The Room
Eight Thousand Square Feet—Then Double
It started at roughly 8,000 square feet near Indian School and Grand. By 1986 it had grown to 16,800 square feet at 2740 West Indian School Road—forty Brunswick Gold Crown tables lined up under fluorescent light, plus snooker and carom for the purists. Staff wore tuxedo shirts. There was a full kitchen, a pro shop, and a bar. The doors never locked. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, all ages welcome.
"One of the best pool halls around… big room, nice bar, tons of 9-foot Gold Crowns."
The Action
Road Players Who Couldn't Afford to Leave
Danny DiLiberto—BCA Hall of Famer, road player since the 1950s—was house pro and co-builder of what the Golden 8 Ball became. The action he attracted was relentless. Road players drifted in from every direction and some of them never left, broke and looking for one more set. In 1989 the room hosted the Golden 8-Ball Invitational, a nationally recognized tournament won by Nick Varner.
"The action was insane… all the time."
The People
Legends, Locals, and Everyone In Between
David Lee built the room when he was 27 years old. Tres Kane cut his teeth on those tables. Doug "Dapper" Hale held court and took all comers. Ronnie Allen, Earthquake McCready, and CJ Wiley passed through on their way to somewhere else—or stayed because the money was too good.
"It was THE spot back in the '80s–'90s if you played pool."
