Looking For Pool Halls In Oz...
- Thread starter zdsinger
- Start date
TheThaiger
Banned
Good luck in Sydney. There's one on George, but it's pretty bad.
That's City Heroes. It's air-conditioned, got 31 Gold Crown V tables, 3 snooker tables, free internet.
Clearly not up to your standard.
Pool in Oz
I am in Sydney and I own a company called OzBilliards. We are the largest provider of US style pool products in Australia. Send me a PM and I can hook you up with casual players of all levels in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide or Brisbane/Gold Coast. Maybe even people willing to play for cash.
Here I will try and give you as much info as possible.
Sydney and Melbourne are very different 'scenes'. Due to local liquor licensing laws, alcohol is only available in pool halls in Melbourne. Sydney rooms are all dry. Pubs and bars exist with 7 foot pool tables in both places, but only the pool halls have 9 foot tables.
SYDNEY
There are 5 pool halls in Sydney city, all within 7 or 8 blocks of each other in the centre of the city.
Wembley Snooker Centre: 841 George St - older style room - home of NSW State Championships - can get busy, nearly always a table available.
Owner = Kim
12 x 9 foot Brunswick Metro tables - pockets are standard but play tight.
City Heroes: 505 George St - very new room - popular with kids as it is beneath the cinema centre - can get busy but always a table available.
Owner = Walter
30 x 9 foot Brunswick Gold Crown tables + 4 x 9 foot Brunswick Gold Crown Tournament tables + 3 x 12 foot Riley snooker tables - all new tables - standard & tournament cut pockets - fast rolling and pockets take balls easy (snooker tables tight). Not much room between most tables, would be better if 20 to 25 tables only.
Cue City: 1 Dixon St (basement) - very clean room in Chinatown - mostly Asian couples and young adults - VERY busy most nights.
Owner = Peter
16 x 9 foot Hollywood tables (Korean Brunswick imitation) - standard pockets - very fast rolling and pockets take balls standard.
Cue City 2: 311-313 Sussex St - clean room on edge of Chinatown - mixed clientele. mostly Asian - busy most nights.
Owner = Peter
14 x 9 foot Hollywood tables (Korean Brunswick imitation) + 5 x 8 foot Hollywood carom tables - standard pockets (except carom...lol) - very fast rolling and pockets take balls standard.
Billiard World: 95 Bathurst St - very clean room - hard to find so busy times vary.
Owner = Hung
16 x 9 foot Hollywood tables (Korean Brunswick imitation) - standard pockets - very fast rolling and pockets take balls easy.
There is only one other room worth visiting.
Top Shot Pool Room: 2/185 Airds Rd, Leumeah (far South West Sydney)
Owners = Calabrese family. (Joe, Chris & Vinnie)
2 x 9 foot Brunswick tables + 2 x 9 foot Olio tables (Brunswick copy) + a mix of different size snooker tables - Brunswick pockets are standard but play tight - Olio pockets are standard and play standard.
HINT - do not play Chris or Vinnie for money. They are both world class pool and snooker players.
There are also a few friendly players with tables at home in outlying suburbs. Sydney is as big in area as Los Angeles but pool is mostly played in pubs or bars. There is a mix of:
WEPF (World Eightball Pool Federation) style tables - 7' x 3'6" rounded snooker style pockets with a cue ball that is larger or smaller than the object balls. About 85%
Bar boxes with a 'mudball'. About 15%
MELBOURNE
There are a number of rooms in Melbourne. Most of the rooms mentioned cater for WEPF pool (rounded pockets with a small cueball), and snooker. I will only mention how many 9 foot tables are in each venue. My info may not be up to date, but here goes anyway.
Kings Entertainment Complex
http://www.kingsentertainment.com.au
366 Boundary Rd, Dingley Village, Melbourne VIC 3172
Phone: (03) 9558 3222
10 tables - Brunswick (5) Olio (5)
Legends Entertainment Centre
Website: http://www.legendsentertainmentcentre.com
534 High St, Epping Shop 16, Melbourne VIC 3076
Phone: (03) 8401 3610
5 tables - Brunswick Metro.
