Rep to your pool hall

hang-the-9

hang-the-9

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Few nights ago I was driving to play, and was thinking that I drive about an hour and pass some other rooms to get to my regular pool hall. Started thinking why, and figured would make a nice thread.

Lets hear about your regular room (not in your house but a pool hall, bar, whatever you shoot at the most), how it became that way, links or pics of it. If you'd like, I'm sure we all would be interesed in your FIRST pool hall as well, that got you stared on the way to pool greatness :D ;)

Here is mine in 1200 Bald Hill Rd. Warwick RI, Chalks. Seems the webpage is down now, but it's www.chalksbilliards.com. They also have a MySpace thing. Started there about a year ago after all the rooms around me in MA closed down after the smoking ban. I worked in the area, and one of the people working for me told me about it. The price is very cheap (6,7,9 dollar all you can play specials including the weekends), tables pockets are tight, no drinking so don't need to dodge people and waitresses all the time. Room manager and staff respect the game and players, and make sure to keep the house tables (in Simonis) free for the regulars.

My 1st room has been closed for a few years, Mr. Billiards in Framingham, MA. It opened about when I was 16 and immediatly started visiting it. Was 2 miles from my house, and for a guy with no car, it was great. Did not learn too much there, huge pockets, not great players, and no-one was interested in showing you the right way of playing. But it was the first place I went to. The place I actually started learning to play was in Brighton Billiards (which is also closed now I think), 8 tight GCIII, lots of good players. Played Caren Korr there when she first came to the US, before she was on the tour.
 
hang-the-9 said:
...My 1st room has been closed for a few years, Mr. Billiards in Framingham, MA...
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Did you play in their league? I did. Good place, it was a pool room, not a night club with pool tables, probably why it went out of business. You know Jimmy Maguire, the house guy there, any idea what he is up to now?
Trying to remember the owners name, I can see his face, but can't remember his name. Nice guy.
 
catscradle said:
Did you play in their league? I did. Good place, it was a pool room, not a night club with pool tables, probably why it went out of business. You know Jimmy Maguire, the house guy there, any idea what he is up to now?
Trying to remember the owners name, I can see his face, but can't remember his name. Nice guy.
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I played in one season of the 8-ball league years back. We had a 2-man team vs. the 3 most had, and won that year. No clue what happened to the people that worked there, I have not gone in for a long time, and then drove by it when the sign said "lost our lease". The owner was Scott, don't remember his last name.
 
My first pool hall was Magoo's in Tulsa, OK. http://www.magoosbilliards.com/home.htm

I was going to school in a town about 30minutes away, so we'd go up there after class every other day.

It's still my favorite, although I don't get there very often anymore b/c I live 5 hours away from it now.
 
Buffalo Billiards in Metairie

Buffalo Billiards in Metairie is my room of choice now. Three seven footers by the front door that catch most of the banger types, about a dozen almost new Diamond nine footers and I think a GC IV but I don't really remember what the one odd nine footer is.

More importantly, the place is kept up and clean. Buff and his employees are friendly and knowledgeable, and Buff is a very savvy pool hall owner. The one fault with Buffalo's is the drive from my house is a little long and I do drive by a handful of other places. The only reason for the occasional side trip is to keep my hand in on other tables though, Buff gets most of my business simply based on quality across the board. No website but a search does turn up the name, address, and phone number.

Funny as it may seem, I can't really remember my first place I started playing a lot of pool. Nick's Steakhouse in Port Allen Louisiana was probably the place. The bar was open and the restaurant closed with all of the restaurant tables and chairs crowded to the rear to make room for some ancient and neglected tables. Big tables, deep cloth, it took some muscle to move balls around. Very dark, poor lighting. Not much of a place to play pool, a much better place to get beaten, cut, or killed but they let me in the door and served hard liquor to a fifteen year old.

