Case by Case: Pool Cue Cases Decoded

Once you have decided that you need your own pool cue to take to the pool hall, you will also need to invest in a quality pool cue case. The right kind of cue case will protect your investment and will make it easier to carry your new cue to your next match! Here is a brief outline of what to look for when shopping for a cue case.

Hinged or Box Cue Cases: Many pool players come in to my showroom looking for a hinged cue case.

Interior view of a hinged cue case

Often this is because they remember seeing one back in the day or maybe because their father or grandfather had one. Much has changed when it comes to cue cases and today a hinged case may not be the way to go. Often you can only carry one cue at a time and there is no place to store accessories such as a glove or tip tools. It does feature a handle, but you will have to carry it in your hand as compared to over your shoulder. It is a nice looking case and the latches make it look more like a briefcase.

Soft Cue Cases: There are many different styles of soft cases available, both with adjustable shoulder strap and without. Often these cases aren’t as sturdy as either the hinged cue cases or hard cases. More often they feature only one accessory pocket for your supplies. They also won’t protect your cue very well if you drop it or drop something on it.

Black Vinyl Cue Case with 5 Pockets by Cuetec

Cuetec does make a good case with storage for up to 2 butts and 4 shafts and multiple pockets but it is still a soft case and won’t protect your cues if something hard is dropped on the case or if someone steps on it!

Hard Cue Cases: By far our most popular cue case is the hard cue case.

Black Hard 2 Butt, 2 Shafts Cue Case

They come in a variety of configurations from 1 butt, 1 shaft up to 3 butts, 6 shafts as well as a wide assortment of colours. The most popular colour choice is black, but as a once was pool player who had a black cue case, I can tell you that most everyone will also have a black cue case. Unless you can dress yours up (with pins) to make it look different than all the rest or if you plan to make sure you always know where it is, you might want to consider a different colour. Also popular are the genuine leather cue cases with the cowboy studs on them, although I will say that if you go with one of those, you will be marked as a player for sure and better bring your game to back it up!

As a point of interest, many players come in and wonder why there is space for more shafts than butts in the case. Often a player will buy a cue (which comes with the butt and shaft together) but then might purchase a second specialized cue shaft for the cue (either playing or breaking cue). They will often keep the original shaft the cue came with as a back up in case the tip comes off the specialized shaft during match play. So in some players cases you might find a break cue (1 butt, 1 shaft), specialized break shaft (1 shaft), playing cue (1 butt, 1 shaft) specialized cue shaft (1 shaft) and perhaps a second playing cue or snooker cue (1 butt, 1 shaft) which also may have a specialized shaft (1 shaft). All told that would be 3 butts and 6 shafts! Heavy to carry around, but would mean that player is ready for anything!

What kind of case do you carry – hard, soft, box? How many cues do you normally take to the pool hall with you? I welcome your comments and thoughts!

Things to Consider When Buying a Used Pool Table

Although we are in the business of selling new pool tables, occasionally we have customers who are interested in purchasing a used pool table. After many years of servicing all makes and models of pool tables as well as dismantling, moving and re-assembling used pool tables, I can easily say that when you think you are getting a good deal on a used pool table you probably aren’t. Here’s why:

1. First of all, if you are buying a used pool table that has somehow ended up online or in the newspaper this means that the person selling the table doesn’t have any friends or family members who wanted it. This could be for one of two reasons – either the seller wants too much for it or it is not in very good condition. In either case, you have to wonder if this is a good buy for yourself. If the seller wants too much for it, could you purchase a similar table new and have it custom made to your specifications plus have new cloth and accessories included? Probably! If it is in rough condition, do you really want it anyway, even if it was really cheap? If you just finished renovating your game room and spent time and money to make it look amazing, do you really want to put a crummy looking table in? Probably not!
2. Next is the table itself. We have dismantled many a table that had cracked, chipped, broken or mismatched slate pieces which the buyer and even the seller were unaware of before it came apart. This is important because you will probably have to replace the slate, which will include replacing all 3 pieces. If the table is already apart, it will be very difficult to verify all the hardware is still there in order to put it back together. Some pool table manufacturers have specialized hardware which is only available from the company that made the table. It won’t help if that company is no longer in business! Another thing to consider is that just by looking at a jumble of pieces, can you tell if everything is really there or what kind of condition its in? We have had situations over the years of missing rail pieces and once a missing leg piece!
3. When you are buying a used pool table, you never know what might have happened to it before it comes to your house. If the homeowner was a smoker, the smell will get into the wood and the cloth and will continue to smell for months if not years. If the seller had pets, it is entirely possible that the funky smell emanating from the table is cat or dog pee (yes, we have seen that as well). Cloth can be replaced, but replacing a leg that is damaged will be much more difficult. Especially if the manufacturer has gone out of business.
4. The hidden costs of purchasing a used pool table can sometimes make buying one more expensive than getting a new pool table. You will need to dismantle, move and re-install it at your house (read my article “Moving A Pool Table Yourself” to get more information on moving a pool table). If it needs new cloth, you will also need to purchase that and have it installed. If the table is not an Olhausen Billiards pool table, you may need to replace the rubber cushions as well. You may also need to purchase new pool cues, balls, triangle, rest, cue rack or light, depending on what the seller is including.