Prince's Entertainment Centre
http://www.princesentertainment.com.au
1068-1074 Dandenong Rd, Carnegie, VIC 3163
Phone: (03) 9571 9473
8 tables - Brunswick
Slate Pool Lounge
50 Little Ryrie St, Geelong VIC 3220,
Phone: (03) 5223 2911
Very new room owned by former pro snooker and IPT player Johl Younger
tables - unknown (I hear it is a good setup though)
Fast Eddies
http://www.fasteddies.com.au
168 Chesterville Rd, Moorabbin VIC 3189 (Cnr Chesterville & Keys Roads)
Phone: (03) 9532 2775
11 tables - Brunswick ?
9th Avenue
Website: http://www.9thavenue.com.au
Shop 1151, Level 1, Highpoint Shopping Centre, Maribyrnong, VIC 3032
Phone: (03) 9318 1407
11 tables - Brunswick Metros
Rack-em Up Pool Hall
Website: http://www.reu.com
2 / 26 John Street, Lilydale, VIC 3140
Phone: (03) 9739 7888
2 tables - Brunswick
Eagles Cue Sports Entertainment Centre
Lot 4 / 118 Westwood Drv, Burnside (Caroline Springs) VIC 3023
Phone: (03) 8361 7043
12 tables - ?
Playhouse Bar & Pool
Unit 1 / 229 Boundary Rd, Mordialloc VIC 3195
Phone: (03) 9587 0168
4 tables - ?
Melbourne has a number of pubs and bars with a mix of:
WEPF (World Eightball Pool Federation) style tables - 7' x 3'6" rounded snooker style pockets with a cue ball that is smaller than the object balls. About 95%
Bar boxes with a 'mudball'. About 5%
I hope this is helpful.
I am in Sydney and I own a company called OzBilliards. We are the largest provider of US style pool products in Australia. Send me a PM and I can hook you up with casual players of all levels in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide or Brisbane/Gold Coast. Maybe even people willing to play for cash.
Here I will try and give you as much info as possible.
Sydney and Melbourne are very different 'scenes'. Due to local liquor licensing laws, alcohol is only available in pool halls in Melbourne. Sydney rooms are all dry. Pubs and bars exist with 7 foot pool tables in both places, but only the pool halls have 9 foot tables.
SYDNEY
There are 5 pool halls in Sydney city, all within 7 or 8 blocks of each other in the centre of the city.
Wembley Snooker Centre: 841 George St - older style room - home of NSW State Championships - can get busy, nearly always a table available.
Owner = Kim
12 x 9 foot Brunswick Metro tables - pockets are standard but play tight.
City Heroes: 505 George St - very new room - popular with kids as it is beneath the cinema centre - can get busy but always a table available.
Owner = Walter
30 x 9 foot Brunswick Gold Crown tables + 4 x 9 foot Brunswick Gold Crown Tournament tables + 3 x 12 foot Riley snooker tables - all new tables - standard & tournament cut pockets - fast rolling and pockets take balls easy (snooker tables tight). Not much room between most tables, would be better if 20 to 25 tables only.
Cue City: 1 Dixon St (basement) - very clean room in Chinatown - mostly Asian couples and young adults - VERY busy most nights.
Owner = Peter
16 x 9 foot Hollywood tables (Korean Brunswick imitation) - standard pockets - very fast rolling and pockets take balls standard.
Cue City 2: 311-313 Sussex St - clean room on edge of Chinatown - mixed clientele. mostly Asian - busy most nights.
Owner = Peter
14 x 9 foot Hollywood tables (Korean Brunswick imitation) + 5 x 8 foot Hollywood carom tables - standard pockets (except carom...lol) - very fast rolling and pockets take balls standard.
Billiard World: 95 Bathurst St - very clean room - hard to find so busy times vary.
Owner = Hung
16 x 9 foot Hollywood tables (Korean Brunswick imitation) - standard pockets - very fast rolling and pockets take balls easy.
There is only one other room worth visiting.
Top Shot Pool Room: 2/185 Airds Rd, Leumeah (far South West Sydney)
Owners = Calabrese family. (Joe, Chris & Vinnie)
2 x 9 foot Brunswick tables + 2 x 9 foot Olio tables (Brunswick copy) + a mix of different size snooker tables - Brunswick pockets are standard but play tight - Olio pockets are standard and play standard.
HINT - do not play Chris or Vinnie for money. They are both world class pool and snooker players.
