pool in Amsterdam or London?

blah blah

blah blah

Shoebat
We spent a week in London. Found the snooker club and joined it. Visited two of the three rooms already- one at East Acton, and the other at King's Cross. The first was very hot and uncomfortable, and while they had a great deal of two hours' rent for 5 pounds, we were the only customers for two hours. Were told it's pretty dead throughout the summer months. They did, however, have nine foot tables for american pool as well as the snooker tables...

King's Cross was much better, but only for snooker as their "pool tables" were horrible little lumpy bar things with red and yellow balls and mechanical coin slots. But for snooker, they really were awesome.

We've been told to look for some Riley's in London- any other suggestions? Any thoughts on which to try first? We'll be back in London in about five days.

So we arrived in Amsterdam this morning. Yes, lots of bars and coffeeshops and hostels with pooltables, but what about a real room? I thought there was a player or two online here from Amsterdam...?

Thanks for any advice. If I'm clearheaded enough later on, I'll try to post some photos. But then I might not actually be clearheaded until we return to London, so the pics might take awhile...
 
robertno1pool

robertno1pool

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Pool in London

Just got back from London yesterday on a quick business trip. No time to try and find a table. Noticed there were only approximatly seven (7) snooker clubs listed in the Yellow pages. Not very many when you consider the number of people in London and snooker interest.

Not surprising it was hot with the heat wave they are having and lack of air conditioning most places.

Did you have to pay a membership to join the club(s) you found? How much?

How many tables of what types did you find in the clubs you went to?

I go to Amsterdam in March, so you be curious what you find there. I only found tables in pubs on my last trips to Amsterdam.
 
worriedbeef

worriedbeef

The Voice of Reason
Silver Member
Riley's victoria is probably the nicest place in london - very smart place. one of the IPT qualifiers was held there recently as well if i'm right.
 
D

Dave Mackay

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Yep Riley's Victoria is the place to go its the home club of Rico DIKS who you may have seen at the ipt and if you remember him from old Steve KNIGHT
 
Gabber

Gabber

Banned
blah blah said:
We spent a week in London. Found the snooker club and joined it. Visited two of the three rooms already- one at East Acton, and the other at King's Cross. The first was very hot and uncomfortable, and while they had a great deal of two hours' rent for 5 pounds, we were the only customers for two hours. Were told it's pretty dead throughout the summer months. They did, however, have nine foot tables for american pool as well as the snooker tables...

King's Cross was much better, but only for snooker as their "pool tables" were horrible little lumpy bar things with red and yellow balls and mechanical coin slots. But for snooker, they really were awesome.

We've been told to look for some Riley's in London- any other suggestions? Any thoughts on which to try first? We'll be back in London in about five days.

So we arrived in Amsterdam this morning. Yes, lots of bars and coffeeshops and hostels with pooltables, but what about a real room? I thought there was a player or two online here from Amsterdam...?

Thanks for any advice. If I'm clearheaded enough later on, I'll try to post some photos. But then I might not actually be clearheaded until we return to London, so the pics might take awhile...
Click to expand...

http://www.club-8.nl/
Gabber
 
blah blah

blah blah

Shoebat
Gabber said:
http://www.club-8.nl/
Gabber
Click to expand...

forgive me. I don't speak any Dutch, and I need addresses. i went through all of the info pages, the club stuff, the pool stuff. i don't recognize anything looking like an address- i just see a lot of vowels, really.

please give me addresses.

thank you!
 
pete-biker

pete-biker

Heavy user
Silver Member
Under the title contact you can find something:

Address: Admiraal de Ruyterweg 56B
Postalcode: 1056 GL Amsterdam
Phone: 020 6851703


edit: and actually that goes with most of the european websites from clubs/companies etc. Always take a look on "contact" to get streetaddress, phonenumber and e-mail.
 
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blah blah

blah blah

Shoebat
robertno1pool said:
Did you have to pay a membership to join the club(s) you found? How much?
Click to expand...

membership to the snooker club in london was 10 pounds sterling. I don't think it lasted a full year, but i wasn't really paying attn. they take a picture of you, and there's a magnetic strip on the plastic card. When you go to any of the clubs, they want to see your card immediately and then they scan it, and that brings up your pic.

