Action Rooms are Gradually Dying

B

BackPocket9Ball

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I've been playing pool for less than 10 years, but I have noticed that very few true "players" rooms (or action rooms) are left, at least in the Northeast. And from what I've heard and read, this is much different than was the case 15 or 20 years ago.

New York only has Master Billiards left, after Chelsea and the Golden Cue closed.

Boston has only has the room in Quincy (this is from what I hear, I've never been there)

The Washington DC metro area has no true rooms that promote action except for USA Billiards in Laurel, MD and Rack n Roll in Manassas, VA

Philly is the best off -- it has 3. Tacony-Palmyra (run by Jim Hill), Pete Fusco's place, and Drexeline (run by top straight pool player Bob Maidhoff)

If this trend continues, in another 10 years, there won't be any action rooms left -- only upscale rooms and clubs.
 
10 years have passed. Please update this thread.
BackPocket9Ball said:
I've been playing pool for less than 10 years, but I have noticed that very few true "players" rooms (or action rooms) are left, at least in the Northeast. And from what I've heard and read, this is much different than was the case 15 or 20 years ago.

New York only has Master Billiards left, after Chelsea and the Golden Cue closed.

Boston has only has the room in Quincy (this is from what I hear, I've never been there)

The Washington DC metro area has no true rooms that promote action except for USA Billiards in Laurel, MD and Rack n Roll in Manassas, VA

Philly is the best off -- it has 3. Tacony-Palmyra (run by Jim Hill), Pete Fusco's place, and Drexeline (run by top straight pool player Bob Maidhoff)

If this trend continues, in another 10 years, there won't be any action rooms left -- only upscale rooms and clubs.
Click to expand...
 
I stopped by Breakers Billiards in Mobile, Alabama today. It was gone and no sign to indicate a new location. Anyone know the story?
 
Reminds me of the color of money when they go to an old "hotspot" and it is just furniture storage

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk
 
The room in Quincy Ma closed about 5-6 years ago and that building has since been demolished by the city. A lot of "player rooms" have gone out of business those rooms generally do not attract customers that help pay the bills.
 
Requires stake horse's and gamblers. Casinos syphoned off many of the gamblers and that limited the number of stake horse's.

When the room I used to go to had a real good stake horse, players from all over the country came on through for the action. They knew that they could always get a good game. When all of the Indian Casino's opened many of the compulsive gamblers gradually petered out. No new blood seemed to develop. The room went from having hundreds if not thousands posted on every light on weekends too small action. The major stake horse moved and the action died. The only action is now at a Mexican room and a room in the Afro American part of L.A.

It went from a Wild West Show to boring civilization.
 
Gamblin in pool rooms began to die when the all night rooms closed.
Here in the DC area, we had 2 main action rooms 24/7, Guys & Dolls in suitland md
and Beenies room in arlington va. Beenies closed in 1980 and Guys & Dolls got to
rough to get out with the money.
When you have 2 major gamblin rooms, you know where the players are going to be.....1 or the other. Now , there are a number of rooms, but they close, and you dont know who
is where. Plus, there is mostly cheap action that doesnt last long.
The 'Golden Age of Pool' is gone, not to return.
Too bad, it was great!
 
Gunn_Slinger said:
Gamblin in pool rooms began to die when the all night rooms closed.
Here in the DC area, we had 2 main action rooms 24/7, Guys & Dolls in suitland md
and Beenies room in arlington va. Beenies closed in 1980 and Guys & Dolls got to
rough to get out with the money.
When you have 2 major gamblin rooms, you know where the players are going to be.....1 or the other. Now , there are a number of rooms, but they close, and you dont know who
is where. Plus, there is mostly cheap action that doesnt last long.
The 'Golden Age of Pool' is gone, not to return.
Too bad, it was great!
Click to expand...

Lol, are you talking about Cliff's ( owner of Jack & Jill's ) place in Bladensburg? Yeah for sure that was a rough place but honestly if you went in with one of the black locals you'd ( prob ) be alright. Otherwise you had better be able to live up to your name ( Gunn Slinger ) lol.
 
