Change
your appreciation & perspective of Bangkok... play
pool!
Some
years ago I realised that my lifestyle or, rather, working
style in Bangkok was gradually changing. As a young whippersnapper
early in my career I actually did my work at the office,
then over the years my job gradually morphed into more
of a caretaker role. My Thai staff were perfectly capable
of creating the product, and dealing with the vast majority
of clients. This left me to negotiate on money matters,
sign cheques, and clean up on the increasingly rare occasions
when the shit really hit the fan.
The
closest thing to real "work" that I do these
days is to entertain foreign clients when they hit town.
Given that most of the entertaining is done at night,
and that in this day and age of computers, e-mail and
the internet I can do most of my other office-y duties
from the comfort of my home, I suddenly discovered that
I had lots of time to spare during the middle of the day.
What was I going to do with it?
Of
course, I've always been aware that there is plenty of
daytime activities -bars, massage parlours, and restaurants
are all up and running by "aharn thiang", or
lunchtime. But as I'd previously been for the most part
occupied at the office, I'd thought that it was all a
pretty desperate scene geared for hung-over tourists who
had nothing else to do until the main strips of tourist
bars started to flicker awake in the early evening.
It
turned out I was wrong. The daytime scene in Bangkok is
every bit as comprehensive and entertaining as the nightlife,
perhaps even more so. But I needed some way of putting
it all into focus, and ultimately I discovered that the
humble game of pool was my entry ticket into the fascinating
world of daytime Bangkok.
What
to do when you're tired of temples, tuk tuks & gogo
bars?
Answer:
play pool!
Situated
in the middle of a group of bars called "Queens Park
Plaza" in Sukhumvit Soi 22 is a group of bars: On
the Rocks, Popeye2, Butterfly Bar, Hideaway Bar and dozens
of other small bars.
So
if you are tired of rip-offs, as well as pushy and agressive
bar staff, then wander down to Soi 22 and walk about 150
metres and Queens Park Plaza will be on your right. Why
not check it out for yourself?
why
play pool?
When
I first discovered that I had increasing amounts of time
at my disposal during the day, I started scouting the
various bars and restaurants that are well and truly open
before noon. Needless to say the numbers are truly countless,
but I started to focus on the ones that were within easy
reach of Skytrain stations. It didn't seem to make much
sense to negotiate traffic in the car if reasonable establishments
were an easy walk from a station. Some of the early favourites
were basically beer gardens - Bus Stop in Soi Nana, for
instance, where there's a steady flow of customers and
freelancers from about 11 o'clock onwards.
The
German beer garden in Soi 7 is another interestingly sleazy
bar, but if (in the interest of being sociable) you took
up a perch at the bar early in the day and slowly sipped
your Jack + Cokes, the passing parade inevitably became
more interesting as time went by. The regulars became
familiar, and I got to know the bartenders and waitresses
who, primed with modest tips and the occasional drink,
were happy to answer any questions I had or make enquiries
on my behalf (if you know what I mean).
Now,
some of these bars had pool tables. I'd always fancied
myself as more of a drinker and onlooker than a sportsman,
so I declined the occasional invitation to partake in
a game of pool. Truth be known, I'd only ever played the
odd game of pool in my pre-Bangkok life, and I was rather
fearful of being totally humiliated by some of the regulars
who, I'd noticed seemed to be dab hands at the game. It
also seemed rather unnecessary if I was comfortably propping
up the bar watching the world go by, why disturb the equilibrium
by wandering over to be thrashed on the pool table by
some comely wench?
Therein
lies the answer to why I eventually migrated from bar-side
observer to fully-fledged participant. You see, as I coolly
surveyed the scene through my glass of whisky I noticed
that an uncommonly large number of the pool-playing crowd
were attractive young Thai women. And they looked even
more attractive when bent over while sizing up a tricky
shot on the pool table.
The
quickest and easiest introduction was simply to place
my name on the board to play pool. And once I'd taken
that first step, it wasn't long before I was bitten by
the pool bug. Rather happily, at the same time the game
of pool in Bangkok was growing in leaps and bounds. I
guess in the hazy memories of my earliest days in Thailand
there were always pool tables around, but I didn't take
much notice of them and certainly didn't play the game.
Now, there are pool tables everywhere, ranging from warped
old half-size tables in the corners of bars and beer gardens
to slick establishments with rows of pristine full-size
tables and quality cues. What we'll attempt to do here
is to look at the game of pool on Thailand in its various
forms, and give you the inside track on making the most
of all the variations.
the
basics: how to get on a table, and the local rules
In
many of the smaller bars, getting a game is pretty bloody
simple: just ask. If the table isn't busy and you need
a partner, no doubt someone will quickly volunteer to
give you a game. Most bars charge about 20 baht a game,
and the loser pays. If places like this ever get busy,
they'll have some kind of board that you place your name
on, and you'll play the winner of the last game. The winner
stays on the table, and the loser pays. If you're any
good and can stay on the table for a while, you'll meet
a few people for nothing. (Some of them will be blokes
trying to knock you off the table.) All dead simple, and
more fun than sitting by yourself in a corner.
The
next step up would be bars where pool is a main focus
of the bar. An example (which I've frequented for some
time) is New Wave, about 50 metres into Sukhumvit Soi
7 (and more or less across the street from the aforementioned
German beer garden). This bar has about half a dozen three-quarter
size tables. Not the best tables, but not the worst in
town either. There is a sizable crowd of regulars, both
girls and guys who work in town.
