The best and most beautiful pool rooms in USA

S

Slim J

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I am thinking of driving anround the country.

Can you all give your opinions of the best and/or most beautiful pool rooms in America?

Thanks
 
wow, must be nice

Wow, it must be nice to be able to do that. I assume you are
asking this because you *want* to visit them, not avoid them
right? :) I'd also be curious as to the table rates when folks
post about known "nice" rooms. I actually have been avoiding
the "beautiful" rooms, since the ones around here never seem
to have folks that can actually play, and their table rates are
ridiculous.
 
whitey2 said:
I actually have been avoiding
the "beautiful" rooms, since the ones around here never seem
to have folks that can actually play, and their table rates are
ridiculous.
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I agree about that. I haven't been to any real awesome pool rooms that felt like heaven, and I'm not sure I'd want to unless I was playing in a tourney. For instance, I used to go to Dave and Buster's, which had nice, clean tables and nice house cues... but the rates were 12 bucks an hour. Whereas I go to Bananas here in San Antonio, and not only do I get to see better action and better play, but the rates are a dollar an hour on just as good if not better tables! :D That's my kinda place. So if you want the "best" pool room in SA, Bananas is a pretty awesome joint. You'd like it.
 
I forget the actual name but it is in Boca Raton, Florida.
Also a nice one on Route 10 in Jersey. I think it was The Grand?
 
But, don't forget to visit some of the seedier rooms. That is were the real players will be.;) :)
 
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Hollywood Billiards in LA. Tight old GC tables done by Ernesto. Good food and nice looking waitresses.
Stix in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Great tables and Alex the owner is a player who likes to cater to players.
 
Thanks for these tips.

My situation is that I have about 3 months open in my life partly because of my schedule and partly because of an injury thats not serious but it's keeping me out of work. I have no ties or binds so I thought about this trip. Then I realized AZ Billiards has members from all over and you all could be a great source of info.

If I go my plan is to go to as many player rooms as well as the pool palaces that are out there. See as much a variety as possible and maybe take pictures and write down some stuff like rates, popular games etc.

Thanks again.
 
JoeyInCali said:
Hollywood Billiards in LA. Tight old GC tables done by Ernesto. Good food and nice looking waitresses.
Stix in Rancho Cucamonga, California. Great tables and Alex the owner is a player who likes to cater to players.
Click to expand...

Hollywood is or was very expensive and i couldn't find a single house cue that didnt have a tip that looked like it had been put on by a blind guy with Parkinsons. I tried twice and they wont get me again. It's also so busy over there-traffic, shitty parking. Hardtimes is cool but id like to find another good one around there too.
 
I was actually in Hardtimes many years ago. Top players room but also had areas for the fun players and dates as well. I don't know if its as legendary as it was but it was a great action room when I was there.
 
Slim, it is also fun to meet other Az members when you are out of town. I am in VA and have had Az'ers from Sacramento, Oklahoma, Tennessee and VA over to eat and play. I have also been treated great whenever I have to go out of town. I just post where I am going and they reply. It's all good buddy.
Purdman
 
A lap top and this link and you should be good to go.
http://playpool.com/finder/
Phone ahead sometimes the list is out dated. Check one room and ask around. The players will know were the other rooms are. Remember be safe. A lot of rooms are not always in the best part of town.
 
Well, I am from OKC, but Tulsa has a couple of pool rooms that will rival anywhere. Magoo's (where most of the IPT qualifiers were held) and the Billiard Palace. (I think Gabe Owen used to shoot there a lot). I played in the BCA state championship there and it was a nice room with plenty of tables... 3 cushion, bar boxes, 9 footers, golf, foos ball, etc.

If you want action rooms, I have ALWAYS found a game at Chester's (kinda hidden and a little "seedy") in OKC, but those guys are usually pretty salty, so bring your "A" game.
 
Purdman said:
Slim, it is also fun to meet other Az members when you are out of town. I am in VA and have had Az'ers from Sacramento, Oklahoma, Tennessee and VA over to eat and play. I have also been treated great whenever I have to go out of town. I just post where I am going and they reply. It's all good buddy.
Purdman
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That is a part of the plan. I'll have my laptop so it should be all good.

Rackem, Thanks for the 'be safe' tip. A friend who is not a pool player left this Monday for a big drive around ( guess that sort of pushed me) the country just to see it. That what I told him. It's not hard to accidently roll into a dicey area if your a stranger.
 
that list is terrible

rackem said:
A lap top and this link and you should be good to go.
http://playpool.com/finder/
Phone ahead sometimes the list is out dated. Check one room and ask around. The players will know were the other rooms are. Remember be safe. A lot of rooms are not always in the best part of town.
Click to expand...

That site lists places that closed 10 years ago!
 
whitey2 said:
That site lists places that closed 10 years ago!
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That may be true. That's why I reccomended phone ahead. However, it is a starting place.
 
Slim,
In Albuquerque, probably the most upscale pool hall is Carom Club (www.caromclub.com), non-smoking, great Brunswick 9' tables, upscale menu and pretty pricey rates. For action or just having fun, there's Corner Pockets, Billiard Palace, Doc N Eddy's. There are a couple of others, but not as much fun. Enjoy your trip!
 
Slim J said:
I am thinking of driving anround the country.

Can you all give your opinions of the best and/or most beautiful pool rooms in America?

Thanks
Click to expand...

I can provide some info on the East Coast. There was actually a thread initiated recently about the best pool rooms for spectators:
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=51671&page=2&highlight=Q-Masters

And here is my cut-and-paste of my post:

Pool rooms that I've been to, I kind of like, as was mentioned earlier in the thread, Q-Master's in good ol' Virginny, logistically sweet for a professional driver like me. However, when that place gets to rocking, like say maybe during the U.S. Open week, there ain't enough seats. I've spent a few nights in there when it was standing room only.

I've always liked the atmosphere of Snooker's in Providence, Rhode Island. The recently added outside wooden deck for the designated smoking area, only a few steps away from the tables, is actually elevated, so that one can get a bird's-eye view of some of the tables. For the cigarette smokers, this is a godsend. For the non-smoking pool folk, they can now breathe freely. It's a win-win. It was especially nice during a finals of a Joss tourney between Ginky and Allen Hopkins last year. What a battle, fought hard to the finish, keeping everyone on their feet.

Country Club USA in Chelmsford is a maze of different rooms. It's an adventure when you go there for the first time, looking for a spot to settle in. It has all of the dream amenities -- full bar, good food, and plenty of space -- which makes hanging out there quite comfortable, a bonus for tournament events. Nobody likes standing on their feet for a whole tournament. I've done that before, and it really sucks, walking around the room like a homeless refugee, hoping to find a vacant space to stand in without getting in anyone's way or line of vision.

As far as hanging-out pool rooms, I really like Frank's Place in Morgantown, West Virginia. What an off-the-beaten path, old timey pool room, and one never knows who's going to walk in the front door!

So, if you were to break it down into three categories -- tournament venues, tournament pool rooms, and accommodating everyday pool rooms -- I'd throw the above-referenced choices in the hat!

Hope this helps! :)

JAM
 
Purdman said:
Slim, it is also fun to meet other Az members when you are out of town. I am in VA and have had Az'ers from Sacramento, Oklahoma, Tennessee and VA over to eat and play. I have also been treated great whenever I have to go out of town. I just post where I am going and they reply. It's all good buddy.
Purdman
Click to expand...

Who else is from OK?
 
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