Things people don't like about Pool Halls

One thing, while it doesn't bother me that much, I think can turn off the casual or new player from sticking around or coming back. And that would be the regulars in the room that make a habit of going up to strangers playing alone trying to get into action. I think many people consider it a nuisance and if hassled a couple of times may not come back.

It is for this reason that I like pool halls that have a separate players area. At Hard Times for example, if I'm practicing alone in the players room I have no problem if someone comes up to me for a game even if I'm not interested. After all, I'm on the players side of the room so it is not an unreasonable assumption that I may be looking for a game. I've noticed that when I'm on the other side I have never been approached. I think that's good etiquette - players side OK, but don't bug the patrons on the more casual side of the room.

I think a good way for a room owner to handle this would be to let his regulars know that they should not bug strangers to match up. Instead, when someone comes in alone the counter man can ask them if they would like a game and if so state he would be happy to match him up in as fair a game as possible. That way his regulars will get action if there is any to be had, and the casual players won't feel preyed upon by the sharks.

I hope this doesn't sound like I'm trying to kill action in rooms because action is at the heart of what we do and are. I just have seen too many casual players ambushed and it is was obviously not an enjoyable experience for them. When you are not in that world it can be intimidating, especially if the poor guy is on a date or with friends.

My biggest turn-off is loud music. I'm in California so smoke hasn't been an issue in years.
 
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I dislike employees who get drunk while working.

Tables that don't get fixed when you point out to the owners/help what needs done.

Lack of service. 1 person can not serve 50 people, SORRY.

Disorganized tournaments. Pay someone to run them so players/help aren't screwing them up.
 
1. Turn the AC on.
2. Turn the AC on.
3. Turn the AC on.
4. Turn the AC on.
5. Turn the AC on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
all very good points! keep em coming!

Winston846 said:
I'll second this. As long as the ventilation system is OK, it's not much of a problem, but if I'm in a room where I can hardly breathe, I'm outta there.

I also hate loud/boisterous "regulars". You know, the guys who are there almost every single day playing their ring game and the volume gets out of control and they're sharking each other on practically every shot. They act like they're the only guys in the place and have zero consideration for anyone else.
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sounds like we've played at the same place...
haha
 
All I care about is: Good (doesn't have to be top of the line) table with lighting, clean balls and a decent rack. For me pool is why I'm there everything else is irrelevant.

Pluses: Bar, owner or manager who knows what he or she is doing (I don't blame him/her for the staff minimum wage gets you what you get), loud music and video games away from the tables don't bother me.

For those who don't know (simple things, but they always work): If you're a stranger expect to have people try to hustle you (you can always say no once they can't make money they will leave.) Beware the "old" guy, cute girl or young guy wearing a cap who want to play a couple of "cheap" games.

The counter will put you on one of the worst tables (scout the area first before approaching the counter).

A lot of trouble can be avoided by tipping the waitress a dollar every now and then. It's only a buck, but she doesn't want to spoil future tips so a lot of times she'll run interference for you so you can play without being bothered.

Always ask table time (better yet call before you go) before you play so you know what it costs and periodically ask about the bill so they can't cheat you.
 
It is interesting to read the views of pool halls in America. I'm from the UK but have similar experience.

I am relatively new to pool and pool halls, but I can say that the pool hall I play in has a few bad points but I am okay with it.

The main chain in the UK is Rileys, and the one I play from in particular is dreadful. It costs £8.50 an hour to play for most people who go in and the gripe with the cost is because of poor lighting, very poorly maintained tables and rubbish ball sets that are dull and haven't been cleaned for what seems like years. Oh and they all have red cloth with Coca-Cola logo's in the middle of the table!

I cannot see how any pool club can justify £17 for two hours of pool when the quality is so bad. Cloths have holes in and aren't fitted properly, cushions are dead and you are expected to play with red chalk which absolutely ruins any decent shaft!

