Just a quick shout out to the team at Sloezen Billiards. Our table is FANTASTIC. Nothing but praises to Karl and his group of worker bee's! We cannot tell you how much pleasure the table has brought us. Makes me feel like a young kid again. To anyone who is thinking about purchasing a high end table... Brand new? Why would you! I have a fully refurbished gold crown III... at half the price. Buying a refurbished table from Sloezen Billiards is definitely a no brainer. David C. / Paramus, NJ
I have been playing pool on and off for about 50 years. Mostly a straight pool player (14 and 1). Always loved the game and played fairly well. Could run a rack; but by the time I was up to the key ball prior to setting up the break shot; I was so far out of position that I rarely got into the next rack. My wife gave me a Christmas gift of a lesson from Karl. What a surprise! I was actually going to play with a pro! Karl immediately sized up my game and concentrated on my mechanics at first. Then we progressed into pattern play and strategy. I continued with lessons for some time and am proud to say that thanks to Karl I have achieved a high run of 71 on an 8 foot table and 65 on a 9 foot table. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks.
Thanks again Karl! Bill L. / River Vale, NJ
I meticulously researched the table that I wanted and the price, and it all led me to one place: Karl Sloezen - and I live in New York on the other side of the Hudson River! Karl is a master craftsman who restores each table as if he was doing it for himself. My table Gold Crown I which was made in the 1960's looks better than the day it was manufactured. I got more than a pool table though; I got a friend.
Karl is a professional pool player whom we decided to purchase our accessories from. We didn't have to buy the balls or cues from him and he didn't push us to do it. He even offered to speak with us about purchases from other dealers if we had any questions. In the end though, his expertise won out, and there was no reason to go anywhere else.
My son and I decided to take lessons from Karl, and our playing has improved exponentially - and I grew up with a pool table in my home. The reason is simple: he takes a personal interest in seeing you get better, and he genuinely loves teaching the game. If you want to overpay for an inferior table and play lousy pool, buy it from a store. If you want a superior table and equipment and you're interested in really playing the game, go to Karl. Scott S. / Ardsley, NY
If you live in the NJ/NY area and especially if your game is straight pool, you'll be hard pressed to find another instructor who can show you more about the game's finer points than Karl. He's a true 300+ ball runner and you'll be learning from a world-class straight pool player.
Years ago I took a couple of lessons from Karl when I was a middling D/C player, and he pointed out several fundamental flaws in my form and mechanics. Those lessons stuck, and now that I'm a middling B+/A- player, I contacted Karl for more lessons a couple of weeks ago and we worked on my pattern play and safety game in 9/10 ball. The advantages of taking lessons from a pro-level player is immediately apparent: you ask a question and you know the answer you're getting is the correct one.
My friend, an avid (if somewhat hapless) straight pool player, is approaching the century mark after 3 lessons from Karl, whereas previously his high runs were stuck in the 60's. He shares my opinion that Karl's deep knowledge of the game and his ability to show you on the table exactly what he's trying to convey is key to his success as an instructor. Anyway, I strongly urge you guys to give him a call. Roger A. / Fort Lee, NJ
I have been taking lessons with Karl for about 3 months now. After not playing pool since my teens, and now being 65, I got back into playing about a year ago. I have always loved pool but with work, raising a family etc. I hadn't picked up in stick in almost 45 years. My strong desire to improve gave me the incentive to find a good instructor.
I started playing in an APA league as at a 3 rating and with Karl's help I am on my way to a 6 rating. I probably possessed every bad habit a pool player could have. I am sure (although he would never say so) Karl finds me an old dog and teaching me "new tricks" a challenge.
Karl has improved every level of my game. He rebuilt my stance, bridge, stroke and pre-shot routine. He is big on fundamentals and is constantly mindful of them even when we are working on other area such position play, speed control or english. Karl is an excellent instructor as well as a great player in his own right. His enthusiastic and informative instruction make his lessons fly by and makes one look forward to the next one. Karl loves to teach and he really shows pride in seeing me progress as a player.
