Breakers owned by Paul Mottey in Pittsburgh. One heated carom table, one diamond barbox, 8 Diamond 9 footers and 6 Gold Crown 9 footers. No smoking in the room. There is a bar attached where you can smoke.
What is the best pool hall you ever played in? And where is it?
- Thread starter Lock N Load
- Start date
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Shoebat
My favorite used to be Hollywood Billiards in San Francisco. It went through several names, though, and I'm terrible at remembering names. This is the one in the Tenderloin. You'd go though a lot of drama just getting to the place- parking and walking through scary, and you'd get to the door, past the doorman on a barstool, climb up the dark spooky stairs and then walk into big wide open beauty. Lots of well- kept, tight and fast antique tables, paintings on the walls, an austere brass railed bar, constant action, great players, tourneys. Huge windows that would raise up and players would sit on the sills waiting for their shots. I heard it's a nightclub now.
Hard Times Sacramento has great tables. Perfect tables.
Jointed Cue is my all time favorite room.
Hard Times Sacramento has great tables. Perfect tables.
Jointed Cue is my all time favorite room.
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I've played in 40 something states and for my money it doesn't get any better than Chris's Billiards in Chicago. But I use a completely different set of criteria for evaluating places.
As far as places that would be considered "nice" by most people, Hard Times Bellflower, Marietta Billiard Club, and Shooter's Olathe are three of my favorites.
I thought the old Chattanooga Billiard Club was pretty cool too; guess I just have a thing for walking up stairs to get to a pool room. :shrug:
Aaron
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Q-Masters in VA Beach, which claims to have more tables than any other hall in the USA.
It's got it all - 72 tables with Simonis 860, good food, 2 full bars, back room for the action players, rich history/decor, a house pro, cue repair, and a wait staff of young honies to distract the hell outta you!
It's got it all - 72 tables with Simonis 860, good food, 2 full bars, back room for the action players, rich history/decor, a house pro, cue repair, and a wait staff of young honies to distract the hell outta you!
UK - Club 147 - www.club147.co.uk - by a mile!
USA - Fargos. Simply awesome.
and Cosmo's, Scranton. (If its still there?)
Europe - Snooker Town - Helmund
USA - Fargos. Simply awesome.
and Cosmo's, Scranton. (If its still there?)
Europe - Snooker Town - Helmund
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I really enjoyed Boston Billiards in Nashua, NH. I lived in Manchester for a little while and we used to go there quite often. Really nice place. I never really interacted or paid much attention to players on other tables so I don't know what the competition was like. All I know is that the place was great in most every way, period.
Aww shit! Do we have to go thru the names again!>|?
I think you left some out:wink:
Does Westmont still have a place in your heart, or was it crap?
Please don't tell me that I only liked it coz I was the fish.
Ditto. I had friends and visitors from across the country and more come into New England and just be completely blown away by the Boston Billiards pool halls saying that there were upscale pool rooms in their area, but nothing like Boston Billiards.
Of them all, the one in Nashua when it first opened was really a pleasure to play a tournament in.
That all being, said, for grinding pool players pool halls, I'd have to put Chris' Billiards in Chicago and Hard Times in Bellflower up there. Just pool with pool pool players.
Decades ago, I walked into a place in NYC before they all shut down. Very nostalgic, side street, up the second floor, through a narrow hallway and through a tiny door that couldn't possibly have pool tables behind it. Open it up and after the smoke cleared and your eyes adjusted, you'd see what looked like a hundred tables with half of them with dried up spills on them. The wires holding the scoring beads hung overheard each table and were tired and sagging to the lights. Many of the pool tables had ashtrays built in. That didn't stop players from putting their cigarettes on the rails.
Guys were sitting down along the walls doing nothing but smoking.
There were billiard tables as well with actual billiard players. Some played with four balls; most played with 3.
The guy with a leather teller's hat behind the cage gave you the balls. Every house cue was entirely too thick to hold and too butt heavy to stroke. Most had a touch of warp. Some had decent tips. But every time you hit a ball, every time the ball hit the back of the cup, there was that unmistakable sound and echo through the majestic warehouse hall that just made me feel like I was... home.
I don't know how many hundred pool halls were in the City prior to the big shutdown before the revival, but I am fortunate to have lived through some of that period.
Freddie <~~~ waxing
Sounds like I have been to that pool hall before! Thanks for your sharing with us! So many good pool halls coming in on this thread.
Many Regards,
Lock N load.
7
Just don't play on table 7. There is a cigarette machine backed up to it, and they won't move it out of the way of where your cue would have to be out of the corner. If you look on the other side of the cig machine, the front side, there is room for the machine to be moved because the pillar next to it juts out anyway... I guess they don't care about that table.
In the front room the cloth is old, you hear a lot of complaining about that. Pretty waitresses, but the equipment is lacking. 72 tables is impressive, but I have played in many dozens of rooms with better equipment. I have other complaints but I will leave it at that. Pretty good atmosphere and service though.
Just don't play on table 7. There is a cigarette machine backed up to it, and they won't move it out of the way of where your cue would have to be out of the corner. If you look on the other side of the cig machine, the front side, there is room for the machine to be moved because the pillar next to it juts out anyway... I guess they don't care about that table.
In the front room the cloth is old, you hear a lot of complaining about that. Pretty waitresses, but the equipment is lacking. 72 tables is impressive, but I have played in many dozens of rooms with better equipment. I have other complaints but I will leave it at that. Pretty good atmosphere and service though.
agreed ... although I've only been there once
for personal nostalgic purposes .. the Metropolitan Billiard Parlor (oh who am I kidding, I didn't even know it had a name other than the Met) in Morgantown.
Playing field closed recently
I went in there once and it was toooo smoky, so good riddance.
I went in there once and it was toooo smoky, so good riddance.
Pool Hall
One I played in has always stuck in my mind. It was the Billiard Tavern, located at 12th and Broadway in San Diego back in '68-69. It had 32 tables plus 4 more in seperate rooms for private gambling or playing. It had closed circuit TV thoughout the place for watching, plus a screen on the street side so you could see what was going on inside. It had a 10,000 dollar exhibition table with a 4,000 dollar chandelier above it, and exhibition seating on 1 side of the table.
It had also a raised bar area, serving drinks and food, plus it had an indoor fountain in the bar area. It was a classy place.
One I played in has always stuck in my mind. It was the Billiard Tavern, located at 12th and Broadway in San Diego back in '68-69. It had 32 tables plus 4 more in seperate rooms for private gambling or playing. It had closed circuit TV thoughout the place for watching, plus a screen on the street side so you could see what was going on inside. It had a 10,000 dollar exhibition table with a 4,000 dollar chandelier above it, and exhibition seating on 1 side of the table.
It had also a raised bar area, serving drinks and food, plus it had an indoor fountain in the bar area. It was a classy place.
Diamond Billiards Cape Coral, Florida
Diamond Billiards in Cape Coral, Florida. The two owners are serious pool fanatics and love action. Pool is free everyday of the week from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm. All Diamond tables and lights, 12 9-footers and 10 7-footers. This place is heaven!
bob c
Diamond Billiards in Cape Coral, Florida. The two owners are serious pool fanatics and love action. Pool is free everyday of the week from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm. All Diamond tables and lights, 12 9-footers and 10 7-footers. This place is heaven!
bob c
Bob C,
This place almost sounds like Buffalo's Billiards, the Worlds Pool Hall located in Metairie, Louisiana. Very near New Orleans, Louisiana. Thanks for your input!
Many Regards,
? N Load.