Pool halls that discourage play
- Thread starter pete lafond
- Start date
What the customers want
In many pool halls strong players aren't the ones who pay the rent. I think if you ask the average customer why (s)he likes this place better than that one you will get an answer that has little or nothing to do with the tables themselves. The music, the space, the bartender, the food, the parking, the bathrooms, or whatever else, is more important. I am not making the argument that pool tables should be tight, or loose, or fast, or slow, just that other stuff matters more.
Personally, I think every pool hall owner should consult ME about every question related to the tables. But I'm not spending $50 or $100 a night. In my observation the folks who come to a pool hall for social time and NEVER practice or try to get better don't notice whether a table is easy or tough. I've even seen a group take their poolballs to a 10' snooker table and play for two hours without ever noticing a difference.
In many pool halls strong players aren't the ones who pay the rent. I think if you ask the average customer why (s)he likes this place better than that one you will get an answer that has little or nothing to do with the tables themselves. The music, the space, the bartender, the food, the parking, the bathrooms, or whatever else, is more important. I am not making the argument that pool tables should be tight, or loose, or fast, or slow, just that other stuff matters more.
Personally, I think every pool hall owner should consult ME about every question related to the tables. But I'm not spending $50 or $100 a night. In my observation the folks who come to a pool hall for social time and NEVER practice or try to get better don't notice whether a table is easy or tough. I've even seen a group take their poolballs to a 10' snooker table and play for two hours without ever noticing a difference.
longhair said:
Bingo!!!!!!!........Must be a pool room owner?????
There are the A's.....5%
There are the B's.....10%
There are the general public.....85%
95% of the complaints come from the B's.
Who would you listen to????????
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Watching people slow roll balls that are close to the rail into the pocket because the pockets reject those balls hit hard, makes pool BORING to watch. Yes I am one of those "B players" that can only run 50 in straight pool and string a few racks of nine ball or eight ball together once in a while. Nine foot pool has always been normal size pockets for decades and now they are tightening them up and it is taking power pool out of the game and making it boring to watch. If it is boring to watch it will decline in popularity. Is a decline what we want????? People love power pool. Put the pockets back to normal size, play winner breaks and bring it back.
Chris
www.hightowercues.com
Chris
www.hightowercues.com
cueman said:
All B players are boring to watch. Has nothing to do with the table.
I find B players fun to watch, especially when they beat a top pro in the Pro-Am tournaments. If you think there are 5% A players in a pool hall then we are probably talking about different ratings. I think it is more like 1% A players, if that many, and 5 to 10% B players. How do you play?Teacherman said:
OK Guys,
Here we go again. On the point of tables that play correctly. The name is DIAMOND. The tables are correctly built to allow pool players to play to THEIR potential.
Last week in Syracuse, NY, I played on GC III's. I got murdered by a young man who made everything from everywhere. The pockets were wide. I went home discouraged/frustrated. Yesterday I played at the Turning Stone on the Diamond Smartables. Much tougher pockets! I played my last match Saturday night missing only one ball in a race to nine. Went into Sunday on the A side of the board. Is there a moral to this story? I don't know. I can tell you that I play much better on a Diamond. Or, perhaps my "success" is due to my opponents inability to play on tighter pockets. In the end, the better player THAT set won.
This game is entertainment. When it stops being fun, people quit and find something that is fun. There should be equipment available to challenge the best player. Concurrently, there should be equipment that allows the weakest player to have fun. How many of you remember learning to Bowl before the gutter "tubes" were invented. All they did was make the game fun for kids and/or beginners. All I asked for, was to have a challenging condition to practice on. Be careful what you ask for, you may receive it!
Here we go again. On the point of tables that play correctly. The name is DIAMOND. The tables are correctly built to allow pool players to play to THEIR potential.
Last week in Syracuse, NY, I played on GC III's. I got murdered by a young man who made everything from everywhere. The pockets were wide. I went home discouraged/frustrated. Yesterday I played at the Turning Stone on the Diamond Smartables. Much tougher pockets! I played my last match Saturday night missing only one ball in a race to nine. Went into Sunday on the A side of the board. Is there a moral to this story? I don't know. I can tell you that I play much better on a Diamond. Or, perhaps my "success" is due to my opponents inability to play on tighter pockets. In the end, the better player THAT set won.
