Here's why pool is dying....

[ElKabong]

Went to a local room last night.
6 nice Diamond's, few people playing.
One guy might play some $20 sets if I give up the lock....
Funsies 1P going on, no action, can't even get on the table.
Went downstairs since Monday is 1/2 No Limit Hold Em night, won $260 in like 2 hours and was never even close to losing money. Playing ultra tight and getting paid everytime I made a hand.
Any of these guys that are dumping big money into the poker room, wouldn't play in a $1 ball ring game if you held a gun to their head!

Pool...talent required to win...you know if you can play or not!

Poker... no talent required to win a big pot, talent required to win long-term, everyone THINKS they can play!

 

[C.Milian]

Went to a local room last night.
6 nice Diamond's, few people playing.
One guy might play some $20 sets if I give up the lock....
Funsies 1P going on, no action, can't even get on the table.
Went downstairs since Monday is 1/2 No Limit Hold Em night, won $260 in like 2 hours and was never even close to losing money. Playing ultra tight and getting paid everytime I made a hand.
Any of these guys that are dumping big money into the poker room, wouldn't play in a $1 ball ring game if you held a gun to their head!

Pool...talent required to win...you know if you can play or not!

Poker... no talent required to win a big pot, talent required to win long-term, everyone THINKS they can play!

It's just more enjoyable when you can't play as good as the best, but can still make a score. You don't get harrased. The house dosen't charge you an arm and a leg. They comp you food.

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

Went to a local room last night.
6 nice Diamond's, few people playing.
One guy might play some $20 sets if I give up the lock....
Funsies 1P going on, no action, can't even get on the table.
Went downstairs since Monday is 1/2 No Limit Hold Em night, won $260 in like 2 hours and was never even close to losing money. Playing ultra tight and getting paid everytime I made a hand.
Any of these guys that are dumping big money into the poker room, wouldn't play in a $1 ball ring game if you held a gun to their head!

Pool...talent required to win...you know if you can play or not!

Poker... no talent required to win a big pot, talent required to win long-term, everyone THINKS they can play!

Gambling where Party "A" matches up to Play "B" does nothing for the owner of the Pool Rooms bottom line unless the Winner is giving the Pool Room Owner part of their winning plus table time.


Also one poke table seats how many players, and a pool table take up how much space in a room?

 

[Roadie]

Part of the reason pool is dying is because pool rooms set up poker games. The fact of it is that pool had a heyday in the public spotlight but in reality pool has always been a backdrop to other gambling activities, cards, dice, dominoes, betting the horses and dogs.

The only way for pool to grow is to bring more people into the game. The fact that less people who still play feel like gambling at pool has nothing to do with the fact that there are simply less people who feel like playing pool at all in an organized or habitual manner.

Bring more people into the game and the amount of people willing to gamble will also increase.

 

[brophog]

Or it could be the continued insistence on here that gambling on pool is the same as playing pool.

I don't see anywhere that the OP wanted to play pool so badly that he just played pool. No, what I read was that he wanted to gamble so badly that he gave up on pool.

If all you want is to gamble, then the modern world has loads of ways much easier to get that rush than playing pool. If you want to play the game of pool though, because you enjoy the game, then you'll play the game and maybe even encourage a few others to enjoy it, too.

 

[KRJ]

hmm

Or it could be the continued insistence on here that gambling on pool is the same as playing pool.

I don't see anywhere that the OP wanted to play pool so badly that he just played pool. No, what I read was that he wanted to gamble so badly that he gave up on pool.

If all you want is to gamble, then the modern world has loads of ways much easier to get that rush than playing pool. If you want to play the game of pool though, because you enjoy the game, then you'll play the game and maybe even encourage a few others to enjoy it, too.

Great Post.

We all know the reason folks watch baseball, hockey, football and basketball is NOT for the gambling aspect. Yes, we know more money is bet on the Super Bowl than what most third world countries GNP, but the majority watching are not betting one red cent.

Just not enough interest. Just not enough excitement compared with what is out there today. My son is 12 and I have a pool table in the basement and he wants nothing to do with it. Karate, baseball, and video games, and he is all over it.....

Heck, even my wife can't stand to watch pool on TV, she just picks up a book. Unless you play the game, and play it on some type of proficient or regular basis, watching pool is NEVER gonna be popular. It's a fringe sport with a shady past. It is what it is. Don't mean the rest of us can't enjoy it. Heck, I don't think bowling is all that much better except they can introduce kids at much earlier age with the "bumpers" and birthday parties, and such to get them in the door. And not to mention that Wii bowling is great !! The Wii pool isn't bad either though !!

