How popular is it really and whats the value of it?

[Kevin3824]

How many times per year does the average american shoot pool? I thought I read somewhere this past week it is less than ten times per year. I don't know if it is true or accurate though. If it is even close then there is very little hope for success in any part of the billiards industry unless something breathes life back into the sport and gets far more people interested.

Think about it there are far more bars with pool tables than pool halls. The most bars only have pool tables for the convenience of the customers and to try and make some customers more regular. As a business sees it every sq foot of floor space has a price on it. That's why you don't often see 9 ft tables in bars.

It has been said many times on here the only way pool halls can survive is through revenue made from sales and not the actual table time. The problem with that concept is that with the internet people can find great pricing for supplies and the pool halls may not be able to achieve the profit margins they want or need.

This is not even touching the service side of the industry such as cue repair or maintenance. Or for that matter instruction.

 

[galipeau]

I'm confused. What are you asking?

 

[captainjko]

I am going to play regardless of any average that is posted... As long as there is somewhere to go, I will go.. If not, I have my own table....

 

[PhilosopherKing]

How many times a year is the average American playing football?

 

[jamnut]

I'm with captainjko, as long as there is somewhere to shoot, I will go. I don't have my own table, so I will go out if/when I can, I don't care about averages. Nor do I care what value it has or doesn't have.
Most of the places to shoot around here are sports bars, but most of them have eight-foot tables, and it's $8-14/hr to play. Pool doesn't show many signs of dying around Chicago, (although I can't be everywhere) as there are always people playing when I go to shoot, and some nights, very crowded.
I hope this situation affects your area soon!

 

[AF pool guy]

That's probably a high number. There are 240 million adults in the US If each of them played just 10 games a year at $0.50 a game that would be a $1.2 Billion a year industry, if there were that kind of money floating around you bet we'd get more attention.

 

[PhilosopherKing]

That's probably a high number. There are 240 million adults in the US If each of them played just 10 games a year at $0.50 a game that would be a $1.2 Billion a year industry, if there were that kind of money floating around you bet we'd get more attention.

I'd bet a dollar that a huge portion of that pool is played on home or other private tables.

 

[CJH]

How many times per year does the average american shoot pool? I thought I read somewhere this past week it is less than ten times per year.

The "average American" (whatever that is) plays LESS THAN ten times per year?

Yes, I agree. My guess is the real number is closer to < 1 time per year. If you include all the above and below average Americans, it's way less than 1 time per year.

 

[AF pool guy]

I'd bet a dollar that a huge portion of that pool is played on home or other private tables.

Sure, but a homeowner with a $1000 furniture-style table is probably putting more per game into the "industry" than the 2-quarters-a-game folks.

 

[05carbondrz]

Where are You Guys playing for .50 per Game? My Local place is $1.50 per Game on a Valley Bar Box.....I bought my own Table

 

[AF pool guy]

I don't know I haven't put quarters into a table in years. Maybe I meant 50 cents per person?

But using your numbers would just make my point even larger making the industry worth upwards of $3.5B per year. That's like Star Wars money.

 

[realkingcobra]

The "average American" (whatever that is) plays LESS THAN ten times per year?

Yes, I agree. My guess is the real number is closer to < 1 time per year. If you include all the above and below average Americans, it's way less than 1 time per year.

That's assuming when you say average American.....is that taking in account for every American in this country....some 300 million....or just the ones that play pool.

 

[realkingcobra]

How many times per year does the average american shoot pool? I thought I read somewhere this past week it is less than ten times per year. I don't know if it is true or accurate though. If it is even close then there is very little hope for success in any part of the billiards industry unless something breathes life back into the sport and gets far more people interested.

Think about it there are far more bars with pool tables than pool halls. The most bars only have pool tables for the convenience of the customers and to try and make some customers more regular. As a business sees it every sq foot of floor space has a price on it. That's why you don't often see 9 ft tables in bars.

It has been said many times on here the only way pool halls can survive is through revenue made from sales and not the actual table time. The problem with that concept is that with the internet people can find great pricing for supplies and the pool halls may not be able to achieve the profit margins they want or need.

This is not even touching the service side of the industry such as cue repair or maintenance. Or for that matter instruction.

Better question to ask is how many Americans out of the some 300 million people living in this country.....even play pool?

 

[Mr. Bond]

I recommend looking into real statistics.
You'll find that local economics vary greatly from state to state, city to city.

 

[Kevin3824]

Better question to ask is how many Americans out of the some 300 million people living in this country.....even play pool?

According to a document I just found at https://www1.cfnc.org/Plan/For_A_Ca...gNzUI6xZl0h6IInegXAP3DPAXXAP3DPAX&sectionId=1
that question is answered.

