Was talking to a guy over the weekend who has been playing since the early 60's and we were talking how has Pool, Pool Rooms, Pool Equipment HAS CHANGE since we started playing the game.
My first exposure to Pool was at the Boys Club of America in Miami Florida, about 1954. The Pool tables we like the worst there could be by today stands, the Legs were like Loose Sawhorses, I think they folded under the Table for Storage, there was No Slate, the Tables Bed was CHIP Board, and the Felt was just that Felt. Every-time you pocketed a Ball it sounded like there was a Earth Quake in the room with the sound of Rattling Dishes, or Nick Nacks, as the Ball fell and went down the return.
We had only House Cue, there were warped, and most did have tips,and the tables must have been Bar Box Sized if memory is correct. Kids stood on line to play, and as long as you kept winning the only game we knew, 8 Ball you stay on the table all day, for the next challenger to try and take it away from you. Pool tables always had line of kids waiting to play. Pool was in vogue!
Fast forward to the 60's as a teenager I play at the YMCA in California, and there were real Pool Tables by Brunswick, and the games were much more fun on good equipment with decent house cues! That "Y" was in upscale Glendale, CA!
Fast forward again to the 1970's and it was Bakers in Burbank, and North Hollywood Billiard in North Hollywood, both places just west of LA. This was my first exposure to a REAL POOL ROOM, with nothing but POOL like the guy say in the the Hustler, "Just Pool this is Ames" .
This was the first time I saw big money matches, where guy were winning and loosing a month pay in a night of gambling. The hustlers, and road players came when the Ponies were running at Santa Anita, or Hollywood Park, taking money from the unsuspecting guys who thought they were great, or at the very least better than these strangers. Armadas of Rail Birds sat quietly watching the battle for the GREEN than many night went into the we hours of the morning.
Back then there were no instructional book, VHS's, DVD's, or anything, and most of the better Players would SHARE NOTHING they knew about play Pool better. Most people still were playing with house cue, and if you own your own Cue it was a very big deal.
I never saw a Bar box back than, the tables were all 4.5" x 9.0, or 5' x 10', or 6' x 12'ers. Never heard of a pool league. These places did not serve alcohol, or much food with the exception of maybe a Hot Dog that could be heat up in a Shine Oven with a Hot Light. Pool table time, soft drinks, and snakes time paid the bills.
The 80's came and went and I went in to a work my butt off mode hoping to retire early. Than came the 90's and I played Pool again a couple of time a month, but it was on 4.5" x 9.0' Tables, and there were still a lot of REAL POOL Rooms, but many had started going under, and most Pool was being played in Bars on small tables.
Like I said Pool has change a lot in the years I have playing the game. I hope it survive another 50 years, but it seem to be going out of vogue. People seem to want this fast now, no challenge, and video games, computers, the internet is in vogue.
. I found myself wondering if i might not have played at a much higher level had someone taught me how to use english and other aspects of the game earlier .