There are also a few friendly players with tables at home in outlying suburbs. Sydney is as big in area as Los Angeles but pool is mostly played in pubs or bars. There is a mix of:
WEPF (World Eightball Pool Federation) style tables - 7' x 3'6" rounded snooker style pockets with a cue ball that is larger or smaller than the object balls. About 85%
Bar boxes with a 'mudball'. About 15%
MELBOURNE
There are a number of rooms in Melbourne. Most of the rooms mentioned cater for WEPF pool (rounded pockets with a small cueball), and snooker. I will only mention how many 9 foot tables are in each venue. My info may not be up to date, but here goes anyway.
Kings Entertainment Complex
http://www.kingsentertainment.com.au
366 Boundary Rd, Dingley Village, Melbourne VIC 3172
Phone: (03) 9558 3222
10 tables - Brunswick (5) Olio (5)
Legends Entertainment Centre
Website: http://www.legendsentertainmentcentre.com
534 High St, Epping Shop 16, Melbourne VIC 3076
Phone: (03) 8401 3610
5 tables - Brunswick Metro.
Prince's Entertainment Centre
http://www.princesentertainment.com.au
1068-1074 Dandenong Rd, Carnegie, VIC 3163
Phone: (03) 9571 9473
8 tables - Brunswick
Slate Pool Lounge
50 Little Ryrie St, Geelong VIC 3220,
Phone: (03) 5223 2911
Very new room owned by former pro snooker and IPT player Johl Younger
tables - unknown (I hear it is a good setup though)
Fast Eddies
http://www.fasteddies.com.au
168 Chesterville Rd, Moorabbin VIC 3189 (Cnr Chesterville & Keys Roads)
Phone: (03) 9532 2775
11 tables - Brunswick ?
9th Avenue
Website: http://www.9thavenue.com.au
Shop 1151, Level 1, Highpoint Shopping Centre, Maribyrnong, VIC 3032
Phone: (03) 9318 1407
11 tables - Brunswick Metros
Rack-em Up Pool Hall
Website: http://www.reu.com
2 / 26 John Street, Lilydale, VIC 3140
Phone: (03) 9739 7888
2 tables - Brunswick
Eagles Cue Sports Entertainment Centre
Lot 4 / 118 Westwood Drv, Burnside (Caroline Springs) VIC 3023
Phone: (03) 8361 7043
12 tables - ?
Playhouse Bar & Pool
Unit 1 / 229 Boundary Rd, Mordialloc VIC 3195
Phone: (03) 9587 0168
4 tables - ?
Melbourne has a number of pubs and bars with a mix of:
WEPF (World Eightball Pool Federation) style tables - 7' x 3'6" rounded snooker style pockets with a cue ball that is smaller than the object balls. About 95%
Bar boxes with a 'mudball'. About 5%
I hope this is helpful.
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TheThaiger
Banned
Ouch!
Actually, Skippy, I was referring to Wembley, which is pretty run-down, or at least was when I was there 4/5 years ago.
TheThaiger
Banned
Great info there mate. Surprised there are so many in Sydney - I only found Wembley.
Just to add - there are loads of bars that do $100 comps - you'll find one every night. Do yourself a favour and don't bother with these - if you're anything like me you'll lose to people who cannot hold a stick, and play about as quick as Cliff Thorburn on valium. I saw a race to two that lasted nearly 2 hours, without a safety played. The cue ball bigger than the other balls is ridiculous, as are some of the rules.
Thanks for all the great info here! I'm in Melbourne at the moment but will be heading back to Sydney in the next week or so, so I'll have to check out some of those places. Beyond that, I'm always happy to connect with friendly players with home tables or just friendly players in any of those cities.
Thanks again!
Thanks again!
There was a time...before poker became popular, that myself and a few of my friends made a comfortable 'living' by playing 5 to 7 nights a week at these bar comps. The rules varied dramatically, but we were well versed in them which gave us an extra advantage.
Every trick was used - leaving the ball dead next to where a wall or pole prevented a clean stroke, carrying a slip on tip, stacking a hole and leaving long shots, even getting a buxom barmaid to smile at the opponent as he was on shot.
We all knew each other and knew who would be at most of the venues. Apart from the odd $300 offering, only 2 or 3 of us would show up at the same bar. This was a good earning considering the bar owners would give us free drinks to run the tournaments for them. It was obviously easier in the city where Irish and English tourists flocked to the bars and loaded up on alcohol. The owners did not fuss if we won week after week because the tourists had moved on and never complained. After poker came along the owners saw more value in 30+ patrons bringing in $500 for the bar, and the entries covered the prize fund. A pool comp cost them $100 to $250 to run and the bar would be lucky if a $350 turnover was reached.
