getting together for a recreation activity with good conversation.
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I doubt many pool players would walk into a place like this. Having a somber sterile place is good for a hospital or a funeral home is one thing, but for a pool hall? Come to think of it, even a funeral home plays some back-ground music. When I play at home I like to have a nice focused place for practice, when I got to a pool hall I like to socialize and enjoy the adult things like nice liquor, bar girls with small outfits, half drunk players telling me how great they were 10 years ago or telling their girlfriends how much money they made playing pool when they were younger, fun stuff.
 
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