From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Right on cue

Looking for a place to rack 'em? Check out these South Florida pool halls.

by Barbara Lester and Dan Sweeney

October 19 2005

Sure, sports usually refers to activities that involve actual physical exertion. But let's face it: This is America, Land of the Couch Potato. How many of us could compete in nine innings of baseball, four quarters of football or -- yikes! -- 12 rounds of boxing? For the average Joe, more-sedentary pursuits are the norm. Most of these can be found at your neighborhood bar -- darts, foosball, table tennis, Golden Tee and so on.

But of all the bar games, billiards has to be the most popular. So we scoured South Florida and found seven notable pool halls, dismissing obvious venues like Gatsby's and Dave and Buster's. Below, you'll find the best of the rest.

Billiard Club at The Oasis
Sawgrass Mills, 2610 Sawgrass Mills Circle, Sunrise, 954/835-1114

This relatively recent addition to the Oasis at Sawgrass Mills isn't exactly your father's smoky pool hall. It's both a huge sports bar and a billiards club. As evidenced by the number of couples filling the room, it's also a great date place. Friendly waitresses circulate the room, filling orders from the bar and a food menu that primarily consists of sandwiches and snacks. This is a classy place that doesn't get crowded until about 10 p.m. on weekends. The sound system wails with Chicago blues and oldies. Nonsmokers will be pleased to know that because the brick-walled room is cavernous, the smoke tends to dissipate.
Number of tables: 21
Cost: $10.50 per hour
Food and drink: Full liquor bar and hot food service
Quality of equipment: All new Brunswick tables and well-weighted cues
Specials: One hour of free pool between 4 and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday; Tuesday's ladies' night offers free pool and drinks for unescorted women 21 and older from 9 p.m. till closing. The club does not host tournaments.

Broadway Billiards
17813 Biscayne Blvd., Aventura, 305/931-1900

Located in a strip mall with an Office Depot and a Fuddruckers, this club is more concerned with providing a showcase for local music than with billiards. It's not that you can't play a decent game here and have fun while doing so, but the equipment isn't geared toward serious players. The club has a good sound system, a nice stage area and a spacious bar. Local bands play every Friday and Saturday. The club, open 3 p.m.-3 a.m. weekdays and 3 p.m.-5 a.m. weekends, charges a $5 cover Friday and Saturday. If you like live music with your pool, this is the place to go.
Number of tables: Five
Cost: $5 per hour per player
Food and drink: Full liquor bar
Quality of equipment: Tables are small and lack professional markings.
Specials: Free pool and $3 well drinks from 3 to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; women drink free Thursday nights. The club does not host tournaments.

Corner Pocket Billiards
2248 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors, 954/566-3556

Serious pool players frequent this establishment. The Corner Pocket features fine equipment, well-spaced tables, good lighting and an eclectic and polite clientele. Satellite radio plays throughout the day and is usually tuned to an oldies station. The room is fairly well-ventilated, which controls the smoke. A USBA Regional Qualifier 3-Cushion Tournament will take place here Jan. 14-15.

Number of tables: 16
Cost: $4 per person per hour
Food and drink: Beer, wine, soft drinks and snacks
Quality of equipment: Pro-level with solid, Brunswick tables and a good selection of cue sticks
Specials: $7 per person Monday through Friday for unlimited play until 6 p.m.

Gold Crown Family Billiards
2233 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 954/921-8439

Gold Crown is a classic, old-school pool hall. The cigarette smoke is as thick as an expensive, generously cut steak, and the patrons are as varied as the people you'd find at the DMV. From high-school kids wasting away a Saturday afternoon to aging pool hustlers, the unusual crowd is part of the experience. The jukebox plays a healthy amount of country, as well as a tasty Bob Dylan cut here and there. This atmosphere-rich pool hall could have been a way station on Highway 61. Although Gold Crown doesn't serve food, you can buy a great basket of wings just west of the hall at Wings 'n' Curls.
Number of tables: 11
Cost: $5 per person per hour; $8 for two people per hour
Food and drink: Beer and soft drinks are available. The five-beers-for-$10 bucket is a great deal.
Quality of equipment: The tables are a little old but steady and professional-size; however, the cues need updating. Pool lessons are offered.
Specials: Gold Crown has one of the best billiards deals in South Florida. For $5, a person can play unlimited pool from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Women pay half price Monday through Thursday nights.

Jump Shots Sports Bar and Billiards
600 N. Congress Ave., Delray Beach, 561/265-0777, Jumpshotssportsbar.com

Jump Shots draws a varied crowd, more black than white, more male than female, but with plenty of representation from all walks of life. The place may be distracting for the serious pool player, with its larger-than-life television screens, but for a few friendly games while taking in a full Sunday of football, the place can't be beat. Despite a fairly thick crowd, the sheer size of the room prevents it from seeming too crowded. Laptop owners rejoice: Jump Shots also offers Wi-Fi.
Number of tables: 21
Cost: $5 per hour weekday nights, $6 per hour weekend nights
Food and drink: Full liquor bar and hot food
Quality of equipment: Jump Shots features weathered but serviceable Grandy tables; a few of the cues are warped, but not many.
Specials: Unlimited pool for $5 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, and $6 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekends; drink specials include $5 Jäger bombs Sundays, free drinks for women 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Wednesdays, and kill-the-keg Thursdays, which feature all-you-can drink domestic beers for $9 and imports for $14.

KnightTime Billiards
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Stirling Road and State Road 7, Fort Lauderdale, 954/587-6155, Knighttimebilliards.com

KnightTime has some great features you won't find at any other pool hall, such as a nine-hole trick-shot course and the gigantic casino that surrounds the place. Start hustling, though -- KnightTime isn't cheap. Of course, you get what you pay for. Disregarding value, atmosphere and other qualifiers and looking at it solely in terms of quality, KnightTime is the best pool hall around. Period.
Number of tables: 20
Cost: Trick-shot course costs $7 per person. The pool tables run from $10 per hour to $35 per hour, depending on the size of the table and the time of day, plus an additional $2 per hour for every person after the first four.
Quality of equipment: Pristine, not a warped cue to be found
Specials: Perhaps the most interesting special is the Second Floor Mezzanine Rental. Three hours of private play there includes two 9-foot tables, use of the champagne bar, your own bartender and server, and an hour of open bar for up to 50 guests, all for the princely sum of $1,375. Now you know what to do with all those poker winnings.

Side Pocket Pub
18 S. Federal Highway, Pompano Beach, 954/942-5350

City Link named Side Pocket the Best Place To Play Pool in our Best of 2005 issue. The pub may not have as many tables as other venues or as much equipment, and what it does have is often faded or warped. But Side Pocket has one thing most of its competitors don't -- free pool. The place is a real dive bar, but it's a real friendly one, and you just can't beat that price -- even with a stick.
Number of tables: Nine
Cost: $8 per hour after 7 p.m.
Quality of equipment: You'll have to search for a while before finding a decent cue. A couple of tables are in pretty bad shape, though the two in the far corner of the room are fine.
Specials: Free pool until 7 p.m. weekdays and all day Saturday