There
are some good players here, but they are far outnumbered
by pretty average players. The tables are busy. New Wave
opens about noon, and from mid-afternoon on it's usually
humming with a mixture of the resident female players,
tourists, and truants from nearby offices ..."just
ducking out to the bank, back in half an hour or so".
The
same rules apply: put your name on the board, loser pays.
The difference is that because of the number of tables,
and the number of players, you'll get to meet more people
and you'll certainly sample a variety of playing styles.
This is pretty good for your game, you'll learn lots from
watching and playing the occasional classy players that
you'll meet doing the rounds of this kind of establishment.
Next
up the pool joint ladder are places like Gullivers, through
the alleyway to Soi 5. Gullivers is a HUGE pub/sports
bar/pool hall, a big investment and a great place to meet
all kinds of people. While there is more to this place
than just pool, the players here are generally a notch
up in their commitment and ability. The three tables at
the front of the bar (and I'm not kidding, this place
is huge) generally are for more casual players - put your
name up on the board and the staff will direct you to
a table when it's your turn to play. Same deal, winner
stays on the table until defeated, then put your name
up again to challenge someone else.
At
the rear the tables operate a little differently. Here
each table has its own board for challengers - you might
want to have drink or two to size the whole thing up before
deciding which table you wish to challenge on. The balls
will be racked up by the staff, which is pretty universal
in virtually all these establishments, from the most casual
to the most professional. You will find some excellent
players back here - many of the people who will be hustling
the pool tables for money later in the evening will get
in shape by whacking a few balls around the tables in
here to start their day. Don't be afraid! some of them
aren't as good as their flashy style would seem to indicate,
and as long as you're only playing a casual game with
no money involved you only stand to learn a few tricks.
And you may even win after a number of years of refining
my game I've beaten nearly all of them at one time or
another.
The
final step up the pool-playing ladder is what are basically
the professional pool halls. As an example of the type
of establishment I'll use what until recently used to
be my favourite, the Brunswick. (The reason I refer to
it in the past tense is that it closed not so long ago,
due I believe to a tenancy issue rather than a lack of
popularity.) Like the other top-end pool haunts, this
was totally focussed on the game, food and drink were
available, but the real reason to be there was to play
pool. As the name implied, Brunswick used equipment of
the same name. Top class tables of near-tournament quality,
and even the house cues were of good quality.
Games
are played on a number of different levels in this kind
of pool hall. Yes, you can challenge players on a table,
and some tables will generally be open to casual players.
However, there is also the option of paying for the table
by the hour (usually about 120 - 150 baht), in which case
you'll only play by invitation. It should also be noted
that many of the players will know each other, as part
of Bangkok?s regular pool-playing crowd they'll have bumped
into each other around town.
The
tables are usually full-sized or three-quarter, and are
generally in top condition (Brunswick would resurface
tables as soon as they had any blemishes that could affect
the game.) If you've been used to playing on shitty tables
you won?t get any help from these tables, they won't have
any roll to one side and the bounce off the cushions will
be uniform. You win on these tables through ability, not
luck.
Don't
let any of this detract you, though. A couple of years
ago I would have felt very self-conscious playing in this
kind of environment, but I discovered (once I'd built
my ability to a reasonable level) that this was the best
learning environment. As long as you're not a complete
tosser the other players will be really helpful and you?ll
enjoy the challenge. When you've played on quality tables
with a good cue, you'll suddenly wonder what the hell
you were doing playing on the sad tables in the back of
a bar.
This
would be an appropriate moment to bring up the issue of
playing "ball in hand". Pool joints all around
the world have their own local rules, but when you play
in one of the more up-market establishments the rules
are generally tournament rules. (The rules of the game
are often posted on the wall.) Now, in your average pub
and on most of the bar tables around Bangkok, a foul ball
generally gives the other player two shots - a "free"
shot plus the one they would have had by playing the ball
next.
When
you play ball in hand, you get one shot only - you can
place the cue ball anywhere you like to line up your next
shot, hence "ball in hand". This is very simple,
and far less confusing than the pub rules where the recipient
of the "free" shot seems to perpetually have
one more shot to go!
Once
you're used to playing these rules it's hard to go back
to the pub game. In fact, many of the better players on
the circuit will prefer to play ball in hand so I usually
ask which rules they prefer. You'll find that a lot of
players up the back of Gullivers, for instance, will play
ball in hand. Whatever rules you're playing to, make sure
that you're clear what the rules are before you play -
don't assume that the rules you use in LA or Sydney or
Manchester are the ones you're using unless you are only
playing with your own mates.
A
few more tips on playing at the upper end of the pool
game. As I said earlier, you shouldn't necessarily be
deterred by flashy players. I've found a common theme
is that many players who fancy themselves simply hit the
cue ball too hard - it looks good, but it doesn't always
work. If you've ever watched championship snooker or pool
on TV, subtlety and defence are a big part of the game,
so just smashing away isn't necessarily the hallmark of
a good player. (However, on a good table, you should be
able to sink at least one ball off the break.)
The
other tip is about playing for money. Unless you're supremely
confident, don't. As you'd expect, there are always hustlers
around the tables - the gorgeous girl who'll let you win
a few games, then challenge you to play just the one game
for money. There's a pleasant young Japanese guy who plays
a few games with me in the afternoons to warm up - he
then spends his evening touring the pool halls taking
money off over-confident tourists, usually at least one
thousand baht per game. I'm usually happy to play for
drinks (especially with beautiful women), but the only
way I would play with money involved is to enter a tournament,
of which there are many.
-
Chuck Wao
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