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Big-picture-historywise, billiard tables evolved in the British Isles around the 1200s, as an indoor substitute in crappy weather for outdoor golf and croquet (thus, the traditional grass-green cloth color). Edinburgh receives about 27 inches of rain per year while Portland receives 36. You can see where this is going. Portland is a pool town.
Pool tournaments convene every night of the week—and many days—around the Portland metro area. “Tournaments” are different from official “league play” and are open to anyone who walks in. A tournament is where between one and three dozen shooters compete for a cash pot that might accrue to hundreds or even low thousands of dollars. If the times are staggered enough (or if you lose too quickly, sad emoji) then it’s feasible to hit a couple of tourneys in a single day, especially on weekends. Which can translate to something like 12 hours straight holding a cue. Bliss.
Before cue sticks, pool was first played with little mallets on big green carpeted tables, with wickets that eventually evolved into pockets. The size of a pool table achieved a standard ratio of 2 to 1. A 7-foot-long table will have a 3½-foot short end. Add six pockets and the results are predictable, magical, geometric effects (when hit perfectly; ay, there’s the rub). The tournament world too has its own geometry—a triad of dedicated players, venues and tournament directors.
Shooter Ron Tinkle bullet-pointed his packed pool schedule during a break at a recent Sunday night 10-ball tournament at Fortune Star Lounge (15920 SE Division St.): “I play Mondays and Tuesdays APA. And Thursdays BCA. My wife does Saturday and Sunday APA earlier in the day, then we usually do the tournaments at night...”
The American Poolplayers Association, or APA, and the Billiards Congress of America, or BCA, are the governing bodies for pool leagues, with hundreds of thousands of players nationwide. Most tournaments operate on BCA rules.
Raquel Minjarez is owner of the Rose City Billiards league, a hub of the Portland pool scene, which counts over 450 players in the Portland metro and St. Helens areas. She lends her experience and organizational skills as a tournament director throughout the week while shooting a sharp stick herself. She’s an accountant in her day job, which gives her a leg (or spreadsheet) up on the whole stats thing, but ultimately her love of pool and pool players is the main reason she devotes so much time. I spoke with her at the Monday night tourney she runs at Epic Sports Bar (10209 SE Division St.). “I do it because of the people; I like the people,” she says. “I mean, being a league operator, I’m like, what was I thinking? You deal with a lot of different personalities and stuff.”
Pool is the province of the introvert. Even in “team play,” it’s still an individual activity, not really cooperative, just cumulative, aside from scotch doubles. A heavily cerebral sport where everything is locked in stasis, until the shooter introduces energy to the system. The intensity of concentration and the pressure of competition famously create emotional firestorms over a pool table.
Nancy Fugere is manager of Fortune Star Lounge (15920 SE Division St.), which hosts tournaments on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, along with league and occasional midweek tournaments. Evidently, it’s good for business. “Let me put it to you in this way,” Fugere says. “If I have only two tables, I can have two double jeopardy teams, or I can have four eight-ball teams playing. Now each team consists of up to eight players, so every week I’m guaranteed—with just two tables—at least 16 people showing up. For three to four hours, weekly, across all the weeks that the season lasts. So, for the most part, it’s guaranteed butts in seats.”
For venues, the reward of capturing that hardcore pool shooter crowd is balanced by the maintenance required to earn players’ patronage. Tournament bars are typically decked out with top-of-the-line Diamond brand tables, which cost about $7,500 each. Fortune Star boasts six Diamond tables (and is one of the few places in Portland with an outdoor patio pool table. Biliardo al fresco…).
“Having Diamond tables is a lot of overhead,” Fugere says. “We pay people to clean them weekly and polish the balls. There’s a precise direction to brushing the felt. You have to keep the temperature and humidity at a certain level.”
And finally: Top-notch pool bars with Diamond tables aren’t the only places that host tournaments. Ask a bartender when you’re in a dive with more than one table. It just might have a low-key tourney that only the regulars know about, and these can often be more welcoming to newcomers. Many smaller bars will also match the pot, which keeps entry fees low for players. And a number of nearby Washington bars host “meat shoots,” where the prizes are frozen elk, deer or other game!
