Downtown pool rooms.

[Joe_Jaguar]

I was downtown a few years ago and happened on City pool hall. It was not horrible and had 9ft Gold Crowns, It may not be a hard core players room but close to down town. Have you been there?
I frequent Chicago and find pool rooms all over the area a surrounding suburbs.

Use to go into City Pool Hall numerous time the first few years it was open. Always had a good time and there was plenty of parking back then. Definitely not a players room like Chris' but doesn't need to be. Haven't been there in 15 years. It seemed like it was overrun with bar leagues the last time I was going to go. G Cue was a nice room and convenient location but the service was awful and prices the one time I went. Never went back before moving back to FL a decade ago now. Use to be fun room (definitely not a players room) on Sheffield back in the day but that is long gone.

 

[Baby Huey]

We had quite a few basement rooms in greater LA but all are gone now. Jay mentioned Brusnwick Billiards 4th and Main, Hollywood Billiards, Metro Billiards 1st and Temple downtown J-Town LA, Jensons in Glendale Ca. Santa Ana Billiards downtown Santa Ana. I played out of Brunswick Billiards and those guys were pretty sharp down there. Funny how the mexican players never learned one pocket back then including Ernesto, Mario, Morro, Sergio and many others who played great. The only top mexican player and I mean top was Mexican Phil. What a one pocket player he was.

 

[Patrick Johnson]

Use to be fun room (definitely not a players room) on Sheffield [in Chicago] back in the day but that is long gone.

Do you remember where on Sheffield it was?

pj
chgo

 

[Joe_Jaguar]

Do you remember where on Sheffield it was?

pj
chgo

Hard to believe I still got an old matchbook from there in my case. The Cue Club, 2833 N Sheffield. Mid to late 90s. Use to love going up to the "northside" when I lived in Hyde Park.

 

[Fatboy]

Back in the early 90’s in Vegas a long time player there named Rex Canon was talking about a room that was in downtown Vegas in the 50’s or 60’s as I recall. Rex said it was on the land the California Casino was built, about a block north of Fremont St where Glitter Gluch is now. That’s the only downtown pool room I ever heard of in Vegas, I’d guess it was closed in the 70’s by the way he spoke of it-possibly earlier. Rex was probably born around 1910-1917 I’d guess.

In Stockton we had Boyce Billiards which was a downtown room, Frank Boyce opened it in the 60’s it died in the mid 90’s. Was a tremendous room in its day.

Best
Fatboy<——-feeling old now……

 

[Bobkitty]

In the 80's, I remember the cue club in Las Vegas. Near the corner of Maryland Pky and Sahara. Today, In Salem, Oregon Jim has a pool room right down town with 24-9 foot Brunswick Anniversaries and Centennials. He is getting old and because he owns the whole block, he can get by with it. But he says no one could rent out the space for the pool hall.

 

[Fatboy]

In the 80's, I remember the cue club in Las Vegas. Near the corner of Maryland Pky and Sahara. Today, In Salem, Oregon Jim has a pool room right down town with 24-9 foot Brunswick Anniversaries and Centennials. He is getting old and because he owns the whole block, he can get by with it. But he says no one could rent out the space for the pool hall.

Cue Club was opened long after the joint I’m talking about was gone-as I recall Rex saying. I’m going to ask a guy I know who’s been in Vegas since 56 if he remembers that room.

 

[Poolplaya9]

I'm sure there are some cities that are exceptions, but for the most part I don't think downtowns tend to make good locations for pool halls these days. The people living in the area tend to be more of the sh!tty types, and with little or no disposable income, both of which being bad for pool halls so you aren't going to be able to make it off of those in the immediate area. So literally everybody else who actually would be good customers are a decent drive away (especially in the more typical city layouts where downtown is somewhat centrally located) and a significant portion of them are going to end up choosing to frequent a location that is closer to them (and/or safer, and with better clientele).

