Billiard / pool tables - where to buy

Hiya
now a mate of mine who occasionally posts here is going to laugh when he sees this, but does anyone here own a pool or billiard table?
If yes, where did you get it? In Munich?
Was discussing my living room with someone and (apart from his suggestions of huge trainsets and mine of a home spa) this idea came up. Some I'm looking into it. Honestly.
Any tips gratefully received (particularly about reconditioned or secondhand tables).
Katrina

Friends got theirs on Ebay - but be warned, it was heavy and they struggled to get through the window down into the games room in the cellar.

Quelle has one table shown in their catalog. Not cheap but looks pretty nice.

I say you give the trainset another chance though. Get a cute conductors cap and you will be all set

My husband used to play Billiards in the National German league (2nd division). If you settle on one, he could probably advise you if it's a good buy or not. We are new to Munich so he is probably clueless as to where to buy one here.

@katrina

i reckon that a really good one will set you back a fair bit. you can buy a lot of trainset for that kind of money...

How about Scalectrix (sic?) or table football?

There are lots on Ebay, of course. I grew up with a table in my house, and we played all the time. They're fantastic for parties, too. I actually like the idea of a home spa, though...

my parents bought a really big pool table second-hand years ago. Kurz&fündig. It did cost more than 1500DM (750EUR) then and was extremely big and heavy (so when they moved out they had to sell it to the new owners).
You need a lot of space around the table as well.
I'd say go for a big table football instead, it's more action

I have a 1936 Jelkes Bar Billiards table which I won in an action in Canterbury and then imported here.

Set me back a bit, but it's worth it

Ho much did it cost you to import it Sin?

If you on on UK Ebay there are some great ex-pub pool tables in the true English style.

To be honest an American pool table is too large for my flat, but a smaller english table is just like a dining table.

They are only around 150 Pounds, but are very heavy due to the slate tops.

But would be so cool to have.

Could rent a van and bring it over, I have somee things in England I could bring over anyway, including my really nice 1960 vintage Fender Amp :-)

Just saw a table at Rossmann for €333.

Excellent thread! Exactly what I was wondering. Photo from the weekend of Frau English attempting to double-check width for pool table in the "boys room"!!! Looking forward to more info from people on this one.

Well, I suppose I should put this into perspective.

It didn't actually cost anything to import, as in importing costs. I was heading back to Munich with the last of my stuff from my home in England and I picked it up in the same van on the way back.

150 pounds eh? I think you are talking about either a regular pool table here, or a copy of what I have.

Mine is an original, professionally restored 1936 Jelkes bar-billiards table with the original coin op. Cost at auction (the one that you sit down at with a little card, rather than eBay) was about 50 times what you are suggesting to pay. But then, that's because there are fewer than 200 examples still in existance worldwide. It is both an antique and a rarity.

The sad thing about my table was that when I got married and had kids, it really didn't see the usage it deserved. So, I took my heart in my mouth and lent it to a worthy cause (after all, it had spent 60 years in a pub atmosphere already).

You can all play on my table. Hazza has it on loan at The Arc. I fully expect a local championship when we all have become acquainted with the game.

Sorry - The Arc has a pool table? Fuck a duck, I'll be there on Friday evening - put a Euro down for me will ya lads. Winner stays on.

It's a fuckin' BAR-BILLIARDS table squire.

Meh! Rubbish. I'll have to nip out to the Schelling Salon then.

Heathen!

OK, I'll have a whirl at bar billiards, but some fucker's going to have to hold my hand and help me with it. The other The Arc lacked, IMHO, was a quiz machine. Or one of those ropey reaction testers you get in bars in Spain - even after a Leo Sayer they'd always say I had the reactions of a jet fighter pilot.

Cum to think of it... maybe they should get a BJ machine in the gents.

Sounds like you ahve some kind of antique pool table.

Yeah the ones in Ebay are the typical English Pool tables you get in bars in England.

Here is a pic, quite small (4ft wide & 7ft long) and with the coin slot still installed.