When you buy a new pool table, you get to choose exactly how it will look. You choose the table itself (traditional, modern, ornate, simple design) plus you choose the cloth and table finish to match your decor. It will come with brand new accessories and pool cues that aren’t warped plus Hot Shots includes the delivery and installation of you new Olhausen Billiards pool table. Easy and simple and depending on how much the used table you’re looking at, it could be close to the same price!

I’m not saying there aren’t some good deals to be had out there! Just be cautious when thinking about purchasing a used pool table and make sure you know all of your costs up front!

Moving A Pool Table Yourself: The Pros & Cons

At this time of year, we often receive many calls for pool table service work. People are buying a new house and want to move their pool table, they’ve bought a new house and want to sell their current table because they don’t have space, they want to move their table to the cottage; so many different types of services are available.

Lately I’ve heard many customers tell me they want to move their pool table themselves (or have their moving company move it) and just have us put new cloth on and re-level the table. Here is what is involved in dismantling and moving your pool table yourself:

1. Labeling all of the parts and keeping track of all of the screws, nuts and bolts. When our installers come out to dismantle a pool table, they have a system so they don’t loose any parts and so the table will go back together, they will often label the pieces as they come apart. We once had a customer who had to purchase all new hardware for her pool table because the moving company she used discarded all the screws, nuts and bolts for her pool table. This was incredibly frustrating for her since we had to order a few things in that couldn’t be found at the local hardware store.
2. It is important to wrap all of the pieces to ensure that nothing gets scratched or damaged during transport. Our installers have large blankets which they roll up the rails and legs in and also protect the frame itself.
3. Removing the cloth can be tricky – especially if you want to re-use it when the table is re-assembled. Our installers can remove the cloth in such a way that it can be re-used when the table is put back together. Installers that simply cut the cloth off the table only do that if it is in really bad shape or they are too lazy to remove the staples. There is no need to replace the cloth unless you no longer like the colour or it is not in good condition. If you are planning to replace the cloth, now is the time to do it since the table is already apart and will need to be re-leveled anyway.
4. Properly dismantling a pool table requires not only the legs to come off the bottom and the rails to be unscrewed from the slate, it also requires the slate to be unscrewed from the frame and removed a piece at a time. Most standard 8 ft or 9 ft pool tables have 3 pieces of slate which are joined by either wax or putty and are attached to the frame of the table in some way. You will damage your pool table or the slate if you try and move it with the slate still attached.

Some 10 ft and 12 ft tables will have up to 5 pieces of slate and each piece will weigh anywhere from 250 to 350 lbs. If it is one piece of slate, it could weigh anywhere from 800 lbs and up. All of these factors effect the price of moving your pool table if we provide that service for you. We have a minimum of 2 technicians, but will use more if the job requires it. They are used to lifting slate and can do it properly without hurting themselves. Our installers also have a vehicle which will accommodate the weight of that much slate plus the weight of the pool table itself. Don’t forget – if you chip, crack or break a piece of slate, it will need to be replaced and you will need to purchase all new slate. The pieces are matched to each other and you won’t be able to replace a single piece.

A note on moving companies – often they are used to moving furniture, but not something as heavy and awkward as a pool table. Our installers are used to lifting, carrying and moving slate, maneuvering pool table frames through doorways and up stairs and know what’s involved when taking them apart. Pool table mechanics are specialists, the same as for a piano (yes, you should use a specialist to move your piano too!). They are also insured in case they break or damage anything during the move.

If you decide that you can move the table yourself but don’t want to put it back together, it is wise to simply move all of the pieces into the room it’s going to and leave the rest to us. Often a pool table which has been half put back together will have to be taken apart and re-assembled from scratch. We once had a situation where the customer put the table back together, but the cabinet was upside down with the slate on it!

