Des Moines new pool hall...

Gear101

Gear101

Well-known member
Much like most of you I've been in a good number of pool halls in my life. The R
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ack has been in operation for probably 15 or 20 years now. They moved locations and opened a much nicer and much bigger pool hall. It is probably easily in the top five of the nicest pool halls I've ever been in my life.
If you're ever in town I highly recommend you swing by and shoot a couple games.
 
Wow, that looks really nice! I’m going to have to make a trip back to visit sometime, haven’t been in the area since ‘06 when I graduated from Iowa State but I’ve been thinking about going back one of these days and this gives me one more reason.

Great to see a hall doing well enough to do something like this!
 
looks too sterile to me. not comfortable to hang out at. i would be surprised if they make it from the pool players.

they need social drinkers and people to hang out and spend money to pay for their rent there.

new places get a fresh rush of customers whether they make it or not will depend on if they can capture them

may fall into the category of businesses that expand until they go broke from expenses.

hope they make it, never want a pool room not to last.
 
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Maybe it’s the pics, and I hope they do well, but I like watching the action while sitting at the bar. Looks like they need a shuttle from the bar to the tables!
 
Gear101 said:
Much like most of you I've been in a good number of pool halls in my life. The RView attachment 789176ack has been in operation for probably 15 or 20 years now. They moved locations and opened a much nicer and much bigger pool hall. It is probably easily in the top five of the nicest pool halls I've ever been in my life.
If you're ever in town I highly recommend you swing by and shoot a couple games.
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niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice joint. they do like their pool in iowa. big dogs is another great spot.
 
Gear101 said:
Much like most of you I've been in a good number of pool halls in my life. The Rack has been in operation for probably 15 or 20 years now. They moved locations and opened a much nicer and much bigger pool hall. It is probably easily in the top five of the nicest pool halls I've ever been in my life.
If you're ever in town I highly recommend you swing by and shoot a couple games.
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How many tables? I see they have 22,000 sqft.
 
Thx for the pics.
45 tables, sounds like Canada :).
Be good for the customers to put up some glass in back of the bar, with the liquor bottles in front.
It's nice sitting at the bar and be able to see.... what's going on around you w/o having to rotate your chair.
Hope the gals working the floor get breaks, or use roller skates, being on your feet for 8 hrs is tough action.
Wonder if there's a local anchor/Walmart close by.
Do they have two sets of bathrooms?

Nice looking, hope to see it next yr.
bm
 
Looks like there's room for a Carom table right next to this one.
I go to Des Moines every 30 days or less.



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when i go in a pool room i want to hang out, talk to people, watch some play, get to bet on something.
if the food is good ill eat something and have a drink of some kind.

keep people in your business and you can make money.

i can go anywhere and just shoot balls in the hole anytime.
 
garczar said:
niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice joint. they do like their pool in iowa. big dogs is another great spot.
Click to expand...
I'm lucky to live about an hour away. I only get to play in the big city once a year or once every two years. The last time I was at dogs was for a memorial tournament and sadly it seemed the place had gone downhill a bit. Cloth on some tables had literal holes in it, some were open, some superglued back together. The rails and cloth were filthy. I might have just got there before when they replace cloth, I'm not sure, but it was the worst condition I've seen there. The tables all seemed to play a lot differently so I'm guessing they needed the attention of a mechanic. I noticed roll offs and such where they were rare in the past. Oh, and the balls were dirty. That may have been because it was a memorial tournament and they didn't show the attention to the balls they do in bigger events.

There also seemed to be a bit more of a sketchy/criminal feeling than before. I mean, it's Iowa so nothing heinous, but it definitely had some edginess that wasn't there in the past.

I heard a rumor that the owner didn't really hang around as he used to... no idea if that's true or just hearsay.

It's still a good place but I probably won't be entering any tournaments unless they get the tables up to a bit better condition. I don't want to travel an hour to play on ripped up cloth.
 
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