Everything is big in Texas. The amount of LOVE for table shuffleboard is VERY BIG in Texas. The bars love it, the locals love it, the holiday-makers love it, and we love that…

The number of shuffleboard tables in bars, clubs and homes around the state is crazy, so it was tough to pick the right place to start our town-by-town reviews. We’ve gone with Austin first, simply because it’s the home of The University of Texas… The school has over 48,000 students and you can’t argue with those numbers…

1. Lavaca Street Bar
Address: 405 Lavaca Street, Austin, TX 78701
Phone: +1 512 469 0106
Website: www.lavacastreet.com
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About the place: The Lavaca Street Bar is a super popular hot-spot in Austin and when you wade through the pages of visitor reviews on yelp.com and the like, it’s easy to understand why…

Here’s what Valerie G thinks:  “This bar is the (insert name of next city to host the olympics) of bar games. Skeeball. Shuffleboard. Pool. Basketball. Ping pong. Big Buck Hunter. I mean, really? How can you cram all of that awesome into one bar?” – Valerie G (yelp.com)

And from Citysearch.com user swims4usa:  “If you’re looking for a great relaxing place any day of the week, check out Lavaca Street Bar. Newly updated game tourney nights are shuffleboard on Tuesdays and pool on Wednesdays. There is a mix of people from different schools, which makes fun conversation about sports, and everyone remains friendly. I’ll see y’all down there Tuesdays for the shuffleboard tourney!”

There are many things we personally like about Lavaca Street Bar, but we’ll save you from a novel and hit you with the top three… 1. They’ve got half-priced BBQ Wings every Sunday and Monday. 2. A cracking table tennis comp on every Wednesday. 3. Their patrons LOVE shuffleboard!

Punter reviews:

“I went in for the shuffleboard and my friend came out with a husband!” – Wendee M (yelp.com)

“I usually head there about 2 bars deep for some shuffleboard. The service is always fast and there are always friendly people who are willing to play ping pong of shuffleboard. It is usually an unspoken rule that the losers buy a round, so if you have skills you should take them here.” - Lee L (yelp.com)

“Lavaca Street Bar, how much do I love thee? Plenty of tables, basketball free-throw machine, skee-ball and my favorite (especially when deerunk)… the table shuffle-board! Why do I love this game so much in the middle of my buzz?!” - Rolando R (yelp.com)

“Only go here if you feel like having a couple or few drinks in a very laid back atmosphere. The shuffleboard table is awesome…by awesome I mean short , so I can actually kick some ass.” - Lisa A (yelp.com)

2. Hole In The Wall
Address: 2538 Guadalupe, Austin, Texas
Phone: +1 512 477 4747
Website: www.holeinthewallaustin.com
Facebook

About the place: The Hole In The Wall serves up everything that’s good about American dive bars; cheap beer, loads of live indie music, cheap bar food, a diverse crowd and a juke box packed with Willie Nelson and Kenny Rogers… It also boasts a very popular shuffleboard table and obviously that’s the first thing that caught our attention.

The bar is BIG, with plenty of table games and spacey chill areas. It’s in the same neighbourhood as the University of Texas, so that means plenty of young guys and girls in the mix at all times.

The perfect bar for a cheeky shuffle after work or during uni!

Punter reviews:

“Love how HUGE this place is, it goes on forever! There is a shuffleboard table, love this.” - Naomi H (yelp.com)

“It’s a fantastic little joint (that’s actually bigger than it looks, since there’s a back bar). The positives: it’s walking distance from West Campus, it’s got a good variety of cheap pitchers, and it’s got free shuffleboard. Go early to get the table, then drink and play the night away.” - Jeffrey C (yelp.com)

“They also have pinball (which is sadly frequently out of order), a jukebox outside, you can open a tab at one bar and use it at all 3, and they have shuffleboard. I think there’s a pool table there, too, but my memory is fuzzy – even though I’ve been there 20-odd times. LOL.” - Kelly S (yelp.com)

3. Gypsy Lounge
Address: 1504 E 6th Street, Austin, TX 78702
Phone: +1 512 322 5214
Website: www.gypsyloungeaustin.com
Facebook

About the place: The enchanting Gypsy Lounge is not like the other bars in Austin. It’s a unique establishment with a relaxed atmosphere, promising a vibe that “caters to those with a discerning taste for the eclectic, the artistic, the free spirit of a creative soul.” It also proudly screams “fun” and “drink here”.

