Gambling in Hawaii is strictly prohibited, so gamblers have to go to the pool hall to get any action.
Oldest (still operating) pool rooms in U.S.
- Thread starter taylor9ball
- Start date
Gambling in Hawaii is strictly prohibited, so gamblers have to go to the pool hall to get any action.
The Sports Page in Kihei has decent bar tables. Nice little sports bar
25 cents for short rack and 50 cent for full rack?
Freddie <~~~ loved that kind of room
Perhaps if I visited O'ahu, I would have gotten to see that. On Maui, there were no poolrooms to be found and very few bars with tables. We went to one bar with three tables and it was far from a gambling scene.
In truth, I could see how pool *could* work in Hawaii. Obviously, it does in some parts but I could also see how rooms fail to survive there. On Maui, people do outside stuff. If I moved there, I would quit pool entirely and never think about it.
I'm not sure of Dale Mabry Billiards, but the one we were at was Baker's. The parking lot was to the left of the building.
My road partner lost a big chunkie on the snooker table, and when he walked outside, he threw his cue on the ground, he was so pissed off. Right at that moment, here comes Grady Mathews around the corner. He knew my friend, saw he was in despair, so he picks up his cue, hands it to him, and says, "You shouldn't do that to your stick." Then Grady took us out to dinner. That was the first time I ever met him. I thought he was such a nice man.
I sure do wish I had a camera back then when I went on the road. I'd have some pretty cool pool photos. Here's me an Grady. He was always so happy when he was in the pool room back then, always brandishing a smile.
Attachments
San Fransisco
I was in San Francisco last year I think and played at a place down town.
I asked about several of the old places that I heard about and there were either torn down or I was warned not to play there.
Talk about history!
The other places I wanted to play at were in LA/Hollywood and I havent made it down there.
Ken
I was in San Francisco last year I think and played at a place down town.
I asked about several of the old places that I heard about and there were either torn down or I was warned not to play there.
Talk about history!
The other places I wanted to play at were in LA/Hollywood and I havent made it down there.
Ken
My youngest boy works at Nick's Deli, a few doors away from Orton's. He doesn't play, but when I visit him this winter I plan on dragging his ass in there to check it out. S'posed to be haunted, if you go in for that sort of stuff.
Well, if I went to that pool room, I guess I'd be playing the ghost. :thumbup:
If you do include and play at Ames in NYC (W.47th & 7th), then you've missed a golden opportunity.....dates back to the 40's. And play on the same table that Gleason and Newman did in the movie. It's pure nostalgia and more gambling was done there after WW II than you'd otherwise imagine. Right thru the 50's, 60's and 70's, Ames was the mecca of pool and high stakes games in Manhattan and the surrounding burroughs.
Last edited:
I'm not sure of Dale Mabry Billiards, but the one we were at was Baker's. The parking lot was to the left of the building.
My road partner lost a big chunkie on the snooker table, and when he walked outside, he threw his cue on the ground, he was so pissed off. Right at that moment, here comes Grady Mathews around the corner. He knew my friend, saw he was in despair, so he picks up his cue, hands it to him, and says, "You shouldn't do that to your stick." Then Grady took us out to dinner. That was the first time I ever met him. I thought he was such a nice man.
I sure do wish I had a camera back then when I went on the road. I'd have some pretty cool pool photos. Here's me an Grady. He was always so happy when he was in the pool room back then, always brandishing a smile.
That ring game and golf game on snooker table was always a big money maker for Lefty, they played 9 ball on that monster also, that pool had allot of sharks swimming in it, goose, stigall and cook just to name a few, your friend was fortunate to even walk out of there with his cue.
I would watch that game and think, one day I will be good enough, so around 87 Wayne Gunn made me a new shaft for my old Palmer, we flip for break, I win the toss, break with my new shaft on, and sink the 9 in the right hand corner off the snooker table.
I wish I had taken pictures back then also, I was just a kid when I started hangin out there during the day during summer vacation, my mom worked downtown, so Bakers was my summer school, it was huge responsability just to keep my cue from getting left behind, much less a camera, all we had back then was my Dad's 35mm Petri, we were not even allowed to touch it.
That is very cool about Grady, Dale Nichols from the Flamingo says hi.
Hey Fred!! I was waiting patiently for you to mention Smitty's. Great to hear they've re-opened! What a classic old time pool hall that is!
Caswell Billiards. You will see the room listed in pre- 1992 Billiards Digest
They had old thin brown house cues and a house man that racked the balls for you.
He would also use a pill bottle and "shake" you for anything in the room.cues,drinks etc
You would shake the bottle and draw two pills, the high pills won or a pair beat anything
Old Poolrooms
Glad to hear it is still open. Hope to get there when I come back to visit friends in the greater Chicago land area.
I'm not sure of Dale Mabry Billiards, but the one we were at was Baker's. The parking lot was to the left of the building.
My road partner lost a big chunkie on the snooker table, and when he walked outside, he threw his cue on the ground, he was so pissed off. Right at that moment, here comes Grady Mathews around the corner. He knew my friend, saw he was in despair, so he picks up his cue, hands it to him, and says, "You shouldn't do that to your stick." Then Grady took us out to dinner. That was the first time I ever met him. I thought he was such a nice man.
I sure do wish I had a camera back then when I went on the road. I'd have some pretty cool pool photos. Here's me an Grady. He was always so happy when he was in the pool room back then, always brandishing a smile.
You are sure right about Grady being a nice man. The first time I met him was in Cleveland in 1993 or so. I was touring with my band and saw him in the lobby of the hotel we were staying at on a day off. I told him I was a huge pool fan and recognized him from The Color Of Money and he laughed and said you recognized me from that 30 second spot??? I showed him and Jimmy Fusco our tour bus and they both walked me 3 blocks away to a round robin 14.1 tournament. Such a great memory..Thanks for sharing Jenny
I'm not sure what year it opened but if you're in California in the LA area check out Hardtimes in Bellflower. There is a ton of history there and with a lot of stories if you are a big fan of pool. It's a players paradise that is if you know how to match up
.