A new generation finds Long Island's pool halls: Millennials

Millennials have been taking a cue from older generations and racking up at upgraded pool halls where billiards is cool again. They’re sharpening their pool-playing skills, competing for (and winning) cash prizes, finding camaraderie and even life partners at halls across Long Island.

At Michael’s Billiards, a modernized Island Park poolroom popular with a younger crowd, Catherine Polanco, 29, of Rockville Centre, says she’s found "a sense of community" and new friends.

Michael’s was buzzing with activity on a recent Wednesday night, with dozens of players in their 20s and 30s among the crowd of 100 people shooting pool at 18 brightly lit, 9-foot tournament-style billiards tables. Between sinking straight, bank and combination shots in Long Island-NYC USA Pool League or one-on-one games, players socialized on the sidelines and watched the action as they sipped beer or soft drinks from the bar.

"It really is a different era," says Jason Bowman, 48, director of marketing for the American Poolplayers Association, a nationwide organization for amateurs in Lake St. Louis, Missouri. Bowman says, pool has become "more of a legitimate sport."

Building on 147,000 TikTok and Instagram followers and trick-shot videos by millennial influencers like French player Florian Kohler, last year, the APA reached a record high membership of 276,000, Bowman says. 

Some compete in national tournaments, but Polanco is "non-competitive" she says. 

"The best game I ever had is when I ran the table two or three seasons ago with this really high-ranked player. I was hitting all the sick shots, and I won," says the care management coordinator at Northwell Health in Manhasset.

Pool rooms have turned into a gathering place for "young people who don’t have much of an outlet of things to do," says Melissa Cossidente, 58, operator of the American Poolplayers Association of Suffolk, from a tournament at Good Fella’s, a Selden billiards club popular with younger players. "It’s less expensive and something they can do with friends and have a good time." 

@venomtrickshotsofficial Little speed shot challenge with @Hana & Iana 😍🎱❌✅#snooker #billiards #8ballpool #spin #pool #trickshot #9ball ♬ original sound - Florian “Venom” Kohler

Sip, socialize and sink

Several Long Island pool rooms feature commercial-grade pool tables (often a dozen or more per hall), modernized equipment, decor and mocktail and zero-alcohol beer options at the bar.

Many halls also offer special events, dart boards, game arcades and other activities.

"On any given night the crowd is going to be 75% the younger generation, including families with children," says Michael Rodonis Jr., 41, of Valley Stream, co-owner of Michael’s with his father, Michael Rodonis Sr. "We get a large clientele that comes in on first dates."

Brianna Kampe, 34, of Medford, league manager of the Suffolk County branch of the APA, says she began playing pool at age 21, when her stepfather invited her to join a game at a Shirley bar.

Kampe currently plays at VIP Billiards in Bayport, where she says the atmosphere is "competitive" but "we’re all good friends. It’s like a family." Kampe met her now-husband, Jim, 44, a National Grid worker, playing on a league team.

"I enjoy honing my skills," Kampe says of her pool days. "Pool to me is about getting better and having a good time with my friends and it’s something I like to do with my husband."

Chalking up tricks and prizes 

Millennials are also stepping up to the pool table in the Long Island-NYC USA Pool League in Nassau County, which offers free membership to players as young as 9 and charges $10 per match, says owner and operator Jay Chin, 55, of North Hills.

"We have players from all generations," Chin says of a Long Island membership that’s grown to 150 players on 38 teams from 50 on six teams when he founded the league two years ago. They play on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights at Michael’s, which Rodonis says was recently renovated and features 18 pool tables and full bar.

Sean Gomez, 33, a graphic designer who recently moved to Baldwin, says he started playing pool while living in Brooklyn, and "got serious" about the game when a fellow pool player suggested he was getting so good he should join a league.

Gomez, whom Chin calls a "rising star" on the Long Island billiards scene, came home a top league finisher with a $300 cash prize from a recent Las Vegas, Nevada pool tournament.

"What drew me into pool is it’s a game that’s hard to pick up, and I like challenging things," Gomez says. There’s "also the satisfaction of pocketing a ball — it definitely releases endorphins," he says.

"I do have bad days where I should have made that shot," Gomez adds. "I just try to keep a positive attitude. If you’re not having fun while playing, then what’s the point?"