I will say that I caution people who tell me they are moving their table themselves or having a moving company do it for them. Our crews have experience with all makes and models and will get the job done right the first time. Have you ever moved your pool table? What was your experience like?

Rack ’em: Don’t Be Gaffed

Amazingly one of the most important aspects of a game of 8 ball or 9 ball happens before the break shot is ever executed. Racking the balls is important, not only in how you rack them, but the order of the balls themselves.

8 Ball Rack

Let’s start with the most popular game – 8 ball. All 15 balls should be racked in the triangle. There are 7 solids (numbers 1 through 7) and 7 stripes (numbers 9 through 15) plus the 8 ball and of course the cue ball. You want the 8 ball to be in the middle of the 3rd row. Other than that, almost anything goes. The rules state that each bottom corner must be opposite each other (a solid in one corner, strip in the other). In order to get a good mix of balls once they have been scattered by the break, you might want to alternate stripes and solids through the rack.

9 Ball Rack

Moving on to 9 ball, the rack of these balls is slightly different. You can use either a 9 ball rack or a traditional triangle rack and tighten the balls with your fingers. Either way will work. The game of 9 ball is played with balls numbered 1 through 9 and racked in a diamond shape. The rules state that you must always hit the lowest numbered ball first, so the 1 ball should always be racked at the head of the diamond and the 9 ball should be racked in the middle. During competition, you will often see players rack with the 2 ball at the bottom of the diamond, with the 7 and 8 balls in the 4th row. This is because when the balls break, often the 1 ball comes back towards the middle of the table, where as the 2 ball will shoot back towards the foot rail. Sometimes depending on the break, it may be more difficult to go from the 1 ball to the 2 ball if the balls are scattered like that. It puts the odds in the favour of the racker!

Racked 9 ball rack with space between the first ball and the next row

When racking the balls for either 8 ball or 9 ball, it is important that you make sure that all the balls are touching each other. If you have ever make a break shot that should have scattered the balls into next week and the balls didn’t move nearly that far, probably what has happened is that the first ball in the diamond or rack wasn’t touching one or both of the balls behind it (possibly the balls further into the rack weren’t touching either, which is why it’s important to not only check the front balls, but also the middle and both back corners as you remove the triangle or rack). In the billiard world, we call this a gaff rack. A legal break is made when either 4 balls hit a rail cushion or at least one ball is legally pocketed. If neither of these things happens, the breaker can ask for a re-rack.

Have you ever broken a bad rack of balls? Did you know why it happened? Comment below and let me know your thoughts on how easy it is to rack a perfect rack of balls!

Racked balls that are all touching

Olhausen Pool Table: A Leggy Look

When shopping for a pool table you want to purchase one that goes with your personal style and design concept. What you choose is up to you. Some people prefer a square leg table for a more modern look, some prefer a shapely or Queen Anne style leg for a more elegant or traditional look and some people go for a really modern looking table with a different design for the legs entirely.

When looking at an Olhausen Pool Table, it is easy to see the way that just by changing the leg, you can change the entire look of the table. They have a “Build Your Own Table” application which allows the user to make a trillion changes to the table they are viewing.

Lets start out with a Santa Ana Pool Table by Olhausen Billiards without any changes made:

Santa Ana Pool Table by Olhausen Billiards shown in Traditional Mahogany

You will notice the graceful lines of the table and how well the legs go together with the cabinet.

Sometimes though I have a customer who really likes the look of the cabinet but isn’t crazy about the Rams Head leg style. This is the same table shown in the same Traditional Mahogany finish on solid Maple but this time with August legs:

Santa Ana Pool Table with Augusta Leg Style by Olhausen Billiards

See how it totally changes the look of the table? Still a great looking table! It appears much more substantial than with the regular legs and yet it’s basically the same table. As well, although this modified Santa Ana appears to look the same as the Augusta, you will notice that the routering detail on the cabinet is more detailed on the Santa Ana.

Santa Ana Pool Table with Wentworth Leg by Olhausen Billiards

Here is the Santa Ana shown with the Wentworth leg. Again, it has totally changed the look and feel of this table. Instead of giving a “heavy” look like with the Augusta leg, the Wentworth leg gives it a more traditional look and feel and yet still gets away from the “curvy” Rams Head leg.

That is the great thing about purchasing an Olhausen pool table. No matter which table you choose, there are probably 10 different leg styles to choose from, if not more. Plus you have the option of about 20 different finishes and all of the other customizable details you can add. When you add an Olhausen pool table to your game room, you are truly adding a family heirloom which will last for generations to come!

