Hey! Having just bought our first house with a gameroom, the wife and I feel an unusual pressure to buy a pool table. Even though we like pool…we don’t play all the time and are by no means afficianados (sp). So why do we feel like we need the pool table? Is it just the thing to do? And they’re really expensive too!
Our other option is to turn the room into an art deco style parlour…we collect art deco antiques. I’m sure we’d play with the pool table on occasion…but is it worth it? Do you pool table owners get your money out of it?
I find pool to be incredibly relaxing and also a nice social activity. It gets the housemates together for something other than TV and gives guests something fun and low-pressure to do.
You don’t have to be very good at it to enjoy it, which I like.
My dream house has a home theater/slash pool room with a 10-foot front projection screen at one end and a championship-sized pool table at the other and dual surround-sound systems for each end of the room.
I will read this thread with great interest and envy.
If you have a cat and you get a tabe with autmatic ball returns, you might want to check the return system before playing a game. Our cats liked to nap in them.
Playing pool has been my hobby for the last 10 years, and I love it. I’d get my own table in a heartbeat if I had the money and the space for it.
But if you don’t see yourself using it very often, it’s not going be worth the expense. Sure, it’s a cool and a seemingly must have type of thing to own, but if it’s mostly going to collect dust or serve as a base for a ping-pong top, then you shouldn’t get one. At minimum pool tables cost around $600 dollars, and personally, I wouldn’t spend that much money on something unless I was sure I really wanted it and would get a lot of enjoyment and use out of it.
I think you should do a little research and find out what kinds and sizes of pool tables (there are several) would work best for you, given your budget and the size of your room. Find out what maintenance and accessories you’ll need, and what the total cost of it all would be. I think once you have a better idea of what’s involved in owning a pool table, you’ll be better equipped to make a decision.
The pool table is also a great way to entertain. One or two couples for dinner, and a game of 8 ball.
Most everyone can play, and it brings out just a little bit of friendly competition. If someone can’t play, they can be teamed with someone that can.
Lots of movement around a table. And usually lots of talking.
I love Ping-Pong, but it can be hard if you don’t have players of similar skill. But that may be just me. — I won’t play unless I’m wearing my running shoes, better traction.
Now I miss Ping-Pong. Been a few years.
But do get a table that you can put a ping pong table on top of.
If you have the room and money, a pool table is a great addition.
I have a pool table, and it gets a lot of use (well, actually it’s dismantled since we moved into our new house while I finish our games room and home theater.
I love having a pool table. As the others have said, it’s something to do other than sitting in a chair watching TV. Very relaxing.
If you do get a pool table, get a decent one with a slate bed. Those cheap pool tables with laminate beds are a waste of time.
I vote for getting a pool table. The game itself is incredible, and the socializing aspects of it are excellent as well. My friends and I (none of whom are particularly good) will often times play for well over 5 hours at a whack without thinking twice. I’d also vote against getting a ping pong top for it, as in my experience they tend to drop junk onto the felt. If you wanted a ping pong table, I don’t think they are particularly expensive, and you can put it outside, climate permitting.
Thanks for the comments. The ones we are looking at are 8ft, 3 piece slate with nice joints (bolted not stapled)…so they’re pricing around $2,000 (including set up and delivery). I didn’t think of the social aspects before, so I’m glad I asked. I also think they look really cool.
My parents got one when I was 13. My dad and I had a “Field of Dreams” type of relationship for much of my teenage years – we couldn’t seem to talk much without arguing. But we could always play pool together.
And while it’s a wonderful social activity, I found that there’s nothing more soothing (to me, anyway) than taking an hour or two and shooting pool by myself.
I don’t know what kind of pool you guys are playing but pool get’s me aggravated faster than any other game I know. And I love it. Strange.
The aggravation comes from knowing you can make a shot (because you’ve made it many times before) and yet, this time, you miss. Pure agony. ::sigh::
Anyhoo, I love my pool table and if I had to make the choice whether to spend the $$$ to get the table again I’d do it in a second. And, oh yeah, what Sam Stone said about getting a nice three piece slate table.
Be extra, extra sure you have enough room for it though. There is nothing more irritating then trying to make a shot and have the butt of the cue hit a wall or post.