Fill Rooms Back Up...Gamble

[macguy]

What rooms are you trying to fill up? I've spent most of my life in smaller towns and if a room opened, it closed again pretty quickly.

For pool to gain in popularity again, I think it has to take a couple steps back. Open rooms that encourage everyone to come in and play, and yes, that means karaoke nights, and trivia nights, and dart boards, etc. Make it kid-friendly enough to encourage younger ones to play. Make it nice enough to encourage the parents to let their kids in the door (dark and seedy may make you feel like a badass, but no helicopter parent is dropping their kid off while they run errands.)

So to summarize. No one is playing pool anymore. You first have to encourage them to pick up a cue before you can get them to bet on the outcome of the game.

The problem with that is, none of that stuff produces any income. You would require then to be drinking to make a little money. Add booze and there goes the young kids you want to bring in. They are not playing pool while they are playing trivia or Karaoke. Remember Disco? The places were packed wall to wall with people dancing. Unfortunately other then maybe a cover charge they never spent any more money to speak of. Disco's just gave the illusion of making money.

The truth is, pool is a game that with a little augmentation can stand alone as long as the bottom line is carefully managed. You will not get rich in the pool room business but you don't have to go broke either. There is no real magic formula beyond a realistic smart business plan.

 

[Johnnyt]

The problem with that is, none of that stuff produces any income. You would require then to be drinking to make a little money. Add booze any there goes the young kids you want to bring in. They are not playing pool while they are playing trivia or Karaoke. Remember Disco? The places were packed wall to wall with people dancing. Unfortunately other then maybe a cover charge they never spent any more money to speak of. Disco's just gave the illusion of making money.

The truth is, pool is a game that with a little augmentation can stand alone as long as the bottom line is carefully managed. You will not get rich in the pool room business but you don't have to go broke either. There is no real magic formula beyond a realistic smart business plan.

Most disco's in NY were for cleaning money. Johnnyt

 

[macguy]

Most disco's in NY were for cleaning money. Johnnyt

I don't doubt that, the way they packed people in it would be impossible to know what they were making. All they had to do was order lots of booze to create the illusion they were taking in a lot of money. Then sell it on the side by the case to get their money out of it or pour it down the drain for that matter.

I knew a guy who converted his bar to Disco. It cost him like $50,000 to do it and he almost went broke before converting back to country western. People in those days likes Ludes. They would take a Lude buy one beer and be whacked out most of the night not spending any money at all in the disco. Just dancing away to free music and scoring drugs.

 

[KRJ]

I feel ya sjd. It's perfectly normal to feel a lil sore and tender after the first time. Sometimes there's even crying afterwards. We've all been there.

If you think guys like me ruined pool I won't argue with you. I prolly wrecked bowling and caused the housing crisis too. I'll keep playing 20 hours a week and spare a thought for the guys who stopped enjoying the game after 1999.


Posted from Azbilliards.com App for Android

good post credo... yeah, no pool rooms closed in the 70's and 80's or 90's ?? The pool rooms were suppose to stay open so a couple of "gamblers" could win a few bucks, never spend a buck in the joint, and then complain when they close.... how funny is that.

I remember that from experience.... the old man's pool room was chock full of dead beats, losers and folks that would NOT spend a nickel if you put a gun to their head....

I use to serve them soda in a cup for .35, and they'd complain because it was not full because it did not hit the very top edge of the cup.... so rather than listen to them
b1tch, i'd just walk back and throw a few more ice cubes in and say, here ya go

 

[CJ Wiley]

One of the better players is 91 years young...how amazing is that?

Even if it's 10 bucks for a race to three. It's not the money it's the betting that makes it exiting. I found out what the SJ in SJD stands for. You are from my home town. Did you play at California Billiards.

The pool room in Ft. Worth is full everyday with locals that play one pocket religiously. One of the better players is 91 years young...how amazing is that? They also play for money, not a lot, but enough to make it interesting.

Golf courses have more gambling on them than pool ever has. Most people play golf for something, drinks, dollars or thousands, it's ultimately just a way to keep score.

And keeping score makes it feel more important.

 

[ironman]

Mr. CreeDo,

Now that I see your true outlook on pool in general, I am not surprised you butted into a conversation I was having with CJ, to give me the ONLY red rep I have ever gotten !...Your views, are 180 degrees different from mine, and MOST of the rest of the forum !..
I don't know why I even bothered to argue with you, via PM...You are obviously a 'funsy' oriented guy, who has NO business even commenting in a thread discussing the gambling element, and its place in pool !...AZB should have a "Funsy Player" sub forum, lest you contaminate the newbies with your philosophy !

Go ahead and give me my 2nd red rep...I will now consider the source, and feel GOOD about it !..People like you, are one of the main reasons pool is on the ropes !

PS..I see you are from the Northeast, so that explains a LOT of your mindset ! (150 points of 14.1 for the time is common there..God forbid, betting a Coke on the side) ...But, JohnnyT managed to overcome the scourge of "funsy pool", and he came from "NEW YAWK"

Oh cam down you old fart!! the days are gone forever and ever. They were fun and exciing butleft round 76 or 77 no traces left.
It was a different time and terminology.
HE first big pool room I walked into was the old family fun Center in Denver back around 1970.
Andy HUdson and Whitey Jack were playing $30 one pocket on table 9 Rodney Robutz and Time Cole were plaoyng on the 5'X10" pool table near the front dor and Al HOgue was playing Ron Frent on the snooker table one handed Gold for $20/$2.
Then who walkede thorough the door? Craig Stevens He ofered to play anybody anything and ended up playing Andy $50 banks and got drilled.
I Had died and gone to heaven.
A few days later I played some Guy called San Jose Dick some $10 nine ball and belw $180 and still sick bout it He shit out on me!!!
Those dys are gone forever. A road player??? AS keith would say,"They dropped like Flies""!
HOw many motels have you stayed in for $19.95 in your day?? For mew, more than I could begin to imagine.