The plus side is that apparently in 6 months time, the tables are all being reclothed and recushioned. But it won't be K-66 rubbers so there isn't really much point. And if there are 14 tables that need to be done, you can guarantee the tables won't be re-fitted properly, and you'll have loose cloth on cushions etc. If one man does the job alone then I'll be confident they will be okay, but if I see two people working on one table doing the same task on different parts, then I won't be as cloth would be strecthed to different tensions etc. Just won't be inconsistent.

There is one table in the club that has Simonis 860 cloth on which is my sponsored table. Me and one other player get to go on it and have free table time too, which is handy. But I still feel the public are hard done paying so much for poor quality, and I feel sorry for them. The staffing is dreadful and the music at times can be ridiculous - too many F-bombs and "grrrr grrrr I wanna drink your blood" or "I got my ho's and my AK47 and my homies and my 6 fo' with 15,000,000 switches" type lyrics.

I certainly wouldn't pay for my child to go in there and have some rude boys putting that crap on the jukebox. Sometimes I end up paying about £4 a session to put on songs by the Beatles, just so that people don't have to hear the bile that people call music these days.

Oh i forgot one positive- no smoking :)
 
UK Rileys

Rileys have largely lost my custom also.
The problem seems to be that they are not interested in catering to enthusiasts like you and I. Most people playing on these tables wouldn't have the faintest idea about different cushions available. They cater for bangers and I can't see it changing soon. As you say, it's expensive especially for the condition of the tables. The food they provide is awful and I will no longer eat from there. I have been fortunate enough to find a new independent place to play which is run by an enthusiast. The table time is half, the tables are better and it's spotless.
Seems to me Rileys is run by executives that were probably running a supermarket in their previous jobs.
This seems to be a UK nationwide problem with Rileys...:(
 
Room owners who are not working to keep their room full. If $6 hr doesn't fill the room m-r, try $3 hr! Your losing more money with an empty room than you are with it full. I thought this was business 101, but not in central OH!

Don't put tables close to the wall, poles, etc.

Nothing worse than a nice room with these issues!

What I like about my room:
Employees clean table and balls between every customer.
Tables are level.
Beer in the fridge, but people aren't drunk.
Customers are 90% serious about the game.
Owner asks you. Should I match you up?
Everyone keeps score. Games mean something.
Non-alcoholic drinks also.
Theft probability is so low, that the average customer is storing 1-3 nice cues in a leather case out in the open. I wouldn't do that in my own house!
Hot and cold wet towels available for free to use.
No nonsense. Darts, Pool, 3C, and drinks...that is it.
Owner will play you and show his true speed. He is incredible. Never seen anybody play like that. I get my chance to shoot like 1 in 3 racks. Guys on tv shoot more than that!
 
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It doesn't matter to me since I can beat the guys, but I've seen it bother some friends of mine. The hustler without any money in his pocket bothering every table to play for a buck or two even though he doesn't have a dime in his pocket. If they don't have any money in their pockets, kick them out so they don't take money from your paying customers. A customer will never come back if he happens to win a few bucks off the bum and gets aired.
 
Jude Rosenstock said:
[...]This point you raise is a sticky issue for most poolrooms and there's always going to be conflict here. The staff wants to be available for the bangers. Bangers drink and tip a lot. On the other hand, poolroom owners are well aware of the importance of regulars. It's a juggling act that will never be mastered. Occasionally, rooms will appear to get it right but that will only be for a a short while.

[...]
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I am a room owner. And there is, as you say, a jugling act here.

Contrary to the way room owners are sometomes portrayed here, we don't always look at everything according to how it affects the bottom line. My tendency is to judge things according to how they affect pool in general and my room in the longer term.

In particular, I want to increase the popularity of pool and the number of people who enjoy it.

A close connection between regulars and the staff and amongst the regulars --a cheers bar effect--is something we definitely have, and it's a good thing.

The key in my view is to make sure that's a positive and at least not a negative to the patrons who are not regulars.

You want them to see that this is a friendly place, that people support one another, and get a sense of warmth.

