WHAT TO EXPECT
at
VIP BILLIARDS
&
GUIDE TO POOL HALL ETIQUETTE
Most pool halls and billiard establishments that I have been to are set up pretty much the same, and VIP is no different. Pool halls have come a long way from the dark, smoky hole-in-the-wall places full of shady characters that we see in movies and on television. Modern pool halls are clean and the people that play there are no different from you and I. We see people of all nationalities here at VIP. Men and women of all ages enjoy playing here, and we frequently see families come in together to have some fun shooting pool. If you've never been here, or to any pool hall, here are some tips to get you started.
Your first stop when you get here will be the counter, where you will get the pool balls. Be prepared to tell the counter person how many people are in your group, and you will be asked to leave your I.D. with them in exchange for the balls. This insures us that any unscrupulous customers don't run out without paying the bill. This is also a good time to pick up any drinks or snacks that you may want.
VIP charges an hourly rate based on how many people are in your group. The rates are posted at the counter or you can simply ask. You will pay for your table time when you are finished playing. Drinks and snacks can either be added to the table time or you can pay for them as you go. We accept cash and credit cards (for totals over $15), and we have an ATM available inside.
House cues are located on the walls between tables, bridges (rakes) are on racks mounted to the sides of every table, the rack will be located near the ball return on each table, and cue chalk comes with the balls. We ask that you rack the balls on the ball return end of the table and break facing the wall. Sometimes balls fly off of the table during the break, and we'd rather have loose balls hit the wall than other customers!
You will find a small drink table and two chairs at each pool table and there are coat hooks provided under the drink table. We do allow you to take your food & drinks to the tables, but please keep all food and drink well away from the pool tables. VIP also offers separate, clean restrooms as well as an internet jukebox and a state of the art sound system. Of course we are also air conditioned and heated!
CLEANLINESS
You will be hard pressed to find a cleaner pool hall anywhere! Smoking is not permitted in the building, so no stale cigarette smell here. We wipe down the side rails of every pool table with disinfectant every day along with the drink tables, waiting tables, and restrooms. The restrooms are mopped every day. Almost our entire floor is carpeted, and this is vacuumed each day. The playing surfaces are also vacuumed every day, the trash emptied, and the house cues are inspected each night. At VIP, we go to great lengths to provide our customers with the best equipment and the cleanest environment in which to play pool.
ETIQUETTE
Not everyone knows how to act in a pool hall, or what you should or should not do when you are here. Here are some basic etiquette rules that apply here and most places where you might shoot pool.
Keep food and drink away from the pool table. Some people think that it is okay to place drinks and other items on the playing surface, but one tiny spill can ruin the felt on the table. The only things that should touch the playing surface are the balls, the rack, your hand, and sometimes a cue.
Please do not use, or limit your use of hand powder. Hand powder is completely unnecessary and it ruins the playing surface of the table. If your hand is sticky wash and dry them thoroughly. If your cue stick is dirty wipe it down. You won't see expert pool players using hand powder, but you will see them washing their hands every half hour or so!
Keep your volume down! Now we expect, and even enjoy hearing, the occasional outburst when a difficult shot is made or a hard-fought game is won - but yelling about each shot or game won is disrespectful to the other players around you. You don't need to be "library" quiet, but please monitor your volume. Of course shouting out obscenity or profanity is never permitted, and will probably result in your being asked to leave this, or any pool hall.
Do not jump or masse the cue ball. In other words, do not strike the cue ball from a vertical angle and do not attempt to scoop under the cue ball to make it jump. In both cases, unless you are a very good shooter, you will strike the felt with the tip of your cue, which will tear the felt and ruin the playing surface.
Try not to chalk the pool table! Every bit of chalk that you put on your cue tip ends up on the table. You can limit how much chalk gets on the felt by not chalking over the table, not using excessive amounts of chalk, and not placing the chalk face-down on the table.
Keeping these things in mind and being respectful of the pool hall and other customers will bring you their respect in return, and you will become a welcome face in no time!
One more note on etiquette, and this applies everywhere you go and pertains to cologne & perfume. This is a strong pet-peeve of mine and it offends everyone near you. Why is it that so many people have no idea how to apply perfume or cologne? Okay - here's the rule, and you can look this up on the internet if you want to:
Perfume and cologne should only be able to be noticed by the person you are talking to, or from no more than two feet away.
Men seem to be worse at this than the ladies, but both sexes violate the rule all too often. Men, why do I smell your cologne the moment you walk through the door? Why does your stench linger after you have left? What are you covering up? Why are you bathing in cologne prior to shooting pool? Trust me, it is repulsive and really isn't going to get you any self-respecting lady! And ladies...whewww! Men like the way you naturally smell, or at the least they want to catch a whiff of nice perfume when standing close to you. But from across the room? No way. Most people consider an overwhelming smell of cologne or perfume to be offensive, and a lot of people are allergic to most colognes and perfumes. Please, I beg you, study up on basic etiquette on the internet and lighten up on your fake scents.
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