About

About this directory

poolhalls.org is an independent directory of places to play pool in the United States. It lists two kinds of places, and always labels which is which:

• Pool halls: pool halls, billiards rooms and billiards clubs, where pool is the main thing.
• Bars with pool tables: bars and other venues that aren't pool halls but have one or more tables you can play on.

Right now it lists 2,119 pool halls and 4,307 bars with pool tables in 2,348 towns and cities across 50 states and DC. The list grows as more places pass the checks below.

It's built for people looking for a place to shoot pool tonight, players looking for a league or a tournament, and anyone who wants to know what a room has before they go.

How a place gets listed

A map search for "pool" returns all kinds of businesses that have nothing to do with billiards: swimming pool builders, pool supply stores, hotels and apartment complexes with a pool, and bars that host pool parties. So every place is checked before it appears here.

• Pool halls: Google category plus proof. A place is listed as a pool hall when Google categorizes it as a pool hall or billiards club, and its name, its customer reviews, its Google description or its own website confirms pool or billiards.
• Bars: proof of pool tables. A bar or other venue is listed only when several of its customer reviews, or its reviews together with its own website or name, say it has pool tables. Each bar's listing shows the review sentence or website note that proves it.
• Swimming pools don't count. The word "pool" on its own is never treated as proof. When a place's reviews mostly talk about a swimming pool, it's left out.
• Closed places are left out. Places marked as permanently closed, or whose recent reviews say they've closed, aren't listed.
• Table stores aren't pool rooms. Businesses that sell, move or repair pool tables are left out unless reviews show people play there.

Some real pool rooms are missing for now because there isn't enough public information to confirm them. We'd rather leave a place out than list one that turns out to be something else.

Every claim shows its proof

Listings can say more than "this place has pool." They can say how many tables a place has, that it has 9-foot or Diamond tables, which pool leagues play there (APA, BCA / BCAPL, CSI, VNEA or TAP), and whether it has tournaments, snooker, darts, a full bar, food, lessons or a pro shop, or stays open late.

Each of those claims appears only when the evidence supports it, and the evidence is shown next to the claim:

• a verbatim sentence from a Google review, marked "from a Google review";
• a note that the claim comes from the place's own website;
• otherwise, the number of reviews that mention it.

Table counts get the strictest rule. A count is shown only when the place's website, its Google description or a customer review states a number, and the listing says which. We never estimate or round a table count. If nobody has mentioned something in a review and the website doesn't say it, the listing won't claim it, so some listings say less than you'd find in person.

A listing is not an endorsement. We don't visit or inspect places, check the condition of their tables, or vouch for anyone's service.

Why there are no prices or hours

Table rates, drink prices and hours change often, and many rooms charge different rates by the hour, by the day of the week or by the number of players. The only reliable source is the place itself, and we don't copy those details from places' websites. Hours on map listings can be out of date, and a wrong closing time is worse than none.

So listings don't show prices or hours, and there's no "open now" badge. "Open late" appears only as a claim with proof, when reviews or the place's own website say so. Every listing shows a phone number and website where we have them: call ahead before you go.

Where the data comes from

• Public business listings for the name, address, phone number, Google category, rating and review count.
• Public customer reviews for the review quotes and for the evidence behind each claim.
• Places' own websites for what they say they have, such as table counts, leagues, tournaments and lessons.
• U.S. Census population figures for the per-person numbers on the stats pages.

How places are ranked

Wherever places are ranked, the order comes from Google rating multiplied by number of reviews. That favors places with many good reviews over places with a handful of perfect ones. The top-rated pages include pool halls only, and only those with at least 10 reviews. Nobody can pay to be listed, ranked higher or given a claim.

What you'll find here

• Pool halls by state and city.
• Bars with pool tables, each with its proof.
• Pool leagues: places where reviews or websites mention leagues, with the league named when the proof names it.
• Halls by feature, such as 9-foot tables, snooker, tournaments and lessons.
• Top-rated pool halls and pool halls by the numbers.
• Guides on 8-ball and 9-ball rules, etiquette, table sizes, house cues, snooker and joining a league.

Independence

poolhalls.org isn't owned by or affiliated with any pool hall, bar, league, table maker or cue maker. League names are used only to describe what a place's reviews or website say. Places don't pay to appear, and the site doesn't run ads right now. See the privacy policy for the analytics it does use.

Corrections

If something on a listing is wrong, such as an address, a closed place, a table count or a claim you think isn't right, email hello@poolhalls.org. Include the place's name and city, or the page link, and what should change. Owners can find more on the contact page.