First real hall and where I really learned to shoot pool was Shopper's Pool Hall on Plank Road in Baton Rouge. The place was old and a bit ran down but the various managers and the eventual owner were good folks and the place had some standards. The occasional shot was rarely fired in anger, fights were few, and cuttings rare. Eventually the owner, Jessie Mills, realized I was serious about the game and started passing by my table to give whomever I was playing a tip or two. A day or two later I would use his tip in a game, look over, and catch his grin. He strongly objected to giving lessons, felt like people were trying to buy what he had learned the hard way, but he sure taught me a lot passed out over the span of a couple of years.

Hu
 
Another good thread...

I started shooting at a place up in Groton, CT called American Billiards. It had about 15 Gandy 9' tables at the time and one 7' table. After a little while, I moved to a room in the next town over called Crown Billiards, which has 12 GC III's. Much better equipment, much better shooters. I learned alot in the 3 years I shot there. That room has alot of history behind it too. It's been open for plenty of years, (over 40 I believe, though ownership has changed a few times). There used to be plenty of players who would just wait for the occasional road dog to come in and bust...there was a one pocket player named Cliff who was a monster on the table, (actually bought my 2nd car from him before he passed away), and Norman Manicelli could shoot the eyes off them balls in straight pool, beating Mosconi in an exhibition. (second hand knowledge, wasn't even born yet when that happened) Many of the players who are in their early 50's and did road time along the New England coast will remember the room if you ask them about it, especially the WPBA players. The owners at that time, Sy and Dolly, would always put them up at their house so they wouldn't have to worry about food and lodging.


Since then, (that would be 1999), I've joined the military and have played all over the country. I'm currently playing at a place called The Rack and Grill. There are nine 9' GC IV's, and six 7' diamond smart tables. It's a decent place, but I kinda wish the owners took better care of the equipment.
 
Dagwoodz said:
Another good thread...
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THANKS!

Dagwoodz said:
SNIP -Since then, (that would be 1999), I've joined the military and have played all over the country. I'm currently playing at a place called The Rack and Grill. There are nine 9' GC IV's, and six 7' diamond smart tables. It's a decent place, but I kinda wish the owners took better care of the equipment.
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This seems to be happening a lot, new place opens up, then goes to hell. Non-players mess up the place and the owners don't bother fixing it up. There is a place in Boston that opened a few years ago by Fanual Hall (spelling?). Layout was terrble, couches were way too close to the tables, you could not even stand to shoot at some tables. They kept the pool sticks under where the bridge should go, and when tables got spills on them, which was a lot, they just stayed in the cloth. No replacing things there. I went once when they opened, once again a few months later, noticed all the rips and spills, and that was it. It's a rare room that A. can stay open and focus on the "players" and B. keeps up it's equipment.
 
re: Mr. Billiards

hang-the-9 said:
[...]
My 1st room has been closed for a few years, Mr. Billiards in Framingham, MA. It opened about when I was 16 and immediatly started visiting it. Was 2 miles from my house, and for a guy with no car, it was great. Did not learn too much there, huge pockets, not great players, and no-one was interested in showing you the right way of playing. But it was the first place I went to. The place I actually started learning to play was in Brighton Billiards (which is also closed now I think), 8 tight GCIII, lots of good players. Played Caren Korr there when she first came to the US, before she was on the tour.
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Mr. Billiards was a nice room. Scott was cool. The "partial smoking ban"
forced him to spend roughly $20,000 to partition the room properly. Then the total smoking
ban hit, and at that time, it was by town/city and players could still travel to another room.
That pretty much shot Mr. Billiards in the foot.

As far as players, the location was actually great. But you really had to be there at the right time to see the some of the great players play great.

Bill N. - Ran 15 (Some say 18) on the 3C table they had there for a couple years.

Steve T. A+ player or better if money was right

Tony P. A or better ( this might be you hang-the-nine :) EDIT: Wasn't)

Pete C. cuemaker/player (I think Johnny Archer may still have one of his jump cues)

Mike Sigel walked in one day while in the area.

Those are just some names that came to mind.

EDIT:
Bob Ingersol (His father was a 3C legend) worked behind counter on Sundays for a short while.
I have not spoken to him in over a year, I hope he is OK, his phone has changed.
 
