Bar Room Billiard Etiquette
5/14/2007 9:09:57 PM
Bar Room Billiard Etiquette
I'm sick of playing in pubs, bars, taverns. Here is why.
- Bystanders trying to give you unsolicited advice, especially on crucial or difficult shots where concentration is key.
- Idiot smokers. I'm glad to see that this forum supports non-smoking billiard establishments.
- Playing on poorly maintained equipment. Come on owners, you charge $6 for a damn beer, please replace your cue tips!
Again, kudos on your stance for non-smoking in pool halls and bars. I'm an advocate of this and love playing in smoke free billiard halls
thedocBar Room Billiard Etiquette
Replies & Comments
Fenwick on 12/18/2007 11:06:34 PM
I drink water or coffee. Water is free but I tip $1.00 Coffee is $1.50 and I tip $.50. I also tip $1.00 for a waitress just asking if I need anything if she is nice. It pays in the end. If you don't like the tables go elsewhere. I also sneak in some Starebuck's Coffee and cookies. I'm there 5-7 hours a day 5-7 days a week. I almost love being back in the game. I only love God, Family and Country. Cheers.
steffie1100 on 12/19/2007 5:22:47 PM
I was wondering is it considered to be normal when you have a group of people playing pool for someone to just say they want to play the winner. I have noticed many groups that are together get very mad about this.
billiardsforum on 12/19/2007 7:40:13 PMThere are several ways to play. If you are in one big group of friends, and have one table, just establish an order of play, and have the winner stay at the table, and the loser leave the table and enters the back of the line. The next in line approaches the table to play.
If you are approaching a table where there are random players you don't know, perhaps it may be best not to but in. However, this is common in a lot of pool rooms so perhaps in the more hardcore rooms, it is to be expected. Don't go to a Dooly's (Massive Canadian chain of "family and friends" casual billiard halls.) and expect to do this. You'd probably be intruding on a friends night out.
@thedoc, I did not mean to be flip but I was with my reply and when you read it did sound that way so I'm saying I'm sorry. My bad." Playing on poorly maintained equipment. Come on owners, you charge $6 for a damn beer, please replace your cue tips!" That is a valid point. But it's the patrons who wreck the equipment. For $50 or less you could buy and enter with your own stick. "Bystanders trying to give you unsolicited advice, especially on crucial or difficult shots where concentration is key." That can be a problem but with strangers and Alcohol one must keep cool and focus IMHO.
"I was wondering is it considered to be normal when you have a group of people playing pool for someone to just say they want to play the winner. I have noticed many groups that are together get very mad about this." Yes; as @billiardsforum mentioned it's their night out and here they load the table up with quarters and never touch the money on the table but rather take change from their pockets and keep the table for the night. I shoot with a family of 64 men, I'm the outsider friend, who wouldn't let you on the table even though it's a public bar. Is it right; don't know. Something's are what they are.
Avalanche on 12/22/2007 11:03:59 AM
What a great forum! As a previous poster indicated, most establishments, including the one I would frequent, always reek of smoke and there are plenty of idiots around, especially on Friday nights. I have had too numerous of encounters with drunk, wasted wannabe pool players coming up to me wanting to play for money, beers, or just try to take over my table. I would normally take $10 worth of quarters and we'd guard our table the entire night, and whenever the quarters got low, we'd be sure to replace them with another $10 stacked on the table to make sure all onlookers realized our table is for us. Occasionally when some person would wander up and put their quarters on our table, I'd go put their quarters on another table and watch and make sure no one stole their quarters. Then, by the time the people came back and wanted to know where their quarters were, I'd point at the other table (an open table, mind you), as sort of an indirect way of saying "use that table and get away from us" in a nice way. Side note: Why is it people come up to YOUR table and want to but into your affairs when there are two other tables that are completely open? Unless they're trying to hustle you, there aren't too many other reasons.
I have always wanted my own table. I recently bought one, too. I moved into a home that could easily afford an 8-foot table although my dream was to own a 9-foot regulation Brunswick Gold Crown, but I do not have that kind of money hanging around. However, I got my 8-foot table installed about two weeks ago and have not been back to the local pub since. No longer am I wasting $0.75 a game and drinking watered-down beer, and no longer am I surrounded by drunk idiots with no etiquette.
Another issue is playing next to people who have absolutely no idea how to play pool that just get in the way and stand around/linger around trying to figure out why they missed their shot while you're politely waiting for them to move so you can make your shot.
Glad I don't have to deal with that stuff anymore! I am like a kid in a candy store with my new table. I absolutely love it. I will be posting pictures soon because I'd like to have some advice on how to do my room properly.
Great forum! Av
treehumper on 3/4/2008 6:05:11 PMI stay away from coin-op tables. Eventually, someone is going to try to get in on the table. In Toronto, there are a number of good pool room/bars that have hourly rates. In a group we usually play winner keeps the table and try to play pairs with skill levels blended to make it even.
Firework on 5/14/2008 4:57:18 AM
Hi, everyone! Here in Moscow we have quite a lot billiards clubs, so there is no point to buy own pool table. But as I am pool player I have some problem - as the most popular kind of billiards in Russia is Pyramid, I just cannot find suitable rivals among amateurs to play with, because the most part of people prefer to play Pyramid and even those, who like pool - mostly don't know "8 ball" official rules! For example, some "players" think that foul must be punished by two shots (shot by shot) of another player! I can tell you a lot of such "rules" and promise - you all will be laughing for long.
Bar Room Billiard Etiquette
- Title: Bar Room Billiard Etiquette
- Author: thedoc (Martin Mckinnon)
- Published: 5/14/2007 9:09:57 PM
