U.S. Pool Rooms

Wags · Oct 17, 2011

I'm traveling the highways trying to see every room in the continental U.S. before they all close. I'm getting stories, history and pictures. I'll try to post two rooms, with front door picts, every week (Mon & Fri). If any has any good stories, info, etc., please share.

I started on I29 in Grand Forks, ND so this is the first room I was at.

TJ's

Fargo Biliiards and Gastropub

I'll post another on Friday. BTW, I am in the Kansas City area right now.

Black-Balled · Oct 17, 2011

IMO, here isn't anything of note left in the DC area, sad to say.

I believe this place is still around though and some history was surely made there:

Golden Cue in Bladensburg

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=1571831&postcount=20

TannerPruess · Oct 17, 2011

TJ's Sports Bar is my new home! Great valley barboxes covered in Simonis and they are free! Thanks for coming in Jay!

Black-Balled · Oct 17, 2011

TannerPruess said:
TJ's Sports Bar is my new home! Great valley barboxes covered in Simonis and they are free! Thanks for coming in Jay!

They are not supposed to be 'free'. Buy something!!!!!

dr9ball · Oct 17, 2011

First Break in Sterling, VA is a very nice room after their reopening. About 30 miles west of D. C. All Diamond tables and one Diamond Billiard table.

Mr Hoppe · Oct 17, 2011

Wags said:
I'm traveling the highways trying to see every room in the continental U.S. before they all close. Snip...

You're doing what?!? Really? With the price of gas these days, I hope you have some serious coin in your pocket...

It would cost far less for you to try to finish the Internet, or just wait 5 years, and visiting every pool hall in the US will become FAR easier with many fewer on the list.

Black-Balled · Oct 17, 2011

dr9ball said:
First Break in Sterling, VA is a very nice room after their reopening. About 30 miles west of D. C. All Diamond tables and one Diamond Billiard table.

It is a decent room... hardly iconic, or worth getting off the hi-way for either, honestly.

bigwillo · Oct 17, 2011

If in the KC area, go to Raytown to Raytown Rec. Don Brink owns it and it is a great place to play. 3 cushion, snooker and plenty of 9 footers

richiebalto · Oct 17, 2011

Black-Balled said:
IMO, here isn't anything of note left in the DC area, sad to say.

I believe this place is still around though and some history was surely made there:

Golden Cue in Bladensburg

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showpost.php?p=1571831&postcount=20

Hey black,i was in that room 1 time over 25years ago,1 nite there was no action going on at the old bill and billies in glen burnie,so little Nicky,baldwin,Eugene and myself all toke a ride out to the golden cue,Baldwin and Nicky new that Timmy Crown was hanging around there,so we walk threw the door and there is Timmy n Stuie,so Nicky and timmy start playing a race to 5 for 2000,Nicky is spotting Timmy 9-7,Timmy wins the first 4 games in less then an hour,4or5 hours later Nicky ties it up at 4-4(u talk about grind,thats the best i will ever see)nicky breaks and runs 8,after a couple more turns a peice Nicky wins the money,that was the greatest come back i ever been associated with or seen,oh btw it wasnt the safest looking pool hall i been in,but Baldwin had the equallizer in his coat pocket,if u no what i mean!

Wags · Oct 18, 2011

Thanks

TannerPruess said:
TJ's Sports Bar is my new home! Great valley barboxes covered in Simonis and they are free! Thanks for coming in Jay!

Thankyou Tanner. It really ws my pleasure. I'll be back up eventually since I have family and a son living there now.

Wags · Oct 18, 2011

Don Brinks

bigwillo said:
If in the KC area, go to Raytown to Raytown Rec. Don Brink owns it and it is a great place to play. 3 cushion, snooker and plenty of 9 footers

I spent the afternoon with Don at the room. What an absolutely delightful gentleman! I will go back for another "Don dose" as he just has too many good stories.

If anyone is left that knows Don (Don is 83), how about some stories about him. Dallas West? Keith McCready? ABA members? others?

I will post Raytown Recreation's front door picture in a few weeks.

poolfire · Oct 18, 2011

Wags said:
I spent the afternoon with Don at the room. What an absolutely delightful gentleman! I will go back for another "Don dose" as he just has too many good stories.

If anyone is left that knows Don (Don is 83), how about some stories about him. Dallas West? Keith McCready? ABA members? others?

I will post Raytown Recreation's front door picture in a few weeks.

You were there today...i was there most of the day playing one pkt on bertha.....wish i knew you were there...

kyle

uwate · Oct 19, 2011

There was an interesting story on NPR radio last night that I heard on the drive home. It said that North Dakota is the hot bed of construction and job growth in the USA. All the oil business is making it so that even McDonalds are giving out cash rewards to recruiters and 100k jobs for high school education oil workers is not unusual.

The first thought that went through my mind when reading this was the pool rooms must be doing well and there must be action there with a bunch of oil money floating around. Then I thought...well times are different now...use to be if there was a boom town...pool gambling picked up. Now with online poker maybe not.

Are places like Fargo and Grand Forks doing really well for pool?

Black-Balled · Oct 19, 2011

uwate said:
There was an interesting story on NPR radio last night

...100k jobs for high school education oil workers is not unusual...?

And another 6figure earner is crab fisher!

I kinda like my desk job though!!

Cdryden · Oct 19, 2011

Are you going to every pool hall you can or just the higher end/more famous ones.

If your in north east Missouri give me a shout. I'll show you a few, play a few games and buy the 1st round! Good luck to ya!

Here is a quote from George Harrison that is fitting for ya, "If ya don't know where your going any road will take ya there"!

Wags · Oct 20, 2011

I'll be back

poolfire said:
You were there today...i was there most of the day playing one pkt on bertha.....wish i knew you were there...

kyle

One afternoon is not enough time to spend at Raytown Rec talking with Don Brink. I will be going back sometime next week. I'll PM you when I figure out my schedule.

Wags · Oct 20, 2011

All of them

Cdryden said:
Are you going to every pool hall you can or just the higher end/more famous ones.

If your in north east Missouri give me a shout. I'll show you a few, play a few games and buy the 1st round! Good luck to ya!

Here is a quote from George Harrison that is fitting for ya, "If ya don't know where your going any road will take ya there"!

Thank you!!! When I get to your neighborhood I will be sure to give you a PM. For now my sights are heading for warmer south.

Wags · Oct 20, 2011

Dakota Cue Club

This picture seems only right since it's the US Open and this is SVB's home room. Sioux Falls, SD

1581zebra · Oct 20, 2011

If you're headed south, and NC is in your sights... Brass Tap in Raleigh would be a good stop.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

jungledude · Oct 20, 2011

My book

"The Green Felt Jungle" Almost two hundred pages of pool "war stories"
written by Louisiana's largest pool room owner (Racketeers) .:thumbup:

U.S. Pool Rooms

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