It's been a long time since I played proper pool. I play a few games with buddies here and there but I'm not sure when I went out specifically to play serious pool with good players. So today when I went to my favorite bar/pool room with my best friend (who's a great player) there was a very pleasant surprise. Since a lady here became the new owner, they began to change and develop the place rapidly. Less than a year ago it was an old bar, quite big, OK prices, but almost no customers, mostly due to a bad location away from any high-traffic area. They had darts, betting machines and a separate pool room with two old but still good 7-footers. It took us some time to find this place, but once we did, we enjoyed the fact we practically never had to wait in line, and there were also some very good house cues we absolutely loved playing with. After some time the old owner usually allowed us to play for free after we ordered a drink. But it was obvious their business had no future, and it was only a matter of time they had to sell the place.
Fast forward one year and the whole place changed entirely. New, modern design, new tables, chairs, everything. It looks and feels so much better to spend some time in that place now. But what changed the most was the pool room. Old tables were replaced with a brand new 9-footer, and an older but completely reconditioned 7 ft coin op bar box. They have some new, amazing cues, lots of reserve chalk, chairs and sofas for people who want to sit and watch, and most importantly, a crowd of very good players, both older and younger, who visit the place and play for hours regularly. What's great is that you pay for table time on the big table while you insert coins in the barbox, so everyone is happy. There are real (official) 8ball rules hanging on the wall now, and we found out they will most likely have regular tournaments here in a couple of months.
The owner showed me this one guy who's supposed to be one of the best players in the country, and in whole Europe as well! He was playing 8ball, 9ball and 10ball on the 9-footer the entire time with guys who weren't far below him. This was the second time in my life I've ever seen someone shoot 9ball and the first time I've seen 10ball. I didn't ask for his name as I was busy getting back to my old game on the 7-footer, and I was surprised with the fact I can still dish out a good match. My friend and I played two other pairs 2v2 and won both matches. Then two top-level guys showed up, we gave our best, but lost 4-2. Never mind, it was a great pool day, so much new stuff to enjoy, and I definitely had a lot of fun. I'm excited to see pool is finally growing in my area: new tables and equipment, tournaments, top-level players, official rules, and new games showing up besides 8ball. I wonder what the future holds...
Fast forward one year and the whole place changed entirely. New, modern design, new tables, chairs, everything. It looks and feels so much better to spend some time in that place now. But what changed the most was the pool room. Old tables were replaced with a brand new 9-footer, and an older but completely reconditioned 7 ft coin op bar box. They have some new, amazing cues, lots of reserve chalk, chairs and sofas for people who want to sit and watch, and most importantly, a crowd of very good players, both older and younger, who visit the place and play for hours regularly. What's great is that you pay for table time on the big table while you insert coins in the barbox, so everyone is happy. There are real (official) 8ball rules hanging on the wall now, and we found out they will most likely have regular tournaments here in a couple of months.
The owner showed me this one guy who's supposed to be one of the best players in the country, and in whole Europe as well! He was playing 8ball, 9ball and 10ball on the 9-footer the entire time with guys who weren't far below him. This was the second time in my life I've ever seen someone shoot 9ball and the first time I've seen 10ball. I didn't ask for his name as I was busy getting back to my old game on the 7-footer, and I was surprised with the fact I can still dish out a good match. My friend and I played two other pairs 2v2 and won both matches. Then two top-level guys showed up, we gave our best, but lost 4-2. Never mind, it was a great pool day, so much new stuff to enjoy, and I definitely had a lot of fun. I'm excited to see pool is finally growing in my area: new tables and equipment, tournaments, top-level players, official rules, and new games showing up besides 8ball. I wonder what the future holds...
