pool halls vs pool players

gpeezy

gpeezy

for sale!
i was recently at a local room.its a pretty nice place.the tables i'm not real fond of but thats another story.i went up there a little early the other day to practice on the tables for a cheap ring game that we had planned to play later.well i get beer go over and get my stuff out,break the balls set down my break cue and here comes the guy that runs the place.i figure he's coming over to shoot the breeze but instead he stops a my break cue and looks at the tip and goes "thats what's been rippin my cloth right there" of course i say "what".he says"yeah thats whats doin it right there,all these front tables where they play those damn tournaments and gamblin games has rips in brand new CLOth".i'm not sure what to say (because the cloth is cheap as hell)so i just kinda discuss it with him for a while.in order to change to subject due to him getting on my nerves i ask if they where busy the past weekend.(here in town we had APA regionals and a lot of people from out of town were here)he proceeds to say "yeah we had a few some from that but thats not what we are about.we are about making money and pool players aren't the one's spending any.they come in here and they don't spend anything and i could care less for them."the worst of all this is i'm one of the guys he's speaking of except for my 25-40 dollar beer tabs.well me myself i'm not going back because i don't have to but what is everyone's thoughts on this.is a pool PLAYER not a customer.i've heard this from a few bars.its just something that pissed me off.
 
gpeezy said:
i was recently at a local room.its a pretty nice place.the tables i'm not real fond of but thats another story.i went up there a little early the other day to practice on the tables for a cheap ring game that we had planned to play later.well i get beer go over and get my stuff out,break the balls set down my break cue and here comes the guy that runs the place.i figure he's coming over to shoot the breeze but instead he stops a my break cue and looks at the tip and goes "thats what's been rippin my cloth right there" of course i say "what".he says"yeah thats whats doin it right there,all these front tables where they play those damn tournaments and gamblin games has rips in brand new CLOth".i'm not sure what to say (because the cloth is cheap as hell)so i just kinda discuss it with him for a while.in order to change to subject due to him getting on my nerves i ask if they where busy the past weekend.(here in town we had APA regionals and a lot of people from out of town were here)he proceeds to say "yeah we had a few some from that but thats not what we are about.we are about making money and pool players aren't the one's spending any.they come in here and they don't spend anything and i could care less for them."the worst of all this is i'm one of the guys he's speaking of except for my 25-40 dollar beer tabs.well me myself i'm not going back because i don't have to but what is everyone's thoughts on this.is a pool PLAYER not a customer.i've heard this from a few bars.its just something that pissed me off.
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Well I'm not sure where you're from, but down where I live, the pool time seems to increase like every month, and before I know it I'm paying 8-12$ an hour just to practice on a table.... So if you ask me, we're better customers than those that actually consume something. So to answer your question, we better damn well be customers for the amount we pay at most places, and no I've never had this problem before.


Mitch.
 
kids come in 1 - 2 times a week if that, they stay for an hour with their friends, pay time, and leave. pool players hang out in pool rooms, wait for action, sometimes practice, eat, and drink 3-5 times a week. pool players tend to get other people on a table that normally wouldn't play much. if a pool player gets a good match, it might last 5 hours, that's 5 hours table time x2 that would've been lost if the pool player wasn't there at all. i've always said that pool players carry a pool room through rough times. plus alot of people don't like goin to pool rooms if no ones there, at least with players there will always be a few people hanging out, worst case they act as bodies to entice other people to show up and hang out too. if a pool room were to piss off the regulars and the place starts drying up, you'll notice the kids will also be less frequent. a pool room thrives off being a hang out joint for kids, but players play their part also, and should still be treated with respect. each group has importance to a pool room surviving, specially in these times. IMHO
 
I solved this problem by buying a 9' table. Table time is forever paid for here at the house and any gambling I do can be done here.

BTW, I run a strict BYOB establishment here at the house.:)
 
I don't know about out of this area, but it can be brutal.
I feel like my home room wasn't treating me very well. I was dropping about $40 a day, every day for a long while - all in time and sodas. I'd have people roll their eyes at me when I asked for a drink (probably because they just don't fee like 'working'). I've gotten into arguments because I want to play on 'this' table and for some reason they HAD to clean that side (instead of the other) first. A bunch of things like that.
I shiped around $1,000 a month (that's SICK), and I couldn't pick what table I want to play on, or ask for something without getting an attitude.
There is one or two guys who treat me good over there, but that's out of a staff of 8 or so.
I've been going to a different pool hall, not as good equipment (not that the other place had great equipment) but I get treated good. I still stop by the other room now and then - because of the tighter tables and action - but I deffinetly don't ship in that kind of money any more.

