Pool in Chile

Poolhalljunkie

Poolhalljunkie

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was wondering if anybody knows of places to play in Santiago, Chile I will be there end of February-March. I am looking for nice place to play with good equipment. Thanks...
 
not in santiago. i played some in punta arenas, but that's more than a fair drive from santiago.
 
Poolhalljunkie said:
I was wondering if anybody knows of places to play in Santiago, Chile I will be there end of February-March. I am looking for nice place to play with good equipment. Thanks...
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I was there working a few years ago... get ready for a big surprise!

The tables are 9 footers made with concrete beds. They don't play 9ball or 8ball.
They play "Hololulu" ... or at least I think that's what it is. They set up the balls frozen along the rails at each diamond and then shoot them in rotation. Each ball counts its value... first one to 61 points wins.

Most important... the pockets are cut very, very, very tight. No way I think anyone could run a rack. Lots of gambling, but a lot of misses. No penalty for missing a ball if you are hooked, as long as you don't hit another object ball... then you lose the value of the ball you mistakenly hit. Hard to explain all the rules... you kind of pick them up along the way.

BTW... speaking some Spanish is a must!

The best place I found to play in Santiago was downstairs about 1/2 way down the walkway to the "Plaza de Armaz"... believe me... the pool halls are pretty nasty...

Oh ya, the cues there (you can rent one for about $2 for the session) are the worst you can imagine... I took my 3 piece Falcon ($350) to Chile so I wouldn't risk having my $1600 Schon stolen. It was the best cue in the country by far.

There are no tournaments or anything... just that rotation game over and over and over. Most match-ups are for 5 or 10 thousand pesos... about 10 or 20 bucks.

The Chileans are fantastic people... very friendly and courteous. That said, however, mind your own business and be street smart. It is very easy to find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Its a pretty big deal for the locals when an ex-pat wanders into the place. They love to see them play the locals... big crowds... very good sportsmanship. However, when I played them... I broke even... I don't know how they would take a good beating... remember tho... the tables are so tight it is impossible to run more than 3 or 4 balls... you'll see.

Pool in Chile is O.K., but its not that much fun. Its great meeting new people, but the game is so difficult that you'll get frustrated very quickly.

Good luck,:)
 
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