Most upscale place you ever played pool

Montmartre Billiard Club in Paris, France. My girlfriend and I had to present passports and buy membership just to walk through the doors. Inside, it was like a cathedral or a museum with vaulted ceilings, marble floors, huge stained-glass windows, and original frescos all over the place. There were only three tables with pockets, the rest were 3-cushion billiard tables. There was a group of 15 old men playing on one billiard table, extremely quietly except for the incredible echo of balls, otherwise it was empty.

Being the young new player I was, I actually shot a jump shot with my playing cue there. Nobody noticed, and I made it, but I've regretted it ever since. Place was too classy for that shit.

I only visited once, I didn't belong in that place and I knew it. But I still have my membership card!
 
Last edited:
I have been to pool halls in New York, Boston, Dallas etc that are advertised as upscale pool rooms but the most upscale place I ever played at was the YACHT CLUB IN BETHESDA MARYLAND.

It was not a pool room, it was an upscale nightclub that had one 9 foot brunswick table in the back. It was a suit and tie sort of place, strong dress code. Lots of well to do people as customers.

When I moved to Bethesda I heard that this was a nice place to meet people so I decided to give it a try. To my surprise there was that 9 footer in the back glowing at me like the secret item in the suitcase in the movie Pulp Fiction. I asked how much it cost to play and they said it was free. You just have to sign up on a list and you play doubles with the next person on the list. I ended up becoming a regular at the place and was soon targeted as the person to beat. The owner actually came over on my second or third night there asking me if I was a pool hustler because they don't condone pool hustling. He figured that with the average net worth of most of the customers, a pool hustler would be in heaven there.

Sugar Ray Leonard, Frank Stallone were among the regulars, Franks son Sylvester would visit when he was in town.

There were some notable Maryland players that would show up from time to time. Tom "Tom Tom" Wirth, Jim "Jimbo" Calder and a few others.

I played there for about four years and it was one of the best times of my life.
For some reason your post brought back to me a funny memory of the "WORST" place I ever played. It's been over 30 years ago, but we had a local league in eastern Oregon. We traveled about 30 miles to play a team in Durkee Oregon. The bar was call "Lela's"!!! There was 1 old beat up bar box and the floor sloped so badly that on one side of the table, they had the legs blocked up with multiple layers of scrap chunks of lumber. When standing on that side of the table, the top rail hit me somewhere above my stomach!!!
Oh my!!!!! LOL : )
 
When I lived in Sacramento I used to drive to San Francisco about 1x a month to play at Chalkers Billiards. That place was crazy fancy. I just loved the atmosphere there. If I remember right it was right down town off of Polk street on the bottom floor of a high rise office building. I sure do miss California :frown:

You'd also miss Chalker's in San Francisco. I'm pretty sure it's no longer there.
 
Einstein=Brilliant

Yes Chalkers was a wonderful venue !!!

I worked there for many years and was sad 2 see it close.

Einstein,please come on back to California!

Noel
 
Back
Top