A Pool Room with Home Style Tables
- Thread starter 336Robin
- Start date
Not knowing any better when I was 17, I walked into Fast Eddies here in Houston, and they had just that. 20 or so 8 ft, and 4 9 ft Olhausen furniture style tables. I kept going back, prob for way too long. (over 10 years) Knowing what I know now about Brunswicks and Diamonds, would I have done it differently? Maybe, maybe not. But I also got free pool there, and they had a tendency to hire very attractive 18-25 year old waitresses...so I'm sure that was part of the reason for me to continue going back all those years.
seen it tried a few times
I have seen people buy the cheap home tables and try to use them in a pool hall a few times. None of the halls lasted six months.
The last place was pretty typical. I forget if I was playing on red label or blue label diamonds at the time. Either table banked very short in New Orleans. These home tables were further north where they should have banked longer than the diamonds in New Orleans, instead they banked very very short, like four inches on a simple cross-bank. I very quickly decided against making adjustments. I was playing the counterman and several seasoned gentlemen had decided to come watch us play, no bet down. I had no intention of coming back but just in case I didn't show any speed for free.
If these were like typical cheap tables they wouldn't stay level, the cloth would be crap in no time and the tables would be knock kneed and worn out before a year was gone. Decent location but the place still didn't last long enough for the junk tables to fall to pieces. Best I recall these tables sold for about eight hundred dollars if they didn't get a deal. Eight footers too.
There are some tables out there that will fair better than the very cheap tables but the savings aren't huge, might as well bite the bullet and buy quality. Diamond might still have a lease program too.
I wouldn't try making a go with these junk tables. I went to a hall with all new Black Cat Valleys, not sure what they are really called. They played funny, probably because I couldn't remember the last time I played on a new Valley. Another place I never went back.
Gandy's were OK tables when new, AE Schmidt held up good and were fine to play on, at least the old ones that were antique fifty years ago I believe. A few more brands I can't be sure of so I won't name them here. None of them are super cheap though. I believe they will run about 75% of the cost of Diamonds best I recall. I would prefer putting in 1/4 fewer quality tables and adding as I could afford to before putting in tables that won't hold up and customers won't be happy with.
The furniture tables won't create happy customers and they will need work long before quality tables. A bad investment. My opinions of course!
Hu
I have seen people buy the cheap home tables and try to use them in a pool hall a few times. None of the halls lasted six months.
The last place was pretty typical. I forget if I was playing on red label or blue label diamonds at the time. Either table banked very short in New Orleans. These home tables were further north where they should have banked longer than the diamonds in New Orleans, instead they banked very very short, like four inches on a simple cross-bank. I very quickly decided against making adjustments. I was playing the counterman and several seasoned gentlemen had decided to come watch us play, no bet down. I had no intention of coming back but just in case I didn't show any speed for free.
If these were like typical cheap tables they wouldn't stay level, the cloth would be crap in no time and the tables would be knock kneed and worn out before a year was gone. Decent location but the place still didn't last long enough for the junk tables to fall to pieces. Best I recall these tables sold for about eight hundred dollars if they didn't get a deal. Eight footers too.
There are some tables out there that will fair better than the very cheap tables but the savings aren't huge, might as well bite the bullet and buy quality. Diamond might still have a lease program too.
I wouldn't try making a go with these junk tables. I went to a hall with all new Black Cat Valleys, not sure what they are really called. They played funny, probably because I couldn't remember the last time I played on a new Valley. Another place I never went back.
Gandy's were OK tables when new, AE Schmidt held up good and were fine to play on, at least the old ones that were antique fifty years ago I believe. A few more brands I can't be sure of so I won't name them here. None of them are super cheap though. I believe they will run about 75% of the cost of Diamonds best I recall. I would prefer putting in 1/4 fewer quality tables and adding as I could afford to before putting in tables that won't hold up and customers won't be happy with.
The furniture tables won't create happy customers and they will need work long before quality tables. A bad investment. My opinions of course!
Hu
Probably wouldn't walk out, wouldn't go back either. Why??
Bumpers in Birmingham, Alabama use to be full of what I would call olhausen home tables.
David Rowell was the owner at that point. Not sure when he first owned Bumpers but, I do know that when he sold that room to a group of people, it was full of home-type tables.
All of them were 4 x 8 drop pockets.
I didn't mind playing on them. He kept them up pretty good until toward the end of his ownership. At that point, the place seemed to go downhill pretty fast until it was sold.