This game is entertainment. When it stops being fun, people quit and find something that is fun. There should be equipment available to challenge the best player. Concurrently, there should be equipment that allows the weakest player to have fun. How many of you remember learning to Bowl before the gutter "tubes" were invented. All they did was make the game fun for kids and/or beginners. All I asked for, was to have a challenging condition to practice on. Be careful what you ask for, you may receive it!
hell of a table
Unless every game played in there is one pocket..get ready to lock the doors and brace yourself for a new pizzeria in town.
pete lafond said:
Unless every game played in there is one pocket..get ready to lock the doors and brace yourself for a new pizzeria in town.
I don't mind B players singing. But the twang that turns into whine is annoying.
Just been around long enough to recognize whiny B players and their never ending complaints. Tables, lights, handicaps, wrong beer, wrong day, waitresses too short, waitresses too tall, waitresses too.....you know.
I Agree Don
I agree with you 100% Don. While the tables are tough, they are fair.Mike Segal is not the only great player that has praised Classic Billiards. Here are a few that agree with Mike Segal. Earl Strickland, Santos,Rempe, Mika, the "Earthquake" and Bustamante. But what do they know about pool and pool tables. While I think Pete Lafond is a great father, he was wrong to publically complain about his home pool room. There are other ways to do something like this.
I agree with you 100% Don. While the tables are tough, they are fair.Mike Segal is not the only great player that has praised Classic Billiards. Here are a few that agree with Mike Segal. Earl Strickland, Santos,Rempe, Mika, the "Earthquake" and Bustamante. But what do they know about pool and pool tables. While I think Pete Lafond is a great father, he was wrong to publically complain about his home pool room. There are other ways to do something like this.
cmssuits[/QUOTE said:
Sounds like the tables the original poster plays are on just poorly done, regardless of being shimmed or not.
Personally, I prefer to play on the tightest table I can find, and so do all the guys I play with.
Anyone who is "Really" trying to imrove their game will want to shoot on as tight and true rolling of a table they possibly can. I used to use the pop on pocket tightners on a Gold Crown II that was already shimmed just to work on myt accuracy more.
You get used to aiming for the center of the pocket that way and imrove your game.
After shooting on Double shimmed Crowns, shooting on a regular unshimmed Crown is like stealing.....
The only people who wont like them are the local teenagers and groups of people going to a pool hall to just hang out and have some fun and kill sometime.
Well, maybe not ONLY them, there are some people that play a lot that prefer shooting on big ass buckets so they can actually make a ball occasionally
I can only fit a barbox in my basement and even that is Double Shimmed with Simonis 860 on it.....
Personally, I prefer to play on the tightest table I can find, and so do all the guys I play with.
Anyone who is "Really" trying to imrove their game will want to shoot on as tight and true rolling of a table they possibly can. I used to use the pop on pocket tightners on a Gold Crown II that was already shimmed just to work on myt accuracy more.
You get used to aiming for the center of the pocket that way and imrove your game.
After shooting on Double shimmed Crowns, shooting on a regular unshimmed Crown is like stealing.....
The only people who wont like them are the local teenagers and groups of people going to a pool hall to just hang out and have some fun and kill sometime.
Well, maybe not ONLY them, there are some people that play a lot that prefer shooting on big ass buckets so they can actually make a ball occasionally
I can only fit a barbox in my basement and even that is Double Shimmed with Simonis 860 on it.....
teacherman you really seem to be upset about things lately..as far as B players go..from my observation they spend the most time in the pool room more than others..they tend to buy cues $1,000.00 and up..this all translates into money...if i was an owner i would listen to the B's ...in my opinion a pool room would have mostly 9 foot tables maybe one 8 foot and a couple 7 footers...try to be there for everybody......Teacherman said:
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cuejoey said:
Thanks, cuejoey. I said that I was done with this post but I couldn't help the opportunity to thank you for your wisdom. I consider myself a B player, maybe even a C player. I play because its fun. And as a paying customer I deserve fun.
i believe that the other poster was right when he said as far as A players they may represent 1% if that of the business....hey everybody let's just get along shoot some balls and be happy !!!!!!!!!! help others if u can..good luck..pete lafond said:
Me?......Upset?.......Just honest.
You who carry cues into the room must realize that the best customers are the ones that don't.
That may sound like a slap. But, you need to face the facts.
By best customers, I mean the ones that spend the most money.
After all, this isn't a social club.......it's a business.
You who carry cues into the room must realize that the best customers are the ones that don't.
That may sound like a slap. But, you need to face the facts.
By best customers, I mean the ones that spend the most money.
After all, this isn't a social club.......it's a business.
cuejoey said:
If you were where I live you'd be out of business in 3 months.
If you were in other areas you'd be right on.
Better listen to your businessman side rather than your pool player side.