I think it's time someone cleaned up this sport.

larry732 said:
There is nothing wrong with this sport except for a few bad apples. Billiards is a beautiful game of skill, that you can keep learning forever. Todays Billiard Parlors are a fine place not only for a player, but the intire family for an afternoon or evening of fun. The poolroom I play in, Shooters in Southington, CT. have as many as 90 seniors that play in three different leagues during the week. There is also a women's league on Saturdays with over 100 sign ups. On weekends there are fathers bringing in children to learn the game. Its time to forget the stigma that was associated with the old time poolrooms, that were a place for bookmakers and gambling. The rooms today are built for family recreation.
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I'm all for kids and families haVing a nice place to play. What I'm not for is all of the old " real " pool halls closing down as fast as they can. I do believe sports bars and all of the bar boxes absolutely do serve a purpose and have their place. But things that attracted all of those people during different boom periods are just flat out no longer available with the closing of the real pool halls.

For the record, I'm actually pretty middle of the road when it comes to what constitutes a " real " pool room. Imo, jukeboxes are fine ( they do have a volume knob and can be turned down if it were to be bordering a big match. I think having the choice to at least be able to grab a beer is fine too.Food should be limited to very basic quick serve. Maybe a vending machine.

These are some of the things we have lost now a days - the biggest and first that comes to mind are the tables! Half of the time now all you get to play on are cap tables. More often than not no choice for a big table. Another huge problem is keeping the tables up. Either their too lazy or just have no idea what they are doing - but the result is the same, cap tables that aren't even playable. Here's another BIG ONE! Gone are the days of the 24/7 365 days a year. Wasn't it a great feeling knowing no matter what she would ALWAYS be there for ya? Sure if you feel the need for some action you can just go to the casino ( another huge problem in itself ) but honestly it's NO WHERE near being the same! How cool was it when you could go in, get in a game, and play for 12-14 hours straight? Even just sitting there sweating it with your friends was awesome ! Any given table could have a big stack of chez on top of the light!

All of these things I have mentioned definitely are contributing factors for sure. They're not the main reason though.IMHO it all comes down to one word --- INFUSION ---. To be more specific --- LACK THEORY OF ---. Lack of cash infusion. Lack of dedicated player infusion ( fish ). Sure, if the SVB vs DO had went off without a hitch It would have been awesome and the exposure would have been great too, but those types of matches are not what I am speaking of. I'm talking about the hierarchy in your local pool room. Every month you could always count on 1 or 2 new faces coming in, hanging out, and ultimately getting in action. They would inevitably go broke, and be back the very next week with their paycheck just a burning a whole in their pocket. See as people died, or went off to jail these are the folks that keep the action going - therefore keeping the pool hall going. After they took enough beatings, paid their dues, they might get a little better and the next round of fish were swimming thru the door.

This is what we are missing. As people drop off the radar there is no one to replace them. What we are left with is the same Ole people sitting around, telling lies, and want odds to bet water is wet. Not a formula for success lol.
 
I guess we are lucky to have "Shooters " In Southington,CT. They have 20 nine foot Brunswick tables, that are cleaned and vacuumed daily.There are three senior leagues during the day and four open leagues in the evening. Also, there are open nine ball tournaments on three different evenings each week. There is free instruction for all on Saturdays, followed by a ladies tournament. There is a
full game room and a great kitchen. Sundays after 4:00 pm there is free play for all league members. Shooters is owned by Sal ( cool cat ) Conti, who is a Artistic Pool champion. The quality of play is quite high and the players include, doctors, dentists, a Probate judge who recently passed away, many veterans and just plain nice people. How lucky we are.
 
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larry732 said:
I guess we are lucky to have "Shooters " In Southington,CT. They have 20 nine foot Brunswick tables, that are cleaned and vacuumed daily.There are three senior leagues during the day and four open leagues in the evening. Also, there are open nine ball tournaments on three different evenings each week. There is free instruction for all on Saturdays, followed by a ladies tournament. There is a
full game room and a great kitchen. Sundays after 4:00 pm there is free play for all league members. Shooters is owned by Sal ( cool cat ) Conti, who is a Artistic Pool champion. The quality of play is quite high and the players include, doctors, dentists, a Probate judge who recently passed away, many veterans and just plain nice people. How lucky we are.
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I took my first lesson ever just a couple of weeks ago, and it was with Sal. Yeah, Shooters is very nice. It's just 1 notch up from a traditional pool hall, with a real bar, well maintained equipment, and just a pleasant atmosphere. I'm east of Hartford, so it's a bit of a drive for me, but I hope to get there more often.
 
Cracktherack said:
Start with prohibiting pattern racking like you see in this video, promoted as "runs a 6 pack."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5CRbIGy5PE

Note the 2, 3 & 4 at the back of the rack every time, the 5 & 8 as wing balls and the 6, 7 up front. The soft break pockets the wing ball and sends the 2 up by the side. If the 1 doesn't go in, you have an easy 2 to get started.
I see him shoot one tough shot the whole 6 racks and it was a 1 ball.
When his run ends, notice the 2 failed to come off the bottom rail with his soft break.
This is unsportsmanlike conduct, heralded as great play. He should be disqualified.
If you're as good as he is, why do you have to cheat?
This is what needs to be cleaned up in pool.
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One solution would be a random number generator to determine the order of the balls. It wouldn't be hard to do.
 
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