You can always bring a guest with you when you go in.

Also, when we were at one of them we met a couple from new york, who said that when asked if they were members, they exclaimed, "we're from NY!" and they were granted free, non membership access. So apparently California just isn't as intimidating because i had to pay a membership.

robertno1pool said:
How many tables of what types did you find in the clubs you went to?
Click to expand...

for the snooker clubs, i'd say there were about 10-12 snooker tables. King's Cross, the sucky one for american pool, had three sad lumpy tables. East Acton was in a dodgier neighborhood but was very pretty inside- had about 8 amer. pool tables.

oh yeah- at King's Cross they don't provide players with free chalk- they make you put 20p in a little gumball machine that delivers single cubes of chalk in plastic balls. wild. (that said, KC was nicer than EA).

And thanks for all of the hints about Riley's at Victoria- it should be easy to find when we return!
 
blah blah

blah blah

Shoebat
pete-biker said:
Under the title contact you can find something:

Address: Admiraal de Ruyterweg 56B
Postalcode: 1056 GL Amsterdam
Phone: 020 6851703


edit: and actually that goes with most of the european websites from clubs/companies etc. Always take a look on "contact" to get streetaddress, phonenumber and e-mail.
Click to expand...


awesome- thank you!
literally running out of the hotel room now
 
pete-biker

pete-biker

Heavy user
Silver Member
blah blah said:
awesome- thank you!
literally running out of the hotel room now
Click to expand...


You're welcome.

(unfortunately i don't have time to take a ride and see you there, it's only some 180 miles away from my location)
 
blah blah

blah blah

Shoebat
Acton Snooker

okay- here's some english pictures.

Acton Snooker club first:
actonsnookerclub.jpg


Inside, american pool:
actonampool.jpg


And snooker:
actonsnookertables.jpg
 
blah blah

blah blah

Shoebat
King's cross snooker club.

King's cross snooker club.
No pic of the front- although we should have. It's only a door in the street with an intercom net to it, so it's easy to miss.

kingscrosssnookerclub.jpg


kingscrosssnooker3.jpg


kingscrosssnooker2.jpg


And finally, I wanted to show you guys the rounded pockets on a bar table and the sizes of the cues and pockets. The white- ferruled cue is a predator, the gold one is a bar cue. We just happened to get lucky with a pic of numbered cue balls instead of the red and yellow ones.

englishcornerpocketandballs.jpg
 
blah blah

blah blah

Shoebat
last set's non pool related, really. we still haven't made it to a poolroom in amsterdam. we keep getting "distracted" by the city and it's beauty. took a canal boat yesterday:

amswaterview4.jpg


amswaterview2.jpg


amswaterview3.jpg
 
MyraCurfs

MyraCurfs

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
It is difficult to go and play pool and just ignore the beauty of the city!:) :) I totaly understand! Don not forget to visit club 8 though... it is a very nice place.. and Nick van den Berg is their House pro. Have a nice time im Holland. And if you are still in Holland on thuesday there is a houstournament in The Hague... in Dijkje Duinzigt theo mann bouwmeesterlaan above the supermarket ( Albert Heijn) 003170-3282424. House pro there Niels Feijen en Alex Lely!
 
blah blah

blah blah

Shoebat
Finally visited Riley's in Victoria on your guys' advice. Thank you.

Riley's needs memberships or a five pound visitor pass to play. It's 20 pounds for one person, one year, but you automatically get 10 back in table- time vouchers. And if you're lucky, you might get a few of those "buy one hour, get the 2nd hour at 1 penny" cards. Membership allows you in the poolroom on your own (otherwise you have to pay 5 pounds and be the guest of a member), AND you can be in the room during all 24 open hours (guests and visitors must be out by 11pm).

Table time is 10 pounds per hour on a pretty decent table (Sam's?) with measles balls. If you want a Brunswick with tighter pockets and Simonis it's a firm 15 pounds an hour. What with the exchange rate, that's about $30 per hour table time.

Doesn't matter anyway- if you're stuck in London and missing a decent 9ft table with regular balls and pockets and players who can really play- Riley's at Victoria Stn is the only place to go. But watch your wallet.

Thanks again!
 
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