How much does a Pool Hall / Billiards Venue cost to buy?

A typical Pool Hall / Billiards Venue sells for 1.5x to 3x annual revenue. With average revenue of $380K, expect to pay $570K to $1.1M.

How much does it cost to start a Pool Hall / Billiards Venue?

Startup costs range from $60K to $250K depending on location, equipment, and scale.

Physical

Pool Hall / Billiards Venue

Q: What are the profit margins for a Pool Hall / Billiards Venue?

The average profit margin for a Pool Hall / Billiards Venue is around 18%. Key costs: rent (typically $3K–$12K/month), staff (2–4 per shift), liquor license, billiard table maintenance (~$300–$500/table/year for re-felting), cues and chalk, and POS/booking software. COGS on beverages runs 20–30%. Table revenue is near 100% gross margin.

Table rental + beer = 43% profit margins, no food prep required

Pool halls charge by the hour or half-hour for table time, typically $10–$20/table/hour, supplemented by alcohol and non-alcoholic beverage sales. The global billiard hall industry is valued at $673M (2023) with steady 2.8% annual growth. What makes pool halls financially interesting: table rental revenue is nearly pure margin once rent and labor are covered, and alcohol sales — which require no kitchen — can double the per-customer spend. A well-run venue earns 10–20% net profit on $200K–$600K in annual revenue, with stronger venues in dense markets clearing $1M+.

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Avg Revenue

$380K

Profit Margin

18%

Acquisition Multiple

1.5x - 3x

Startup Cost

$60K - $250K

Difficulty

3/5

How It Works

Revenue streams: table time (hourly or per-game), beverage sales (alcohol and non-alcoholic), equipment rentals (cues, chalk), pool leagues (weekly recurring revenue), and tournaments. The key variable is utilization — how many of your tables are occupied per hour of operation. Weekends and evenings drive 60–70% of revenue. Pool leagues are a retention machine: they lock in recurring weekly visits from teams of 4–8 players.

Revenue Range

Low End

$180K

Typical

$380K

High End

$900K

Pros

+No kitchen required — bar service only keeps overhead lean
+Pool leagues create sticky recurring revenue streams
+Relatively low startup cost compared to other hospitality venues
+Attractive acquisition multiples — many owners underprice aging venues

Cons

-Nighttime/weekend concentration means daytime hours generate little revenue
-Liquor license costs and compliance vary significantly by state/city
-Table maintenance (re-felting, cushion replacement) is an ongoing cost
-Gentrification and demographic shifts can gut a neighborhood pool hall's customer base

Best For

Community-oriented operators with hospitality or bar management experience in working-class or college-town markets

Operating Costs

Key costs: rent (typically $3K–$12K/month), staff (2–4 per shift), liquor license, billiard table maintenance (~$300–$500/table/year for re-felting), cues and chalk, and POS/booking software. COGS on beverages runs 20–30%. Table revenue is near 100% gross margin.