Friday, October 12, 2007

Forget foosball, darts and even Big Buck Hunter. The latest trend to hit area bars is shuffleboard.

Wander into pubs and pool halls in Washington or Arlington and you'll see players huddled around long, sand-dusted planks of wood, taking turns skimming four weights (metal-bottomed disks a little smaller than hockey pucks) toward the opposite end trying to score points.

Table shuffleboard isn't exactly new -- variations have been played in 16th-century England, 17th-century Massachusetts and 20th-century Hollywood -- but several nightspots recently have been installing tables, ranging from 14 to 22 feet long.

Buffalo Billiards, which has always offered a lone shuffleboard table in its backroom, now has eight. The bar hosted a nine-week summer shuffleboard tournament that had as many as 16 teams every Monday night.

On weekends, players hang out at the bar, electronic pagers in hand, waiting for one of the 18-foot tables to open up. They pay the same rates as for a pool table: $12 an hour for two players during the week, or $14 after 7 Thursday through Saturday.

When Finn Mac Cool's Irish pub made over its upstairs rooms, the owners reserved space for a competition-size 22-foot table. It takes up most of one wall in the bar area, sitting underneath three tall windows, and features an electronic scoring system so there's no arguing about who's in the lead. The hardwood surface is in prime condition, and best of all, there's no charge to play. (If you want to keep score electronically, it's $2 per game, but all you need are basic math skills.)

The Ballston Common branch of Bailey's Pub and Grille has had a competition-size table for years, tucked in the backroom with pool tables. There's usually a wait on weekend evenings, when an hour of play costs $9.

Buffalo Billiards' sister bars have also gotten into the act. Rocket Bar, which opened earlier this year, sports two tables. Bedrock Billiards just cleared out two dart lanes to add a pair of tables. Arlington's Carpool has four new tables. Atomic Billiards and Continental each added two tables, and Bedrock Management's Curt Large says Continental may start a shuffleboard league.

-- Fritz Hahn

ATOMIC BILLIARDS 3427 Connecticut Ave. NW; 202-363-7665.

BAILEY'S PUB AND GRILLE 4233 Wilson Blvd. (inside Ballston Common mall), Arlington; 703-465-1300.

BEDROCK BILLIARDS 1841 Columbia Rd. NW; 202-667-7665.

BUFFALO BILLIARDS 1330 19th St. NW; 202-331-7665.

CARPOOL 4000 Fairfax Dr., Arlington; 703-532-7665.

CONTINENTAL 1911 N. Fort Myer Dr., Arlington; 703-465-7675.

FINN MAC COOL'S 713 Eighth St. SE; 202-547-7100.

ROCKET BAR 714 Seventh St. NW; 202-628-7665.