is $1.50 too much for a game of pool?

$2.00 for Diamond bar boxes in NYC. Seriously.

I'll only use them when I need to get ready for Valley Forge or when I want a change of pace from the 9'.
 
Tables

As for myself, I do not drink liquor, so I am not buying shots, beer, mixed drinks or anything but a diet Dr. Pepper, and I think a $1.50 for it is too much.
 
Str8PoolPlayer said:
It's been $1 per game around here for at least a year.

My Buddy in San Francisco owns (2) very busy Bars and has been
charging $1.50 or more per game at least 3 yrs. and his tables are
in constant play from opening to closing.

He clears $500 - $700 per table per week from a total of (6) tables.

I am wishing I owned those tables.
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San Francisco has it's own queer rules of economics.
 
Most of the valley bar boxes here in Columbus,Ohio are owned by a vending company. Almost every suburban bar was $1.00, with a few below that. In February the vending company raised it to $1.25 without raising the bar's share of the take. There was such an uproar that many bars posted the rate increase letter from the vending company, to show the customers that it wasn't the bar's doing.

$1.25 is creating challenges:

The few paper accepting tables have an electrical cord which requires an outlet underneath the table, or just run under a rug. Yup, the bar owners aren't gonna pay to have outlets put in.

The bars without change machines have to stock more quarters, as you need to give out 2 or more dollars in quarters each time someone comes in to play.

In league play we've ending up alternating .50 and .75 cents per game from each player. I know I'm not focusing on how much i have to put in the next game......


In the months following the increase, my local watering hole has shown a 31.8% drop in the pool table usage as calculated by the payments received from the vending company.
 
Rotarded,

St. Louis is similar in that many of the bar boxes are owned by several vending companies. When there are price increases the owners only get 50% or whatever their take is. So when the price goes up 25 cents the owner would get 12.5 cents minus of course taxes. I don't know if this is how most areas of the USA are or not. I assume vending companies are fairly common everywhere. Price increases are never equal to profit increases. Not even close. And when the fire inspector sees the electrical cords under the rugs....that is not gonna fly. One more hurdle for the industry to overcome. Going to bar boxes that need electricity. I think the Diamond Smart tables take batteries tho? Ending my rambling now....sorry...;)
 
i dont know why anyone would want to play on a bar box.If your going to play pool go to a pool hall with 9fters.thats the way the game was meant to be played.$1.50 a game for a bar box is out of line.I would quit on principle.
Theres a hall near me thats a sports bar also.It is clean with flat screen t.v. s and it's always crowded with guy & gals.Some playing pool some drinking & eating.They have about20 tables and some side rooms.
The reason most of these small place go out of business is because the owners don't have enough money to stay afloat for the long haul.
Great service and decent atmosphere and you should do well in the business.
For instance.Look at the hall that recently opened in N.Dakota.Gastraloub i believe is the name,seems he is doing a jam up business.jmo.
 
This a result of the pool table vendors' monopoly over an area. For instance the pool league vendor owns all the pool tables where I live and up to 100 miles in any direction. They set the prices and have no competition because the bar owners don't have a choice. So guess what, they are all 1.50. This is why I have 2 tables at home.
 
To answer the Original question...

Yes, $1.50 is too much for me. I would not play.
 
mnShooter said:
This a result of the pool table vendors' monopoly over an area. For instance the pool league vendor owns all the pool tables where I live and up to 100 miles in any direction. They set the prices and have no competition because the bar owners don't have a choice. So guess what, they are all 1.50. This is why I have 2 tables at home.
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Know any bar owners pissed at the distributor? Why not have them invest in a small Diamond table or two. Price the tables at $1.00 per game. My guess is all the real pool players will be at his bar fighting for time to play. And paying $3.50 each for a beer besides!

Lyn
 
$1.50/game wow. I don't even know what our tables cost per game! We are lucky enough to have a pool hall where the owner caters to all. When asked by the "regular" pool players he opens up the tables and charges us by the hour just like the 9 footers. He even established a greens fee for our league so the tables are open during those times as well. Now if I was just casually cruising to the bar with some friends I would expect $1.00/game as normal and $1.50 as just a nuisance.
 
pwd72s said:
Yes, $1.50 is too much for me. I would not play.
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I'd go broke in a hurry paying $1.50 per game. It's tough enough paying $1.00 a game here. The man I play with most of the time is a run out player and if he breaks and makes a ball he's usually out 9 ball or 8 ball so if I rack and it's $1.50 per rack I won't get many shots for my cash.

Seriously $1.50 per game on a bar box is too much for good players. Bangers can get a few turns, but run out players won't get much play at that rate. I feel for you if that guy's place is the only place to play because he's taking advantage of his customers charging that much.

James
 
We have to pay $1.27 per rack. They are currently talking about a .02 increase. Oddly, the vending company is owned by a retired postmaster.
 
Rate increase = 80% play

If the vendor raises the table rate from $1.00 to $1.25 then they only have to get 80% of the play that they had before to break even from where they were. Even though they are currently down 32% or so, that is probably a temporary boycott from the players,and they're(the vending co) is already 12% from being even, or 20% less play than before. Also their equiptment is getting less use, so the cloth lasts longer, the rail rubber etc.Its foolish for them NOT to raise the rate if the $$$ is the same, or even a little less than even.

Their are other choices for bar owners, especially with the programs DIAMOND offers, they could put in a couple of tables that would be better than any in that area, I agree pool players would be lining up to play.BUT WHAT IF the vending company gets pissed off and takes out their coin changer, dart boards, foosball, JUKEBOX, bartop games, etc!!!!
 
Most bars around here are $1.25, which is high I think. It also is uneven in terms of buying quarters, etc. But I do most of my playing at the hall...$5/hr
 
rossaroni said:
Maybe back in the 50's:thumbup:

I hardly see any places charging $1.00/game or less. We are all talking about coin-op bar tables right?
Click to expand...

The majority of places around me, charge 75 cents, with a few $1.00 places, and I think a couple 50 centers.

We have a very large league membership around Shreveport/Bossier, so I guess that's why so many places keep their prices below $1.00, they get alot of play.

But, to answer the OP, I think anything over a $1.00 is a bit much
 
nucking futs!

he owns the tables and other coin ops in the bars, doesnt own any bars. 1.50 isnt bad if you only play a game or two, but out of all the addicts on here who only plays a game or two?

its not only the cost per game, i have to travel 45 mins. for a home game and a hour for away games only to add on the price per game to that. cant car pool, im the only one in the area who plays this league.

horseshoe billiards in duluth charges .50/game but thats 2 hrs. one way. VFW in I. falls is .50/game 1.5 hrs. one way. bemidji is 1.00/game only because there is a guy who owns some diamond tables in the bars and is keeping the vendor in that area in check.

to top this off our vendor has charged the home bar $90/month because there wasnt any coin in the drop box. is this nucking futs or what? i would be effin mad.

i hadnt checked this thread for awhile and surprised to see all the posts, i knew this was a hot topic. keep em coming!
 
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