Best Pool Hall in US?? Rate your top 3!

Addicted2CuesRU said:
Rate your top 3 rooms... Heres mine

1. Chris' Billiards - Chicago (Old School)
2. Hawaiian Brians - Honolulu
3. South Philly Billiards - Philadelphia (another players room)


Let me know what u think...
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I like Gaslamp in San Diego, Chris' in Chicago, Bank Shot in Louisville,

If you've never been to a Boston Billiards, you're missing out on something magical. Ditto with many of it's inspired offspring, like the various Jillians, Snookers and the Rhode Island Billiard Club in Rhode Island

They (Boston Billiards) are not really player's rooms, but for anyone who plays pool, it's something everyone needs to experience at least once.

Fred
 
huckster said:
Hey where you there about four or five months ago? I think we played a little nineball. Szuter thought it would be a fair game. I think you quit a couple games ahead to go watch Czetli and Corey lose their cabbage playing online poker. If that was you and you ever make it back to Ohio I would like to try you in a little one pocket.
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Were you the one that was there with the gfriend that I played some friendly games with, or were you the one that I played 100 game 8 ball freeze up 400 and never came back the next day to play again?
 
girlwon1 said:
Were you the one that was there with the gfriend that I played some friendly games with, or were you the one that I played 100 game 8 ball freeze up 400 and never came back the next day to play again?
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Umm ... ouch.
:D
 
girlwon1 said:
Were you the one that was there with the gfriend that I played some friendly games with, or were you the one that I played 100 game 8 ball freeze up 400 and never came back the next day to play again?
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:eek: Busted!! :eek:
 
it's about time

jhendri2 said:
1- Rusty's -- Dallas
2- JOB's -- Nashville
3- Galaxy Billiards -- San Antonio

Jim
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I'm glad someone said JOB's. I was reading the posts and was surprised it was not mentioned earlier. I like Mr Cues II in ATL also. I don't get out of the south much except for DCC.


Galxy was pretty good too. Went there when my my buddy got out of air force training down in SA. good list.
 
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Unless Hardtimes has changed a lot in the last year it's not in the top 100. They have junk for food, wore out tables, and a bunch of kids hanging out there. Around LA Danny K's is much better for the real player. The best overall Cali room for playing I found was College Billiards in San Diego.

I'm a builder and travel for a living and have been in thousands of rooms across the country. In 1998 I even built a room here in Orlando that made the cover of P & B in their upscale room edition (Sept. issue).

McChesney's place in Denver was really nice when he opened it. For the top three though you could pick several rooms on the East Coast from N.Y. to Miami depending on what you like in a room. For tournament play I would choose Planet 9-Ball in Tampa as one of the best and have to flip coins to choose the rest.
 
I'm out in nashville Tennessee visiting and JOB is the only real pool hall I could find with good tables great players and lots of action. Joe's pool hall though listed does not exsist. another is George's not good for pool but maybe darts. H-cue upstairs pool hall has only 4 tables and they don't have cloth they have shag.
 
DannyK's has great tables and good food, but it's also a sports bar. Seems like all that comes out of the jukebox is ACDC's "shook me all night long". Must be the help. I should just put in $10 and play all Frank Sinatra.

I've seen a few games in there where they keep score. No room for spectating, though. Hardtimes has padded bleacher seats against one wall of the tournament room.
 
girlwon1 said:
Were you the one that was there with the gfriend that I played some friendly games with, or were you the one that I played 100 game 8 ball freeze up 400 and never came back the next day to play again?
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I think my gf may have been there. It was very cheap and friendly you actually quit winners and insisted I did not pay. I only bet high and things I have the best of and in hindsight I do not think I had the best of that.
 
The Pool Room in Marietta
The NEW Pool Room in Gwynett is the BOMB and non-smoking!

And it no longer exsist but the Hollywood Athletic Club was the most beautiful I have ever been in.

Honerable Mention: Comet Billiards in New Jersey....
 
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Sweet Marissa said:
I've been to so many pool halls I lose track, but I like The Pool Room in Marietta and I think it's called Starcade or Starzone in Atlanta. Chattanooga Billiard Club in Tennessee was very nice. Good food, too - I may make a special trip just for their club sandwich!
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It was Starzone, and it closed a while ago...
 
Chris's in Chicago

The one time I went there I took my wife and we went up the front stairs and only saw the room with the counter. Needless to say the wife wasn't all that impressed with the place. Note: I know it's where the top talent in the area plays and they probably don't bring their wives ;-)

Is the backroom any different?

Is the cloth similar or in better shape than the cloth at city pool hall? At CPH some of the tables. actually all 9 footers feel a bit cramped as you cannot play on the outside without your cue hitting the eating bench that runs along the side.

Living in the loop makes it just too much trouble to go all the way out to Chris's for pool. I will probably try to get out there soon as I'm getting a tad bored with my regular place. CPH.

Addicted2CuesRU said:
Hey, I was just wondering what everyone thinks on this topic... I live in Chicago and we have some pretty nice rooms here. The original Chris' Billiards (Milw. Ave) is a classic for the real players... G-Cue and City Pool Hall are good rooms with good food... Pro-Tyme Billiards in Orland Park (nice new room)... The Green Room in Downers Grove is nice when the A/C is working...
There are some other real nice rooms in Chicago I have never been to as well...