 

[lfigueroa]

Went to a local room last night.
6 nice Diamond's, few people playing.
One guy might play some $20 sets if I give up the lock....
Funsies 1P going on, no action, can't even get on the table.
Went downstairs since Monday is 1/2 No Limit Hold Em night, won $260 in like 2 hours and was never even close to losing money. Playing ultra tight and getting paid everytime I made a hand.
Any of these guys that are dumping big money into the poker room, wouldn't play in a $1 ball ring game if you held a gun to their head!

Pool...talent required to win...you know if you can play or not!

Poker... no talent required to win a big pot, talent required to win long-term, everyone THINKS they can play!

It's basically the story of the boats.

I have told a number of guys that the very worst game they could match up in the pool room would offer them far better odds than any game in the casino. But... there they go.

Can you imagine matching up with an opponent in the pool room who basically says: I will be here to play you 24 hours a day; you have the same game for life; I will never ask to adjust; and you can bet all you want for as long as you want.

Same guys that are all over that won't play some for $20 a game with a decent spot, lol.

Genius.

Lou Figueroa

 

[wambamcam]

Seems to me that the old time "pool rooms" are dying out fast. Nowadays, rooms need to have a full bar, waitresses (hot ones at that), loud music, and tons of tvs with every sport on imaginable.

Here locally the busiest day is Saturday and Sunday daytime when they show the college and NFL games. The place's packed and maybe 3 or 4 tables are being used, tops.

 

[JCIN]

Nothing in life makes me sicker than to see four or five elite level pool players sitting around a poker table in Vegas or Reno or wherever. No one will play $100 sets but they will happily donk off every last dollar at a poker table taking way the worst of it.

Its even sicker when its a dice table.

 

[danquixote]

I do not think pool is dying. I see people playing in every place that has a table. The money is there for the elite few that have supernatural ability. Like the old west gunslinger with a rep for being the fastest.....someone will always challenge those at the top. For the average Joe, you're lucky to win enough to pay your tab at the end of an evening. The number of folks playing pool for enjoyment and not for cash may be in a state of flux, but I have no problem finding someone to play anytime day or night. Gambling on pool is certainly on the decline, unless as stated before, you are among the elite, but pool players abound and those that simply enjoy playing for the sake of enjoyment have no end of opportunities to do so...JMHO......Dan

 

[risky biz]

It's just more enjoyable when you can't play as good as the best, but can still make a score. You don't get harrased. The house dosen't charge you an arm and a leg. They comp you food.

Be logical. Poker is a hell of a lot more expensive than pool. It's only cheap for a few because the losers are paying the cost. But the losers will keep playing because they figure they just need to get more lucky. They know damned well that they'll never get lucky enough at pool to win any money.

 

[Roadie]

It's basically the story of the boats.

I have told a number of guys that the very worst game they could match up in the pool room would offer them far better odds than any game in the casino. But... there they go.

Can you imagine matching up with an opponent in the pool room who basically says: I will be here to play you 24 hours a day; you have the same game for life; I will never ask to adjust; and you can bet all you want for as long as you want.

Same guys that are all over that won't play some for $20 a game with a decent spot, lol.

Genius.

Lou Figueroa

Completely agree. However pool can never match the chance of the big payoff that casino games offer. Nowhere outside of ridiculous hustler stories does the average player have a chance to turn a modest bankroll into a large bankroll except for casino games. Pool even with an edge feels like work. Gambling on casino games feels like the player is just one roll of the dice, one spin of the wheel, on turn of the cards away from a massive payday. Of course the majority who chase that payoff are not the hardcore grinders who know how to manage their bankroll and eke out a living by maintaining a slight winning average against the house.

Pool players have always been notorious for dumping off their money to the track, to bookies, to poker games and casino games. The biggest difference now is tournaments and that poker is mainstream. This brings in way more dead money and the big wins by amateurs is like honey to a fly.

This is what is pulling the average pool gambler out of the pool room. The average decent player has to work to match up. They are too good for the suckers and not good enough to snap off the top players even with weight. So the action they used to get is gone and the action they can get is too tough. Still I agree that the odds are better for them with just about any decent pool game they would make than against the house at the casino.

People like David Peat and Nick Schulman are also prime motivators for pool players to try their hand at poker. Most pool players would think that if these guys can do it then so can they. Without realizing that the reason those guys win consistently is that they have the talent for it just like they do not have the talent to beat top level pool players playing even. The difference is that they know the difference.

 

[Spider1]

Poker is to blame for pool's decline?!

7 or 8 years ago almost every bar in the country was running some sort of texas holdem thing every week (sometimes 3 or 4 times a week)....Now?