If you are a beginner or an A+ player you will not find a better instructor than Karl. Don G. / E. Rutherford, NJ
Karl is a real straight shooter, no pun intended. He knows his pool tables and he was really helpful answering all of my questions about the Brunswick Gold Crown III I purchased from him. He sold me a high quality refurbished Brunswick pool table for a great price. The finish work he did on the table was top notch making the table look like new. Karl even came out to our home in PA from NJ with the delivery team to ensure the table was set up properly. He is a man that stands by what he sells and cares about customer satisfaction. If you are in the market for a real pool table I would recommend you buy it from Karl. Frank C. / Lackawaxen, Pa
Karl,
It was good seeing you and thanks for the great lesson. I worked on it a bit yesterday and will be playing this afternoon with my buddy. I'll keep you informed of my progress. Thanks again, Bob L. / Jackson, NJ
He came into my homeroom the other day, screwed his cue together (gorgeous fancy SW) and ran 210 on my hapless friend, who didn't know who he was.
It was almost a perfect run, barely any reaches and every end game pattern and break-shot was perfect. The run ended on a skid, which would've devastated most people but Karl apparently runs centuries at a whim. Last time he stopped by he posted a 151, and the time before a 102...and he makes it look sooooo easy.
Roger A. / Fort Lee, NJ
We are Located in Bergen County, NJ <> 201-739-6219 Restored Tables / Lessons / Table Moving & Recovering...
My wife and I, are the proud new owners of a Brunswick Gold Crown III. It's a beautiful addition to our home and the centerpiece of our family room. We really can't say enough about Karl Sloezen of Sloezen Billiards. He's a professional with a passion for the game and an equal passion for his Gold Crowns. I'm an educator by profession and I appreciate that Karl has given me an education on a fabulously built and awesome playing table. The Gold Crown may not be a Maserati, but it compares quite nicely to the American "muscle cars" of its era, and it's fast.
Karl and his wife were gracious enough to invite us into their home and shop. Given the opportunity to see the condition and quality of Karl's restoration work there was no doubt I was going to buy one of his Gold Crowns. It's a few weeks later, Karl personally delivered and coordinated the install. The finishes are awesome and it plays like the tournament professional it is. The quality of a piece is in the sum of its parts. I had the unique opportunity to see this table set up piece by piece. My wife are 110% satisfied with Karl and our Gold Crown.
My advice: Buy, American; Buy, a Classic; Buy, a Sloezen Gold Crown!! Larry G. / Shrub Oak, NY
I am an advanced pool player with over 20 years of experience. Karl fit me with a new proper stance and modified most of my mechanics. It turns out that I was doing a lot of things wrong! Karl was able to see where my stroke was incorrect and explained some very specific nuances/details relating to proper stroking of the cue (including my grip; placement of holding the cue and position of the bridge arm). I can see my game improving greatly! Karl is a dedicated teacher and takes pride in improving his student's play. Rich N. / Nanuet, NY
I've been an amateur and league pool player for over 50 years, having grown up playing on Brunswick Gold Crown tables in a funky old pool hall in Morristown, N.J. More recently I played for several years in a pretty competitive 8-ball league in my hometown in Connecticut, again on Gold Crowns, until the pool hall suddenly and unexpectedly closed.
For all those years, I'd dreamed of having my own table, but family priorities and space limitations always seemed to get in the way. Recently a good friend who's a contractor suggested that there was a way he could eliminate the lolly columns in my playroom so that I could put a nine-foot table in there. I jumped at the chance.
Then I began looking for the right table. While I considered Olhausens and a few others, I knew I really wanted a Gold Crown - preferably a Gold Crown III. After a lot or reading and research and weeks of talking to people and watching eBay and other sites, I came across Karl Sloezen. I read about his background as a tour player (I later learned he played a lot with Luther Lassiter, one of my all-time favorites), and about the work he does now restoring and refinishing tables.
About six weeks ago Karl and I spoke on the phone for over an hour, and we made plans for me to go to New jersey to see some of the tables he's restored and has for sale. I can't tell you what a pleasure that was. Karl's a terrific guy, and his work is just amazing. He completely refinishes the wood legs and skirts, repairs the rails, ball boxes and ball returns as necessary, and then refinishes all the castings and metal trim in this totally cool hammertone bronze finish. It turns out that Karl has a background in antique furniture repair and restoration and the use of "faux finishes," and I was absolutely blown away when he told me that all the castings had been refinished by hand - no spraying and no baking.
As you can guess, I bought a nine-foot Gold Crown III from Karl, and I can't tell you how happy I am with it. It's beautiful, and it plays great. As it happened, the same day that I met Karl I also looked at an unrestored Gold Crown III in very nice, original condition. Because the folks selling it were anxious to get it out of their house, I could have bought that table for a good bit less money, but I decided that I'd rather spend more and have a table that Karl had restored to beautiful, like-new condition. I made the right decision. Chris B. / Norwalk, CT
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