One of the most popular draw-cards of the Gypsy Lounge is the always-free shuffleboard table. It can be tough getting on the table some nights, so when you do get to play make sure you win…

Punter reviews:

“What makes this place stand out is the super friendly staff and the free shuffleboard table.  And I rocked the shuffleboard! I went all shuffleboard shark on they ass, ”pretending” to suck at first and then beating them both in the end.” – Keri B (yelp.com)

“I loved the atmosphere, the bartender was friendly, they have shuffleboard – which is a HUGE WIN in my book.” - Nicole S (yelp.com)

“Ask a hot chick to play shuffleboard here and cheat! ” – Eddie W. (foursquare.com)

“They had cheap prices, shuffleboard, plenty of places to sit and friendly patrons. The bartenders were very cool and quick. Very impressed, and excited that I’ve found a new cool place.” - Rachel P (yelp.com)

“The inside has ambient lighting and shuffleboard, high tables and a corner with comfy stuff. The outside is much like liberty bar with the big picnic tables and a gravel yard but without the huge crowds.” – Kelly S (yelp.com)

4. Kung Fu Saloon
Address: 510 Rio Grande, Austin, Texas 78701
Phone: +1 512 469 0901
Website: www.kungfusaloon.com
Facebook

About the place: Kung Fu Saloon is a mixed bag of lollies we want packed up and relocated to Melbourne, Australia. It’s fun, it’s cool, it’s different, it’s got 24 beers on tap and it’s a table/arcade game lovers wonderland… From shuffleboard and Skee Ball to NBA Jam and Street Figher to Giant Connect Four, Checkers and Jumbo Jenga – it’s very easy to lose track of time (and space) in here.

Their Sunday Fundays are infamous, so suck up the hangover and get amongst it. Don’t be afraid to turn up the Aussie accent either, because the joint knows how to pull a happy-go-luck college crowd. Go play!

PS. Check out their Sake bomb menu and multiple happy hours!

PPS. We hear there’s now a huge wall illustration of Chuck Norris performing a trusty round-house kick and that’s cool…

Punter reviews:

“Kung Fu Saloon is a fun place to hang out (especially on Sundays when the games are free). Good for a date or with a group. One of my friends had a birthday party here recently, and it worked out well – we all had a blast competing at skee ball, foosball and table shuffleboard.” – Hadley H (yelp.com)

“Yes, yes YES!!!  Finally, a bar that I can get excited about. Shuffleboard!!!  FREE!  Crazy, I know!  And the patrons seem to rotate out, or get distracted by other games, quickly enough that everyone can score a turn.” - Lorena O (yelp.com)

“Good stuff. Nice patio, strong drinks, reasonable prices, skeeball, shuffleboard, couples dry humping at the corner of the bar (asked to leave after 45 minutes of gregarious affection), pacman, dominos. Yes.” - Lauren E (yelp.com)

5. Buffalo Billiards
Address: 201 E 6th Street, Austin, TX 78701
Phone: +1 512 479 7665
Website: www.buffalobilliards.com/austin
Facebook

About the place: Have we saved the best until last? Quite possibly, because Buffalo Billiards is ridiculous… RI-DIC-U-LOUS.

As it says on their website, the Buffalo Billiards building was touted as Austin’s first boarding house and was rumoured to be a brothel, with “many a cowboy having a good time there”.

Today, anyone can enter the saloon doors and have a blast. There’s over 6700 square meters of entertainment, more than 30 HD TVs, billiard tables, pool tables, shuffleboard tables, dart boards, food, drinks and people galore. It was named the USA’s Best New Pool Hall in 1999.

Get Your Game On.

Punter reviews:

“It’s a space pretty much made for gathering with scads of your pals, from the shuffleboard tables adorning the western-most downstairs corner to the wrap around bar staring you down at the entrance.” – Kevin N (yelp.com)

“The place is HUGE and drinks were cheap. A ton of pool tables, foosball tables and most importantly, shuffleboard tables.” - Christa R (yelp.com)

“This is the place I go when I want to stray away from the very packed and crowded areas of 6th Street. This place is spacious and contains shuffleboard. It’s not too expensive to rent out the slidey things. It’s fun to play after a few beers. The sand they use are actually very small plastic balls. That blows my mind for some reason.” - James L (yelp.com)

“If the upstairs is open it’s a great place to go for a little more room and a better chance at a pool table… expect long waits for shuffleboard and pool if you go anytime between Thursday and Sunday nights (it’s a big hit then since it offers entertainment as well as drink specials) or if you head out after eleven.” - Ashley R (yelp.com)

“Great place to relax on off nights downtown and enjoy some pool, shuffleboard and darts.” – Shane H (yelp.com)

“If you love to drink and play all kinds of games, this bar has you covered. Stella on tap. Four shuffleboard tables. Three dart boards. Two nunchucks for wii sports. And one vintage Wayne Gretzky hockey dome… Did I mention the shuffleboard? “ – Alex M (yelp.com)