Opinions on a mew pool room.

dannyb78

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
If someone was to open a brand new pool room with brand new equipment..
What would be the most ideal playing contions... What i mean is, what table, cloth, and balls... What is the most popular choice by poolplayers..
I am from Maryland and we do not have many Diamond tables at all around here. So i am looking for some opinions...


New not mew>>> LOL
 
I prefer Brunswick Gold Crown's myself but I know the Diamond tables have gotten great reviews too. I haven't played on a Diamond yet. I don't think you would go wrong with either table.
 
dannyb78 said:
If someone was to open a brand new pool room with brand new equipment..
What would be the most ideal playing contions... What i mean is, what table, cloth, and balls... What is the most popular choice by poolplayers..
I am from Maryland and we do not have many Diamond tables at all around here. So i am looking for some opinions...


New not mew>>> LOL

Hello and good luck with your mew endeavor, but if I were you I would go to the forum in the link provided and read it. You will find many answers to questions, and I am certain you will also have more questions afterward. But, most of the posters there can be emailed off line for additional help if needed.

http://forums.azbilliards.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=51

Good luck!!!!
 
Make sure there is enough room around the tables, so it is not too congested. That is one big mistake I see in many rooms. People like room for them and their friends to have their own "space". Remember, visiting a poolroom is a social occasion for most people.
 
I agree with jay, space around the tables is very important (IMO most important) My choice for equipment would be Brunswick GC, Simonis 860, Brunswick table lights, good hotel/casino grade carpeting, beer license, and a REAL juke box, not one of those new computerized mp3 boxes!
 
Brunswick Gold Crown tables, 860 Simonis, Centennial balls, Master chalk, a good grade of house cue, carpeting like mentioned above, space between the tables, lile Jay said, stereo system behind the counter, chairs by the tables for the players, seating for the rail. That's about it, off the top of my head, I guess.
Oops, forgot, decent table lighting. SADLY lacking in a LOT of rooms today.
 
Ok, right off the bat....

Equipment :-

- Diamond Pro or Brunswick GC4 tables with matching lights.

- Simonis 860 cloth Tournament Blue.

- Centennial Balls.

- Masters Chalk (It's simply the best chalk there is)

- Brunswick Breakrak (For regular house play)

- Sardo M5000 Racks (For tournament play)

Other Services :-

- Pro shop and/or cue repair service.

- Pool School.

- At least 6ft of space between each table.

- Liquor Liscence (Although I don't drink at all)

- In-House hot food service that offers a wide range of foods to cater for everyone's tastes, which means that players, travelling to play in tournaments, won't have to look around for somewhere to eat.

- Good and comfortable bleechers, that allows players and regulars, who may be waiting for a table or watching a tournament, to be able sit back and relax and enjoy the room that little bit more.

- Good rack cues kept behind the counter for regulars, that either don't have their own cue sticks yet, or are shooting a few games while waiting on a new cue stick arriving in the mail.

- Good quality carpeting, as it's more comfortable and less tiring for players, therefore allowing for more table time to be played.

- Membership club, where members can get discount on table rates, or recieve special offers, on food and/or table time, etc.

- Having regular in-house tournaments and leagues, for different ability levels, to get more players involved in the game.

These are just a few things of the top of my head :)

Willie
 
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a good marketing plan, and location location location.

while part of me wants to consider what the pool player in me wants, part of me can't help think from a profit standpoint. There was a pooll hall in my college town that had crappy tables, little room, and yet the owner made over 350k a year from bar sales 8 bucks an hour pool time and endless supply of college students. A good marketing plan exploring the demographics would help target things a bit more.
 
dannyb78 said:
If someone was to open a brand new pool room with brand new equipment..
What would be the most ideal playing contions... What i mean is, what table, cloth, and balls... What is the most popular choice by poolplayers..
I am from Maryland and we do not have many Diamond tables at all around here. So i am looking for some opinions...

Y'all have the Gabriels at Great Slates, and in Salisbury, do they have Brunswicks?

Personally -- and I am probably in the minority -- I prefer pool rooms with no alcoholic beverages. Today's pool rooms, at least in the D.C. area, seem more like night clubs, singles bars, and sports lounges rather than billiard parlors with POOL being the central focus.

Good food is definitely a bonus, rather than the blood mud food like cheese fingers and fried delicacies. In the winter, homemade soups as an example is a big hit. Also, a variety of non-alcoholic beverages are great, to include FRESH coffee with real cream and not powdered cream.

Most pool rooms today are dead as a door nail in the daytime, and night time draws the club hoppers. For me, though, I like pool rooms that have activity during the day, with regulars who come in to play one-pocket with each other.

Diamond tables seem to be surpassing Brunswick in popularity across the country. I was surprised to see Diamond as the table being used at the upcoming 14.1 tournament, as Brunswick seemed to be closely aligned with some tournament promoters in days gone by.

Diamond tables play great, and Greg Sullivan and staff seem to have an attention for detail when it comes to installation, as evidenced by the Super Billiards Expo each year. I don't know how they move that many tables, but they set them up in record time. I don't see too many Olhausen tables, other than when they sponsors an event like the Skins Billiards Championship.

What's kind of funny is that some players experience difficulties on certain equipment and can only play well on some tables. At the Skins Billiards Championship, I saw name-brand super stars frustrated and seemed to be missing, hitting balls in the rail on the Olhausen.

I'm trying to think of some pool rooms in your location that may be a good example of what I consider a true pool room. Drexeline Billiards in Drexel Hills, Pennsylvania, comes to mind, only about an hour-and-a-half journey from where you're located. Check it out when the Blaze or Joss Tours happen there and see what a REAL pool room is all about. JMHO, FWIW!

JAM
 
Diamond tables and lights. 860 cloth. Centennial balls. NO music. No alcohol. Good carpet and lots of room around the tables. Good clean restrooms. Seating for the players and railbirds. Did I mention NO MUSIC?
 
TheWizard said:
Ok, right off the bat....


- Simonis 860 cloth Tournament Blue.


I'm not disagreeing with you here, but what makes you say tournament blue for the Simonis cloth? I like the looks of it, and was thinking of getting it when I change the cloth on my home table (an Olhausen Remington). Is it easy on the eyes over the long term? Is there some lighting-related reason why so many tournaments use it these days?

Thanks in advance for the info. I have Olive Simonis on my table now, and like it, but think that when I replace the cloth I'll try something new like the tournament blue.
 
Depending on space, 15-30 tables....

If 15 tables, get 2 7 footers, 8 8 footers, and 5 9 footers...
If 30, get 3 7's, 15 8's, and 12 9's.....
If in-between, get some similar ratio of above...

Diamond, Olhausen, Brunswick, or any other quality table....a good quality cloth, ie Simonis.....good quality pool balls....more important than the brand, it's imperative the tables are level, have good felt, good rails, are kept clean, and have adequate spacing between tables.....good food and alcohol are important, clean areas to eat, drink, and watch games....cue repair is a plus....advise offering cue tools, cues, and other billiard supplies for sale in an area.....I actually like music, but prefer it be controlled by the bar instead of a juke box, and not so loud you can't talk....also, not too many video games...

Most important, great service where your customers are king....advise making friends with some local leagues to fill the place during the week...also, different specials on different nights, mix it up, and make it a fun place to go to....
 
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