Pool Hall – PT’s Pub – Las Vegas, NV

I’m a traditionalist, so pool tables should have green felt. Blue if absolutely necessary and it’s indicative of good quality Simonis felt. But not red or pink or brown or any of the other awful colors you occasionally encounter. First of all it’s ugly. Secondly you have the problem of chalk. If the place expects real pool players to visit, they’re going to come with their own cues and their own chalk, and the chalk won’t be the color of the table. Some places compensate for this by requiring you to use the chalk they provide which matches the color of the table. But this discolors the tip of your cue and could also discolor your shaft. It’s a no-win situation.

PT’s has four red tables. They’re nice looking bar boxes, except they have red felt. Oh, and the rails are a bit soft and the felt is thick and slow. Other than that, they’re just fine. They feel like more of an afterthought tacked on to the large, open dining area and bar area where all the TVs are located but that’s OK. The tables were pretty busy when we stopped by. All well and good.

Until you order a drink.

If you want to sample a liquor like tequila, expect your shot to be more like a half shot and served in a small clear plastic cup. Tacky is a nice adjective. Rip-off feels more accurate. Maybe this is a good place to watch a game on TV and I can’t vouch for the food quality. Waitresses were not terribly friendly, didn’t smile much, and were not in the mood to listen to complaints about the quality or presentation of the drinks they were serving. We were instructed brusquely to take it up with management.

I’m not going to bother. There are more than a dozen PT’s around Henderson and Vegas, but after visiting one I have no need or desire to see any of the others. There are much better places to shoot pool in town – go find one of those.