Please Help: Chicago Pool Halls

You might include Red Shoes, too...

...since you already live south. It's at 120th and Pulaski (4000 West). The first and third rooms you've mentioned are nice places (I don't know International) but have noisy jukeboxes. And don't forget Chris's Billiards (near Lawrence and Milwaukee on the Northwest side). GF

kingwang...Since you live in Hyde Park, and work downtown, I wouldn't consider Red Shoes "easy to get to", but it is a REAL poolroom. Downtown you also have G-Cue Billiards on West Randolph. They have Gabriel tables, a nice atmosphere, but expensive table time (about the same as City Pool Hall). The table spacing is better at G-Cue. Like GF, I never heard of International Billiards...which means it is not a poolroom of any distinction. Pressure is where I play most, when I'm in Chicago, but it's only 5 minutes from where I stay, on the north side. Chris's on Milwaukee is the most authentic "old style" pool hall in Chicago proper.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

kingwang said:

Hi,

I recently moved to Chicago and I need some help with finding a good pool hall.

Here is a map of where I work (around Millennium Park) and live (Hyde Park).

I'd appreciate some suggestions on where I should play at.

These are my priorities for a pool hall:

1. Equipment- Gold Crowns or Diamonds only please
2. Closeness- I need to be able to get there easily
3. Atmosphere- Looking for somewhere quiet/pool hall atmosphere, not a bar/club
4. Action- I don't gamble a lot, so not that important
5. Leagues- Not really planning to join one, so doesn't matter at all.

So far it looks like these are my best bets:

City Pool Hall
International Billiard
Pressure Billiards & Cafe

But if you have any suggestions, they would be GREATLY appreciated :smile:

Click to expand...

Scott Lee said:

kingwang...Since you live in Hyde Park, and work downtown, I wouldn't consider Red Shoes "easy to get to", but it is a REAL poolroom. Downtown you also have G-Cue Billiards on West Randolph. They have Gabriel tables, a nice atmosphere, but expensive table time (about the same as City Pool Hall). The table spacing is better at G-Cue. Like GF, I never heard of International Billiards...which means it is not a poolroom of any distinction. Pressure is where I play most, when I'm in Chicago, but it's only 5 minutes from where I stay, on the north side. Chris's on Milwaukee is the most authentic "old style" pool hall in Chicago proper.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

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In my opinion, Red Shoes is the best pool room in Chicago by far. It is about an hour from my house but it is well worth it. Its clean, authentic and has a lot of good and great players. The equipment is in great shape. Good Brunswick Gold Crowns and Centennial balls with full sized cue balls. And yummy burgers to top it off. Also they have a deal where for $10 you can play between 12pm and 6pm everyday.

Pressure - nice place, not a lot of serious players. They have Brunswick Metros with 5 inch pockets on most of their tables. They have 2 "tight" tables that are about 4.75. The pocket shelves are short so all the tables play pretty easy. Also, the cue balls are worn down pretty small, so you might want to bring your own. The spacing between tables is a little tight. But the owner is nice, the place is clean, and they have good food. Big highlight: for $150 dollars you can play unlimited for the month excluding Friday and Saturday nights.

City Pool Hall is clean and has some nice people. I believe they have Gold Crowns. Their rates are expensive unless you are on a league out of there. I think it is about $12 an hour unless you are on a league and then it is $3. Not certain on the exact pricing. Very worn down cue balls, you can draw for days....

Billiard Cafe is a good spot. They have Gold Crowns and one snooker table. They have one table by the front with very tight pockets. The rates are decent. They have a $10 dollar tournament (no money added) on Thursdays. If you get eliminated early, for an extra $7 you can play on the tables through the night. Some good players go there for the tournament. OK food. Ladies play free on Sunday and Tuesday.

International Billiard - never heard of it. Where is that?

Debbie...While I agree with you, Red Shoes is in Alsip, not Chicago. There's also Pockets in Crestwood...another nice room, with good equipment. The OP was looking for close rooms to his work and/or home. That far south is neither.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Debbie R said:

In my opinion, Red Shoes is the best pool room in Chicago by far.

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There is also a small pool room in Chinatown. I believe they have GC's, but I'm not positive. I think they have a snooker table too. If you go all the way north to Pressure or Chris's, you might as well stop in at Cary's lounge. Free pool 7 days a week on an 8 ft Brunswick.

Unfortunately for a city the size of Chicago and with it's history, there isn't much to choose from IMO.

You might ask this guy...he knows that area of town.


George (and anyone else)...where is Richie Idrova's bar? Isn't it on the southside and what kind of equiptment does he have? I'm assuming bar boxes.

