A Pool Room with Home Style Tables

jay helfert · Nov 8, 2019

There are all kinds of "home tables", some much better than others. Connelly made some dynamite home tables. They had one called the Ultimate with 2" thick slate. It played so quiet! Peter Vitalie made some pretty good tables and so did Olhausen. I also liked the Global and Rebco tables that you would see on the West Coast.

My short answer would be that I played on any table in any poolroom where I could get action. I've played on some junk in my time, but it was junk for the other guy too. I always figured that if I was the better player I would figure out how to get the money and most of the time I did! I survived eight years of daily action and had enough left over to buy my first poolroom. From then on it was all Gold Crowns! :smile:

ChrisinNC · Nov 8, 2019

I started out with Conelly ultimate tables here in our room. Great playing solidly constructed tables, but there were issues with the rail tops getting dinged up and needing finishing regularly, and also with balls popping out of the dead center back of the RC designs leather drop pockets. I guess I’d be considered a snob when it comes to pool tables but the bottom line is that there is a reason why virtually all good pool rooms have either Gold Crown’s or Diamond‘s.

ceebee · Nov 8, 2019

DecentShot said:
But not furniture grade home tables.

Right next to my Home Furniture Table is my 2nd Home Table, it is a 100 year old 6 legged Brunswick Arcade. It looks like a Home Table that used to be in a Pool Hall..

Cornerman · Nov 8, 2019

336Robin said:
If you went into a Pool Room and people were playing on Home Style Tables.
Would you pack up and go home or would you stay and play? Would you go back?

Never stopped me.Played, won and placed very high in many tournaments on furniture tables. Even red-clothed tables.

Freddie <~~~ like a lifetime ago

FairladyZ · Nov 8, 2019

Hey Robin, nice to see you.

336Robin · Nov 8, 2019

FairladyZ said:
Hey Robin, nice to see you.

Thanks Chris. It's good to be seen and likewise to you.

jimmyco · Nov 8, 2019

Stayed and played, never went back. Santa Fe, not many options.

Been to Santa Fe many times since, but chose to drive to ABQ to play.

Black-Balled · Nov 8, 2019

jimmyco said:
Stayed and played, never went back. Santa Fe, not many options.

Been to Santa Fe many times since, but chose to drive to ABQ to play.

Been to Santa Fe quite a few times too and never hit a ball there.

Nick B · Nov 8, 2019

Cornerman said:
Never stopped me.Played, won and placed very high in many tournaments on furniture tables. Even red-clothed tables.

Freddie <~~~ like a lifetime ago

OK I was OK until you mentioned the Red cloth. A man has to have limits. Went to the same hall for 28 years. Out paced 3 owners. They went red. I went out.

Ghosst · Nov 9, 2019

Cornerman said:
Never stopped me ... Even red-clothed tables.

Freddie:

1) There are some things you should never admit to.
2) I hope you washed your hands you filthy animal.

Ghosst <~~~ never shaking Freddie's hand again

Logandgriff · Nov 11, 2019

Home Style Tables

Best place I ever played was Grand Olive Billiards in St. Louis and it had A.E. Schmidt tables that were kinda' home style tables but I loved them.

Most fun place I ever played (and still play there) is Big Shots Billiards in Woodstock, GA. It has Connelly tables that need some routine maintenance and TLC right now to be great again, but they generally play well and look ok after what I believe is more than 20 years of use.

Tony_in_MD · Nov 11, 2019

Edgars in Baltimore's Inner Harbor had 9 foot Olhausen furniture style tables.

Place has been closed up for years, and the tables always needed work. Those types of tables to hold up well in a commercial environment. They were there only for the look and feel of the room.

336Robin · Nov 11, 2019

By all means keep posting about room with home style tables. My point here is that how many more rooms could be opened if the cost of the tables weren't such a factor?

I would bet that right now that a person could get open in a small town that doesn't have a pool room and start building a customer base on home style tables and do pretty well especially
if he was trying to drum up business before he started buying more expensive equipment. You can find tables on Craigslist from 500 to 1000 dollars for the kinds of tables I've seen mentioned
here. Provided you wanted to open a room the difference in table cost is staggering. So who do you really want as players. Accomplished players who want Diamonds and there are less of those
players or do you want new to Pool Players who are happy to have a place to play? Remember I'm talking small town here. Total room debt is a big issue. Under 20k would be nice.

JoeyInCali · Nov 11, 2019

There's one here called Big Shots that have Olhausen home style tables .
Great food in there.
The tables have stood up the abuse for 2+ decades.

Tony_in_MD · Nov 11, 2019

You do know that Diamond has a lease program for tables.

http://www.diamondbilliards.com/About/NoExcuseProgram.aspx

If I ever opened up a place, I would be looking into that carefully.

336Robin said:
By all means keep posting about room with home style tables. My point here is that how many more rooms could be opened if the cost of the tables weren't such a factor?

I would bet that right now that a person could get open in a small town that doesn't have a pool room and start building a customer base on home style tables and do pretty well especially
if he was trying to drum up business before he started buying more expensive equipment. You can find tables on Craigslist from 500 to 1000 dollars for the kinds of tables I've seen mentioned
here. Provided you wanted to open a room the difference in table cost is staggering. So who do you really want as players. Accomplished players who want Diamonds and there are less of those
players or do you want new to Pool Players who are happy to have a place to play? Remember I'm talking small town here. Total room debt is a big issue. Under 20k would be nice.

Tony_in_MD · Nov 11, 2019

Interesting, maybe we don't know how to treat our tables on the east coast.

JoeyInCali said:
There's one here called Big Shots that have Olhausen home style tables .
Great food in there.
The tables have stood up the abuse for 2+ decades.

9 Ball Fan · Nov 11, 2019

DecentShot said:
Screw any pool hall that has anything but Diamonds or GC's.

Man, that's a tough stance. But, at least you know what you like.

jasonlaus · Nov 11, 2019

Would leave immediately.

336Robin · Nov 11, 2019

Tony_in_MD said:
You do know that Diamond has a lease program for tables.

http://www.diamondbilliards.com/About/NoExcuseProgram.aspx

If I ever opened up a place, I would be looking into that carefully.

Its not a bad program I knew someone that was in it but 18% interest is enough to scare me off for a big room.
If I got in a room and went a year or two maybe with home style and had my business built up and some cash to plonk down.
I'd sell all the home tables and do it. An investment of that size needs some existing business. A 10 table room is easily 60k vs. paid for.

Tony_in_MD · Nov 11, 2019

The big question is would your business build up with home style tables?

336Robin said:
Its not a bad program I knew someone that was in it but 18% interest is enough to scare me off for a big room.
If I got in a room and went a year or two maybe with home style and had my business built up and some cash to plonk down.
I'd sell all the home tables and do it. An investment of that size needs some existing business. A 10 table room is easily 60k vs. paid for.

A Pool Room with Home Style Tables

Shoot Pool, not people

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