You want to avoid the sense a new patron might have that he or she in a club--and is NOT a member.

I think we have a good balance right now. Having good staff helps, and we have really good staff.
 
3andstop said:
Have I ever mentioned loud obnoxious inconsiderate noise and swearing some of you kids call music?

Sure there are some brain dead inconsiderate animals out there, but having been a room owner myself, I'm saddened that the degeneration of our society has infected even the room owners who ... in the name of a few coins in the jukebox accept and even condone this garbage music.

You can't bring kids in to rooms unless you don't care that they hear Fk this and MFk that and kill the cops and shoot the drugs. If you're any kind of parent you don't want to expose your kids to this garbage. No wonder the game isn't growing.

No wonder schools don't get involved with pool teams. Any of them that visited one of these migraine factories is soon turned off to it all.

I think some room owners need to realize the garbage they allow and the volume they play it at and grow some balls and pull the plug.
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You must not watch much TV.
 
3andstop said:
I don't watch much MTV, you can bet on that.
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haha, me either. Funny pool related story....league night, a bar with 8 barboxes, and every one is being "played" on. Slash metal is BLARING through the speakers (I mean the gutteral screaming type), and then all of a sudden a beautiful riff comes thru the speakers, and it's Stevie Ray Vaughn. That was followed by a couple of more "classic" rock songs. Up next, Lady GaGa, and Eminem (SP?). A wide range of patrons in the place, and the music reflects it. Then a song comes on that I had NO CLUE who it was singing (never heard it before), and a buddy leans over to me, and asks, "did you play this?" I said I wouldn't know how - 1) no idea who the artist is, and 2) honestly, I've never tried to play one of those wall mounted, internet connected, jukeboxes. lol. It was Justin Bieber??? Anyway, I don't know 90% of todays music, and the 10% I do know, I hear on league night!

I'm an old fogey at 37, listen to sports talk on the radio, and will turn on a ballgame on TV....that's about it.
 
anything goes

..well allmost anything.

There was a time when I let all sorts of things bother me while playing pool.Things have changed and now I can enjoy just playing the game or watching good pool.

I like to see evey room have a certain atmosphere.Every room should be differnet.The only problem I see with bars and pool rooms is they try to please everyone....with the music.IMO the Juke box is a scourge to society.Kareoke is also a blight on western culture but you don't encounter it as often as the JB.

To me the problem with the JB is you can have 40 people playing pool who enjoy a cetain type of music and one person who may like a type of music that is offensive or irritating to the 40 yet the one person can feed 20bucks into the JB and torture the otherise content pool players.Often this person is some1 who works at the pool room/bar sometimes it is just a person who would rather spend $$ on booze drugs and music then play pool.Now I know that the juke box is a money maker to most rooms and can often provide musical enjoyment to all customers but for me it is the only thing that can keep me from fully enjoying any pool room I visit.

This all being said,I have learned to tune out music while playing and it is only a problem if I have to sit to long withought hitting balls.
 
cuesblues said:
Most of the pool players I know will complain about anything, here are a few:

  • Noise
  • Lighting
  • Table condition
  • I don't like Gold Crown's
  • I don't like Diamond
  • The balls are dirty
  • The cueball is too small
  • Food
  • Prices
  • Distance inbetween tables
  • The color of the felt
  • The flooring
  • Too much weight
  • Not enough weight
  • The good looking waitress is too slow
Personally, i'm just happy to be in a pool hall with so many closing.
But I can still find something to ***** about.
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Heard the best one ever Monday night during playoffs for league "I CANNOT play with these balls! They are brand new, way too clean and they just slide all over the table!"
No honey they are "sliding" all over cuz that is how you are hitting them LOL
 
Rack'emBilliard said:
Heard the best one ever Monday night during playoffs for league "I CANNOT play with these balls! They are brand new, way too clean and they just slide all over the table!"
No honey they are "sliding" all over cuz that is how you are hitting them LOL
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Hey Brandie

How's things at Rack'em
Long time no see

Merry Christmas

Ted
 
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