Ohhh, on the northside, there is Marie's Golden Que as well.

jason said:

There is also a small pool room in Chinatown. I believe they have GC's, but I'm not positive. I think they have a snooker table too. If you go all the way north to Pressure or Chris's, you might as well stop in at Cary's lounge. Free pool 7 days a week on an 8 ft Brunswick.

Unfortunately for a city the size of Chicago and with it's history, there isn't much to choose from IMO.

You might ask this guy...he knows that area of town.
View attachment 125513

George (and anyone else)...where is Richie Idrova's bar? Isn't it on the southside and what kind of equiptment does he have? I'm assuming bar boxes.

Ohhh, on the northside, there is Marie's Golden Que as well.

Click to expand...

Ritchies is at 59th and California and has 2 7 foot Diamonds with Simonis cloth and Aramith balls.

Based on your criteria:

Aside from the aforementioned:
City Pool Hall (a nice mix of pool hall and bar but does void your #3, lots of league, and some decent players)
G-Que (Pricey, but swank. Sold equipment)
Chris' (The Motherland! and a great place for a transplant to visit, slightly north end)
Pressure (dont bother)
Marie's Golden Cue (20 or so real tables, real pool hall, slighty north end)
Caries (Dive bar, 1 table, you wouldn't get any serious table time anyway, but I've got some friends there, and the owner is a swell dude!)

Also consider The Green Room and or 63rd St Billiards, if they're still around.

The glory days of pool halls is gone for Chi-Town, but there are still a million small halls and pubs with a table or three. The city has a ton of character, and characters! You'll find them all in these small places.

Enjoy!!!

half fast bankr said:

Based on your criteria:

Aside from the aforementioned:
City Pool Hall (a nice mix of pool hall and bar but does void your #3, lots of league, and some decent players)
G-Que (Pricey, but swank. Sold equipment)
Chris' (The Motherland! and a great place for a transplant to visit, slightly north end)
Pressure (dont bother)
Marie's Golden Cue (20 or so real tables, real pool hall, slighty north end)
Caries (Dive bar, 1 table, you wouldn't get any serious table time anyway, but I've got some friends there, and the owner is a swell dude!)

Also consider The Green Room and or 63rd St Billiards, if they're still around.

The glory days of pool halls is gone for Chi-Town, but there are still a million small halls and pubs with a table or three. The city has a ton of character, and characters! You'll find them all in these small places.

Enjoy!!!

Click to expand...

The Green Room is no longer around(any of the three of them). Neither is 63rd street billiards, Oscars, Cue can do, Palace, Busters, Oak Park billiards or Shooters in Oak Brook. There is probably about 10-15 I left out.

International Billiards...

...for those who asked, is on Lawrence about a block east of California. Never been inside, but it appears to be a neighborhood place catering to Korean clientele. GF

There also used to be a place on about the 5800 block of Irving Park Road. Just East of Austin Ave. on the South side of the street, called the Billiards Cafe. Don't know if it's still there.

kingwang said:

Hi,

I recently moved to Chicago and I need some help with finding a good pool hall.

Here is a map of where I work (around Millennium Park) and live (Hyde Park).

I'd appreciate some suggestions on where I should play at.

These are my priorities for a pool hall:

1. Equipment- Gold Crowns or Diamonds only please
2. Closeness- I need to be able to get there easily
3. Atmosphere- Looking for somewhere quiet/pool hall atmosphere, not a bar/club
4. Action- I don't gamble a lot, so not that important
5. Leagues- Not really planning to join one, so doesn't matter at all.

So far it looks like these are my best bets:

City Pool Hall
International Billiard
Pressure Billiards & Cafe

But if you have any suggestions, they would be GREATLY appreciated :smile:

Click to expand...

When I wuz in the USN I wuz stationed in Great Lakes. I took a 2hr. train ride into the city every weekend. I wuz a ficture @ Chris's Billiards, the place were TCOM wuz shot. What a great "Pool Hall". When i wuz there some time ago they had GC2's I beleave. You should visit Chris's without hesitation.

Frankie

Major leagues

Come to Red Shoes and you can hang with me and Chicago's Major League players.

the Bead

Red Shoes

I have to agree with George Fels, Freddy the Beard, and Debbie R.
Red Shoes is about 16 miles from Hyde Park and has plenty of gold crowns and is a cool place to play and hang out.

Banks and One Pocket predominate but they also have a straight pool league with 24 players and some guys play a bit of 9 ball and 8 ball.

You are about the same distance to Marie's Golden Cue and 17 miles from Chris's.

I don't know why you would want to go back downtown in the evening to pay high prices and go to City Billiards or GCue. They are ok to stop by for a little bit in the middle of the day, but...