Putting your pool hall in a bad area that is a somewhat long drive away from pretty much all your prospective customers doesn't sound like a winning formula, and it would seem that in most cities a downtown location is a horrible idea and would doom you from the start.

 

[axejunkie]

My search says Bedrock Billiards in DC is still open. I was last there 4 years ago on a visit. Cool place though tight on space.

 

[Patrick Johnson]

Use to be fun room (definitely not a players room) on Sheffield back in the day but that is long gone.

Do you remember where on Sheffield it was?

Hard to believe I still got an old matchbook from there in my case. The Cue Club, 2833 N Sheffield. Mid to late 90s. Use to love going up to the "northside" when I lived in Hyde Park.

I recall a place at about that location that was open in the late 80s when I lived in that neighborhood - don't recall if it was called Cue Club - it was down a couple of steps from the sidewalk...

pj
chgo

 

[Geosnookery]

I'm sure there are some cities that are exceptions, but for the most part I don't think downtowns tend to make good locations for pool halls these days. The people living in the area tend to be more of the sh!tty types, and with little or no disposable income, both of which being bad for pool halls so you aren't going to be able to make it off of those in the immediate area. So literally everybody else who actually would be good customers are a decent drive away (especially in the more typical city layouts where downtown is somewhat centrally located) and a significant portion of them are going to end up choosing to frequent a location that is closer to them (and/or safer, and with better clientele).

Putting your pool hall in a bad area that is a somewhat long drive away from pretty much all your prospective customers doesn't sound like a winning formula, and it would seem that in most cities a downtown location is a horrible idea and would doom you from the start.

The downtown in my Canadian city is quite clean and safe. However, nobody wants to head in to the inner city. First questions are ‘where do I park’…and ‘is parking free?’ I’m no different, I’d rather drive twice as far, avoid any traffic and park my car in an open lot outside the pool hall.

Someone will post to our local website asking if anyone wants to play pool that evening…a dozen will show up but it’s always at a convenient locale to drive to.

 

[jay helfert]

Back in the early 90’s in Vegas a long time player there named Rex Canon was talking about a room that was in downtown Vegas in the 50’s or 60’s as I recall. Rex said it was on the land the California Casino was built, about a block north of Fremont St where Glitter Gluch is now. That’s the only downtown pool room I ever heard of in Vegas, I’d guess it was closed in the 70’s by the way he spoke of it-possibly earlier. Rex was probably born around 1910-1917 I’d guess.

In Stockton we had Boyce Billiards which was a downtown room, Frank Boyce opened it in the 60’s it died in the mid 90’s. Was a tremendous room in its day.

Best
Fatboy<——-feeling old now……

Did Rex ever tell you about the time he conspired with a Keno worker to fix the Keno numbers at the Stardust. He hit all eight numbers and collected 25K, and this was in the 60's. I think they tried it a second time a few months later and the Keno worker got caught. He was was fired and they never could tie him to Rex. I'm sure he kept mum about that little excapade. Somehow the word got around the poolroom how he won all that money. Rex was a very good One Pocket player. He played in the Stardust tourneys every year.

 

[jay helfert]

The original Wink's poolroom in Dayton was in the basement of a shopping center. You had to go around to the back of the center to get in. Years later Joe Burns took it over after Pappy Winkler died. He changed the name to Forest Park Billiards and he held all the big Dayton tournaments there in the 70's and 80's.

 

[iusedtoberich]

Naiive question alert:

Why could a pool room in a high rent area (downtown) make it in the 1940's through the 1980's, but not after? I understand that you can make more money per square dollar being a packed restaurant, rather than a packed pool room. However, that was true in both 1950 and 2020. So why was it possible then, but not now?

 

[Fatboy]

Did Rex ever tell you about the time he conspired with a Keno worker to fix the Keno numbers at the Stardust. He hit all eight numbers and collected 25K, and this was in the 60's. I think they tried it a second time a few months later and the Keno worker got caught. He was was fired and they never could tie him to Rex. I'm sure he kept mum about that little excapade. Somehow the word got around the poolroom how he won all that money. Rex was a very good One Pocket player. He played in the Stardust tourneys every year.

