Underground foosball exists, and yes, it exists in Boulder.
Currently, those in the scene play at the Attic on Monday and Tuesday nights.
Davin Yoshida, a 35-year-old property manager and a professional fooser, began running the foosball tournaments in 2003 with the Tuesday nights and started Monday nights in 2008.
Eight players face off in a foosball tournament at The Attic Bar & Bistro. The heated tournament was held Monday night. (Ryan Tibbitts/CU Independent)
“About five years ago we realized that the Tuesday tourney had gotten so good, skill wise, that no one could come in and start playing. That’s why the Monday tourney got started,” Yoshida said. “Monday is a developmental tourney to get your skills up to play the Tuesday night tourney, which is now all pro-tour foosball players.”
Monday nights offer more than just the tournament – which is free to join and starts at 8:15 p.m. – it is also a night to get free lessons from Yoshida, who has been on the professional touring circuit for almost 10 years and will be playing in the Hall of Fame Classic in Las Vegas next month. The free lessons start at 7 p.m. so that foosballers under 21 get some play, especially as bars close to minors as the evening progresses.
Two teams of plastic men compete valiantly on a miniature field. The heated foosball tournament was held at The Attic Bar & Bistro on Monday night. (Ryan Tibbitts/CU Independent)
Apart from giving lessons, Yoshida runs the tournament and makes sure everything runs smoothly. He takes everyone’s names down who are interested in playing and sets up the teams randomly. This ensures no single team has an upper hand of having two strong players or weaker ones and allows each foosballer to practice with teammates of different experience level. Each tournament round is a best of two out of three and teams are removed after two losses, giving each team a chance to get back into the game.
With Monday nights focusing on beginners, Tuesday’s are set aside for the more experienced foosballers. These evenings are only tournaments- which have the same set up as Monday but with a $5 buy-in. During these evenings the more experienced players get to further develop their skills, preparing them for tour and to advance in foosball rankings.
“The rankings go: new player, beginner, rookie, amateur, expert, pro, elite, master”, explained Yoshida who is currently ranked an amateur on tour.
The Attic has three tables for use, compared to the usual one table at other locations. With more tables there are more games at all times, making it a perfect location for tournament use and nights when every other foosball table seems to be occupied.
Yoshida’s advice to people who want to get into foosball is, “Come and play Monday night at the attic. It’s an entry-level tourney so all new players are welcome to play.”
Below is a map of five places to foos in Boulder.
View Foosing in Boulder in a larger map
Contact CU Independent entertainment reporter Claudia Rebora at Claudia.rebora@colorado.edu.
