Bozeman: A pool mecca?

In the bars around Bozeman there is a group of people who are nothing less than obsessed with the game of pool. They compete for money, dominance and to refine their skills.

Pool is a much more strategic game than most believe. It is often compared to chess, taking years of practice to get good at, and in my experience, the more you learn, the more you realize you don’t know. That’s what makes the game so exciting.

Pool is actually a slang term, and there are many different categories of games that fall under the title of “pool.” The most commonly played category in the United States is called pocket billiards, simply meaning billiards that is played on a table with pockets. There are also countless different types of pocket billiard games, the most common being eight ball pool. Becoming obsessed is easy because if you get bored of one game, you can start playing another.

There are many places you can compete in pool around Bozeman. The Legion, Bar IX, The Eagle, The Molly Brown and the MSU SUB are just a few of the spots with pool tables around town. “Bozeman is actually a pool mecca,” David LaBrie, a long-time billiards player who runs one of the Montana Valley National Eight Ball Association Leagues, said. Every year the winning team of his league gets a paid trip to Las Vegas to compete in a massive annual pool tournament called the Valley National Eightball Association International. Other local pool players travel south to compete as well. According to LaBrie, last year the team “had eight teams go to Vegas, seven got in the finals, and one got second. This is from a pretty small place population-wise, and we just kick ass down there.”

Pocket billiards is a great test of intellect and skill. Especially during Bozeman’s harsh winters, it can be a great indoor pastime. New players who are interested in joining a league or finding others to play with can find more information on Facebook @bznpool and on posters around the pool bars.