Some of my Favorite Rooms outside Chicago are Hawaiian Brians in Honolulu... South Philly Billiards (if its still there) in Philadelphia... Gas Lamp Billiard Palace in San Diego is nice too...


Rate your top 3 rooms... Heres mine

1. Chris' Billiards - Chicago (Old School)
2. Hawaiian Brians - Honolulu
3. South Philly Billiards - Philadelphia (another players room)


Let me know what u think...
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Addicted2CuesRU said:
3. Gaslamp Billiard Palace - San Diego
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Add Gaslamp Billiards to the list of rooms that have changed. I was in San Diego a couple of weeks ago and it is now called Jolting Joe's. Looks the same dowmstairs except no pool tables just a restaurant/bar. I think they may still have tables upstairs but it was not open when I was there. The food was better when it was Gaslamp Billiards.

My picks are

Anchorage Billiard Palace, Anchorage Alaska
Gatsby's, Carbondale Illinois
The Execuitive West in January, Louisville Kentucky.
 
steffi said:
The one time I went there I took my wife and we went up the front stairs and only saw the room with the counter. Needless to say the wife wasn't all that impressed with the place. Note: I know it's where the top talent in the area plays and they probably don't bring their wives ;-)

Is the backroom any different?

Is the cloth similar or in better shape than the cloth at city pool hall? At CPH some of the tables. actually all 9 footers feel a bit cramped as you cannot play on the outside without your cue hitting the eating bench that runs along the side.

Living in the loop makes it just too much trouble to go all the way out to Chris's for pool. I will probably try to get out there soon as I'm getting a tad bored with my regular place. CPH.
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Lol, Its my favorite, but it is definately not a slick room with all mahogany and Brass... Definately a players room... One back room the use for tourneys and the other has the Jukebox and Video Games... They dont have speakers in the main room and they have thick plastic curtains that isolate the sond from the Jukebox...

They do rotate the tables the work on so you can always find a table with pretty new cloth... I dont go to City Pool Pall much, but have you tried g-Cue on Morgan near downtown (close to Harpo Studios) great tables plenty of room great food... Definately a take your wife to Pool Hall... Another great thing about Chris' is that they have per person rates so if you go there to practice you can get on a table for like $3 per hour...
 
breakup said:
Add Gaslamp Billiards to the list of rooms that have changed. I was in San Diego a couple of weeks ago and it is now called Jolting Joe's. Looks the same dowmstairs except no pool tables just a restaurant/bar. I think they may still have tables upstairs but it was not open when I was there. The food was better when it was Gaslamp Billiards.

My picks are

Anchorage Billiard Palace, Anchorage Alaska
Gatsby's, Carbondale Illinois
The Execuitive West in January, Louisville Kentucky.
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That Sux about Gaslamp, oh well ya know that isnt the first pool hall that didnt make it in the Gaslamp district... I lived there 89-91 (Navy) and Played at a place downtown that went away by time I got back 93-95.

Gatsby's is another place I grew up in... Went to SIU for fall 87 semester... Actually, i think i played more in the rec center though... Hey do you know of the old One armed man that used to shoot at Gatsbys and hustle up some dough... He was pretty dang good... he got me practicing to shoot one handed in case sumthin happeded to my other arm... lol.
 
Addicted2CuesRU said:
That Sux about Gaslamp, oh well ya know that isnt the first pool hall that didnt make it in the Gaslamp district... I lived there 89-91 (Navy) and Played at a place downtown that went away by time I got back 93-95.

Gatsby's is another place I grew up in... Went to SIU for fall 87 semester... Actually, i think i played more in the rec center though... Hey do you know of the old One armed man that used to shoot at Gatsbys and hustle up some dough... He was pretty dang good... he got me practicing to shoot one handed in case sumthin happeded to my other arm... lol.
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Don’t remember any one armed man. There was a fella went by “Tex” Dennis was his real name shot real good. When I first came in town in 1981 I went into Gatsby’s and ask the bartender who the best player was. He pointed to Tex who was playing back by the wall. I meandered back to watch. All I really wanted to do was to get a feel for the level of play in the town. Well he must have heard what I ask because as soon as I got near the table he said “Wanna play some?” I was kind of surprised but said OK how about some Straight pool say to 50. He says OK, I lose the flip break the balls and he runs 50 out!! I said I got to try that again and sure enough the same thing happened I broke and he ran 50! He and I got to be pretty good friends over the next few years. He would let me come in sit at the bar for a few drinks to get loose and then come over with some blue light special that I could not refuse. In the 2 ½ years I was there I only beat him one session and that was at three cushion billiards. I learned quit a bit from him, he is one of the standout poolroom characters I have known.
 
Sweet Marissa said:
I've been to so many pool halls I lose track, but I like The Pool Room in Marietta and I think it's called Starcade or Starzone in Atlanta. Chattanooga Billiard Club in Tennessee was very nice. Good food, too - I may make a special trip just for their club sandwich!
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Starzone is long gone, marissa, but I'm glad to hear you liked it. Mark Gregory and myself were responsible for much of the design and layout. Sadly we were fighting an uphill battle against the owners much of the time.
 
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