BackPocket9Ball said:
I've been playing pool for less than 10 years, but I have noticed that very few true "players" rooms (or action rooms) are left, at least in the Northeast. And from what I've heard and read, this is much different than was the case 15 or 20 years ago.

New York only has Master Billiards left, after Chelsea and the Golden Cue closed.

Boston has only has the room in Quincy (this is from what I hear, I've never been there)

The Washington DC metro area has no true rooms that promote action except for USA Billiards in Laurel, MD and Rack n Roll in Manassas, VA

Philly is the best off -- it has 3. Tacony-Palmyra (run by Jim Hill), Pete Fusco's place, and Drexeline (run by top straight pool player Bob Maidhoff)

If this trend continues, in another 10 years, there won't be any action rooms left -- only upscale rooms and clubs.
Click to expand...


Still action in Philly. Tacony is gone but if you are in Philly and you post on AZB you will find action.
 
I grew up playing pool in the middle 60's and you couldn't drive five minutes anywhere in California without hitting a pool room. We have no room anywhere in Los Angeles or Hollywood when there were 20 or so years ago. I own a room up the coast in Ventura and the only reason its open is that I own the building and I don't have to live off the income. Rent and lack of new players has killed off the sport. In my room I have the current Junior Amateur United States Champion (Chris Robinson) and two other up and coming junior players. The only reason they can develop their games in my room is because I make it feasible for them to learn by charging minimal table time rates. The other reason is that I don't have any city imposed age restrictions and I don't serve hard alcohol. I believe that too many pool rooms have been forced to impose age requirements because of alcohol requirements and that cost of learning to play is prohibitive to these youngsters who are needed to feed the ranks of new players.
 
You want action? You got it.
I will play any living human at Hanks Billiards in Wheatridge Colorado dead even any game for 1 bottle of Hanks famous water.

Bring your A game,Measureman can play a little.
By appointment only (non nap time hours)-must post.
 
thats the problem.. people now want to play for 5 bucks a game or less. that equates to less than 50 cents or a dollar a game back in the good old days and then no one even would play for less than 5 then and ten or twenty dollar action and up was standard. so that has to be at least a hundred a game to make it worthwhile to play.
unless you are playing for fun but that isnt action.

now if you want action they call in the best in town like that is what a player is looking for. the locals that hang around wont bet.
 
40-50 years ago I could regularly play $5 9-Ball and $20 One Pocket in hundreds of rooms all across the U.S. Five Ahead for $50 was standard action in 9-Ball and a Race to Four for a $100 was pretty common One Pocket action.

So here we are forty years later and they are still playing for the same amounts in the so called "action" rooms out West. I do know that in the South from Texas to Florida and North to Ohio you can see some big games. That's why all the hustlers stay around the South and Midwest. There's nothing for them out here, unless they want to play Scott Frost in Phoenix. Good luck with that!

You want big action, then go to New Orleans or a few other spots in the deep South. They still know how to make your nose bleed down there!
 
BmoreMoney said:
Lol, are you talking about Cliff's ( owner of Jack & Jill's ) place in Bladensburg? Yeah for sure that was a rough place but honestly if you went in with one of the black locals you'd ( prob ) be alright. Otherwise you had better be able to live up to your name ( Gunn Slinger ) lol.
Click to expand...
Lol. That was a bad joint also, but I'm talking 60's and 70's. Weenie Beenie opened
the original "Jack & Jill ' in 1967 in Arlington va. The original 'Guys & Dolls' was in suitland md just off branch ave (dont know when it opened, I played there in 1966 ).
Beenies was the action spot on the east coast ( except for the room in Detroit ) and Guys & Dolls was a 24/7 room that had lots of action, but by 73', hard to get out with the money. Beenies went strong with the best players in the country around every month.
It closed in 1980 as Beenie had moved to Myrtle Beach in 78' or 79'
The golden age of pool.....long gone...........
ps Yes, I did live up to my handle more than a few times...lol. Thats why I'm still here!
 
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