DC Metro area pool halls
- Thread starter senor
- Start date
In DC proper, you're out of luck until 4:00, but after that there are four places worth considering:senor said:
1) Buffalo Billiards (DuPont Circle): opens at 4, no action. Tables in good shape -- GCIII with Simonis.
2) Atomic Billiards (Cleveland Park): Six 8' Gold Crowns. Also opens at 4. Good vibe, no action.
3) Cue Bar (U-Street): four 9' and one 8' GCs. Opens at 6. No action.
4) Bedrock Billiards in Adams Morgan: five 9' GCs, two 8', good feel, well-maintained tables, opens at 4:00 on Friday. A fair number of solid players hang out there regularly. This is where I do most of my shooting -- I should be there by 5:00-5:30 on Friday. Shoot me a pm if you're likely to make it to Bedrock.
Cory
UPDATE: I should add that none of these are pool halls in the traditional sense. They're all bars with hourly tables (and at Bedrock, some reasonably good players). For a more traditional poolhall, you'll have to leave the city.
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senor said:
Exactly where are you staying/working? If you meant inside the city itself, then Cory in DC's post has you covered, but there are a lot of places in the various suburbs depending on where you'll be.
-Andrew
They have some of the worst tables I've ever seen, though. Still, better than nothing, I guess.Fliedout said:
Also open during the day are the 2 tables upstairs at The Chophouse on 6th & E; I think Lucky Strike (at Gallery Place) is also open during the day, but I've never played on their tables.
Cory
Thanks for the responses
Thanks for the replies, everyone, but it sounds like I'm SOL. I will be staying with my brother, about a ten minute walk from Dupont Circle. I was hoping these rooms would be open by the time my conference ended on Friday (1 pm). My brother usually does not leave work until 6 or 7, so I thought I had a half day to knock em around.
Any place in the suburbs open earlier, Purdman?
Thanks for the replies, everyone, but it sounds like I'm SOL. I will be staying with my brother, about a ten minute walk from Dupont Circle. I was hoping these rooms would be open by the time my conference ended on Friday (1 pm). My brother usually does not leave work until 6 or 7, so I thought I had a half day to knock em around.
Any place in the suburbs open earlier, Purdman?
senor said:
Senor,
None of these rooms, absolutely none of them, have any one pocket action, or any players period. The rooms you're looking for are in the suburbs, you'd need a car to get to them, and after the commute time, you wouldn't have very much time to play. There are no rooms in the district that would interest you.
Reza
I sent you a PM.
senor said:
Orange ball in Rockville is a good place to play, and you'll only be a 25-minute metro ride and a couple blocks' walk from there. I believe they open around 11 (someone correct me if I'm wrong).
I think that'll be the most metro-accessible option you've got, and it's a nice place to play, with quite a few 9' GCs. If you want to get out Purdman's way, it'll be an ugly drive fighting DC traffic out towards Leesburg on a Friday afternoon. Even if you've got a car available, I wouldn't recommend trying to drive it anywhere Friday afternoon.
-Andrew
Fast Eddie's, Springfield. Open at 11 a.m. Free pool until five with the purchase of lunch (food is great). I think there are about 12 (never actually counted..LOL) 4.5 x 9 Gold Crowns, and three 4 x 8 Gold Crowns. Lots of players from open to close - everyday. Might be worth taking a cab to visit.
Yikes. I may not be a player, but I like one pocket action.BackPocket9Ball said:
More seriously, if you haven't been there in a while, I can see why you'd say that, but in fact there are a number of strong players, including solid 1-pocket players, frequenting Bedrock these days. I don't like to name players here who don't choose to be on the internet and aren't otherwise widely known. That said, two of the regulars are fully capable of taking down the Wednesday Orange Ball tournament, and both are also very tough 1P players. Another guy a bit above them in 1P comes in now and then, too. Then there's a handful of guys a level below them, including but not limited to me, that all play 1 pocket, and then a few more a level below that. On most Fridays, 2 or 3 of the 7 tables will have 1-pocket going on from 4:00 to 10:00+.
For that matter, I've met Bus Driver Ronnie and Strawberry Brooks at Cue Bar. Cue Bar's at 11th & U, not too far from 7th & T, which was in its day about as tough a Banks/1P room as you could find on the East Coast. So you get a lot of solid 1P players that used to go there, but haven't had a nearby pool hall in 10+ years, coming into Cue Bar. Their best days are mostly behind them, but they know the moves.
That said, Bedrock still doesn't open till 4:00, so none of this helps Senor. If you're in DuPont, then a train ride to Orange Ball in Rockville is you're best bet. The next closest place via train is probably Galaxy Billiards in Silver Spring (you're notably more likely to find action at Orange Ball than Galaxy). Or take a cab to Springfield.
Cory
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