Name a pool hall you wish was still open today
- Thread starter fast&loose designs
- Start date
Playland brings back some fond memories...I used to go there for smaller action...
...honing my game for the Rack.
A guy was playing one pocket for $5 a game...missed an easy shot and broke the cue
over a garbage pail....it was a top of the line Joss with ivory joint, inlays, and ivory ferrules
on both shafts...a regular gave him $20...when I showed up, he sold it to me for $40....
....I ended up eventually with a Szamboti for a $50 investment....long story....
Cushion n Cue had 6x12 Gold Crowns....lotta golf action
I had no idea they made a 12' gc. Was there a 7x14?
Hold on, you are using metric measure. Cut that out. Doesn't make any sense.
Brunswick of Canada was a busy company....till Dufferin took over.
I grew up playing in Julian Pool Hall on 14th St and Irving (NYC). It was a large pool hall, and some of the regulars were some real old timers.
Now those are some great photos, mrknigh411. A few questions:
---When were those two B&W pictures taken?
---When was there a Horn & Hardart's below it?
---And is that Chico Marx in the picture with the 10 cent shave and the 20 cent haircut?
You must mean Brunswick Billiards at 1419 Irving St, which opened in 1950 and closed in 1969. The Starlight NIGHT CLUB was on the ground level, with the pool room above it, sandwiched in between the post office to the east and Jack Blank Pontiac to the west. It featured a shimmed 5 x 10 pre-Gold Crown Brunswick table at the front of the room, with ongoing 9 ball ring games or one pocket matches.
Great room with a fair amount of action, but it had the filthiest loo I've ever seen. Totally nasty.
Best
Northfield Billiards, Northfield Ohio.
12 - 9ft. Diamonds
8 - 9 ft Gold Crowns
3 - Valley Bar Box's
Stayed opened as long as there were customers in there , many times 24 hrs .
1500 sq kitchen with snack bar and booths ( never maximized it's full potential )
Card room where they played a fast paced Greek game called Rameeka.
Lockers to rent $50 a year
Viking Tournaments twice a year, hosted the National Viking in 2002 & 2003
Opened Nov. 1997 closed Jan. 2007 ( the 3 owners just tired of it and never aggressively tried to sell it ? )
Tues. Thurs. Sun. 9 ball tournaments
Monday 9 ball league
Sat. Morn. Straight Pool league
Action matches 7 days a week.
Northfield Billiards, Northfield Ohio.
12 - 9ft. Diamonds
8 - 9 ft Gold Crowns
3 - Valley Bar Box's
Stayed opened as long as there were customers in there , many times 24 hrs .
1500 sq kitchen with snack bar and booths ( never maximized it's full potential )
Card room where they played a fast paced Greek game called Rameeka.
Lockers to rent $50 a year
Viking Tournaments twice a year, hosted the National Viking in 2002 & 2003
Opened Nov. 1997 closed Jan. 2007 ( the 3 owners just tired of it and never aggressively tried to sell it ? )
Tues. Thurs. Sun. 9 ball tournaments
Monday 9 ball league
Sat. Morn. Straight Pool league
Action matches 7 days a week.
Not saying bad, but did anyone else find I off with all of the newbies all coming out to play at once??? Like someone set a bug bomb off and.... Its cools for new members but just found very odd...
Billiard Boy
New member
Pool Halls That I "Wished" Were Still Open
Super Easy Choice for me, Oliver's Billiards in Louisville KY,
I was a "regular" there for probably 20 years or more, I worked across the road a few hundred yards from it and was a very nice place to be a pool hall in the higher end of town, the man that managed the business was a friend of mine, I knew hundreds of people there over the years and more of them than that knew who I was
I had more fun and memorable moments at Oliver's than almost anywhere else, I met some fantastic people and made a lot of friends, some nights I would have 20-30 people that I knew from work going over there and having a blast, I have always loved the game of pool since I was a young boy, the first pool shot I ever saw a old guy shoot was "8 ball three rails in the corner pocket" and I was hooked on billiards ever since, and sometimes would stay until they closed in the am then walk back to work, clean up do it all over again at the end of my work day, I guess I overdid it but I never got in any trouble except making the wife really.
I got to play Nick Varner once when he was doing a exposition, he was number one in the world at 8 and also 9 ball at the time..
I go on vacation, come back and the damn place was closed and most of the people that I knew I had no idea where they ended up,
Then I started going to Bank Shot Billiards on Market for about 2 years and really enjoyed it there, had surgery and didn't go back for 3 weeks and when I did it closed down also. :frown::frown:
I will end up having to get on Facebook and see if I can find out some of my friends go now, I don't Facebook but I will to see where people go now even if it is out of state.
