Pool and Snooker in London

Where to play pool and snooker in London

The capital splits neatly into two camps: proper games venues built around the tables, and pubs that happen to have a board in the corner. On the dedicated side, Poolhouse near Liverpool Street is the City's big draw, a multi-floor pool venue made for a night out rather than a quick frame. Spots & Stripes leans into the social-club feel with American tables and food and drinks alongside the games, so it works whether you are serious about potting or just there for the company.

For something closer to a traditional hall, Mile End American Pool & Snooker keeps the focus on the game itself, with proper American pool and full snooker setups for anyone who wants to play a real frame rather than a quick eight-ball. It is the spot to head to if you actually care about the cloth and the cushions.

If you would rather not pay, plenty of east London pubs put a table out for free. The Sebright Arms in Bethnal Green, The Raven, Afters, and the Conquering Hero all keep a board going, and the vibe is loose and walk-in rather than booked and timed.

What it costs and how it works

Paid venues in London typically charge either per hour for the table or per game. Per-game pricing tends to sit around the £9 to £10 mark at the more central sports-bar style spots, while dedicated venues like Poolhouse usually run an hourly table rate that you split across your group, which gets cheaper per head the more of you there are.

Snooker is almost always billed by the hour because frames take longer, so a snooker table at a place like Mile End American Pool & Snooker is priced for a proper sitting rather than a five-minute game. Prices change by venue and by time of day, with evenings and weekends being the busy and pricier slots, so it is worth checking the venue card on this page for the current rate before you go.

One quick note on the two games, since people mix them up: a UK snooker table is 12ft and the game uses far more balls, while pool is played on a smaller 7ft table with fewer balls and bigger pockets. If you only want a fast, casual game, you want pool. If you want a long, skill-heavy session, snooker is the one.

Free vs paid: where to play pool for nothing

Free pool is genuinely findable in London if you know where to look, and it is almost always in pubs rather than dedicated halls. The Sebright Arms in Bethnal Green keeps a free table and runs a weekly pool competition that costs nothing to enter, which is one of the better free nights going in the east of the city. The Raven, Afters, and the Conquering Hero round out the free-table options, all with the relaxed, no-booking feel you would expect from a pub board.

The trade-off is simple. Free pub tables are first-come, first-served, so on a busy night you put your coins or your name down and wait your turn, and you take the table as you find it. If you want a guaranteed table, multiple tables for a bigger group, or a proper snooker frame, that is where the paid venues earn their fee.

For a winnable middle ground, do the free pub circuit on a quieter weeknight and save Poolhouse or Spots & Stripes for the occasions where you actually want to book ahead and not gamble on a queue.

Best for groups, dates, and work nights out

For a group or a work do, the dedicated venues are the obvious call. Poolhouse and Spots & Stripes are built for crowds, with multiple tables, full bars, and food, so a team of eight is not stuck rotating on one board all evening. Booking ahead at these is strongly recommended, especially Friday and Saturday evenings, because walk-in tables go fast and pre-booked groups get priority.

For a date or a low-key pair of friends, a free pub table has the edge. The Sebright Arms, The Raven, Afters, or the Conquering Hero give you a game, a drink, and zero pressure, and there is no booking admin to sort out beforehand. It is cheaper and more relaxed than a timed slot in a games hall.

If you are the one who actually wants to play snooker rather than socialise around a table, Mile End American Pool & Snooker is the pick. It treats the game as the main event, which is exactly what you want when you fancy a real frame instead of a noisy bar.

Getting around: pool by area

East London is the heartland for free pub pool. The Sebright Arms sits in Bethnal Green, a short walk from the Tube and Overground, and the free-table pubs cluster across the Hackney and east side of town, so you can string a few together on one night without travelling far.

For paid venues, the City and Liverpool Street area is where Poolhouse lands, which is handy if you are coming straight from work in the Square Mile. Mile End American Pool & Snooker is out east on the Central and Hammersmith and City lines, easy to reach and a proper destination for snooker. Wherever you are headed, use the map and filters at the top of this page to find the nearest table, then check the venue card for its address and the closest station.