[makeset]

Now there's the true casualty of the barbox. 3-cushion is practically extinct here in the US. You can still play straight pool if you want to, but good luck finding a pocketless table anywhere, outside of a Korean or Columbian neighborhood. It's a crying shame for such a creative and elegant game.

I've been trying to play, but there are literally zero tables in all of Manhattan where I live.

[mrbrandonking]

Sang Lee (Korean-American 3-cushion legend) opened a world-class billiards facility in Flushing, NY, called Carom Cafe. Heated billiard tables, the works. Sang Lee has since passed-away, but I just checked and the place is still open. Probably worth the trip!

They also host an annual memorial tournament where the world's best come to play. Raymond Ceulemans was guest of honor last year.

Twenty years ago, the only room in Arkansas with real billiard tables was a local place that catered to Vietnamese immigrants. I walked-in one day, cue in-hand, and was immediately halted by the owner who told me (in unfriendly terms) that they didn't offer 8-ball or 9-ball. I assured him that, despite my appearance, I knew how to play and won-over some new friends that day.

I've often wondered how many good ol' boys wandered into that place, found a bunch of pool tables without any pockets! and then went away, shaking their heads in bewilderment at the sight.