Many years ago back in the early 70's was a old pool hall right across from my grade school, all I ever remember hearing it called was Joe Arnold's, my best friend and I were the only 2 kids they allowed in the place when he and I were in like the seventh and eight grade, after leaving the pool hall I would go home and we actually lived over a bar, down stairs in the back room was a pool table that I would practice on after homework from school and when the table wasn't being used, I came in one afternoon and some guys I knew were there and one of them wanted to play me a game, we played, I won and then I heard the guy that I knew say to the guy that I beat "pay me my $50.00 "... I have rattled on more than I should have but I rarely post here, a lot going on and other things.
Super Easy Choice for me, Oliver's Billiards in Louisville KY,
I was a "regular" there for probably 20 years or more, I worked across the road a few hundred yards from it and was a very nice place to be a pool hall in the higher end of town, the man that managed the business was a friend of mine, I knew hundreds of people there over the years and more of them than that knew who I was
I had more fun and memorable moments at Oliver's than almost anywhere else, I met some fantastic people and made a lot of friends, some nights I would have 20-30 people that I knew from work going over there and having a blast, I have always loved the game of pool since I was a young boy, the first pool shot I ever saw a old guy shoot was "8 ball three rails in the corner pocket" and I was hooked on billiards ever since, and sometimes would stay until they closed in the am then walk back to work, clean up do it all over again at the end of my work day, I guess I overdid it but I never got in any trouble except making the wife really
.I got to play Nick Varner once when he was doing a exposition, he was number one in the world at 8 and also 9 ball at the time..
I go on vacation, come back and the damn place was closed and most of the people that I knew I had no idea where they ended up,
Then I started going to Bank Shot Billiards on Market for about 2 years and really enjoyed it there, had surgery and didn't go back for 3 weeks and when I did it closed down also. :frown::frown:
I will end up having to get on Facebook and see if I can find out some of my friends go now, I don't Facebook but I will to see where people go now even if it is out of state.
Many years ago back in the early 70's was a old pool hall right across from my grade school, all I ever remember hearing it called was Joe Arnold's, my best friend and I were the only 2 kids they allowed in the place when he and I were in like the seventh and eight grade, after leaving the pool hall I would go home and we actually lived over a bar, down stairs in the back room was a pool table that I would practice on after homework from school and when the table wasn't being used, I came in one afternoon and some guys I knew were there and one of them wanted to play me a game, we played, I won and then I heard the guy that I knew say to the guy that I beat "pay me my $50.00 "... I have rattled on more than I should have but I rarely post here, a lot going on and other things.
stretchdave
New member
My Top 3
Hollywood Billiards, Hollywood CA
Chelsea Billiards, NY NY
Fenway Bowl-a-Drome Boston MA
Special mention for a an amazing "Old School" spot that is still standing..
Smith's, Springfield MA
It's allot different now than back in the day.. but they've adapted to the times and kept it going..
Hollywood Billiards, Hollywood CA
Chelsea Billiards, NY NY
Fenway Bowl-a-Drome Boston MA
Special mention for a an amazing "Old School" spot that is still standing..
Smith's, Springfield MA
It's allot different now than back in the day.. but they've adapted to the times and kept it going..
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Scott Johnson
New member
For me, it would be BJ's Family Billiards in Richmond, KY. I only played at home until I was about 16. I thought that I was the best player in the world until I went to BJ's and played in my first tournament lol. Took me three more years of practice to be able to win my first tournament there. All of the people there and my friends that was always with me made it the best place for me. I remember seeing pictures on the wall of Efren, buddy, earl and a lot of others. I think they all played there some back in the 80's.
greenepeter
New member
Melrose Billiards
Melrose billiards in Nashville Tenn. This pool hall has been in business since the 1940's
and the pool hall was doing great until the building was bought out for re development.
The new building owner wanted an upscale pool hall with a TIKI bar. It's now a pile of crap with lousy tables. Fortunately the old pool hall is going to have a new home in a building large enough to bring back the old Brunswick 6 x 12 snooker table and 9 footers that were in the original pool hall.
Melrose billiards in Nashville Tenn. This pool hall has been in business since the 1940's
and the pool hall was doing great until the building was bought out for re development.
The new building owner wanted an upscale pool hall with a TIKI bar. It's now a pile of crap with lousy tables. Fortunately the old pool hall is going to have a new home in a building large enough to bring back the old Brunswick 6 x 12 snooker table and 9 footers that were in the original pool hall.