Alexander Charnaud

If there's one thing that Shanghai has plenty of, it's bars. From the swanky hotspots in Xintiandi and Sinan Mansions to the dive bars and drinking holes of Hengshan Lu, the city hosts the entire spectrum. There are literally hundreds of ways to have a good evening in Shanghai, one of which is to get involved in the buzzing bar sports scene. TALK caught up with some of the best players in town to see what they had to say about the pool, darts and table football leagues.

The first and most popular of the bar games is billiards. A pub stalwart and a great way to meet new people, life would be a lot worse off were it not for the occasional game of 8 Ball. Thankfully, many bars around town field teams in the Allied Pickford Shanghai 8 Ball Pool League. Having previously played for the Park Tavern and now racking and smacking for the Windows Scoreboard team, Nick Garrett shared his thoughts on the league. “I maintain that in order to have a varied social life in Shanghai you need to be involved in many different things.” he says. “Racking up a game of pool is a great way to develop new friendships and have fun outside your typical group of mates."

Teams in the Allied Pickford Shanghai 8 Ball Pool League differ in both quality and outlook. While some take it seriously and turn up looking for the win, others simply like the night out with their friends. “It’s not really about winning for me at least. The Windows Scoreboard team is pretty decent, but if we don't win then that's ok too,” says Garrett. “Really it’s just a couple of games of pool and a few pints. If anyone wants to join in, then they should do some research so they don’t join the wrong one.”

Opinions differ as to where the best tables are in town, but it is hard to ignore the quality offered by Shanghai’s premiere pool location Racks. With good competition and a friendly atmosphere it’s the perfect place to either practice or hustle drinks from unsuspecting victims.