Hands down one of the best pool rooms in the country, and we've been to many pool rooms in many states. It's our favorite spot whenever we visit Sacramento. The tables are always clean and well maintained, staff is always friendly. They also have darts by the front entrance. Family friendly! read more

Pretty cool place I suppose? Great that there is lots of pool tables here. A tad bit better than the coin operated billiards tables. Me and my brother went here to peep out the place, had a few drinks kind of overpriced of such, I could have bought liquor somewhere else and try and get deunkard then read more

When you walk in the first thing, you see are the fake slot machines which is huge false advertising. There is no signage saying that it is just for fun. I walked in and put a $20 bill in one of the machines and was immediately looking at it seeing how I would be able to cash out when I wanted to. I then asked the manager how I cashed out and he said that it is not able to and it is just for fun. This is a very miss leading, considering there are no signs saying that the slots are for fun only. Also, if they were just for fun, why would it require money? The slots offer Black Jack Texas hold em and everything in between. Even the people around me were commenting about how they've seen people get swindled the same way I was. I have made a report to the California gambling association as well as the alcohol commission so hopefully something will be done soon however, I urge you to be careful when entering this establishment as all they care about is sucking every dollar out of you that they can. read more

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Great food, great staff and a ton of tables that are well-maintained and clean! Hard Times hosts leagues and weekly tournaments for the more serious players. Love this establishment...it's a must visit when I'm visiting from So Cal. read more

This is certainly the best pool hall in Sacramento, California, and possibly the whole United States! Knowledgeable staff, well maintained equipment, and excellent customer service. If you're looking for a casual place to play pool or looking for serious action and highly competitive tournaments, this is your place. read more

Said I was "Cut off" after one drink after I put on music on the jukebox that they didn't want to hear.

Hard Times hosted the West Coast Women's Tour in June. They were fabulous hosts! The tables are so good, they really spoiled me. I love the back room where it's easy to watch matches. The front room also has a nice elevated area where folks can watch the play. The burger I had for lunch was delicious. read more

Very friendly, great food, and they take very good care of the equipment. Prices are still reasonable. Clean bathrooms. read more

I've been coming here to play pool for over 3 years now and it has everything from a juke box to darts. It's my favorite place to play pool because they have a ton of tables and its 9$ an hour. They also have beers on tap and other drinks at there bar along with a few food options. read more

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Best Pool hall in Cali! Don't kid yourself. Amazing tables, food, and atmosphere. Even the best and intimidating players were welcoming to an out-of-towner in their tournaments. I'll stop by just for lunch and to watch some action when driving through town. It's never not happening over there. There's nothing worse than an empty pool hall. I've honestly considered moving to NorCal just to be closer to this place. read more

Hard Times Billiards - Pool Halls Near Me - Sacramento, California

Best pool hall in california, amazing quality tables, pool balls, and they have nice house cues too. read more

Hard Times Billiards - Pool Halls Near Me - Sacramento, California

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Really cool environment didn't take long to get a table, people and staff are super chill and prices ain't too bad.

Great pool venue. They have a variety of tables from 7 footers to larger 9 footers. There's event a room that says tournament room for very serious pool players. Had a great time practicing there last night for a little over an hour. read more

Nice pool hall. Lots of space and a ton of tables. They have tables in 7' 8' and 9'. They have a great tournament room. Four or five 9 foot tables and a raised spectator section. They have a cue repair service on site which is very convenient. The food is a limited selection but the food is first class. Enjoy your day at this family friendly entertainment pool hall. It doesn't hurt that the sheriff's substation is a couple of hundred feet away. read more

Great vibes, great staff, good food, and a very welcoming community. Highly recommend and the go to spot for pool!

Ken was awesome. The vibes, drinks and set up was great. We will be back with friends read more

Hard Times Billiards - a pool table - Pool Halls Near Me - Sacramento, California

If you like playing pool this is the place to do it..Plenty of green felt tables and plenty of sticks to choose from..You can always bring your own stick..This place is always well kept.The staff that works here and runs this place does there job very nicely. It's a staplep of this area for quite sometime. come get a table with your friends or come make some and get your game on.. read more

Great service, super chill vibe, inexpensive... great way to spend a Friday night.. wasn't hella loud either which was great. Good times!

