What's the deal about people saying pool is dying?

If somebody throws 2k into a pot you get guys showing up from like halfway across the country, lol. What else needs to be said?

I know it goes without saying but it really would be great if there was money in pool. I'm speaking more from a different perspective, in that if there were 1000 added tournaments and like every champion didn't show up from ten states good local players could win. If where you live is anything like it is here, to win a tournament with 500 for first I kid you not you've got to beat a us open champ, and one or two more literal champions, then the local talent. It's just a total joke: people don't realize, it's costs money to be in stroke well enough to beat champions. So I have to subtract all that table time from all my winnings (if I happen to win), gas to get there, entry and green fee.
 
Last edited:
Ekojasiloop said:
If somebody throws 2k into a pot you get guys showing up from like halfway across the country, lol. What else needs to be said?

I know it goes without saying but it really would be great if there was money in pool. I'm speaking more from a different perspective, in that if there were 1000 added tournaments and like every champion didn't show up from ten states good local players could win. If where you live is anything like it is here, to win a tournament with 500 for first I kid you not you've got to beat a us open champ, and one or two more literal champions, then the local talent. It's just a total joke: people don't realize, it's costs money to be in stroke well enough to beat champions. So I have to subtract all that table time from all my winnings (if I happen to win), gas to get there, entry and green fee.
Click to expand...



Take it from the pro side. Show up to a good sized event like white diamonds and get yourself in the Calcutta (only way to make good revenue) and you don't win and you don't make anything.

Chip and joey got 3/4th one year and I believe lost 500$ all together lmao. That's pretty brutal


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Pool per say is not dying, what is dying is the pool room owners that refuse to believe they need to keep the tables in good playing condition....because all they have is bangers! Well, i told the owner of the performance grill in Auburn, WA a year and a half ago, if he didn't do something to fix his pool tables up, he was going to go out of business. Well, the last time he had the tables worked on, the mechanic made them even worse, now he's closing on the 1st of Sept, and a new owner is taking over....kicking out all the old GCs, replacing them with 10 7ft bar boxes and 4 9ft Diamonds, also replacing all the junk kitchen equipment as well. So, morale of this story is, those room owners that refuse to invest in their pool rooms, don't have to wait to much longer....LOL
 
As mentioned prior, I think it's more just poor management - a local room I hit almost every week, for league, 1pocket, etc....usually run a $25-$35 tab each with food, drinks, and more when we have table time, try to always be respectful, tip about 25%, etc.......in the last month, twice our waitress didn't check on us for 45 minutes.....literally either disappeared or just decided not to wait on us.....and every 20 minutes or so would be enough.

Also, many mentioned equipment....don't even go to the room down the street I used to frequent back in the day.......instead, drive 20 plus minutes to play because good friends have all told me the equipment is pathetic. Honestly, it would seem now is the best time for someone to start a room. Most are run like crap, wouldn't be hard to differentiate yourself and win people with good customer service.
 
Well said. 60 years ago, how many players brought their own cues to the poolhall? 25 years ago, how many people spent more than $1 for a tip replacement. 10 years ago, how many people were willing to pay $30 for a piece of chalk, and $50 for a magnetic chalk holder. When one door closes, another opens. These are some of the positive changes to the retail side of the business.

boogeyman said:
The deal about people saying pool is dying is because they (most likely) are only considering their immediate area.
Most people are ignorant -- hate to say it.

Also, what they don't understand (in general) is that the industry has changed in terms of geographic concentration(s), and,
by virtue of that, we have different minds coming up with new ideas for related equipment and accessories.

Yes, pool is alive and well. Just because pool is "dying" in the U.S. means nothing to the industry, believe me.
The industry is simply adjusting to the demands of the consumer(s).
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Personally, i think it's great for pool when the shit holes to play at get toilet flushed....when even the bangers stop showing up, it sends a message to all the rest of the pool room owners that don't feel they need to improve their business....you might be NEXT!
 
jlrowe said:
Interest in pool started dying off rapidly in late 90's when Tech and computers started becoming common in the household. Don't let the marketing mislead you. The market is over saturated with cues and accessories; supply is definitely greater than the demand. Companies and individuals have to find a way to differentiate from the vast amount of other product out there. So what better way than saying our product will make it easier and improve your game. The internet brings the whole world of pool to one location, your desktop. This gives the illusion that its thriving when in reality tens of thousands of rooms have closed since the 90's. like grey ghost said it depends on where you live. I have a friend that owned the best room within 120 miles of where i used to live. He had 9' Diamond pro ams, kept his cloth and super pro aramith balls clean and buffed to a high gloss. He had Diamond come in ever so often and level tables if needed. No jukeboxs and alcohol. A true players room. But even with this it would not cover the rent and utilities with what he made off of pool alone. Just wasnt a customer base and what few locals,which you could count on two hands were between 35 and 70.
Click to expand...

Personally I think you are on the right track. When PC games and console games came along, there were many things that went by the wayside, and pool just happened to be one of them.

