"I think that after bumper pool opened the doors for pool,
people found out that bumper pool was a Httle bit harder
game than pool because you couldn't
get lucky with a shot as you can do in regular pool"
was an innovation. It was one of the first kind of
items that was out there, and it made money.
Then we experienced a transition period where
pool tables replaced the bumper pool tables. I think
the reason that happened was that after bumper
pool opened the doors for pool, people found out
that bumper pool was a little bit harder game than
pool because you couldn't get lucky with a shot as
you can do in regular pool. You have to shoot
gently, with a soft touch, and the fact that pool
didn't have all these refinements and that you can
shoot harder-and with a certain degree of
success-probably over the long haul showed
bumper pool to be perhaps a more difficult game.
But, all the same, I think it did its job. It opened the
doors for new locations for pool tables. So, what I'm
saying is, yes, there might be some innovation in
the actual game design that might help the growth
of the market, but after awhile I think you'll always
fmd that all things will return to six-pocket pool.
PLA Y METER: A lot has been said about the pool
table being the silent earner on the operator's
route. Do you have anything to add in this regard?
MARCET: Well, the pool table is a staple. It's
there, and it's going to be there every day. It
doesn't ask for that much attention, and it gets to
be a nice steady piece for the operator. There's no
flashiness to a pool table as there is to a pingame or
video game. It's just a steady, reliable, good-look-
ing piece that doesn't require much attention
either. Its advantage is that it doesn't require a lot
of service attention like the other pieces.
Now, you've got to remember that we're
cognizant of the competition from other games,
such as pinball; but, all in all, we feel the pool table
is the backbone of an operator's route because, day
in and day out, it does a good job and give a good
return on its investment. The other pieces on the
route may have more flash. But the fact remains
that a pool table is much easier to maintain.
PLAY METER: As you've just pointed out, the
pool table is an easy piece to maintain, but do you
feel there's a danger in all this- for the operator, I
mean?
MARCET: Yes, exactly, I would say that's true.
Some operators have made pool table maintenance
look too easy and, as a result, have ended up losing
their pool table locations to other operators or, even
worse yet, had their locations buying their own
tables. The mistake these operators made was that
they made pool table servicing look too simple. But,
more than that, they really weren't doing their job,
taking care of the table the way they should have
been taking care of it. You see, if an operator goes
in there every week and just removes the money
from the cash box, he's leaving himself open to
troubles.
There are some things he's got to do if he wants
to hold onto that location-such things as replacing
the chalk, checking the cue sticks, making sure all
the balls are there, checking to make sure the cloth
is clean and serviceable and the table is level. If a
table needs a new cloth, the operator should make
sure the guy gets a new cloth. All this requires
some effort on the operator's part, but if an
operator goes in there and makes it look like there's
no effort at all to servicing a pool table, the location
owner is just naturally going to start thinking he
could do that himself and get an extra fifty percent
of the collections.
PLA Y METER: What can be done to speed up the
push to fifty cent s?
MARCET: Something that can be done at the
manufacturing level, and it's something we're doing
right now, is to send out the tables from the plant
with double quarter push chutes as standard.
Hopefully, in this way, the operator would be able
to keep the pricing that way because, he could
explain, that's the way the tables are coming from
the manufacturers these days. Maybe by our acting
as a third party here, we might be able to help the
operator with this problem. And quarter-per-play
pool is a problem. A good reliable pool table, which
Coin Operated Game Supplies
Challenger Fussball Tables
Challenger Fussball Parts
Challenger Chemicals
Challenger Billiard Supplies
O. B. A., INC.
2522 IRVING BOULEVARD. DALLAS. TEXAS 75207 • 214-630-8004
8
PLAY METER. October, 1979