This is the unicorn of pool halls. It is family owned by a second generation pool professional and his family. Clean, great equipment, friendly staff. However, dont be fooled into thinking that means its not a serious pool hall. Good food, terrific equioment, lots of action, regular tournaments... 5 star location for real players and casual games. Highly recomended. read more

Hardtimes has always been a favorite of mine. The food tastes good and is affordable, the rates are reasonable, drink options are fairly limited but for a beer and chili fries date night, it's the perfect spot. A very good environment for a banter-y fun date. Security runs a tight ship. They announce mask reminders over the speaker every 10 mins or so, which (I'm so forgetful) is very helpful. My only gripe is 100% my own fault; my DL expired and they refused to serve me alcohol despite it not being against the law. I even renewed my license online and got confirmation, and they still wouldn't serve me. Kind of an annoying little issue, but I'm sure they were just following their business protocol. read more

Hard Times Billiards - Pool Halls Near Me - Sacramento, California

Excellent customer service on 02/19. We went in for the 1st time in about 5 years around 11pm. They got rid of the arcade games and made some other improvements to the place. Bartenders and all of the other staff were very friendly and professional. The security was constantly watching the floor, walking his travel path often, and he really made us feel safe. He had a "presence" about him that you usually only see from the head of security at a high end night club. The beer was cold and the food service was very efficient. The selection of adult beverages was more than adequate for a venue with a beer/wine license. We ordered super nachos, cheese sticks, and chicken strips. They were ready FAST and everything all of the food was on point. IDK who owns this venue or who the GM is but to say that they have an awesome staff is an understatement. We Don't get out to shoot pool (kids, work, etc.) much these days but we will for sure visit Hard Times again. read more

This is strictly for the girl who had short black hair with a black two piece biker shorts outfit and jacket who gave me my food. I noticed they changed their menu now serving ramen and bento boxes and etc. when I picked up my food . I asked her if It was "real ramen" I was trying to explain myself. A little bit more further like : is it the fast hot disposable ramen bowls just out or curiosity. She rolled her eyes and said " no it's not too ramen " and walked away Lmfao . I don't understand if you work in customer service and don't want to answer questions even if it's considered "dumb" by even work at a place like this? Honestly , how do you expect respect from people if your attitude is shit. But I guess if the facility doesn't give a fuck then I'll continue to treat their place with all disrespect read more

Such a chill vibe every time we're there. The bar and menu are very simple but actually have good items, and there's always space! Definitely a fun hangout for a group of friends :) read more

Hard Times Sacramento is well known throughout California. While there's no longer a direct connection with the Hard Times in Southern California (Bellflower) - there's a historical connection, and no shortage of friendships between the two staffs. Hard Times is the largest pool hall in Sacramento with over 30 tables and usually the one that attracts the attention of the big name players that wander through town. The equipment is very well maintained. The majority of tables are crowns or gold crowns. All of the tables in the tournament room and some of the tables on the main floor have tight pockets. If you want tight pockets (or not), be sure to ask where they are. The food is good, bar serves beer/wine, friendly staff all adds up to a good experience! read more

Oh my goodness!!! I definitely feel like family whenever I patron here! The workers there are so kind and always says Hi. The young lady at the bar is especially awesome!!! She is attentive and is always right on with me and all the customers. She makes you feel like the bar in the show Cheers! Awesome place to kick it with friends and family! And the update in the menu is nice as well!!! read more