I have a couple of buddies who topped $75K for a year. A few cash games were thrown in to the mix to get the dollar rate that high. You would be surprised how many people on holiday will play 3 games for $50 against somebody who beat them soundly 30 minutes earlier. My best earning period was 1994 - 1995...$65,000 in 15 months. Most years would run in around $15K to $25K. While it looks good on paper, 4 to 5 hours every night in bars with tourists wears thin pretty quick. You had all day to blow your cash if you had no day job, and then you had to grind again the next night.
It was however a good run for 15 years or so.
TheThaiger
Banned
Thanks for that - interesting. I went to Sydney about 5 years ago, and instantly saw the potential for doing what you did - I played one or two who were doing it, and appeared to make a comfortable living. I entered a comp on my first night and thought I could do likewise - sadly, I could not pot a ball and won a whopping $40 in 3 months! I hated everything about pool in Australia.
Loved the sharking tips. The one that drove me mad is the aussie tendency for your opponent to put their cue back in the rack, in an overly-dramatic fashion, after you've pot a ball or two. It wound me up so much I used to offer my hand as soon as they did - putting your cue away is a concession in my view. And aussie's aren't the best losers, and are even worse winners - try being a pom over there during the ashes!
I hear what you say about spending 4-5 hours in a pub every night. it wouldn't be so bad if the players were quick. I had many long, frustrating evenings before I gave it up for a bad job.
Gambling is a big problem in your society, I think. I can't imagine anything sadder than playing the pokies.
That made me laugh mate, classic understatement. Most comprehensive post I have seen anywhere in a long time. Things have certainly changed since I left the scene around 10 years ago. American tables were very hard to find back then.
I thought you were going to say, don't bother going to play, cause you got no chance of winning....lol. Most Americans simply can't handle the tight pocket slow cloth tables that are (or maybe were) found in Aussie bars. If the players you saw were crappy, you clearly weren't playing in the right places.
And as an Aussie who has also toured around America on a number of occasions, the 2.75" oversize bar box white ball I found in any number of places was totally bizarre to me, as were some of your rules.
TheThaiger
Banned
That made me laugh mate, classic understatement. Most comprehensive post I have seen anywhere in a long time. Things have certainly changed since I left the scene around 10 years ago. American tables were very hard to find back then.
I thought you were going to say, don't bother going to play, cause you got no chance of winning....lol. Most Americans simply can't handle the tight pocket slow cloth tables that are (or maybe were) found in Aussie bars. If the players you saw were crappy, you clearly weren't playing in the right places.
And as an Aussie who has also toured around America on a number of occasions, the 2.75" oversize bar box white ball I found in any number of places was totally bizarre to me, as were some of your rules.
How dare you - I'm English!
Pool, the world over, is crap, and always will be until it unifies the rules and standardises the equipment. 2.75" BB CB sounds crazy to me, as do the 1.75" CB used here in english pool. Two shots and foul on the black loses the game is madness.
Sorry, but didn't see too many Aussie's who could play. There were one or two that were useful and won everything but there were no great numbers. $3 a rack isn't going to help here either.
Lol....the o/p said he was from the states, and it is a predominantly American forum. You'll have to forgive me for using the word "your" in the last sentence of my post. :wink: .......and sorry about the "Ashes" too !!
There are places here that use the 1.75" ping pong ball (You need a toothpick to shoot with that one) and those rules you mention too.
I agree with some of what you say. But I think it's useless to try and standardise the rules and equipment. It will never happen. I remember the locals up in arms when "American" tables started to gain momentum here, or were even first seen on cable TV. They couldn't understand how a person could "miss" a shot (have the ball hit a rail) then go in of the knuckle of the pocket. You'd hear the old farts in the snooker hall whingeing and whining about it all day long.
Plus, the drongos in the bars you mention, who liked their $2 game to last an hour hated the bucket pockets of the American tables, cause the game was over so soon as so many shots just got slopped in.
Which is why when I finished scuttling my way through college (and playing in said pub comps just to get by), I said goodbye to the dodgy bars and pool comps, got a decent job and I haven't looked back. I much prefer to play at home with friends these days. I think I've still got a few knife scars in my back from those old days, both literal and physical.
If you want to play pool the world over, you just have to be understanding of the different rules, tables, equipment, conditions etc.
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