No, I had never even heard that story in the rail. Rex didn’t like me very much, he was pretty grumpy and old when we met. I never held it against him, he had lots of health problems and I didn’t have much to offer him. We never had a argument or a cross word. He just didn’t say much to me. I was always polite to him and we would say hello-that’s about it.

He used to carry his cue ball that he used when he played Harry Plattis and won a ton of money. He was very proud of that CB. One day he told all of us the story, Mary was there that day. Was one of the few times I ever really spoke to Rex at any length as we all were talking 5-6 of us.

Then one day I went to Cuetopia, I had started in telemarketing and hadn’t been in the pool room for maybe a year and over table 16 was a tin sitting on the light. I knew it was Rex’s ashes. I asked Freddy, he confirmed that. The sad thing is someone stole Rex. Honest to God someone took Rex’s ashes off the light. There was never a answer to that. Very sad.

I’d have remembered the Keno story had I heard it. Lots of good memories, I got to Vegas right in the twilight of the mob era. Ed Kelly and I were good friends-I really liked him.

I’ll stop rambling now, fun to recall those times.

hope your well Jay

Fatboy

 

[Fatboy]

Naiive question alert:

Why could a pool room in a high rent area (downtown) make it in the 1940's through the 1980's, but not after? I understand that you can make more money per square dollar being a packed restaurant, rather than a packed pool room. However, that was true in both 1950 and 2020. So why was it possible then, but not now?

Realestate boom, priced out Poolroom’s in the 90’s. Also not as much participation in pool when Block Buster Video opened and people started staying home watching movies, then poker came along with Moneymaker in 04, smoking bans, then the internet, also video games over lap some of this as well.

Death by a thousand cuts.

People budget there free time differently now than in the past. There’s more options so it dilutes any specific thing.

In my case I was broke, didn’t want to work, went to college half hearted-knew I was never getting a “real” job ever. So gambling made sense to me. People don’t have the “gamble” they used to. Who ever says “I’ll bet you $5 that (blank happens)”. Used to hear that a lot, not as much.

Back to my story, I couldn’t afford to go clubbing or drinking-nor did I want to. But if I did it wasn’t affordable for me. Pool was the cheapest form of entertainment. 90¢/hour during the day and $1.50 at night, so on a $20 I could play all day and have $ for action(before I became a winning player). This was 1985. I was priced into pool, priced out of most other entertainment.

that’s why.

Now to go play pool in LA I need $75 for time, soda pop and what ever else every time I go to the pool room and zero action. Game over.

other people’s stories may vary

Fatboy

 

[jay helfert]

Naiive question alert:

Why could a pool room in a high rent area (downtown) make it in the 1940's through the 1980's, but not after? I understand that you can make more money per square dollar being a packed restaurant, rather than a packed pool room. However, that was true in both 1950 and 2020. So why was it possible then, but not now?

It's still possible today!

 

[jay helfert]

No, I had never even heard that story in the rail. Rex didn’t like me very much, he was pretty grumpy and old when we met. I never held it against him, he had lots of health problems and I didn’t have much to offer him. We never had a argument or a cross word. He just didn’t say much to me. I was always polite to him and we would say hello-that’s about it.

He used to carry his cue ball that he used when he played Harry Plattis and won a ton of money. He was very proud of that CB. One day he told all of us the story, Mary was there that day. Was one of the few times I ever really spoke to Rex at any length as we all were talking 5-6 of us.

Then one day I went to Cuetopia, I had started in telemarketing and hadn’t been in the pool room for maybe a year and over table 16 was a tin sitting on the light. I knew it was Rex’s ashes. I asked Freddy, he confirmed that. The sad thing is someone stole Rex. Honest to God someone took Rex’s ashes off the light. There was never a answer to that. Very sad.

I’d have remembered the Keno story had I heard it. Lots of good memories, I got to Vegas right in the twilight of the mob era. Ed Kelly and I were good friends-I really liked him.