Which pool table do you like the best? Curvy legs or straight legs?

“Wood” You Know The Difference?

When it comes to choosing a pool table, one of the first things you notice is the wood type or grain pattern. Each species of wood offers a distinct grain pattern and each comes with it’s own pros and cons.

Maple Wood Species: By far our most popular choice. The grain pattern is subtle and most if not all finishes look good on Maple wood. The wood tends to be lighter and more uniform in colour and appearance. Olhausen Billiards uses North American lumbered Maple for its line of Signature and Select Series pool tables. The wood that Olhausen Billiards uses hails from the Northeastern States – that climate makes the difference. The colder winters here in North American slow down the growth of the trees leading to a harder, more compact and tighter grain. In terms of building a pool table, the harder the wood and the tighter the grain, the better it will hold not only the finish applied but also the detail in the carving of the designs. Many pros for this wood species, can’t think of any cons!

Oak Wood Species: A popular choice for lighter finishes or mission style pool tables such as the Coronado or Monterey. The Augusta pool table is another one that really lends itself to the Oak wood species (although it also looks great in solid Maple as well). Oak wood offers a more distinct grain pattern and is a hard wood as well. I will mention that you should try and only choose Oak wood species if you already have Oak in the room where your pool table is going. To introduce another wood type with a grain pattern as unique as Oak would be a risky decor move. Better to stick with either Maple or Poplar which are more subtle.

Poplar Wood Species: Available on all Portland Series pool tables by Olhausen Billiards. Poplar wood is still considered a hard wood, it just isn’t as expensive as either Oak or Maple. As well, the grain pattern is more distinct on Poplar than on Maple, but not as distinct as on Oak. This won’t make much of a difference if you choose a darker finish or for example the Blackhawk pool table by Olhausen Billiards. In that case you won’t even see the grain pattern!

Veneer Wood: This option is slowly being phased out by Olhausen Billiards. The process is to use a plywood or MDF backing and apply 1/2 inch to a full inch of solid wood on the outside to make the table look like a solid wood table. Of course it can be finished in the same way any solid wood table can, but you give up on the design of the table as Veneer tables tend to be much plainer. A Veneer wood option is usually used on less expensive pool tables and won’t really offer anything as far as carving designs. In most cases Veneer pool tables can be made in either solid Maple, Oak or Poplar with only a small upgrade price.

Specialty Wood Species: Olhausen Billiards offers a wide selection of exotic wood species. You can choose either a top rail option in an exotic wood such as Birdseye Maple or Bubbinga or you could have your entire pool table made out of an exotic wood species such as Zebra Wood. Each exotic wood species offers its own unique and distinctive grain pattern and can be a real showstopper in your game room! If you can dream it, Olhausen Billiards can make it and source the wood species you desire!

So there you have it. There are many options out there when choosing to purchase a pool table. One of the most important aspects is to make sure that the wood species a manufacturer uses can be relied on not to chip, bubble, crack, warp, come unglued or have the finish wear off. You want to make sure that the wood species used was purchased from a part of the world that allows for slow growth trees to allow for a tighter grain pattern and lower moisture content. This will ensure that for the lifetime of your pool table, it will look the same as the day you bought it!

Why An Olhausen?

Most people who are designing a game room find they want a pool table. Hot Shots has been carrying Olhausen Pool Tables since they opened. Olhausen pool tables are still manufactured in North America, just outside of Nashville, TN. They also come with the BEST warranties in the industry. The warranty states that not only does it cover any manufacturers defects (of course!), it offers a lifetime warranty on both the slate and on the rubber (rails), two of the most important parts of a pool table. Olhausen is the ONLY company in the industry to offer the lifetime warranty on the rail rubber. There is NO other manufacturer in the world that offers that warranty – to replace the rail rubber on your pool table, at no additional cost to you, for the lifetime of the table. So with an Olhausen pool table you not only get the best quality and the most options, you also get the piece of mind that you will never have to pay to replace the rail rubber on the table. This is a big deal considering that with any other manufacturer you will eventually have to replace the rubber every 3 to 7 years (depending on usage) at which time you would also be required to replace the cloth. A big expense, one that can be eliminated by purchasing an Olhausen Pool Table!

Kelly’s Hot Game Room Thought: Jumping Balls

A few days ago I had a customer in my showroom who is an avid pool player. He came in with a very good question – he was in search of a Jump Cue and wanted to know what the differences were between them and whether it was worth the money to buy one and if it was, was it worth the money to buy a top end one.  These are all excellent questions and really made me think about it.