Won't mention any names, I don't really have any beefs with anyone - but I did get treated horribly for someone who spends that much. My money is elsewhere now.
 
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If the cloth is cheap, chances other factors are adding up to cause grief to the tables. Too bad, it seems the guy running the place may have misdirected hostilities. From my experience, it's the customers who spend lots of money on beer and soda, the money making products, that usually don't have a decent tip or a straight stroke. Not to mention their dig under jump shots, and their passion for (and lack of ability to excecute) masse shots.Those are things that can rip cloth.
 
Yep. People would rather be themselves (assholes) and not make as much money than being professional (not themselves) and make more money. Look at every waitress that isn't polite knowing full well that their rudeness costs them tips.

I think this owner is a fool and I've boycotted a local place here in Tacoma because the owner is a fool and he's the only one that works there.
 
Trust in capitalism. If he treated you like that, he will treat others like that. Before you know it, they will leave just as you have. No customers = out looking for a real job.

Given his sour disposition, he probably sees the writing on the wall already.
 
look at the demographics...

gpeezy said:
i was recently at a local room.its a pretty nice place.the tables i'm not real fond of but thats another story.i went up there a little early the other day to practice on the tables for a cheap ring game that we had planned to play later.well i get beer go over and get my stuff out,break the balls set down my break cue and here comes the guy that runs the place.i figure he's coming over to shoot the breeze but instead he stops a my break cue and looks at the tip and goes "thats what's been rippin my cloth right there" of course i say "what".he says"yeah thats whats doin it right there,all these front tables where they play those damn tournaments and gamblin games has rips in brand new CLOth".i'm not sure what to say (because the cloth is cheap as hell)so i just kinda discuss it with him for a while.in order to change to subject due to him getting on my nerves i ask if they where busy the past weekend.(here in town we had APA regionals and a lot of people from out of town were here)he proceeds to say "yeah we had a few some from that but thats not what we are about.we are about making money and pool players aren't the one's spending any.they come in here and they don't spend anything and i could care less for them."the worst of all this is i'm one of the guys he's speaking of except for my 25-40 dollar beer tabs.well me myself i'm not going back because i don't have to but what is everyone's thoughts on this.is a pool PLAYER not a customer.i've heard this from a few bars.its just something that pissed me off.
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Unless you are in a very large population Metro area, it is very typical
that the group we would consider to be 'players' contributes
about 10% of a rooms revenue. Nothing to be sneezed at.

The problem, from the operators point of view, they also
cause 90% of the problems, and 155% of the complaints.

There is no surer way of going broke than trying to cater
to pool players.

Dale<player/owner usedtobe>
 
TX Poolnut said:
I solved this problem by buying a 9' table. Table time is forever paid for here at the house and any gambling I do can be done here.

BTW, I run a strict BYOB establishment here at the house.:)
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What part of town do you live in?
 
Neil said:
Are you sure your'e not from Mich.? You seem to have the same business sense as the people here. You run a pool room, but don't want pool players. to me that is like opening a vegetable stand and telling everyone you don't want any vegetarians there! This kind of reasoning just astounds me! Why don't you just get rid of the tables and put in a dance floor instead? The only reason Iv'e ever seen players complain is because they are knowledgable to know when the tables need fixing and the owners don't want to provide decent service for top dollar. The bangers don't know the difference, so they don't mind getting scammed. Every room I have seen that ran off the players has taken a severe downturn in business. And good luck getting it back. It takes years. I used to spend 10% of my gross income in the pool room. That doesn't include losses gambling. That's just table time I paid or generated. Not any more I won't. When will owners see that the players are the ones that generate the business?
This is meant for PDQ. I forgot to check that little box.
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He USED TO BE a pool room owner.
JoeyA
 
JoeyA said:
He USED TO BE a pool room owner.
JoeyA
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JoeyA, thanks for noticing.

It's been a while, but I have a couple of close friends
who are still in the biz, and a few other semi-inside
contacts. In general, the idea held by most players
that they generate the business, is just not realistic.

I was an avid, tho not particularly gifted player before
I had any rooms. The guy from Mich is a good example
of the attitude of what I call 'a serious player'

I could swamp people with anecdotal tales of friends
who were certified pool fanatics before entering the Biz of pool
that changed their outlook by at least 179 degrees.

Dale
 
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