I’ll stop rambling now, fun to recall those times.

hope your well Jay

Fatboy

I knew Rex when he was a younger man. He was close friends with some of the sharpest gamblers in Vegas; Nicky Vacch, Sarge and others. He was a good looking, sharp dresser back then and played some jam up pool (maybe a ball under the top players at One Pocket). He got grouchy when he got older and his game slipped and he began to lose the respect of the highline gamblers. He was relegated to hanging out in the Cue Club looking for an easy mark (like Harry). Quite a comedown for a former high roller. I think his scamming nature finally caught up with him. The mob was gone and he was out of favor with the new breed running Vegas.

I barely knew him and didn't even say Hi if I saw him, but I knew who he was (that was my job to know who was who). He approached me to play some $20 One Pocket one time at the Cue Club and I declined, knowing he was still better than me. I don't think he ever talked to me again.

 

[Fatboy]

I knew Rex when he was a younger man. He was close friends with some of the sharpest gamblers in Vegas; Nicky Vacch, Sarge and others. He was a good looking, sharp dresser back then and played some jam up pool. He got grouchy when he got older and his game slipped and he began to lose the respect of the highline gamblers. He was relegated to hanging out in the Cue Club looking for an easy mark (like Harry). Quite a comedown for a former hig roller. I think his scamming nature finally caught up with him. The mob was gone and he was out of favor with the new breed running Vegas.

Yes that’s 100% correct. He was very well respected & that is why I gave him my respect. I didn’t get it back 100% but I gave him a pass because I knew he was very sick and not himself & I was a 25 year old busted out B player. He was never disrespectful to me. So was all fine and dandy. I knew my place.

He took so much 1P knowledge to the grave. I often wondered who knew more about 1P Rex or Grady. Not who played best-who knew most. Rex would give lessons to people 10-15 minutes at a time-I was usually on the rail not next to the table, just a fly on the wall remembering everything I could. Rex was brilliant. He always dressed sharp as he could. Carried himself like a boss/wise guy (I mean that in a good way).

I always felt like if I played better or had money or was older or all of those Rex would have been different towards me. Again I totally get why he was short but polite with me.

I try and not be like that, but maybe when I’m older and not as healthy I’ll be like Rex. Like I said he was never disrespectful to me. I really admired him. Was he a model citizen? Nah-but I wanted to be a sharp guy like him and score up in Vegas. So I did.

Money earned in Vegas is almost as sweet as money won.

RIP Rex
Fatboy

 

[jay helfert]

Yes that’s 100% correct. He was very well respected & that is why I gave him my respect. I didn’t get it back 100% but I gave him a pass because I knew he was very sick and not himself & I was a 25 year old busted out B player. He was never disrespectful to me. So was all fine and dandy. I knew my place.

He took so much 1P knowledge to the grave. I often wondered who knew more about 1P Rex or Grady. Not who played best-who knew most. Rex would give lessons to people 10-15 minutes at a time-I was usually on the rail not next to the table, just a fly on the wall remembering everything I could. Rex was brilliant. He always dressed sharp as he could. Carried himself like a boss/wise guy (I mean that in a good way).

I always felt like if I played better or had money or was older or all of those Rex would have been different towards me. Again I totally get why he was short but polite with me.

I try and not be like that, but maybe when I’m older and not as healthy I’ll be like Rex. Like I said he was never disrespectful to me. I really admired him. Was he a model citizen? Nah-but I wanted to be a sharp guy like him and score up in Vegas. So I did.

Money earned in Vegas is almost as sweet as money won.

RIP Rex
Fatboy

Believe me if Grady had ever crossed swords with Rex he would have gone broke! Rex was a triple sharp game maker and he knew how to get the money. I watched him play Jack Perkins and Ervolino (with weight) when they all were in their prime. They finished second against him. I think Rex also schooled Toby and helped him develop into a winning player. In fact I think all the good One Pocket players that came out of Vegas like Bob Herchik and others learned from Rex.