Back when I was growing up in Bedrock there were no computers, and you "dialed" a number on the rotary phone. Us kids stayed outside most of the time, or rode our bikes all over the place.

We used to ride our bikes down to the pool hall during those days, and play pool, snooker, and sometimes pin ball after we had finished playing pool/snooker. It was a penny a minute, so we would ride around collecting deposit bottles off the side of the road, take them into the store, and collect the money so we could go play pool.

Now days after the invention of PC games and console games, most kids in my little neighborhood are hardly ever outside. If they are, usually they have some form of hand held game, or smart phone in their hands. Instead of getting out and about, they remain inside most of the time gaming with friends, that actually could live thousands of miles away. I personally am an old gamer, and do play with folks that live half way around the world, but I'm old and came up in a different generation, plus my love for playing pool/snooker has never gone away.

Times have changed, and will continue to change. I hardly every see any young kids frequent the hall I use (it's a pool hall not a bar). Back in my day there were a ton of young kids playing pool in pool halls all day during the weekends and summer. My guess, and it's only a guess, is they are much more interested in gaming online than they are about getting out and playing a game that requires a table, balls, and a stick. Just like many brick and mortar stores have gone away due to the internet, the internet has had, to some degree, the same effect on pool and pool halls. I could be wrong, but that is what I think.
 
onepocketron said:
Personally I think you are on the right track. When PC games and console games came along, there were many things that went by the wayside, and pool just happened to be one of them.

Back when I was growing up in Bedrock there were no computers, and you "dialed" a number on the rotary phone. Us kids stayed outside most of the time, or rode our bikes all over the place.

We used to ride our bikes down to the pool hall during those days, and play pool, snooker, and sometimes pin ball after we had finished playing pool/snooker. It was a penny a minute, so we would ride around collecting deposit bottles off the side of the road, take them into the store, and collect the money so we could go play pool.

Now days after the invention of PC games and console games, most kids in my little neighborhood are hardly ever outside. If they are, usually they have some form of hand held game, or smart phone in their hands. Instead of getting out and about, they remain inside most of the time gaming with friends, that actually could live thousands of miles away. I personally am an old gamer, and do play with folks that live half way around the world, but I'm old and came up in a different generation, plus my love for playing pool/snooker has never gone away.

Times have changed, and will continue to change. I hardly every see any young kids frequent the hall I use (it's a pool hall not a bar). Back in my day there were a ton of young kids playing pool in pool halls all day during the weekends and summer. My guess, and it's only a guess, is they are much more interested in gaming online than they are about getting out and playing a game that requires a table, balls, and a stick. Just like many brick and mortar stores have gone away due to the internet, the internet has had, to some degree, the same effect on pool and pool halls. I could be wrong, but that is what I think.
Click to expand...

This is probably as right as anything. I personally quit playing 20 plus years ago when I got out of college. Job, raising kids, bills, etc. got in the way.

I've been back for a month. I'm definitely a banger now, but working on getting better, lessons, have a cue on order, etc. I'm lucky that I have a great pool hall to play at, the owner treats me well, has good equipment, and I show my appreciation in a good tip every time I cash out.

If you are fortunate enough to have a good local place to play, support them every way you can! I've already invited some friends to come out and play, should be introducing 3 new folks to the game and to the pool hall I go to this coming week.
 
8ballr said:
I've never seen so much enthusiasm towards pool since the boom in the 90's...tournaments are being streamed everywhere...there aren't enough hours in the day to watch them all. Pool halls around here are popping up with brand new diamond tables.The pool cafe near me has about 15 7' diamonds and has a waiting list most nights...packed full with groups of recreational players...and they are expanding. Another pool hall opened with brand new Pro Ams...the days of crappy old gold crowns with torn, stained cloth are over. Not to mention leagues are hugely popular as well.

Look at the product on the market now too...it's amazing the selection of cues, chalks, tips, etc. and the technology going into them. If you ask me I would say overall pool is at an all time high.
Click to expand...

Yep, pool went into hospice care back in the seventies when pool leagues started taking over the tables
 
cuesblues said:
Yep, pool went into hospice care back in the seventies when pool leagues started taking over the tables
Click to expand...

League's? I'd say that just about every league pool table in the Spokane area is in better condition than the 9 GC3's in the only pool room in this area, including the 6 league bar tables IN that same pool room!
 
realkingcobra said:
League's? I'd say that just about every league pool table in the Spokane area is in better condition than the 9 GC3's in the only pool room in this area, including the 6 league bar tables IN that same pool room!
Click to expand...


The amount of money spent on pool tables and table maintenance is good for the pool table industry.
As far as the game of pool is concerned, or the mentality of pool players, it is two completely different things.
All of the new Diamond tables going in everywhere is a real cool deal, but just a bandaid fix to the systemic failure of the game.