I personally think this has to be the #1 spot in Sacramento for billiards! Great selection on food and drinks. Food is always good and the fries are pretty good as well. They also offer Root Beer Floats! There is a TouchTunes Machine there as well so you can play music off of the App on your phone or pay at the machine itself. On Mondays pool is Half Off for all customers and on Wednesdays pool is Half Off for College Students with ID and I think it's a great way to hang out with some friends and family and to have some fun! If you're looking for memberships, they offer that as well, if you're an avid player who is looking to grind some hours in and improve your game for a reasonable price! They also run an APA League here and some of their own tournaments as well, so they cater to the competitive players and also those who are just there to hang out and have fun! Various Tours also take place here and it's an exciting way to see the professional side of pool, get some cool merch, meet pros and even compete! Table wise, what more could you ask for? They have 31 Brunswick tables with good rails out in the front and a tournament room in the back which is perfect for quiet practice sessions. Overall, I would 100% recommend this spot for anyone who wants to play pool or just a place to hang out at! read more

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The rates for a table are good ($12/hr for 2+ players), but the tables needed new felt ages ago, and were incredibly dirty (I dislike picking-off bits of whatever in the middle of a game). What once was felt (assumedly), currently looks and plays like coarse bed sheets. Crushingly disappointing for a place purportedly owned by an actual pool player. At least there is space around all of the tables. The fried foods are, well, fried, and unremarkable. The beer selection is quite limited, with nothing approaching a dark beer (maybe that's the clientele, I don't know). Sad for me, but so it goes. If only this place cared for their tables, it might be worth a return visit. As the tables are no better (nor cleaner) than a dive-bar's tables, I'll keep my cue at home. So sad. Oh, there is no "full bar" either. You can have beer or wine, "no hard liquor" (said the nice lady behind the counter). read more

Fun pool hall: comes with a full bar, lots of food options and a few arcade games to pass the waiting time. Staff is friendly and rental prices are reasonable. Only negative side is the lack of covid precautions taken. No vaccine card checking nor mask mandated. Didn't see any masks worn during my visit. read more

So yes this is a pool hall( billiards). They gave updated and upgraded their menu. It is very good. But I am writing on behalf of a cheeseburger. Yes a cheeseburger. So Thursday night I ordered a cheeseburger. I talked to the chef, which was awesome to find we both liked the same things. So I received a double cheese( cheddar and American) on a medium fresh ground beef patty. Mayo , thousand island, lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles. Also coming with this masterpiece of a burger was perfectly crisp bacon and a toasted bun. The flavor profile was incredible. Yes INCREDIBLE!! Rolo the chef cooked up extra crispy fries ( perfection) to accompany my meal. Yahoo , this is one of the best burgers I've had in years. Not only do I recommend the establishment. Upscale and professionally maintained billiards. But owners Oscar and Desiree Dominguez went out of there way to make this a class experience. Enjoy your Hard Times experience and order food. Tell them JD sent ya read more

This place is a hidden gem. Ive never seen such an insane pool hall before. They have so many tables, a juke box, a bar, finger foods like chicken strips which i couldnt even finish because it was so big, a tournament room for people who are actually good I have to take one star off because this bald dude yelled at me, accusing me of bringing in outside food. It was their chicken strips i bought from them in a styrofoam container. This guy has such a chip on his shoulder. I was looking for my brother and his friends and he freaked out on me after i came back in, i was outside for about seven seconds. This guy who was behind the rental desk, after i told him that it was his food i bought from this place, told me "wow ok great conversation".... Um ....... Idk what his problem was, but that was my day off pal. I didnt escalate the situation because i was with friends and not trying to start sht with this dude that was irate for some reason that had nothing to do with me. You never know what someone's going through and i hope he is doing better. But this guy came at me, a paying customer, for some reason. Maybe someone was smoking something they shouldnt be smoking outside the door and he thought it was me? I dont know. But whatever. My friends and i had fun celebrating a birthday that day. We had beers there, it was great. read more

Visited this place for the very first time. The surrounding area looks a little rough but once inside it was very welcoming. Staff were great and the other patrons weren't too rowdy either. Everyone there was having good fun playing pool. Totally recommend this place if looking to play some pool. read more

Hard Times Billiards - Beautiful pool tables - Pool Halls Near Me - Sacramento, California