 

[Kim Bye]

First off, remember i come from Norway and gambling is not allowed over here, so that might colour my view, but it seems to me that it's the gambling aspect itself is whats turns people away.
It's intimidating for a novice to see people playing for money and knowing that if you want to be a better player, you eventually are going to be playing these guys - wich means giving them your money..
And besides gambling has always gone hand in hand with alcohol, prostitutes and other not so charming elements.
For the majorety of people their hobby is nothing they are trying to make money off - why should pool be any different.
The focus should to broaden the appeal of the sport, that means making the Whole experiance more pleasant for the avereage Joe.

 

[richiebalto]

Went to a local room last night.
6 nice Diamond's, few people playing.
One guy might play some $20 sets if I give up the lock....
Funsies 1P going on, no action, can't even get on the table.
Went downstairs since Monday is 1/2 No Limit Hold Em night, won $260 in like 2 hours and was never even close to losing money. Playing ultra tight and getting paid everytime I made a hand.
Any of these guys that are dumping big money into the poker room, wouldn't play in a $1 ball ring game if you held a gun to their head!

Pool...talent required to win...you know if you can play or not!

Poker... no talent required to win a big pot, talent required to win long-term, everyone THINKS they can play!

yeah the same reason my rangerover is dying,i dont have enough money to keep up with it!ok in seriousness pool is going to make a comeback slow but surely,well if iam wrong it sounds good anyway,GODBLESS pool and all its players!

 

[ironman]

First off, remember i come from Norway and gambling is not allowed over here, so that might colour my view, but it seems to me that it's the gambling aspect itself is whats turns people away.
It's intimidating for a novice to see people playing for money and knowing that if you want to be a better player, you eventually are going to be playing these guys - wich means giving them your money..
And besides gambling has always gone hand in hand with alcohol, prostitutes and other not so charming elements.
For the majorety of people their hobby is nothing they are trying to make money off - why should pool be any different.
The focus should to broaden the appeal of the sport, that means making the Whole experiance more pleasant for the avereage Joe.

This is hilarious.
Firstly Booze is what supports pool rooms, not pool players. Most pool room owners never see 4 feet past the bar anyway.
Secondly, Prostitutes?? Are you high?? A decent Flatbacker could make $100 a week in the average pool room these days.

 

[Kim Bye]

This is hilarious.
Firstly Booze is what supports pool rooms, not pool players. Most pool room owners never see 4 feet past the bar anyway.
Secondly, Prostitutes?? Are you high?? A decent Flatbacker could make $100 a week in the average pool room these days.

No im not high :smile:
As i stated, things Are different here in Norway.
But i do Work as a mixologist and the connection between alcohol, sex and drugs is pretty obvious to me.
Here in Norway we pay around $12/hour per person to rent the table and people often only have a beer or a soda while they are playing.
English is not my native language, so i apologise if i made a poor sentence or two.
Anyways it was the fact that people are playing for money that i think many people have problems with and hence they stay away from pool halls all together, even though they like the game.

 

[DRW]

Nothing in life makes me sicker than to see four or five elite level pool players sitting around a poker table in Vegas or Reno or wherever. No one will play $100 sets but they will happily donk off every last dollar at a poker table taking way the worst of it.

Its even sicker when its a dice table.

True that!

 

[Slh]

much easier to win money in poker.... I know friends who won a decent prize and they think they are great players...
the difference is... in pool you know you don't have a chance to win against a much stronger player... in poker in the short term everybody can win even a player who doesn't have a clue on poker.

 

[ElKabong]

It's not about the money at all, really.

I'm more than happy to play a long set of 9ball with a weaker or stronger player for table time. Hell, even split the time, just something!
It's like no one wants to play up and get better.

When I first started, I would hang out all day and wait until a good player got bored enough to play me for table time or a couple bucks on the 9. It was a whole lot more productive than banging them around with another newbie. It's like league player mentality is killing the will to improve.

The best thing I've seen for pool locally is a B player or below King Of the Hill tourney, which introduces a luck factor in the draw. It's $25 entry with like 30 players, and the calcutta goes over $2k regularly. This brings in people who arent even playing to get in the calcutta.

My family used to have a pool hall/arcade/video rental, no alcohol, good food.
We had a kids tourney once a month, 15 and under. After a couple months, the tournament was over 20 players. This is all in a small community.
The point being, kids love to compete, money, no money, tropy , whatever.
Bragging rights were the real prize. That's what is missing.

Oh yeah, if you want to make money, soccer moms LOVE to spend money on their kids. We sold Meucci and Joss cues like hotcakes for a couple years.