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The pool hall I go to is wonderful, because the owners of the place is actual players, who really do play good. and their all friends of mine. also they allow the club members to play with 50% discount if we play on the tables. and if we just practice alone, the tables are for free! and I just love it because we're a tight group who are also friends.. It's all cool:) but he needs to change the table and get diamonds tho :P
 
My first pool hall was cue4u in Carmel, NY and it has since closed down. I believe it was about 6 or 7 years ago.

Now, I play out of Diamond Jim's in Nanuet, NY. The owners are great and the regulars who come in are good guys, both are very down to earth. The room itself has a nice atmosphere and the equipment is VERY well maintained.
 
catscradle said:
[...]You know Jimmy Maguire, the house guy there, any idea what he is up to now?
Trying to remember the owners name, I can see his face, but can't remember his name. Nice guy.
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I know the question was not directed towards me (how could it have), but:

Last I heard, over a year ago, Jim was playing poker online for money. I heard some info about where and when he plays pool, but again, not only is the info old, but I would not want to post it without speaking to him first.

In case you missed my earlier post, Scott was the owner.
 
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awesome

Dan Tulls shooters in olathe,ks is a great room with people that are super friendly and they give you a heap of food for cheap and its pretty good..there is always action 24hrs 365 a yr they had the 96,000 bar table ring game and they have a $5000 added Midwest tour...9 ball/one pocket tourny the 21st of this month they always have some good action cooking for pool......http://www.shooters-olathe.com/index.html
 
Over the last several years I have not frequented pool rooms other than to attend the rare money added tournaments; however in the last several months, having been treated to their fine hospitality, I have been hanging my hat at Hollywood Billiards in Los Angeles, Ca.
 
CrownCityCorey said:
Over the last several years I have not frequented pool rooms other than to attend the rare money added tournaments; however in the last several months, having been treated to their fine hospitality, I have been hanging my hat at Hollywood Billiards in Los Angeles, Ca.
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me too thats the spot in LA,

my all time favorite room is the Jointed Cue in Sacramento, I awalys played good there, liked Terry Stoner, his son David the hambugers(they give anywhere else the 5 out and the breaks. Period.). I havent been there since Terry passed away but I heard David is doing it right, I love everything about that room.
 
Hi Guys,

Stumbled across this thread and thought I'd pop in. Nice to hear Mr. B's is still talked about after we've been closed for almost 4 years. Since you were wondering....1) Yes, I play poker online. 2) I haven't played pool in over a year (and only about 4 times since we closed) so I don't "usually" play anywhere. Hope you guys are doing good. Catch ya later,

Jim
 
Pool Halls...

While I am moving, the Q Club in Terre Haute Indiana, I guess, would be my home room. While a little small, the owners are from Chicago, and know alot of top players from that area. They have several 9 foot Brunswick Centinials (1945 ish) my favorite for looks.

I travel quite a bit and I like to take my cues with me and in MOST but not all areas I go, I can usually get a game. Currently I am in Rutland VT, and there isnt much pool here. I go to Whitehall NY to play at a bar with 3 bar tables and an atmosphere like CHEERS. I love the people, and expect the entire bar to yell "NORM" at any moment.

Get this, it right across from the Prison (NY STATE, I think), the place is called :rolleyes: ..."Time Served".

LOL

Ken
 
Of all of the pool rooms in nyc, I tend to go to Amsterdam and Park Slope Billiards.

Amsterdam, is Amsterdam. Love it or hate it, some of the best around call it home. Great tables, great atmosphere, great leagues and you dont have to worry about shady people trying to make a buck off you.

Park Slope is nice and is just a few blocks from home. The owner (AC) is cool and is always working with me on my game. Hes about 4-5 speeds ahead of me and he will play me sets without wanting to gamble. So needless to say, I do a lot of my learning there.

My first room was Action Billiards (formally Starchers) in Akron, OH. Was a diamond in the rough. It went out of business right as I left town. Either way, its missed.
 
My first pool hall was The Corner Pocket in Joliet,Illinois.Great players that came out of there included Mike Bandy,Jimmy the Greek,and Jeff Seargant(Sarge).Thats my story and I'm sticking to it:)
 
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