I have been going to Hard Times since I was a teen. My husband and I went during the middle of the day on a Saturday and it wasnt too busy and it wasnt too loud. Just right for this mama bear. I like the fact that there are so many tables, there are other games to play like foosball, and darts. They offer food and drinks for everyone and it's a fun environment. The only thing I missed was having powder for my hands. It was a hot day and my hands kept sweating up and sticking to the stick. I wont blame that on the number of times he beat me, but it sure didnt help either. Lol. Love this place!!! read more

Hard Times Billiards - Pool Halls Near Me - Sacramento, California

I love this place! Super friendly employees Carl, Abby, and JJ are Amazing!! Family oriented and a great time!!! read more

First time here and enjoyed myself pretty big place lots of tables and the one we used played very well , the place is pretty tight though and was crowded on Wednesday nite so make sure you look around before your shot or you might bump into someone , staff was nice friendly place was a traditional looking pool Hall , food we had the chicken strips and onion rings they were good did the job ordered a couple of beers they have large and small for the tap got the large and was shocked and happy they were huge had Heineken the tap and as amazing ice cold great time , made this my home pool hall been coming back for the last few months people are friendly here pool tables are kept up well league play is awesome hard to find a pool hall like this !! read more

Hard Times Billiards - Large beers - Pool Halls Near Me - Sacramento, California

I play pool out of hard time from APA absolutely love the pool hall and it's employees. The place was recently and I say that loosely by non other than the pro player Oscar Dominguez and his family. And although it has been great for business having him own it, and I love most of the changes they are doing to the place. I just feel like the prices on everything was raised at once. And rom a business stand point I understand but from a customer stand point maybe doing it in waves would have been better. I'm syt giving this establishment 5 stars because Oscar and his family are still doing everything they can do make this the best pool hall in town and they treat you like family and give just as much respect as they get. And they understand everyone is human. If your looking to shoot some pool and meet a lot of grea people 'tis is the place you want to be. They have an 8 table tournament room on top of the new 3 ball table and I think around 30 tables on the main floor. They just rolled out a brand new menu for food and lemme tell you, it is fantastic!!!! A little pricy but you get what you pay for. Better quality food. They have a few tournaments every week and for all skill levels and from what I hear the are going to be starting a sanctioned BCA league soon. Can't wait to see the new leave as right now hardtimes is over run by APA members! Lol we're a good bunch tho. read more

This is a great place. The customer service is friendly and the vibe is relaxed and fun. Lots to do with pool, darts and even AirHockey which I enjoyed! I can't speak for the food but they had a good variety of alcohol which tends to be the most important thing for me when playing pool. Plenty of parking both front and back and lots of space inside. A place most people will enjoy with a diverse crowd. read more

Always a great time and friendly staff. Inexpensive and laid back atmosphere. Lots of pool tables and super clean. Good selection of beer and food is good. Really like the BBQ Bacon Burger and Super Nachos with Chicken. read more

I'm surprised that I've never written a review for Hard Times! This has been my favorite pool hall for 3 years, and I used to basically live here about five times a week while practicing for and playing in the tournaments. They have tournaments throughout the week excluding Fridays and Mondays, but Monday is ladies' night which means free pool when only ladies are at a table. There are about 30 Brunswick tables including eight in the tournament room. The food is decent for a pool hall and I enjoy chatting with the bartenders. The owners are also a wonderful family that respect their customers and the game. They strive to keep the competitive side of the sport alive, hence the weekly tournaments, the women's and Mezz tours, and the annual Chuck Memorial. It's a great place to be whether you're there to compete or play for fun. read more

Hard Times Billiards - I love my Hard Times food! Garlic fries with the slop shot - Pool Halls Near Me - Sacramento, California

Love this place the people everything! My main watering hole! Yummy food, great drinks, and great vibes!

Unfortunately I can't select zero stars. Security and management handled a mis understanding beyond unprofessionally. I would never recommend bringing family or friends here. My friends and family got disregarded and disrespected. Security also violates your private property threatens to quit their jobs in order to beat people up. They call women bitches and adorable while trying to file a complaint. I could go on and on. Don't waste your time or money in this establishment. read more