No, no, no! It's a BAR-BILLIARDS table!

So whats the difference between BAR-BILLIARDS and pool?

Bar Billards Table:

OK. Fair question.

Pool has a pocket in each corner and 2 pockets in the middle of the long sides of the table. Except the black (or traditional '8') ball, the remaining half of the balls must be pocketed by one player/team... blah, blah, blah. You know how to play already, so you don't really need the rules from me. Playing pool can use very hard action shots to gain spin or swerve on the ball. In a bar atmosphere with a mixture of alcohol it can get confrontational and aggression builds between players (I once had a pool cue wrapped around the back of my neck because I was winning).

Bar-billiards is a very gentle game of accuraccy. If you strike the object ball too hard it will come off the end cushion and over a dividing line, so that you loose your break. The game was developed from Billiards-Russe in the 1930's specifically for pubs in southern England, but it originates from Bagatelle (c.1770).

The beauty is that you only shoot from one end and the object ball must start in a small 'D'. This means that the table doesn't take up much space. A game is exactly 17 minutes before the 'bar' drops. This stops the pocketed balls returning to the pick-tray at the front. You then 'clear' the remaining balls on the table.

The 'pockets' or holes are in the table at specific positions, and not along the cushion areas. There are 9 holes for 200, 100, 50, 50, 30, 30, 20, 20 & 10 points value. There are also 2 white 'men' and a black 'man' (balanced pegs). If you knock over a white man you loose your break. If you knock over the black, you loose your entire score to that point. There are 8 white balls and 1 red ball. The red ball scores double. Any ball can be the object.

A good explanation.

Pop down The Arc, read the rules (posted above the table) and enjoy. When you get to know the game it is massive fun and, because of the gentle way it is played, I have never encountered any aggression... no matter how drunk one gets.

It's proving pretty popular at The Arc.

There are often people playing until the wee hours...

Anyone tracked a good place to buy one of these babies?

I hear that most over here are the American 4 x 8 tables? UK is smaller 3 x 6 usually. I am not too fussed really but don't want a naffed one from ebay I think.

Saw some for sale at a place where I got some darts from a few months back. looked like they sold new and used. Not sure of the address but will get it from my mate tomorrow when im at work. Because i really am ill today and not in town at the internet cafe before i go to the pub!

H&S Billardvertrieb Truderingerstr. 287

Thanks. Google gobbed up their website if it helps anyone else http://www.billard-muenchen.de/

And some more selections here: http://www.billardshop.de

and here http://www.dynamic-billard.com

Seems like you can get 6ft, 7ft, 8ft and even 9ft tables.

My gut instinct is to go for a bigger table 'cos it will be a bit more skilful do we think?

So I am looking to get a pool table. I think ideally 9ft which is the "proper" size. (2540 x 1270 playing area).

Anyway a "pucker" one, delivered and setup is about €3,000 which is too much money.

I can see this one here on EBAY:

http://cgi.ebay.at/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewIt...ADME:B:DS:AT:28

and they sell direct for €599 here http://www.afterbuy.de/afterbuy/shop/store...px?shopid=10330

But worried that at €599 it is gonna be total crap?

Opinions - any other ideas?

This is too big, get a 7ft x 4ft table. UK superleague size

Oooops. Thanks for the tip. I might need to look into this more. I thought all the competition tables over here were US 9 foot competition sizes?

Obviously doesnt matter to me, but assumed that there would be more skill on a 9foot table? Kinda bit nearer to snooker etc.

Just a regular pub table sometimes has huge pockets, and designed so the game is finished as quick as possible!

Always thought the 9ft ones were too big, as you say, US size. Not real pool

Might be worth asking at The Pool and Snooker hall in the Ostbahnhof where they get theirs or what they do with the old ones when they replace them maybe ? Me and Traveler and a few others will be there tomorrow and if i remember i waill enquire for you.

always, always, always test the table yourself first. the cushions are a critical element, as is the slate base. if the cushions are crap, it'll piss you off forever and cost you the proverbial arm to get them refitted.