First lets address the issue of why to buy a jump cue. If you find yourself regularly having to jump a ball, this would be a good investment for you. Although you can jump a ball using a regular playing cue, using a jump cue will make it easier. The cue itself is shorter which makes the balance point better when you have jacked the back end up past your shoulder. If you are using a regular cue, the back end of the cue will make the balance point more in the back, which will make it hard to make the shot. As well, the shaft tends to be stiffer and the tip tends to be harder, both of which will help when executing the jump shot.

Now on to whether it’s worth it to buy one at all. I personally had a jump break cue, which worked out well for me because I didn’t often want to make the jump shot. A jump break cue is a 3 piece cue which not only features a regular joint, but the butt end also has a joint (usually a quick release) in order to make your break cue shorter. At the time, there weren’t many jump cues available and the cases didn’t offer a place to store the butt end of the jump cue – so some people would loose them or end up carrying them in their hand. Cue cases have changed recently to accommodate for jump cues, so this isn’t an issue any more!

Now that you have maybe decided you need a jump cue, let’s discuss what kind you need. What I recommended to my customer is to consider how often you will actually use this type of cue. Do you jump a ball once a game? Once every match? Once a month? Once in a blue moon? Depending on how often you find yourself in the jump situation will give you some insight on what kind of jump cue to buy. Perhaps purchasing a jump break cue will solve all the problems. In that case you may not even need to buy a new cue case! If you have decided to go ahead with the purchase of a jump cue, deciding if you should buy a low end or high end one is your next decision. If you aren’t in the jump situation very often, you might get away with a low end jump cue and save your money to put towards a new high-end playing cue (which is used much more often) or cue case. If you decide to go with a high end cue, I would highly recommend getting together with someone who is experienced with jumping balls and getting them to give you some pointers on the correct execution of jumping a ball!

Don’t forget that at the end of the day, you will actually have to learn how to not only jump the object ball in your way, but also pocket the object ball you were going for and get shape on your next ball!

To get some ideas on trick shots you can learn, you should check the out Venom Trickshot DVD. This is a highly entertaining DVD and Florian Kohler executes some excellent shots!

Kelly’s Hot Game Room Thought: The Value of Good Rubber

This past weekend the Hot Shots Trio went to Nashville to the Olhausen factory for sales training and to get product knowledge. Scott & I went to the Sales Training in San Diego back in 2005, so it was interesting to see how much has changed and how many things have stayed the same.

One thing that hasn’t changed is the quality of the products that Olhausen makes. One of the biggest factors when I sell an Olhausen pool table is pointing out that they offer the best warranty in the industry. The warranty includes the rail rubber, which no other pool table manufacturer in the world offers. Accu-Fast Cushions are formulated from a pure gum rubber base that doesn’t contain any of the inexpensive clay or silica fillers in import cushions used by other manufacturers. This means that eventually you will have to replace the rubber cushion on any other table, but not on an Olhausen. They back it by a 100% lifetime warranty. In the past 15+ years that Olhausen has been offering the Warranty on the cushions, they have never had to replace the rubber on one rail. Not once. Pretty incredible if you as me!

To give you a bit of information about Accu-Fast Cushions, they are 100% surface bonded to the rail. All import rubber features a “groove” in the back of the cushion. The reason for that is that antique tables were made with a “relief groove bead” that the cushion sat on, making it 100% bonded to the rail back then. It turned out it was easier to make the sub-rail flat but they left the groove in the cushion. These days, the groove is filled in with glue which reduces the bonded area up to 40%. This means that eventually the glue dries out which means that either the cushion will fall off the rail or that you may have whats called a dead cushion response.

A dead cushion response means this: have you ever played on a pool table, and when you hit the cue ball to the rail, it either doesn’t bounce back at all or the way you think it will? If this happens, it is time to replace the cushion rubber. The average table will have to have the rubber replaced every 3 to 5 years, depending on usage. This will happen on any table except an Olhausen. All Accu-Fast Cushions are 100% American Made and are the only cushions that can be backed with a true Lifetime Warranty. The costs associated with replacing the rubber could be anywhere from $450 to $800, depending on the job. Don’t forget, you will also have to replace the rail cloth at the same time, which means you will also have to replace the bed cloth so that everything matches. Imagine having to do that every 3 to 5 years. Now imaging owning an Olhausen and never having to think about it!

Walked into the Olhausen factory…

and we find Donny Olhausen working on a 18′ Waterfall Shuffleboard Table for one of our great customers in Collingwood!