The group that bought him out really updated the place and kept it really clean. But, that didn't last long.
After only two or three years, one of the owners bought the rest of the group out and within a few months, the place wasn't the same. At that point, the tables were hardly ever cleaned the right way and recovered a table only when it was to a point nobody would play on it. That owner seems to not care as much. (Money issues :shrug
I love rooms that are owned by serious players. They always seem to have the best kept tables, regardless of what brand.
Jeff
David Rowell was the owner at that point. Not sure when he first owned Bumpers but, I do know that when he sold that room to a group of people, it was full of home-type tables.
All of them were 4 x 8 drop pockets.
I didn't mind playing on them. He kept them up pretty good until toward the end of his ownership. At that point, the place seemed to go downhill pretty fast until it was sold.
The group that bought him out really updated the place and kept it really clean. But, that didn't last long.
After only two or three years, one of the owners bought the rest of the group out and within a few months, the place wasn't the same. At that point, the tables were hardly ever cleaned the right way and recovered a table only when it was to a point nobody would play on it. That owner seems to not care as much. (Money issues :shrug
I love rooms that are owned by serious players. They always seem to have the best kept tables, regardless of what brand.
Jeff
Several rooms in this area have home style tables -- narrow wooden rails, leather mesh pockets, maybe curly legs. Some of them play OK. They don't play like Diamonds or GCs. They are not as solid, the rails can be harder to bridge on, and often the pockets are strange. In general I have to have a specific reason to be there or I will go somewhere else.
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Is there action there?
Who knows?
Mostly just interested in seeing how people feel about it and if it runs across specific lines of player types.
There are right many of these type tables out there and not all of them are bad. From what I've seen a person could get these type tables many times at a deep discount from owners who want to use their room for something else.
I think it also depends what kind of player you want for instance. If you're actively trying to get new people to come into Pool at your Room those players are probably not as choosy as those that have been playing for years.
New people to pool might not be as choosy as existing pool players.
A place with the room for 10 tables might put up some nice lights and start out with home style tables with a much lower investment than if you went New Diamonds.
There might still be a big difference vs. buying used discount Commercial Grade tables, if you put up the lights and added home tables as you were able to get them cheap. It might get you started and on your feet a lot sooner.
I think it would make a difference to an owner in a large town with existing players but a small town that knew he was going to have to cultivate his players not nearly as much.
Really just seeing how people feel about them. Wouldn't be great if you could get a commercial grade table new for less than 4k?.
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Our local has Dufferin Titans from the late 80s. The facings and leather pockets are so hard they spit balls straight back out onto the table if they're hit any harder than pocket speed. The cushions are broken off the rails and the cloth is so worn it reflects the lights. There isn't a straight Walabushka in the joint, the music is too loud, and there's a, "safe injection" site a block away which means if your car isn't locked someone will have claimed it as their new home.
But it's all there is around here and there's action every single night.
But it's all there is around here and there's action every single night.
Backstage billiards in Orlando- multiple locations- has them, as I recall...though theirs are not new and seemed fairly substantial, compared to today's equivalents.
Both of the places I play in most often have those home tables. Wish they did not, but the fact of location, other players that go there and atmosphere is why I play there.
Oh- the bar in a very nice hotel near me has em too...they are free to play on. Red cloth, crappy balls and cues.
Nonetheless, I was pleasantly surprised to find them, when I got married there!
https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai...=2ahUKEwjYw9noo9vlAhVFlVkKHbxBC70Q0Qx6BAgSEAE
Nonetheless, I was pleasantly surprised to find them, when I got married there!
https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai...=2ahUKEwjYw9noo9vlAhVFlVkKHbxBC70Q0Qx6BAgSEAE
Screw any pool hall that has anything but Diamonds or GC's.
If they are well maintained why not? If you have better options go there but I dont get the hate on home tables. My golden west played wonderful, solid build, couldnt get it to budge if I jumped on it. I've played on commercial tables in pool halls and bars that were worse.
Valleys and Gandys.
I played at a Fox & Hound a couple of times, in Texas. They had 8 foot Furniture Tables. I didn't think they played bad at all.
I have a good 8 foot Furniture Table at home. It's 20 years old & it plays great. The corners are 4 3/4, the sides are just 5.. Banks are right on target. Me & my Pool Shooting Buddies have a good time.
I have a good 8 foot Furniture Table at home. It's 20 years old & it plays great. The corners are 4 3/4, the sides are just 5.. Banks are right on target. Me & my Pool Shooting Buddies have a good time.