The Billiards Congress of America says there are about 46 million people playing pool in about 9,000 facilities throughout North America. Ninety-five percent of those people play pool. Only three percent and two percent play carom and snooker respectively.
dotAbout one-third of all players are women. The BCA says about 11 million Americans are frequent billiards players who play more than 25 times a year. The numbers indicate about 15 percent of players are women.
dotPool is also open to wheelchair players. Pete Vanko started the National Wheelchair Billiards Association two years ago. The NWBA now has 2,700 members. "The average table is about 30 inches high," Vanko explains. "It's almost perfect for anyone in a wheelchair."
dotPool might be one of the cheapest sports around. You don't need a ball or special shoes. You can rent a table, balls, cue sticks, chalk and rack in a billiards hall or poolroom for about $5 to $10 an hour. You can play in many pubs for a dollar -- just the cost of renting the balls.
dotLessons are also fairly inexpensive. Stuart Scheer of New York City says you can get group lessons for about $6. Private lessons can go for between $25 and $40.
Jerry Briesath is a master instructor and owner of The Pool School. He says that fees vary based on the experience, reputation and location of the instructor. He suggests the range is between $30 and $125 an hour.

I was really asking because I wanted more information about the standing of the industry as a whole. It seems to me that most people who would go out and buy a table of there own would do so at least partly to save money by owning it and not having to rent it. Also the convenience of being able to practice without having to travel or wait till the pool hall or other public access pool table opens. When people mention the concept of playing pool at home or wanting to be self sustaining in their own pool habits there seems to be a lot of attitude.

 

[Mr. Bond]

Private pool and public pool (or professional pool) are two different things.
They do not depend on each other.

 

[realkingcobra]

According to a document I just found at https://www1.cfnc.org/Plan/For_A_Ca...gNzUI6xZl0h6IInegXAP3DPAXXAP3DPAX&sectionId=1
that question is answered.

The Billiards Congress of America says there are about 46 million people playing pool in about 9,000 facilities throughout North America. Ninety-five percent of those people play pool. Only three percent and two percent play carom and snooker respectively.
dotAbout one-third of all players are women. The BCA says about 11 million Americans are frequent billiards players who play more than 25 times a year. The numbers indicate about 15 percent of players are women.
dotPool is also open to wheelchair players. Pete Vanko started the National Wheelchair Billiards Association two years ago. The NWBA now has 2,700 members. "The average table is about 30 inches high," Vanko explains. "It's almost perfect for anyone in a wheelchair."
dotPool might be one of the cheapest sports around. You don't need a ball or special shoes. You can rent a table, balls, cue sticks, chalk and rack in a billiards hall or poolroom for about $5 to $10 an hour. You can play in many pubs for a dollar -- just the cost of renting the balls.
dotLessons are also fairly inexpensive. Stuart Scheer of New York City says you can get group lessons for about $6. Private lessons can go for between $25 and $40.
Jerry Briesath is a master instructor and owner of The Pool School. He says that fees vary based on the experience, reputation and location of the instructor. He suggests the range is between $30 and $125 an hour.

I was really asking because I wanted more information about the standing of the industry as a whole. It seems to me that most people who would go out and buy a table of there own would do so at least partly to save money by owning it and not having to rent it. Also the convenience of being able to practice without having to travel or wait till the pool hall or other public access pool table opens. When people mention the concept of playing pool at home or wanting to be self sustaining in their own pool habits there seems to be a lot of attitude.

I wouldn't trust that information to save my life, that's the sa.e info the BCA published long before 9/11.

 

[Kevin3824]

Private pool and public pool (or professional pool) are two different things.
They do not depend on each other.

Granted there is a difference between amateur pool and professional pool. There is also a difference between pool played at home and pool played in public. However, if you think about it anytime pool is being played with commercially created equipment it is supporting the sport / Industry.

Once a person invests in their own equipment and supplies they are no longer dependent upon public access pool tables but they are still dependent upon skilled professionals in the field like table mechanics to maintain their equipment (replacing cloth, cushions, leveling, moving, etc...). They will also likely be purchasing extra cues, a ball polisher, table cover, lights, bridge, racks, pool balls and expendable supplies like chalk and talc.

When you add it all up it can be quite and investment to have a quality setup at your home. That investment goes directly into the pool industry.

 

[TheBook]

Many polls are based on a sampling and using statistics they come up with a number.

Other than the pool players that I know none of my friends, relatives or aquaintances play pool. I have a table that I shoot on every day. My wife hasn't hit a ball on it in years. Relatives and company never want to play except for one of their brat kids that want to "play" because it is there.


The other is what is the average based on? Is it all the total times people have played divided by the whole population. Take that number and multiply it by the population and you will get the total sessions. Problem with this is it considering that 10 players could be involved on one table for 3 or 4 hours during a league. That is different than 10 players on single tables or 10 players against each other on 5 tables but the number will still be 50 times people have played.

 

[buckets]

How many times a year is the average American playing football?

this was my first thought also

I feel like there are as many casual pool players as there are beer league baseball/softball/football/basketball (individually, not combined) players in America