Pool leagues caused a lot of players to get cynical about pool, especially the older player's who have done a lousy job passing the torch to the younger player's.
I blame pool leagues for that disconnect in the pool hall.
When you've been playing pool your entire life and all of a sudden you get kicked off the table by a league, you may tend to get a little cynical. I

Pool isn't dead and maybe all these match streams like we're doing in Denver will help generate more interest and it already has.
Leagues need to go, and streaming scheduled matches may be the answer.
 
cuesblues said:
The amount of money spent on pool tables and table maintenance is good for the pool table industry.
As far as the game of pool is concerned, or the mentality of pool players, it is two completely different things.
All of the new Diamond tables going in everywhere is a real cool deal, but just a bandaid fix to the systemic failure of the game.

Pool leagues caused a lot of players to get cynical about pool, especially the older player's who have done a lousy job passing the torch to the younger player's.
I blame pool leagues for that disconnect in the pool hall.
When you've been playing pool your entire life and all of a sudden you get kicked off the table by a league, you may tend to get a little cynical. I

Pool isn't dead and maybe all these match streams like we're doing in Denver will help generate more interest and it already has.
Leagues need to go, and streaming scheduled matches may be the answer.
Click to expand...
When, in your lifetime of playing pool, has there ever been an organised system of pool playing taking place in pool rooms throught this country with at least 500,000 players being involved....weekly? There's one of the reasons pool rooms are dying like flies!
 
Why pool is dying

It is my belief that pool is dying for the following reasons:

Like every sport such as basketball, football, baseball, etc, Pool is something that people see and want to emulate. All those sports have significant financial support via endorsements and TV money, something pool can't compete with.

In addition, the companies like Rawlings, Spaulding, Wilson, as well as the sneaker companies are making money off of equipment. If you talk to cuemakers today, few custom cuemakers are making the money they desire. Don't believe me, reference the cue market and the secondary cue market. If they aren't successful, prices drop and custom cues are competing with production cues. This reduces profit margins and reduces the endorsements by the cue companies in general.

Now assuming you understand the business model and what is required to make pool a success, it is my belief that poolplayers don't spend money, yuppies do. So in order to be a success, the pool room has to attract fringe pool enthusiasts. They aren't being drawn to it as much for a myriad of reasons. Leagues attract people because people love beer. Eventually people just go to places and drink beer and forget the pool if you don't pay attention.

In smaller to midsize cities, there is clear data that pool is shrinking. You can see that there are less pool rooms and less players. No one to encourage younger players to develop.

You also see less people playing for $100 a game at Super Billiards Expo. Less Action. More action streamed but less action.


I've visited Pool Rooms in U.S. and Canada.

Here is a list of ones that do it right and in my opinion why:

Gold Crown Billiards-Erie, PA (My favorite) Owner owns Plaza and Has Excellent Bar/ Restaurant set up that thrives without pool.

Snookers-Providence RI. I was only there one time but you can quickly see that a strong Bar/Grill and Super Talented Players make this place a success even in the smallest state.

Corner Bank-Toronto, Ontario Canada-Heavy initial investment. Many Diamond 9 footers, Many diamond bar tables, Best Snooker Tables, ideal location and management familiar with large scale tournaments and billiard management.

At least 2 of those have leagues and I best you if you poll pool room owners they beg for the leagues because the leagues bring in money: Beer money.

I know I've rambled on, but in summary I do agree that pool is dying.
 
Last edited:
mchnhed said:
Only one point in your and other people posts is correct.
Click to expand...

I didn't say that about the room owners, someone else must have, even though it is in my quote.
If you check my post, that isn't in there.
Now that you mentioned it though, room owner aren't the problem, they just don't know what to do half the time.
 
realkingcobra said:
When, in your lifetime of playing pool, has there ever been an organised system of pool playing taking place in pool rooms throught this country with at least 500,000 players being involved....weekly? There's one of the reasons pool rooms are dying like flies!
Click to expand...

It's obvious what the pool leagues have done for the pool table business, and it's nice to see all those new Diamonds out there.

I'm looking at it from when I noticed things changing.
The room owners are stuck with leagues now, and that is not going to change, they are joined at the hip.
Just think how great pool would be if instead of bowling leagues with a pool cue, we had match play during those same hours.
Scheduled match play would of been a nice transition instead of these goofy leagues.
 
I Stand by my post

I stand by my post. More than one thing is correct. In fact, they all are. You can have a financially successful pool room without passing the torch, although its not very common. Its not the only reason for pool rooms dying. There are several which I have stated. To focus on just one reason is not forward thinking. I stand by my post.
 
Areas that weather that makes people go in doors for recreation tend to do better for pool. In many areas,as in the west coast area, the pool room owners have to deal with very high rent costs, high cost of utilities, insurances, and costs of food and drinks. If they cannot do a regular, consistent flow of business, it can become difficult to make any profit. Also, some cities have so many restrictions required to open a pool hall, that one cannot realistically operate a pool hall. Many years ago, There used to be many pool halls within an hour or less drive. Today i have to drive an hour to get to the nearest pool hall and they are slowly becoming a sports type bar with loud music. pool tables, darts, shuffle board, and cocktail tables are so close to each other that they interfere with each other. I may soon have to drive 1 1/2 hours to the next pool hall.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top