Your Big Break
Where to start your pool adventure.
So you’re a budding billiardologist thinking of testing your mettle on the vast expanse of green? (More likely blue—“tournament blue,” the specific hue—which science has shown to be better for vision.)
To start, you’ll want to ensure you understand the lingo. If you’re unfamiliar with phrases like “Fargo Rating,” “BCA rules,” “double elimination,” “front vs. back” or “flip vs. lag” then you’re going to be at a disadvantage and likely even sneered at by tournament regulars.
You should join a few Facebook groups for more intel (“Rose City Billiards” and “PNW Pool Tournaments & Seeking Action” are great). And since many of the bars aren’t so consistent at marketing, we’ve compiled what is, at the moment, the most comprehensive list of Portland-area tournaments in one place. You can thank me with a beer or the break.
Note: Times listed are official start times. Tables are traditionally open for free warmup one hour before start. Spaces are limited, so always arrive early to sign up.
MONDAY
Epic Sports Bar, 10209 SE Division St., 503-477-7981. 7 pm. $10 (8-ball).
TUESDAY
89 Sports Bar & Billiards, 18641 SW Tualatin Valley Highway, Aloha, 503-848-8888. 7 pm. $10 (9-ball).
Ringo’s Bar & Grill, 3655 SW Hall Blvd., Beaverton, 503-644-7847, ringosbar.com. 7 pm. $10 (8- and 9-ball rotate).
WEDNESDAY
The Trough Bar & Billiards, 4815 SE Hawthorne Blvd. 7 pm. $20 (8-ball; text only to join, 503-622-9262).
THURSDAY
River Pool & Sports Bar, 19 NW 5th Ave., 503-241-3465, rivertournaments.com. 7 pm. $15 (8- and 9-ball rotate; Fargo Rating 445 and under; sign up at website only).
4th Plain Bar & Grill, 13206 NE Fourth Plain Blvd., Vancouver, Wash., 360-254-3729. 7 pm. $5 (8-ball; house matches pot).
FRIDAY
Fortune Star Lounge, 15920 SE Division St., 503-760-7641. 7 pm. $15 (8-ball).
Midway Historic Public House, 1003 7th St., Oregon City, 503-656-9501. 7 pm. $50 (9-ball, scotch doubles, chip tournament; pots typically exceed $1,000).
Silver Star Saloon, 6718 NE Fourth Plain Blvd., Vancouver, Wash., 360-694-5742. 7 pm. $20 (10-ball).
SATURDAY
The Spot, 7225 NE Fourth Plain Blvd., Vancouver, Wash., 360-256-1110. Noon. $7 (8-ball).
89 Sports Bar & Billiards, 18641 SW Tualatin Valley Highway, Aloha, 503-848-8888. Noon. $10 (8-, 9- and 10-ball alternate).
M&M Restaurant & Lounge, 137 N Main Ave., Gresham, 503-665-2626, mmrestaurantlounge.com. 1 pm. $15 (9-ball).
Fortune Star Lounge, 15920 SE Division St., 503-760-7641. 7 pm. $15 (9-ball).
Home Turf Sports Bar & Grill, 13500 SW Pacific Highway, 503-968-5778. 7 pm. $5 (8- and 9-ball rotate).
Silver Star Saloon, 6718 NE Fourth Plain Blvd., Vancouver, Wash., 360-694-5742. 7 pm. $12 (9-ball; house adds per player; Fargo not reported).
SUNDAY
The Trough Bar & Billiards, 4815 SE Hawthorne Blvd. 4 pm. $20 (10-ball; text only to join, 503-622-9262).
Nite Hawk Cafe & Lounge, 6423 N Interstate Ave., 503-285-7177, thenitehawk.net. 5 pm. $5 (8-ball).
Fortune Star Lounge, 15920 SE Division St., 503-760-7641. 7 pm. $15 (10-ball).
Orchard’s Tap, 10514 NE Fourth Plain Blvd, Vancouver, Wash., 360-891-5917. 6 pm. $5 (8-ball; house matches pot).
