In a Break From Past, Pool Halls Go Upscale

The image of the smoke-filled pool hall filled with hustlers seeking an easy mark is giving way to the swanky upscale “billiard center” that is fast becoming the hot club of the ‘90s.

“Pool halls were previously synonymous with a bunch of bums sitting around all day,” said Daniel Gauci, a past president of the Billiard Congress of America. “We are crushing the old image of sleazy pool halls and creating a new one.”

The new clubs are combining pool tables with tony restaurants and hip discos to provide a sporting alternative to bars and dance clubs.

Orange County is no exception. Pool players and people watchers can choose from Irvine’s Metropolis, Plush Pockets in Lake Forest, Classic Q in Newport Beach and Orange County’s newest upscale pool hall, On The Break Grille and Sports Club, at the former Golden Bear site in Huntington Beach.

The Shark Club billiard pub in Costa Mesa combines California cuisine, progressive music, shark tanks and pool tables in an “industrial renaissance” atmosphere. And people, unlike those at other pool halls, are not there to practice their pool skills. If they were, they would be in for a surprise.

On weekend nights, at all of Orange County’s highbrow pool halls, patrons can wait several hours for a table. And the price to play can be as much as $12 per hour.

Indeed, the 500-year-old sport has had a revival, helped by the 1980s hit movie “The Color of Money,” which focused on the high-stakes betting side. It is no longer a frowned-upon activity. In fact, it is now the world’s fastest growing sport.

Pool is now ranked the No. 2 participation sport for men behind soccer and is among the top 10 for women.

One new club that is part of the revolution sweeping the country is The Ball Room, a 10,000-square-foot complex in Houston’s center-city night life district.

Similar clubs have opened throughout the country in cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles and New York amid industry projections that two to three upscale billiard parlors are opening every week in major cities.

A typical club could cost millions to get started, including interiors and equipment.

The Ball Room combines a pool hall with bar and restaurant that attracts well-heeled people willing to pay $10 for an hour of pool and $30 for a bottle of wine.

Inside the building, which underwent about $700,000 in renovations, are reproductions of Renaissance masterpieces and a fireplace.

The interior, painted in jewel colors, has plush furniture. The pool tables are surrounded by lamps covered in crushed velvet.

“We’re using pool as a means of social interaction. This is a very non-threatening environment, but it’s a place where boys still want to meet girls and girls want to meet boys,” said Ken Wales, co-owner of The Ball Room.

“Pool is not a fad, it’s always been around, but it’s definitely undergoing a revival.”

Hotshots can even compete with each other at a $2-per-game challenge table, but people don’t line up quarters on the table as is done in traditional pool halls. Here, a hostess keeps track of contenders on a gold-framed chalkboard, racks the balls and even referees any disputes.

For those looking for a quiet atmosphere, people can shoot pool in the Green Room, closed by emerald velvet theatrical curtains, on two ornately carved $30,000 Renaissance Royal George tables, complete with tassels and leather pockets.

And for those looking to meet someone special, the new clubs are providing an environment where women and men can compete at a sport on a relatively level playing field.

“To just hit the balls around and have some fun doesn’t require a lot of skill, dexterity or practice,” said Dina Langone, who visited the bar recently with a group of friends.

“And it’s easy to meet people without pressure.”

Times Orange County correspondent Hope Hamashige contributed to this report.