Pool tables in Ernakulam/Cochin

CliveG

Strange question maybe but a mate who is coming out to stay with us loves playing pool and asked if there are any places to play it in Ernakulam /Cochin. Didn't know the answer so can anybody help or should I advise him to bring his tiddlywinks with him?

steven_ber

A pool table is normally the first thing I look for when I arrive in new town, it can be the best introduction there is.

I've not been to Cochin, but you'll have no problem finding a place, just ask for snooker, I have little joy when I ask for pool.

If your friend is a good player, and the pair of you get on well with the locals (it's hard not to), suggest playing for money with the best local (you should be playing against the locals, not each other).

Tell them that you will give them Rs100 if they beat you, and that they will show you round town if you win.

Let them win a few times, and you will find they will be eager to show you round, show you where they live, where they went to school, their favourite restaurant, it's far better an experience than could be had with a local guide.

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CliveG

Thanks Steven for the advice. Is he good? What he can do with red balls makes your eyes water! We play two or three times a week so would be good to keep up the practise and meet local people.

steven_ber

Excellent, then I’ve a better plan than the above.

When I'm playing well in India, I just keep beating everyone, and doing it in style (always with a smile on my face), you'd be amazed at where the locals keep finding better players to play you, I've done the following twice, and it worked both times.

Tell the locals that you'll give Rs500 to the first person to beat you (and make sure you lose at the end of the night, and not to the best player, to the person who looks like they could make best use of it), by the end of the night you'll have so many invites to houses, to meet families, to show you round the town.

Watch out for the rules, they play some weird and wonderful rules, and look out for the chalk dust, you spread it across the bit of skin where the pool cue will slide, without it the cue will stick due to the humidity, take your own chalk (for the cue), I never found good chalk over there, and having your own chalk is often a subject for your first conversation.

In India, It's more like playing American pool than English pool, I've never found a white ball smaller than the other balls, it's mostly the same size and sometimes bigger, so using side and top is far more effective than the usual 'stun and screw' used in English pool.

'stun and screw' - that sounds awful.

I used to play for London's B-team, I remember a Sunday about 6 years ago, we went to play Hampshire at a very nice pool club in Pompey (split level, top level was half the size of the lower level, you could watch all the tables from the top level), it was the last time I played for London, having to be in Pompey for 11 in the morning, and playing (well, mostly watching) till 19:00 was too much for a drinker, so I give up.

SANJAY_DEL

Alfa Games,
H.H.Y.S Building, Ist Floor,
Rajaji Road, Cochin - 35
Phone 0484 - 374745

2cents

The place listed above shut shop about 5 years back.It was among the dozens of pool parlour's that sprung up during that time when this pool/snooker craze swept through the city.There are a few remnants that still hobble along though with patched up tables and scarred cues.Of the two that I can think of right now, one is located in Rajiv Gandhi Sports Club in Kadavanthara and the other one opposite the Cochin Stock Exchange in Kaloor.The best tables are found in private clubs like Lotus club,DD club etc.You would need to accompany a member to get in and play in one of those clubs though.

CliveG

[QUOTE=steven_ber]
Watch out for the rules, they play some weird and wonderful rules, and look out for the chalk dust, you spread it across the bit of skin where the pool cue will slide, without it the cue will stick due to the humidity, take your own chalk (for the cue), I never found good chalk over there, and having your own chalk is often a subject for your first conversation.

In India, It's more like playing American pool than English pool, I've never found a white ball smaller than the other balls, it's mostly the same size and sometimes bigger, so using side and top is far more effective than the usual 'stun and screw' used in English pool.

That advice could be applied to some of the places we have played in around Pompey. We have played on tables where the white ball would travel six times up and down the table after a gentle shot and recently a table that needed a lawn mower to remove some of the cloth (bit like playing on a shag pile carpet). As for rules we have the 'new and old' rules here which can be confusing!
2cents doesn't offer much hope but we will explore all possibilities and meet people along the way. Now all we need is to find some Guinness (born optimist!).